Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Ozy built a TV interview show for CEO Carlos Watson based on false claims it was for A&E and that it would then be a YouTube Original, its ex-producer says — Producers say they were led to believe they were making a talk show for A&E, which said no to the program.
Discussion:
@benyt, @choire, Garbage Day, @danprimack, @benyt, @jonathanvswan, @robertwolf32, @sonnybunch, @lachlan, @jeffjarvis, @elisewho, @jduffyrice, @markdistef, @briancgrubb, @jbouie, @kimberlynfoster, @byjoelanderson, @byjoelanderson, @awprokop, @dannygroner, @ismat, @ashleyfeinberg, @justinbaragona, @mtill50, @davidfolkenflik, @caro, @jonathanvswan, @byjoelanderson, @albertburneko, @byjoelanderson, @espiers, @arthur_affect, @kfile, @zachstafford, @thegarance, @stuartathompson, @byjoelanderson, @carlquintanilla, @devlinbarrett, @thrasherxy, @franklinleonard, @kevinmaddendc, @jakesherman, @cliffordlevy, @mattzeitlin, @arlenparsa, @sonnybunch, @edmundlee and @simonowens
RELATED:
Axios:
Axel Springer says it gave up its Ozy board seat after investing $300K in its Series C in 2019, but Ozy listed Axel's rep as a director in a July 2021 filing — Good people quit good jobs to join Ozy Media. They believed in its mission, its leadership and its potential for wealth creation.
Discussion:
@sarafischer, @sarafischer, @nick4iezos, @tomgara, The Rebooting, The Wrap and Puck
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Sharon Osbourne says Carlos Watson lied in a 2019 TV interview when he said Ozzy and Sharon invested in Ozy Media, after the Osbournes settled a trademark suit — - Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson boasted on CNBC in 2019 that Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne had invested in his company.
Discussion:
NPR, @kattykay_, @davidfolkenflik, @dougheye, @thedextriarchy, The Wrap, @parismartineau, @jeffihaza, @jenn_elias, @dcseifert, @levynews, @mattrosoff, @benyt, @katie_robertson, @rolandsmartin, @jimwaterson, @edwardgluce and Digiday
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Some former Ozy employees say they were overworked to the point of exhaustion: “They brought in very talented, motivated, excited people and just used them up” — New York (CNN Business)Around midnight one Saturday late last year, Eva Rodriguez, 24, had trouble breathing.
Discussion:
@benyt, Insider, @sarafischer, Bloomberg, @lmoses, @shannonpareil, @eevasita, @gerryfsmith, @perlberg, @larakiara, @jbarro, @lollardfish, @markgongloff, @ktbenner, @mattbelloni, @priaribi, @keitholbermann, @clarajeffery, @davidgura, @moorehn, @peterhamby, @bobpickard, @parismartineau, @mslopatto, @iwriteok, @remynuma, @phil_rosenthal, @danprimack, @ahess247, @caleweissman, @tonyajoriley, @brosandprose, @anhaiphung, @chaykak, @ahhensel, @heynottheface, @gnagesh, @fka_tabs, @bartlettkate, @elenainzafrica, @nick4iezos, @bartlettkate, @charukasturi, @shortformernie, @eevasita, @eevasita, @eevasita, @alextweeting, @kerrymflynn, @shortformernie, @monicatorrr, @kidnate, @bmorrissey, @haleaziz, @nick4iezos, @jman23j, @mediaevan, @crayton_h, Gawker, @dudejohan, Forbes and Boing Boing
Axios:
Ozy Media chairman Marc Lasry resigns and steps down from Ozy's board, saying he lacks expertise in crisis management and investigations; he remains an investor
Discussion:
@schwartzbcnbc, The Wrap, @sarafischer, A Scammer Darkly, New York Post, Newser, @danprimack, @nycsouthpaw, @schwartzbcnbc, @mslopatto, @rjcc, @blackamazon, @russellbrandom, @jeffjarvis, @janinegibson, @retheauditors, @danprimack, @katierosman, @craigsilverman, midrange.tedium.co, The Hill, Mediaite, Variety, CNBC, New York Magazine and Hollywood Reporter
Sebastian Murdock / HuffPost:
Judge issues default judgments against Alex Jones in two Sandy Hook cases for routinely failing to comply with requests, making him liable for all damages — A judge issued default judgments — a rarity in the legal world — against Jones and Infowars after the conspiracy theorist failed to produce discovery records.
Discussion:
CNN, Media Matters for America, The Wrap, Mediaite, New York Times, The Hill, @sebastianmurdoc, UPROXX, @katiephang, @willsommer, Rolling Stone and Boing Boing
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Scarlett Johansson and Disney settle the lawsuit over her pay for Black Widow, released on Disney+ at the same time as in theaters; source: deal is worth $40M+ — (Updated with more details) Just days after the first court hearing in Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow profits mega-bite lawsuit …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, Forbes, The Guardian, The Streamable, ScreenRant, Wall Street Journal, @theericgoldman, @variety, TechRadar, @patrickadougall, @zernerlaw, @johncampea, @ooccouchgags, @jaylclendenin, @filmupdates, 101.9fm The MIX, @chris_notcapn, @kjpurneii, Collider, @eriqgardner, Engadget, CNET, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, E! Online, Decider, Gizmodo, TVLine and The Verge
Joyce Lee / Reuters:
South Korean ISP sues Netflix over costs for traffic surge from hit shows, after a court said Netflix should “reasonably” pay ISPs for network usage — South Korean Internet service provider SK Broadband has sued Netflix (NFLX.O) to pay for costs from increased network traffic …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Insider, @reuters, CNBC, Forbes, Input, UPROXX, Decider and Light Reading, more at Techmeme »
William Turvill / Press Gazette:
An in-depth look at Google's News Showcase deals; sources: Australian outlets got better offers than outlets in other countries due to political pressure — It is one year this week since Google launched News Showcase, an aggregation service with a $1bn budget to spend with the global journalism industry.
Discussion:
@domponsford, @risj_oxford, @wturvill, What's New in Publishing, @pressgazette, @heidilegg, @simonowens and @bmorrissey
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Substack is launching paid month-long stints for “writers in residence”, putting a spotlight on a new Substack user as they build their newsletter — Substack is launching a “Writer in Residence” program that will spotlight one new creator throughout their journey in building a Substack for one month.
Allison Schiff / AdExchanger:
Facebook to update pre-campaign audience estimates to be less specific, showing a range instead of a number, after backlash for overestimating audience numbers — Pre-campaign reach estimates on Facebook are about to get less precise - on purpose. — In the coming weeks …
Discussion:
Facebook and endlessdigital's Newsletter, more at Techmeme »
Keith Zhai / Wall Street Journal:
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi, whose videos showed Wuhan at the outset of the COVID outbreak, reappears more than 600 days after going missing — Chen Qiushi, whose viral videos offered a rare view from the coronavirus epicenter, reappeared on Twitter and YouTube but offered few details of his disappearance
Discussion:
@chrdnet and @iandenisjohnson
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Clubhouse announces several features, including Clips, letting listeners snip 30 seconds of audio, and Replay, which lets hosts record a room — Plus clips and a search feature — Clubhouse is getting a bunch of new features next month, including one many people have wanted: in-app recording.
Discussion:
Waivly and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
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