Mediagazer: In annual report, Defector says 80%+ of subscribers are on annual plans, of which ~85% renewed subscriptions, and advertising on Twitter was “very unpleasant” (Defector)

3:00 PM ET, October 5, 2021

Top News:

Ozy investor LifeLine sues the outlet, claiming it failed to disclose pertinent information in February, prior to LifeLine's $2M+ investment — A fund manager that invested more than $2 million in Ozy Media filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming that the company “engaged in fraudulent, deceptive and illegal conduct.”

Discussion: The Wrap, New York Times, @katie_robertson, New York Magazine, Deadline, @benyt, @danprimack, The Daily Beast, Axios, @pomeranian99, Bloomberg, @benyt, @danprimack and Poynter

Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:

Carlos Watson says Ozy Media is not shutting down after having “good conversations” with investors and advertisers and Friday's announcement was “premature” — - Ozy Media isn't shutting down, CEO and co-founder Carlos Watson told CNBC on Monday.

Discussion: @todayshow, @benyt, @sarafischer, Nieman Lab, New York Times, Axios, @sarafischer, @brianstelter, @mccarthyryanj, Axios, MediaPost, @alexweprin, CNN, MarketWatch, Los Angeles Times, @sarafischer, @jason_kint, Poynter, @craigsilverman, @film_girl, @jbarro, @noahshachtman, @mathewi, @andrewpauljoyce, @maxwelltani, @_cingraham, @brianstelter, Defector, @chrislhayes, @kaidiekmann, @jeremymbarr, @neontaster, @benyt, @brianstelter, @joefav, @brianstelter, @sarafischer, @digitalshields, The Hollywood Reporter, @sarafischer, @chronotope, @kerrymflynn, @marisakabas, @bmorrissey, @digitalshields, @sarafischer, @craigsilverman, @sarafischer, @jayrosen_nyu, @nycjim, @sherman4949, @phkeane, @alexweprin, @juddlegum, @danprimack, @sherman4949, @alexweprin, @alexyoung, @squawkcnbc, @tomgara, @goldietaylor, @cnbc, Ad Age, @millie, @sarafischer, @brianstelter, Associated Press, Substack, Quartz, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, TVNewser, bookforum.com, The Daily Beast, Variety and Insider

Eugene S. Robinson / Look What You Made Me Do:

Ozy's former editor-at-large recalls Carlos Watson's abusive management style and says there was a white Ozy and a Black Ozy, where employees were treated worse — “And in regards to your little music thing...” It was both a dressing down, very possibly Dressing Down #37, and a pep talk.

Discussion: @blakehounshell, @ismashfizzle, @paulwaldman1, @seamushughes, @matthaber, @rachelsklar, @razibkhan, @delecewrites, @mjrobbins, @kausmickey, @imgarysuarez, @byjoelanderson, @jdesmondharris, @isabelslone, @annamerlan and @brosandprose

Ben Smith / New York Times:
How the charm of Ozy's chief, Carlos Watson, helped persuade investors into putting millions toward a media dream before conducting sufficient due diligence

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, @craigsilverman, @justinjm1, Mediaite, @craigsilverman, @byjoelanderson, @youngsinick, The Wrap, @heerjeet, TODAY.com, @benyt, @benyt, @talkopan, @ketanj0, @craigsilverman, @lyssaslounge, @rameeztase, @trungtphan, @jamesrbuk, @nkulw, The Commercial Experience, insideradio.com, Today in Tabs, Variety, @sarafischer, @benyt, @rolandsmartin, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @reckless, American Press Institute, New York Magazine, @mattwelch, @jduffyrice, @jdesmondharris, @chrisecrowley, YouTube, @jeremymbarr, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @jodyavirgan, @geedee215, @amlwhere, @gentlemanstimes, @lpolgreen, @daveweigel, Newser, @jeremymbarr, @felixsalmon, @jessicalessin, @donlday, @akbarth3great, @jswatz, @annehelen, @jswatz, @bendwalsh, @escarry, @sharonwaxman, @aymanm, @oliverdarcy, @sonnybunch, @davepell, @ccadelago, @vivian, @benyt, Boing Boing, Media Voices, @craigsilverman and Axios

Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:

The disruption of global supply chains has reached the publishing industry, causing shipping delays and printer backups, exacerbated by worker shortages — Shipping delays, printer backups and worker shortages are forcing publishers to postpone new titles and leaving booksellers in a lurch for some old ones.

Discussion: @petersgoodman, @studiojjk, bookforum.com, @nicolesjchung, @benjysarlin, @vermontgmg, @johnghendy and @likaluca

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

In a deposition, Rudy Giuliani says OANN reporter Christina Bobb, who also volunteered for the Trump legal team, had to run any stories she had by the campaign — The ex-New York City mayor said in a deposition that Christina Bobb, who volunteered for the Trump legal team after the election, had to run her stories by the campaign.

Discussion: Mediaite, @dangillmor, @mattsheffield and @joshuahol

Defector:

In annual report, Defector says 80%+ of subscribers are on annual plans, of which ~85% renewed subscriptions, and advertising on Twitter was “very unpleasant” — Purpose of this report — Annual reports are usually created to provide insight into a company's business operations …

Discussion: @_claireconnelly, @olgakhazan, @scottbrodbeck, @saksappeal, @saahil_desai, Boing Boing, @jeremylittau, @jameslfredrick and @choire

Rachel Pannett / Washington Post:

Singapore's parliament passes a law that will compel ISPs and social media platforms to block content and applications used to spread content it deems hostile — Singapore's parliament has passed a law aimed at countering foreign interference that is potentially so powerful rights groups …

Discussion: South China Morning Post, Wall Street Journal and @reaproy, more at Techmeme »

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Instagram ditches the IGTV brand and combines IGTV's long-form videos and Instagram Feed videos into a new Instagram Video format; Reels is unaffected — Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently said was “no longer a photo-sharing app,” noting the company was prioritizing a shift …

Discussion: Adweek, 9to5Mac and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Michael Karam / Report for the World:

Report for the World launches in Brazil and partners with two more newsrooms in India and Nigeria, bringing the total corps size to 15 journalists — BOSTON — Report for the World announced today that it has more than doubled the size of its program, less than a year since launching in February …

Discussion: @report4theworld and @report4theworld

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Seven foreign journalists fired from USAGM during former CEO Michael Pack's term sue the agency for breach of contract and wrongful termination — Seven foreign journalists working for the U.S. Agency for Global Media who were fired by the Trump administration have sued the agency for breach of contract and wrongful termination.

Discussion: @ewong, @dlippman, @dlippman and @dlippman

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Q&A with Endeavor chairman Patrick Whitesell on the transition to streaming, HBO Max's success, which services pay the most, and more — If there's one thing Patrick Whitesell knows how to do, it's cut a deal. — Whitesell, the executive chairman of Endeavor, represents …

Discussion: @lucas_shaw, @business and @lucas_shaw

Jessica Toonkel / The Information:

Sources: The Athletic lost around $100M between 2019 and 2020, exceeding its $73M in revenue over the same period — Digital sports news firm The Athletic hemorrhaged nearly $100 million cash between 2019 and 2020, according to a presentation prepared for investors, exceeding the $73 million …

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Kelly Campbell was upset about losing some oversight, including over Hulu's scripted content, amid Disney's restructurings and cost-saving measures — Campbell had been with Disney-controlled streaming platform for just over four years — Kelly Campbell, the president …

Discussion: The Wrap, @mattbelloni, @wsj, @jbflint and Variety