Top News:
Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal:
NYT is adding a paywall to Wirecutter, starting after users read 10 stories/month, charging $5/month or $40/year but free for NYT premium digital subscribers — Site will be available for $5 every four weeks or as part of a Times premium bundle — New York Times Co. plans to put …
Discussion:
The New York Times Company, @alexweprin, Nieman Lab, @kimmasters, @timherrera, @greengart, @davidellis, @mrpope, @reneritchie, @thevowel, @ylitvinenko, @ylitvinenko, @jaredlholt, @davidclinchnews, @myurow, @myurow, @russpitts, @adriana_lacy, @rafat, @sdkstl, @delrayser, @thedavidmurphy, @mattietk, @jamesstevenson, @samitsarkar, @ranjanxroy, @parismartineau, @mattzeitlin, @abeaujon, @pkafka, @patiencehaggin, @bmorrissey, @robaeprice, @oliverdarcy, @myurow and @dangillmor
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Source: Facebook plans to downrank current events content and political posts in the News Feed, which could reduce traffic to some news publishers — Facebook plans to announce that it will de-emphasize political posts and current events content in the News Feed based on negative user feedback, Axios has learned.
Garett Sloane / Ad Age:
LinkedIn is abandoning its Stories format at the end of September and has told advertisers to adjust their ad campaigns accordingly — Brands will have to adjust ad campaigns when video format leaves the platform after September — LinkedIn is telling advertisers to prepare for the end …
Discussion:
The Verge, LinkedIn, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, @caseynewton, @katie_roof, @profjeffjarviss, @adage, @film_girl, @shaayohn, @chrisbrogan, @carnage4life, @sarthakgh and @mgsiegler, more at Techmeme »
Jessica Toonkel / The Information:
Sources: Vice Media is raising $85M from existing investors since SPAC talks have ended; as part of the deal, co-founder Shane Smith is giving up voting control — Vice Media is raising over $85 million in fresh capital from existing investors, as talks to go public via a special purpose acquisition company …
Discussion:
@joshsternberg, @zeeshanaleem, @kenli729, @rafat, @richlightshed, The Wrap, @jakesherman, @joeljohnson and @parismartineau
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Amazon is developing a live audio feature, led by its Music division, with a focus on live music and potentially radio and podcasts — Amazon is investing heavily in a new live audio feature that's similar to other live audio offerings like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and Spotify's new live audio platform, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
New York Post, @sarafischer, @badnetworker, Hot Takes, @thekenyeung and @axios, more at Techmeme »
Anousha Sakoui / Los Angeles Times:
Hollywood production workers complain about burnout, with some working 18-hour days due to soaring demand for content from new streaming services — Last month, Ben Gottlieb, a 27-year-old set lighting technician, wanted to show his support for his union's campaign to improve working conditions …
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost:
FreeWheel: premium video ad views in the US jumped 50% YoY in H1 2021, with connected TV accounting for 60% of those views and set-top box VOD generating 15% — Premium video ad views in the U.S. jumped 50% in this year's first half compared to first-half 2020 — and connected TV (CTV) …
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
HBO Max will launch in Spain and the Nordics in the fall, and in Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe in 2022 — WarnerMedia's streamer HBO Max will launch in the Nordics and Spain this fall, followed by Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal in 2022, it was revealed at a Series Mania Forum keynote conversation on Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Streamable and Hollywood Reporter
Celeste Katz Marston / Nieman Reports:
A look at six rural news outlets trying to fill the information gaps in places sometimes dismissed in the national media as flyover country — These local newsrooms are helping audiences better understand the places sometimes dismissed as “flyover country”
Discussion:
@niemanreports, @niemanreports and @celestekatznyc
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
Outlets like Quartz and LAT are fighting subscription fatigue by hiring retention experts, analyzing reader habits, and investing in new forms of content — For all of last year's business challenges, publishers' focus on subscriber acquisition worked. — In 2020, subscription revenue …
Discussion:
@risj_oxford
Harry McCracken / Fast Company:
Flipboard adds features that suggest related topics and let readers quickly choose subjects they care most about; it plans to expand topic fine-tuning soon — The magazine-style aggregation app always wanted to steer clear of the ugly side of virality. Now it's even easier to customize it to your passions.
Discussion:
@kfury
Jay Cridlin / Tampa Bay Times:
Tampa Bay Times sells its printing plant to Alden's real estate subsidiary for $21M in a “real estate deal, not a newspaper deal”, eliminating ~75% of its debt — The buyer of the 27-acre property is the real estate arm of hedge fund Alden Global Capital.
Discussion:
Poynter and @wolfcolin
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