Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: NBCUniversal was unhappy that BuzzFeed's SPAC deal valued it at just $1.5B, below its 2016 valuation, but approved the deal after Peretti's concessions — Chief Executive Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed signed off on terms that could put more pressure on the company if its shares don't rise.
Discussion:
@benmullin, @wsj, @pinboard, @benmullin, @benmullin and @amrithramkumar
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast and ViacomCBS announce SkyShowtime, a subscription streaming service expected to launch in 20+ European markets in 2022 — The partnership will be structured as a joint venture, with equal investment and joint control.
Discussion:
Variety, Variety, MediaPost, The Wrap, The Streamable, Light Reading, CNBC, Bloomberg, @alexweprin, @sarafischer, Business Wire, Cord Cutters News, @loudmouthjulia, Broadband TV News and Realscreen
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
A group of 13 people made up of WaPo staff and families, including Afghan journalists, has left Kabul; the status of others who work for NYT and WSJ is unclear — A group of Washington Post employees, including Afghan journalists and their families, safely departed Kabul on Tuesday …
Discussion:
New York Times, Poynter, The New York Times Company, The Guardian, American Press Institute, The Week, @wsjpr, icfj.org, @nytimespr, CNN, The Full Belmonte, Columbia Journalism Review, @iamamnanawaz, @andrewrestuccia, @goanand, @mviser, @anniegowen, The P Word, Associated Press, @ajvicens, @rachelabramsny, Variety, @cliffordlevy, @oliverdarcy, @lara_korte, @nikkiusher, Wall Street Journal, Media Matters for America, Reason, Snopes.com and Vanity Fair
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
Facebook for the first time shares a report on the most widely viewed content on Facebook in the US, including Q2's most-viewed domains, links, posts, and pages — A video of two cats walking, tails intertwined, looking like the best of friends. A resource site for Green Bay Packers alumni.
Discussion:
@caseynewton, @alexweprin, @rmac18, @anthony, @minimaxir, @martinsfp, @spandi_s, @swodinsky, @shiraovide, @brendannyhan, @benedictevans, @andymstone, @sarafischer, @willoremus, @willoremus, @issielapowsky, @issielapowsky, About Facebook, About Facebook and @willoremus, more at Techmeme »
@lyta_gold:
Current Affairs editor says EIC Nathan Robinson fired most of the staff because they were trying to organize into a worker's co-op — I am grieved to tell you that @nathanjrobinson has effectively fired me & most of the @curaffairs staff because we were trying to organize into a worker's co-op. This isn't a bit. I wish it was. https://drive.google.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
Gawker, @cernovich, @thewillennium, @ryangrim, @teroterotero, @hott0trotsky, @affairspast, @fart, @lubchansky, @ashleyfeinberg, @josephstash, @crulge, @davidklion, @kylebrussell and @joshc0301
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
UK's Society of Editors withdraws its claim that UK media is not racist after months of pressure and says it will work to improve diversity in the industry — Organisation that represents UK newspaper editors says it will work to improve diversity in industry
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The Daily Beast names Tracy Connor as its editor-in-chief, after she has been acting in the role following Noah Shachtman's departure — The Daily Beast digital news site on Wednesday named Tracy Connor as its next top editor. — Ms. Connor, 54, will take over as editor in chief immediately, the company said in a statement.
Discussion:
WWD, @katie_robertson, @goldietaylor, @dianafalzone, @gittrich, @mepfuller, @nytimes and @markstenberg3
J. Clara Chan / The Hollywood Reporter:
Spotify signs a multi-year deal with WWE, which includes The Ringer and WWE launching an exclusive audio network and developing original audio content — The Ringer and WWE will launch an exclusive audio network and develop original content.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Sportico, Spotify, Forbes, @chriswelch, Tubefilter, Front Office Sports and Barrett Media
Kate Lindsay / Study Hall:
As media coverage of influencers increases, journalists face harassment and sharp scrutiny from fandoms who see the world in black and white — Last Monday, BuzzFeed published a profile of internet celebrity Trisha Paytas by Scaachi Koul. For those following the saga …
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, @kattenbarge, @benjamingoggin, @lucas_shaw, @benyt, @tanyachen, @kathrynfiona and @taylorlorenz
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Podcasters say Apple Podcasts Connect, a requirement for using its new subscriptions product, is buggy and has a confusing UI — In April, Apple Podcasts was poised to revolutionize the industry. It announced in-app subscriptions, as well as an entirely new backend, representing …
Discussion:
@alexcas_io, @jsnell, @reckless, @davewiner, @brendonbigley and @ashleyrcarman, more at Techmeme »
Billboard:
Billboard partners with Logitech to launch Song Breaker Chart, giving monthly rankings of creators who are driving music consumption through their content — Billboard and Logitech For Creators, a brand extension of Logitech that helps all creators pursue their passions …
Discussion:
@billboard and musically.com
Jacob Silverman / New Republic:
Profile of DDoSecrets, a transparency collective that stands apart from WikiLeaks and others through its commitment to provide information useful to journalists — As Freddy Martinez tracked the latest impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump on Twitter, he saw a screencap of a CNN broadcast that struck him as odd.