Mediagazer: Lionel Messi's exclusive interview with a Twitch influencer following his move to Paris shows how sports programming is shifting steadily to streaming platforms (Clara Hernanz Lizarraga/Bloomberg)

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Max Willens / Digiday:

Medium says its Partner Program has 200,000+ enrollees as it launches a referral program that will give participants a ~50% cut of new subscriber revenue — As the creator services arms race intensifies across digital media, Medium is hoping to stand out by sharing more of its spoils with a smaller …

Discussion: @maxwillens, TechCrunch, 3 min read, @realbengilbert, @caleweissman, @ahmetasabanci, @rebeccatee, @mclendaniel and @mattnavarra

Clara Hernanz Lizarraga / Bloomberg:

Lionel Messi's exclusive interview with a Twitch influencer following his move to Paris shows how sports programming is shifting steadily to streaming platforms — - Interview after star's Paris move is a coup for the Amazon app — Clubs working with influencers to tap new generation of fans

Discussion: @adrianweckler, @tzm_tmt and @mattnavarra

The Atlantic:

Filing: The Atlantic added 280,000 subscribers in the last 12 months, for a total of 833,410, with the average value of a subscription growing 45% since H1 2019 — The Atlantic's paid readership jumped by more than 280,000 in the last 12 months, according to the latest circulation statement filed …

Discussion: @maxboot, @markstenberg3, @jeffreygoldberg, @orskov and @elipariser

Sara Guaglione / Digiday:

Quartz says it has 27,000 members, up 71% YoY, and is set to generate $3M+ in subscription revenue in 2021, as it refocuses subscription program on newsletters — Quartz is making changes to its three-year-old subscription program, with a new focus on its email newsletters after the publisher found …

Discussion: @zseward

James Hercher / AdExchanger:

Eyeo, creator of Adblock Plus, debuts Trestle, a demand-side platform that lets ad agencies target Eyeo users who consent to see ads, plus “lookalike audiences” — But Trestle makes it easy to plug directly into existing campaign infrastructure, Padhye said.

Discussion: @astaniscia86 and @bmorrissey

Alex Heath / The Verge:

Facebook claims it is undertaking a “very meaningful pivot”, still in its infancy, to change how its ad tools work with a focus on privacy — A ‘very meaningful pivot’ is underway inside the world's largest social network — Facebook's massive business was built on its ability to track users across the internet.

Kate Kaye / Digiday:

Google engineer says it is considering moving FLoC to a topics-based system as the original version of FLoC presents new privacy infringements for users — Now that Google has postponed its plan to disable third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, the digital ad giant may be considering …

Discussion: @simonjharris, @wolfiechristl, @katekayereports and @katekayereports

Helen Davidson / The Guardian:

Chinese state media deletes articles quoting a Swiss biologist critical of the US over COVID-19 origin investigations, after Switzerland says he does not exist — State media quietly erases articles on biologist Wilson Edwards after Switzerland says he does not exist

Discussion: Breitbart, Al Jazeera, @archermail, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, @heldavidson and @censelio

Vanessa Gera / Associated Press:

Poland's parliament passes a bill that could force Discovery, owner of Poland's TVN network, to sell its holdings, in a move viewed as a blow to media freedom — WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner …

Discussion: @anneapplebaum, New York Times, @anneapplebaum, @sikorskiradek, @janowskikris and @globalfreemedia

Matthew Keys / The Desk:

Disney to pay Lionsgate nearly $10M to launch Star Plus in Brazil after local judge said the name sounded too similar to Lionsgate's streaming service StarzPlay — The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to Lionsgate for the right to use the “Star Plus” branding for a streaming service set to launch in Brazil.

Financial Times:

FT reopens its LA bureau after nearly a decade, as part of US expansion plans, and will now have six bureaus in the US, the most of any country in its network — The Financial Times is reopening its Los Angeles bureau after nearly a decade and has appointed veteran correspondent Christopher Grimes …

Discussion: Talking Biz News

Dade Hayes / Deadline:

Sports-focused FuboTV reports Q2 revenue of $130.9M, up 196% YoY, with ad revenue up 281% YoY, and says it has added 91,291 subscribers for a total of 681,721 — Streaming pay-TV provider FuboTV reported second-quarter results far better than Wall Street analysts expected …

Discussion: The Desk, Yahoo Finance and MediaPost