Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Docs show Axel Springer faced claims that Bild's workplace culture mixed sex, journalism, and company cash; Axios' Jim VandeHei says merger talks were “sneaky” — A high-flying German media giant is ahead on digital media but seems stuck in the past when it comes to the workplace and deal-making.
Discussion:
Poynter, @janinegibson, @rumpelwicht23, @akm0803, @nytimes, @benyt, @nicdawes, @lisang, @tom_nuttall, @olafstorbeck, @edmundlee, @katiedrumm, @drericding, @cliffordlevy, @emilyctamkin, @krstorevic, @benyt, @jeffjarvis, @mirjam_fischer, @mila_sek, @amberinzaman, @adamserwer, @lyssaslounge, @carriemelago, @rumpelwicht23, @rumpelwicht23, The Wrap, @pgourevitch, @rumpelwicht23, @baddestmamajama, @annettedittert, @markdistef and @hunterw
Discussion:
Janine Gibson / @janinegibson: Not sure about ‘stuck in the past’ but this is a fascinating read about some extremely contemporary issues at Axel Springer by @benyt https://twitter.com/...
@rumpelwicht23: „In the course of reporting, Ms. Löffler and her colleagues gained access to some of the same documents that I reviewed in recent weeks, as the Ippen article was nearing its publication date. Then, on Friday, Ippen told its investigative unit that it was killing the story. ..."
Ann-Katrin Müller / @akm0803: „The last and only". „Courageously". Alrighty. #Reichelt https://twitter.com/...
@nytimes: The powerful German media company Axel Springer is ahead on digital media but seems stuck in the past when it comes to workplace conditions. “Those who sleep with the boss get a better job,” a woman told investigators. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: “The job of the investigative team is to inform the public of wrongdoing, and thereby the contribute to social and political opinion formation. Obviously that goes not just for business and political abuses, but also for wrongdoing in the media”. https://twitter.com/...
Lisa Goldman / @lisang: What Isaac Chotiner does to an interview subject, Ben Smith does in a media figure profile. Kaboom. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Olaf Storbeck / @olafstorbeck: I wonder how what Axel Springer investor @KKR_Co is thinking about the @benyt revelations about “a workplace culture that mixed sex, journalism and company cash” at Springer's flagship BILD tabloid? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: here's why you should care about Axel Springer: CEO Mathias Dopfner wants to take on national news giants like @washingtonpost @nytimes. He envisions a combined newsroom Axios+Politico+Insider+? to make a play for mainstream audiences.
Katie Drummond / @katiedrumm: How many of media's problems would be solved if entitled men were put in charge of less of it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Eric Feigl-Ding / @drericding: Whoa—@politico is now owned by a new German parent company BILD that is: 📌"bitterly “anti-immigration 📌Pro-Trump in leaked memos 📌anti-COVID safety measures? Ummmm, why is a right wing foreign media corporation now controlling a DC political outlet? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: “If they find out that I'm having an affair with a trainee, I'll lose my job.” “Those who sleep with the boss get a better job.” Inside allegations of sex, lies and a secret payment at the German media giant that is Politico's new owner. By @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
@emilyctamkin: If these are your workplace conditions, you are not ahead on digital media. https://twitter.com/...
@krstorevic: Mr. Döpfner wrote that “we have to be especially careful” in the investigation, because Mr. Reichelt “is really the last and only journalist in Germany who is still courageously rebelling against the new GDR authoritarian state,” https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: This is the resignation letter from the journalists whose story on Axel Springer was spiked Friday, tweeted by (roughly speaking) the German John Oliver... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: I've been warning about Politico's new owner. Another angle here is the departure of @tanit. At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mirjam Fischer / @mirjam_fischer: Same as everywhere, no, @nytimes? https://twitter.com/...
Mila Walasek / @mila_sek: The shit has just hit the fan #Bild https://twitter.com/...
Amberin Zaman / @amberinzaman: Excellent reporting reminding us how Western media can be super sleazy: At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment https://www.nytimes.com/...
Adam Serwer / @adamserwer: the staff of politico should unionize, quickly https://www.nytimes.com/...
Katharina Borchert / @lyssaslounge: I don't think @axelspringer or Matthias Döpfner had really anticipated the level of scrutiny that would go along with the @politico acquisition. Though I'm not holding my breath for any real change. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Carrie Melago / @carriemelago: 😬 “ His third wife had previously been married to his next-door neighbor. His fourth wife was the next-door neighbor's second wife. His fifth wife, Friede Springer, had been the family's nanny.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rumpelwicht23: „In April 2018, the business newspaper @Handelsblatt was prepared to report on alleged conflicts of interest in Mr. Reichelt's relationship with a woman at a public relations agency, Der Spiegel reported this year. The article was killed after a call from @jreichelt"
@rumpelwicht23: „The directive came from Ippen's largest shareholder, Dirk Ippen, according to correspondence from a company official that I obtained."
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap: Secret Plan to Merge Axios and Politico Failed After CEO Jim VandeHei Found Axel Springer ‘Sneaky’ (Report)
Philip Gourevitch / @pgourevitch: What a mess - and the headline does t even have room for the fact that Politico is now under the heell of ruthless Maga-friendly covid-vax deniers. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rumpelwicht23: „This year, @laloeffelstie, a reporter at the German publisher Ippen, along with three other members of Ippen's investigative team, worked on an investigation of Mr. Reichelt's conduct in the hope of publishing an article with more details on what had taken place at Bild. ..."
Jessica Ellis / @baddestmamajama: “When neighbors start talking, good things happen!” https://twitter.com/...
Annette Dittert / @annettedittert: How can Julian Reichelt possibly still be working at @BILD ? Honestly. This is grotesque and won't go down well in the Anglosphere. 👇👇 https://twitter.com/...
Mark Di Stefano / @markdistef: .@benyt sprinkling lines in this piece about Axel Springer like salt bae https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Bojan Pancevski / Wall Street Journal:
Axel Springer CEO details plans for Politico, including expanding staff from 900 to 1,000, publishing in several languages, and eventually adding a paywall — Axel Springer, whose $1 billion acquisition of Politico is expected to close next week, also eyes foreign-language editions
Discussion:
What's New in Publishing, Media Voices, @tonydavis987, @mattdpearce, @jimwaterson, @armandondk, @lisamccray, @laurawags, @kendrawrites, @tomwrightasia, @laurawags, @mcbyrne, The Future of Media …, @adriana_lacy, @timmarchman, @tysonbrody, @keitholbermann, @jamespindell, @drewsav, @evanasmith, @jonbernhardt, @mattdpearce, @evale72, @sewellchan, @richardgrenell and @mikertrice
Discussion:
What's New in Publishing: Politico's new owner plans to grow staff, launch paywall: The Media Roundup
Esther Kezia Thorpe / Media Voices: Immediate Media Chief Revenue Officer Duncan Tickell on strengthening brands post-pandemic
Tony Davis / @tonydavis987: Axel Springer CEO expects Politico staffers to adhere to company-wide guiding principles that include support for a united Europe, Israel's right to exist and a free-market economy. How will that play out in the newsroom? https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: They should teach these three paragraphs in journalism school. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Axel Springer's boss setting out the values it expects Politico journalists to adhere to when it completes its purchase of the news outlet. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Armando / @armandondk: This is great news! The less people who see it the better. https://twitter.com/...
Lisa Snowden / @lisamccray: I have never seen unbiased reporting from Politico. Or any news org really. https://twitter.com/...
Laura Wagner / @laurawags: @TomWrightAsia it's too late in the day to get into my spiel about objectivity but i'm not impugning the reputations of any individual journalists https://twitter.com/...
@kendrawrites: Apparently another news outlets make you sign something attesting you believe in the principles of the fair market which 1. very much a sign of objective journalism 🙄and 2. should be disclosed to their readers https://twitter.com/...
Tom Wright / @tomwrightasia: The WSJ is the highest standard of reporting based on facts, staffed by an experienced crew of reporters, many of whom built their skills and reputations over years. https://twitter.com/...
Laura Wagner / @laurawags: I understand it's the Wall Street Journal but it is flatly insane to let this claim stand in a story in which the CEO says that reporters who don't share certain political and ideological “values” should “not work for” the company. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@mcbyrne: Wait. We're supposed to pay to read about the tweets @WHCOS likes each day? https://twitter.com/...
The Future of Media Weekly Reading List: Weekend Read … - Politico's New Owner Plans to Grow Staff, Launch Paywall - WSJ
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: Clearly it's important for reporters to be unbiased and nonpartisan and also to be against a mixed economy, putting them substantially to the right of any U.S. politician of any prominence. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tyson Brody / @tysonbrody: what if you built the whole plane out of politico pro https://twitter.com/...
Keith Olbermann / @keitholbermann: Cool. Doesn't he first have to make the content something other than rewritten press releases? https://twitter.com/...
James Pindell / @jamespindell: In order words, Politico will complete their transition to being National Journal. https://twitter.com/...
@drewsav: Maybe I'm wrong but wasn't Politico's appeal when it launched was that it wasn't like the conventional newspapers? https://twitter.com/...
Nathan Bernhardt / @jonbernhardt: going to be very funny when everyone at Politico UK just gets a blanket pass on point the first, which supporting Brexit is in clear violation of. Iron-hard, bedrock principles, except for the carve outs here and here and here and here and well it's just to keep Those Sorts out https://twitter.com/...
@mattdpearce: I think it's good for journalists to have clearly stated values, like supporting life, democracy and equality. We should have a reason for being here and doing all this stuff. But pretending that your values aren't an ideology, like Axel Springer, is just public relations.
Eddie Vale / @evale72: Expecting unbiased & nonpartisan reporting would appear to be in conflict with demanding your reporters also adhere to the owners positions on a list of specific issues?? https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sewell Chan / @sewellchan: Hard to imagine a media owner in the US saying this: “There will be no restructuring, no synergies, no mergers and no cost-cutting.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Richard Grenell / @richardgrenell: German media company that has complained about the woke state of US media buys @politico. Expect changes. #balance Watch @nytimes & lefty publications complain about Axel Springer's move. Springer demands employees be pro-capitalism & pro-Israel. https://www.wsj.com/...
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Internal document: Netflix estimates Squid Game will create almost $900M in value for the company; 87M viewers finished the series in the first 23 days — More than 130 million people have watched the Korean show — Netflix estimates that its latest megahit, “Squid Game,” …
Discussion:
Forbes, Variety, CNBC, NME, Fortune, Too Much TV Newsletter, Menagerie, the Newsletter, @bengcotton, @carnage4life, The Wrap, ScreenRant, Deadline, @mikeisaac, @jscotttn, C21Media, Decider, @rover829, Gizmodo, @kellybourdet, Insider, @phil_lewis_, @lucas_shaw and New York Times, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Todd Spangler / Variety: Netflix Projects ‘Squid Game’ Will Generate $891 Million in Value, According to Leaked Data
Alex Sherman / CNBC: ‘Squid Game’ success shines a light on how cheap it is to make TV shows outside the U.S.
Daniel Peters / NME: ‘Squid Game’ could generate nearly US$900million in value for Netflix
Bernhard Warner / Fortune: Global stocks and U.S. futures wobble on China growth fears
Vincent Lee / Menagerie, the Newsletter: Menagerie, Oct 17-18 — By the time you read this China's Q3 GDP figures will have hit.
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Netflix finally gets the full big tech experience where disgruntled employees leak internal data to their favorite journalists. I'm just halfway through Squid Game but I can clearly see the $1B in value to Netflix given it's quality and meme factor. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap: ‘Squid Game’ Will Generate $891 Million in Value According to Leaked Netflix Data
Brennan Klein / ScreenRant: Squid Game Will Reportedly Earn Netflix $891 Million
Rat King / @mikeisaac: another fascinating leak on user numbers picked up by Lucas Netflix is big mad and now threatening Bloomberg over it https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Scott / @jscotttn: The eye-popping $900M figure here ultimately derives from a “metric the company uses to assess the performance from individual shows”. So... it's another “Netflix said so & we believed them.” But good clickbait, Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jordan Pinto / C21Media: Netflix fires employee over information leak amid Dave Chappelle controversy
Michael Haskoor / Decider: ‘Squid Game’ Might End Up Being Worth $900 Million To Netflix
Vincent Lee / @rover829: “The South Korean show, about indebted people in a deadly contest for a cash prize, generated $891.1 million in impact value, a metric the company uses to assess the performance from individual shows. The show cost just $21.4 million to produce — about $2.4 million an episode.” https://twitter.com/...
Jody Serrano / Gizmodo: Netflix's Squid Game, Which Cost $21.4 Million to Make, Will Reportedly Generate $900 Million in Value
Kelly Bourdet / @kellybourdet: netflix metrics are incredibly closely held. very rare to get a picture into how shows actually perform. fascinating timing to get such specific insight leaked https://twitter.com/...
Harry Robertson / Insider: ‘Squid Game’ will generate nearly $900 million for Netflix - despite costing only $21 million to make, reports say
Philip Lewis / @phil_lewis_: Netflix estimates that “Squid Game” will create almost $900 million in value for the company by itself https://www.bloomberg.com/...
RELATED:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Netflix fires a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing a walkout, for allegedly leaking metrics related to the Dave Chappelle special — The company suspects they leaked metrics about the Dave Chappelle special to the press — Netflix has fired a leader …
Discussion:
CapGainz 🚀, @timnitgebru, Bloomberg, @prof_gabriele, handle with care, @christinapushaw, @koblin, @ericnewcomer, @ericnewcomer, @pkafka, @pkafka, @politicalmath, @dr_pete, @lesliemac, @bcmerchant, @bigblackjacobin, @bigblackjacobin, @naima, @dianelyssa, @sorayamcdonald, @heerjeet, @awkward_duck, @brownblaze, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @aguirreryan, @ericdharvey, @battymamzelle, @earth_woman1, @inafried, @dtemkin, @bad_dominicana, @kvanaren, @intothemelwoods, @akilahobviously, @phil_lewis_, @femme_thoughts, @hologramvin, @phil_lewis_, @sadydoyle, @wagatwe, @jackietorrens, @worthless_bums, The Week, Variety, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, CNET, Essence, The A.V. Club, Insider, Gizmodo, New York Times, Rolling Stone, UPROXX, NME and Vanity Fair
Discussion:
Timnit Gebru / @timnitgebru: Well 'Tis the season isn't it? Netflix has fired a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing the upcoming October 20th walkout. The employee, who is Black and currently pregnant, asked not to be named for fear of online harassment... https://www.theverge.com/...
Matt Ghoulbriele / @prof_gabriele: listen, if this person were a tenured professor who didn't give a paid talk at MIT but instead had to give a slightly different paid talk at MIT, then we could talk about cancel culture... https://twitter.com/...
Chelsea Quezada / handle with care: Betrayal: British Crime Story
Christina Pushaw / @christinapushaw: “Only cancel the cancellers” - Netflix employee tries to get Chapelle cancelled - Netflix cancels employee instead - Progressives cancel their Netflix subscriptions - For once I'm ahead of the trend... I cancelled Netflix last year when they put out “Cuties.” 🤷🏼♀ ️ https://twitter.com/...
John Koblin / @koblin: Hannah Gadsby calls Netflix an “amoral algorithm cult.” Ted Sarandos fielded several tough questions at an emotional virtual town hall. A staffer is fired for leaking to the press. Friday at Netflix: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: @Lucas_Shaw holding a company that doesn't leak to the standard that everyone has to be so happy that no one leaks otherwise they've made a strategic error is crazy to me
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: @Lucas_Shaw doesn't take that many employees to leak things to the media. what percentage are actually angry. NYT portrayed this as bigger than squid game + emmys etc. will that be true in a month? these things burn hot
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @EricNewcomer @Lucas_Shaw It means something more than nothing that a company that *never* leaks even though the information has been widely distributed forever has now leaked.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @EricNewcomer @Lucas_Shaw Do I think that journos covering tech worker unrest (in general) may have a motive to overplay/overestimate the scope of worker unrest? Could be! But still a thing.
PoliMath / @politicalmath: If they fired her for her activism, I would be very much in her corner But (if reports are correct) she was fired for sharing internal Netflix data, which they are *famously* closed about https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Pete Meyers / @dr_pete: Netflix needs a new leadership team, and they need it yesterday. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: Yep. Our labor laws are so weak that even though this is as blatant an example of retaliation as you're ever likely to see, the best the fired worker can likely hope for from a wrongful termination suit is, like, restored back pay. No incentive for Netflix not to crush them https://twitter.com/...
Edward Ongweso Jr / @bigblackjacobin: Labor law & enforcement is such that even though it is almost certain that the firing was retaliation, they will likely beat any legal challenge (or view the consequences of losing in court as substantially smaller than failing to scare/crush/punish organizing) https://twitter.com/...
Edward Ongweso Jr / @bigblackjacobin: For most Silicon Valley firms, this calculation makes sense. Letting workers have the ability to veto managerial decisions is dangerous, it cultivates the sense that their workplaces are democracies, instead of an enlightened but absolutist space where orders come from the top
Naima Cochrane / @naima: Tell me again about “cancel culture” https://twitter.com/...
Jeet Heer / @heerjeet: there's an entire cohort of writers who have made it their career to avoid talk about the power dynamics on this issue (while pandering to those who have power). https://twitter.com/...
Big Relly / @awkward_duck: If there ever was such a thing as ‘cancel culture’ it doesn't seem to be getting who y'all say it does. https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Yates / @brownblaze: “All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge." https://twitter.com/...
@rlyeh: This cascade will sour the best parts of your company culture and erode employee pride in working there. They won't wear your company swag as much and they won't talk glowingly about their employer, even if they love their job. 10/
@rlyeh: If someone leaks a document relevant to this, ignore it. If someone talks to the press, ignore it. Because you're not getting rid of troublemakers. You're creating a company that regards the people who care about Netflix and what it's like to work there as troublemakers. 13/
@rlyeh: I want to say some things about the Netflix mess, but it will run long because staying in my lane will be tricky. 1/
@rlyeh: Absolutely nothing your trans employees do right now to criticize management and the company internally or publicly will do nearly as much damage to Netflix (as a company or brand) as penalizing (officially or not) them for doing so. 12/
@rlyeh: The suspension/reinstatement of one trans employee is a very bad sign for all Netflix employees. I can't say where, but I've seen this movie before. Unless management puts the brakes on right now, it's going to start a multi-year cascade of interactions with no good end. 9/
@rlyeh: Netflix's position content on the screen doesn't have real-world impact is hopelessly unsupported by both history and studies. Criticizing and mocking marginalized groups in media is a cornerstone of hate. There's good evidence it reduces friction for violence. 4/
@aguirreryan: “The Closer” cost almost 3 million more than Squid Game, literally HOW https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Eric Harvey / @ericdharvey: I don't know anything about anything but $24 million for a stand-special seems like a lot https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@earth_woman1: Wow, @netflix, you fired a black, trans, pregnant person for basically no reason other than you could do it to intimidate your staff from ever speaking out against bigotry. https://www.theverge.com/...
Ina Fried / @inafried: Thoughts on the Netflix-Chappelle situation from Hannah Gadsby. https://variety.com/...
Dave Temkin / @dtemkin: You actually have lost the plot, Netflix. The level that they cover for their executives while throwing a black, trans employee under the bus is in many ways, not surprising. https://www.theverge.com/...
@bad_dominicana: what happened to freedom of speech? it only applies to wealthy cis hetero males? how curious! https://twitter.com/...
Kathryn VanArendonk / @kvanaren: once again congrats to netflix on the TRULY stellar PR work here https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mel Woods / @intothemelwoods: Good lord. The hole Netflix leadership is digging itself into truly knows no limit to how deep it can get. https://www.theverge.com/...
Akilah Hughes / @akilahobviously: This is really proving Dave's point about censorship, just in the real way and not his scaredy brain way. https://twitter.com/...
Philip Lewis / @phil_lewis_: Netflix has fired the organizer of the upcoming employee walkout on October 20 The employee, who is Black and pregnant, was encouraging employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix's handling of the Dave Chappelle special https://www.theverge.com/...
Sydney Bauer / @femme_thoughts: Genuinely didn't think things could have gotten worse at netflix, but it has: https://www.theverge.com/...
@hologramvin: its important to note with this just happening that a) the white trans employees have been able to somewhat speak publicly on this, b) the person who was *actually fired* now is a Black trans person who had not spoken publicly on it at all! https://www.theverge.com/...
Philip Lewis / @phil_lewis_: “The employee was terminated on suspicion of leaking metrics to the press related to the Dave Chappelle special.” https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Wagatwe Wan-spooky / @wagatwe: Bigots profit while everyone else pays the price. https://twitter.com/...
Jackie Torrens / @jackietorrens: “The employee, who is Black and currently pregnant, asked not to be named for fear of online harassment. They have been encouraging trans employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix's handling of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer.” https://www.theverge.com/...
@worthless_bums: “All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brigid Kennedy / The Week: Netflix reportedly fired an organizer of trans employee walkout sparked by Dave Chappelle controversy
Naman Ramachandran / Variety: Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby Slams Ted Sarandos After Being Referenced in Dave Chappelle Memo
Laura Hautala / CNET: Amid Chappelle controversy, Netflix reportedly fires employee who helped plan walkout
William Hughes / The A.V. Club: Netflix fires organizer of upcoming trans walkout for allegedly leaking data
Francis Agustin / Insider: Netflix fires the organizer of a trans employee walkout
Brianna Provenzano / Gizmodo: Netflix Has Fired a Pregnant Organizer of the Trans Employee Walkout
John Koblin / New York Times: At Netflix, a star and employees pressure a top executive over Dave Chappelle's special.
Jon Blistein / Rolling Stone: Netflix Employee Organizing Chappelle Walkout Fired for Leaking Info to Press
Mike Redmond / UPROXX: Netflix Has Fired The Organizer Of A Trans Employee Walkout That Was Sparked By The Dave Chappelle Controversy
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Leaked Netflix documents of metrics evaluating shows indicate $24.1M spent on Chappelle's The Closer vs. $21.4M on Squid Game
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, Sasha Stone on Politics …, @carnage4life, @brendengallager, @mikeisaac, @nataliegroman, The Guardian, @itsmechriswade, @jedigoodman, Vanity Fair, Out of Scope, New York Times, PC Gamer, TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times, NME, Decider, NPR, The Wrap, TheBlaze, Variety, IndieWire, Insider, Hollywood Reporter, Wired, @slatzism, Protocol, The A.V. Club, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @angryblacklady and ScreenRant
Discussion:
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: Netflix fires trans employee walkout organiser
Sasha Stone / Sasha Stone on Politics …: Getting Tired of the Puritans
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Particularly interesting that Netflix has a methodology to calculate how much value they make per standup specials versus cost. Dave Chappelle's “Sticks & Stones” cost $23.6M and $19.4M in impact value. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Brenden Gallagher / @brendengallager: Another of the many great arguments why “internal metrics” (we used to call them ratings) should be transparent. https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: extremely rare leak of internal metrics from Netflix, which is currently in turmoil over the decision to air the new Chappelle special fascinating definitions of value via @Lucas_Shaw https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@nataliegroman: Wait, so Inside only cost $3.9 Million? Like ostensibly the most important piece of art to come out of COVID, had 1/5 of the talent budget with so much more to say and so much more production value? What the hell is goin on over there? https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Kari Paul / The Guardian: Netflix fires employee trans activist for allegedly leaking internal documents
Ghostopher Wraith / @itsmechriswade: “[Netflix] also evaluates its programs by “efficiency,” which balances a show's reach with its price-tag. On that scale, Chappelle's [Sticks & Stones] scored 0.8 — less than the break-even score of 1.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jed I. Goodman / @jedigoodman: “Netflix spent $24.1 million on the “The Closer,” slightly more than the $23.6 million it paid for Chappelle's 2019 special, “Sticks & Stones.” “The nine-episode “Squid Game,” which delivered the best debut in Netflix history, cost $21.4 million.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Savannah Walsh / Vanity Fair: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Information About Dave Chappelle Specials
Emily Schienvar / Out of Scope: Out of Scope Issue 37: Merch Drops Gone Wild
Kara Swisher / New York Times: Chappelle's Netflix Show Just Isn't Funny
Andy Chalk / PC Gamer: Netflix boss claims violent videogames prove Dave Chappelle's latest standup special is harmless
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch: Netflix fired the employee who organized a walkout in solidarity with trans workers
Nardine Saad / Los Angeles Times: Netflix fires employee for leaking ‘sensitive’ information about Chappelle special
Abby Monteil / Decider: Netflix Reportedly Fires Organizer of Trans Employee Walkout for Leaking Financial Data
Andrew Limbong / NPR: Netflix fires employee as internal conflicts over latest Dave Chappelle special grow
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Financial Info on Dave Chappelle's ‘Sticks & Stones’ Special
Paul Sacca / TheBlaze: Netflix fires organizer of trans employee walkout over leak of confidential data related to Dave Chappelle's special
Todd Spangler / Variety: Netflix Fires Employee for Sharing Confidential Data About Dave Chappelle Stand-Up Special Outside the Company
Ryan Lattanzio / IndieWire: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Confidential Data About Dave Chappelle Special ‘The Closer’
Travis Clark / Insider: Comedian Hannah Gadsby tore into Netflix's ‘amoral algorithm cult’ after its co-CEO defended releasing Chappelle's new special
Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Confidential Information on Chappelle Special
Angela Watercutter / Wired: Dave Chappelle and the Problem of Popularity
Spooky Pill Pagliacci / @slatzism: out of curiosity did any Netflix employees stage a walk out when Cuties was was premiering or is this a “child sexual exploitation is ok but we draw the line at transphobia” sort of thing https://twitter.com/...
David Pierce / Protocol: Tech's big bad morale problem
Tatiana Tenreyro / The A.V. Club: Hannah Gadsby doesn't hold back in telling Netflix chief Ted Sarandos he sucks
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Was able to see a few pages back when I was a reporter, and it truly is a wild amount of data that any and every employee has access to. It's surprising there aren't more leaks all things considered. Those data points are as complex as they are simplified in presentable form.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Great, detailed report on the issues inside Netflix. Also looks at the numerous data points Netflix uses, including impact, to determine whether a title is successful or not. Netflix title pages contain tons of valuable metrics used to look at key, specific success indicators. https://twitter.com/...
Deadline:
IATSE and AMPTP reach a deal, avoiding a strike that would have shut film and TV production; new contract needs to be ratified by IATSE members — EXCLUSIVE: With Hollywood on edge and picket signs at the ready, IATSE and the AMPTP have reached an agreement on a new film and TV contract, averting a threatened nationwide strike.
Discussion:
REPORT DOOR, The Wrap, Variety, IATSE, Digital TV Europe, @pattonoswalt, The Verge, The Week, The Wrap, Variety, UPI, @scalzi, Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, The A.V. Club, CNN, @ghostpanther, Los Angeles Times, Protocol, @thejonlindstrom, @uptotask, @jonahfurman, @moreperfectus, @heatherfink, @arlanwashere, @sarayublue, @deadlinedominic, @grimkim, @alexnpress, Insider, Chicago Sun-Times, Fortune, SlashFilm, NBC News, IndieWire, TVLine and Page Six
Discussion:
Erin Clark / REPORT DOOR: IATSE and AMPTP reach a deal, avoiding a strike that would have shut film and TV production; new contract needs to be ratified by IATSE members
Gene Maddaus / Variety: IATSE and AMPTP Have Reached a Deal to Avert a Strike
IATSE: Landmark tentative agreement reached for IATSE West Coast Film and Television Workers before Strike Deadline
Patton Oswalt / @pattonoswalt: Good for @IATSE for standing your ground. And don't forget we got your back anytime you need us #IASolidarity https://twitter.com/...
Kim Lyons / The Verge: Hollywood union reaches contract agreement over streaming pay to avoid strike
Brendan Morrow / The Week: Deal reached to avert major Hollywood strike
Karen Butler / UPI: Tentative deal reached to prevent TV, film worker strike
Sam Barsanti / The A.V. Club: The IATSE has averted a strike (and a Hollywood shutdown), but the fight's not over yet
CNN: Union calls deal to avert strike ‘a Hollywood ending’ as negotiations continue for workers in other parts of country
Adam McKay / @ghostpanther: 3% annual wage increases, guaranteed safe turn around times, diversity requirements and more money for pension & healthcare funds? That's a big win. Way to go IATSE. https://twitter.com/...
Janko Roettgers / Protocol: Hollywood averted its first streaming strike with an 11th-hour deal
Jon Lindstrom / @thejonlindstrom: The power of face-to-face talk. Strike averted! Way to go! #IATSE #AMPTP https://twitter.com/...
Jonah Furman / @jonahfurman: If the John Deere strike taught us anything — wait for the ratification vote... https://twitter.com/...
@moreperfectus: The deal now needs to be approved by IATSE members, who won major concessions from Netflix, Amazon, and other studios after threatening to strike. https://deadline.com/...
Heather Fink / @heatherfink: Joint statement from the 13 Hollywood IATSE locals: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Arlan / @arlanwashere: Fantastic news and only fair! “The union's chief goals were livable wages for the lowest paid crafts; more turnaround time between workdays; actual meal breaks; a rescue of the union's ailing pension and health plan, and a bigger share of the revenue from streaming shows.” https://twitter.com/...
Sarayu Blue / @sarayublue: This happened because of the extraordinary efforts of @IATSE and their union members mobilizing in the fight for #IAReasonableRest and more. This is so long overdue. I hope it's truly a fair deal & one that gives our crews the humane work conditions they so deserve. #IASolidarity https://twitter.com/...
Dominic Patten / @deadlinedominic: BREAKING - #IASolidarity - Hollywood strike adverted with just over 24 hrs before deadline https://deadline.com/...
Kim Kelly / @grimkim: With #Striketober going strong and the threat of a historic strike looming in the background, IATSE has reached a deal with Hollywood studio bosses. Now it's up to the members to vote on whether they want to take it. 👀 https://twitter.com/...
Alex Press / @alexnpress: lol people keep noting how these stories have been sourced from the producer side and oof does it show with the “Time to break out the cigars” quote in here https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Dalton / Fortune: Hollywood strike averted after studios reach deal with production crew union
Hannah Shaw-Williams / SlashFilm: Hollywood Narrowly Avoids Strike As IATSE And AMPTP Reach A Deal
IndieWire: IATSE Strike Averted: Hollywood Shutdown Halted as New AMPTP Film and TV Contract Reached
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
In an SEC filing, Sinclair confirms it suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted its channels on Sunday; Sinclair initially blamed technical issues — TV broadcasts for Sinclair-owned channels have gone down today across the US in what the stations have described as technical issues …
Discussion:
Ciara Linnane / MarketWatch: Sinclair Broadcast says it is investigating ransomware attack that took data from its networks, shares down 1.5% premarket
Uday Sampath / Reuters: U.S. TV station operator Sinclair hit by ransomware attack
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter: Local TV Programming Disrupted as Sinclair Hit by Ransomware Attack
Catalin Cimpanu / @campuscodi: Per the SEC filing, files were stolen from the company's systems before encrypting them, which is kind of normal these days https://www.sec.gov/... https://twitter.com/...
Catalin Cimpanu / @campuscodi: Sinclair has just confirmed the ransomware attack in SEC filings https://twitter.com/...
Juliette Kayyem / @juliettekayyem: There are no “good” ransomware attacks. These must be met with strong response. Sinclair today. Could be AP, still the gold standard for election results, tomorrow. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Sinclair confirms its TV stations have been disrupted by a “cybersecurity incident” — the press release points to a ransomware attack and says “data also was taken from the company's network.” https://www.businesswire.com/ ...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Two sources confirm to @axios that Sinclair's systems are down following @TheRecord_Media scoop about ransomware attack. Comes days after Cox Media Group acknowledged a that cyberattack this past summer was ransomware. https://twitter.com/...
Patrick McGee / Financial Times:
Analysis: Apple Search Ads now account for 58% of iOS app installs from an ad click, up from 17% a year ago; Apple to earn $5B from its ads business in FY 2021 — iPhone maker's share of mobile app advertising market has tripled in six months — Apple's advertising business has more than tripled …
Discussion:
Patrick McGee / @patrickmcgee_: Chart of the Day: @Apple's advertising business has more than tripled its market share in the six months after it introduced privacy changes to iPhones that obstructed rivals, including @Facebook and @Google, from targeting ads at consumers. *A Thread* https://twitter.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Yes what Apple did was anti-competitive but the app promotion ad market is much smaller than the mobile ad market. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Benjamin Seufert / Mobile Dev Memo: How has ATT impacted mobile advertising?
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: Remembering every so-called competition expert who praised Apple's ATT changes, while accusing people like me raising the red flag about how blatantly anticompetitive it was of being paid shills for Facebook. Fun times. https://twitter.com/...
Michael J. Miraflor / @michaelmiraflor: Well well well. That “Privacy” marketing campaign showing its true colors. https://twitter.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Apple's “privacy” changes have tripled the market share of their advertising business as they've made ads on iOS less relevant thus forcing advertisers to flock to App Store search ads. They stand to make $5B this year and now own 58% of app install ads. https://www.ft.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Pretty insane how this report is being shared and mobilized by the facebook and adtech influencer networks across twitter. I do also fortunately see hints of people questioning it, too - the savvy that understand why it threatens facebook are much stronger these days. https://twitter.com/...
Derek Thompson / @dkthomp: Amazing chart. Part of the appeal of the *metaverse* is that Facebook etc want to build proprietary hardware that delivers their software, bc Apple is demonstrating how relying on other firms for distribution creates the potential for chokepoints. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: This is an entirely misleading headline. Any decently informed reader would read it as apple has tripled its market share of the mobile app ads business. It's not. ht @MarietjeSchaake /1 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@antoniogm: As we've talked about more than once over here at Pull Request, Apple's hard stance on privacy is principled and disruptive...and also utterly in line with its advertising ambitions. https://twitter.com/...
Sebastian Siemiatkowski / @klarnaseb: I wonder, how many senior execs of major companies are nervous about retweeting this? The potential repercussions it might have for our businesses? Rationally I don't believe Apple would ever care what I tweet. But the massive dependencies will make people nervous @PatrickMcGee_ https://twitter.com/...
@msuiche: And some people really thought that Apple genuinely cared about Privacy & Security. https://twitter.com/...
Rep. Ken Buck / @repkenbuck: It appears Apple's privacy changes might be a front for growing their advertising business, and hurting their competitors. https://www.ft.com/...
Tripp Mickle / Wall Street Journal:
A look at YouTube's in-house creator partnerships team, which has over 1,000 employees across 45 countries offering advice and guidance to about 12,000 creators — The site has spent more than a decade building an in-house agency for digital superstars, drawing ad sales, sponsorships and other revenue
Discussion:
Robert Kyncl / @rkyncl: Don't miss @trippmickle's great piece in today's @WSJ on how the @YouTube Partner Program's managers help guide the successful careers of talented creators like @sWooZ1e - incredible to see how these efforts help build today's creator economy: https://www.wsj.com/...
Dan Gallagher / @djtgallagher: YouTube ad revenues are projected to exceed $29B this year. This fascinating look by @trippmickle at the hand-holding the company gives its biggest stars partly explains why - https://www.wsj.com/...
Susan Wojcicki / @susanwojcicki: Great read from @trippmickle, highlighting talented creator @sWooZ1e: How YouTube Makes Sure Its Hitmakers Don't Stumble. https://www.wsj.com/...
Julian / @jfest: YouTube now has around 1000 employees dedicated to guiding the platform's top creators. Each partner manager deals with 10-20 creators. https://www.wsj.com/...
Tara Walpert Levy / @tarawlevy: Sneak peek into the difference @youtube makes for creators - and the difference creators make for us.♥️ #creators https://www.wsj.com/...
Priyanjana Bengani / Columbia Journalism Review:
Metric Media, a pink slime operation of 1,200+ local US “news” sites, has ties to founders of the Tea Party movement, Donors Trust, and other right-wing groups — This is the first part of a two-part investigation. The second piece can be found here.
Discussion:
@cjr, @dangillmor, @kevinloker, @emilybell, @anelsona, @emilybell and Columbia Journalism Review
Discussion:
@cjr: NEW: Until now, little was known about the finances or partners of Metric Media, a network that runs over 1,200 local news sites. A new investigation by the @TowCenter examines the network's financial ties and the non-profits funding them. https://www.cjr.org/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: This is important journalism from CJR and the Tow Center — right-wing wealth and religious (Catholic in this case) partisans funding local “news” sites. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Loker / @kevinloker: Good to see more exploration from @acookiecrumbles of local “pink slime” Catholic “news” sites and how they operate. I don't know how anyone reads something like this and doesn't think we need more religion reporting, and to better support faith-based media. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: How advocacy groups use a ‘community news’ platform to influence the public, new research from @TowCenter @CJR https://www.cjr.org/...
Anne Nelson / @anelsona: Crucial report on major stealth media operation to displace legitimate local news in our communities. NB: State Policy Network is headed by a member of #CNP. #ShadowNetwork https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: New from our ace computational journalism researcher @acookiecrumbles , a remarkably detailed update on the ‘pink slime’ network of local news, how it used the appearance and tools of local journalism throughout the 2020 election cycle and how it has morphed since @TowCenter https://twitter.com/...
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
How Rolling Stone, which started turning a profit in 2019 and reaches 60M readers/month online, is trying to reestablish itself as “the Bible for young people” — Correction: A previous version of this article called Jeffrey Epstein a sex trafficker.
Discussion:
Noah Shachtman / @noahshachtman: .@Sulliview came by the @RollingStone offices during a fun week, with K-Pop fans crowding outside, Eric Clapton getting a hard look, and our Musicians on Musicians series rolling out. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Marlow Stern / @marlownyc: needless to say but @noahshachtman and rolling stone are a great pairing https://twitter.com/...
@sulliview: ‘More immediate, more visceral’ and tougher on music icons like Eric Clapton: Gus Wenner and @NoahShachtman want @RollingStone to have ‘a real place in the zeitgeist’. My new column on the reinvention in progress https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Asawin Suebsaeng / @swin24: Weird how “@daveweigel” become “fans crowding outside” once the story gets edited by Dave's employer https://twitter.com/...
Josh Screamberg / @joshsternberg: Wonder if the new Rolling Stone will continue the practice of rescinding job offers after reporters try to negotiate salary and having a pro-union stance. This was not discussed in this article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Jane Singer / @janebsinger: ‘Journalism with teeth’: The young readers who made Rolling Stone their rock bible are now old. So the iconic publication is looking to reinvent itself for a new generation, with tougher stories and ‘more immediate, more visceral’ presentation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @Sulliview
Sam Jones / Financial Times:
Austrian state prosecutors are investigating allegations that leading right-wing politician Sebastian Kurz used taxpayer money to buy positive media coverage — In the end, the only thing quicker than the rise of Sebastian Kurz was his downfall. — For the past four years, the 35-year-old has been the master of Austrian politics.
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Disney shares briefly rose ~3% on Friday after a Puck report said the company might spin off ESPN; a Disney source later said the story was inaccurate — Shares of Disney jumped as much as 3 percent Friday after a report said the company was considering a spinoff of its ESPN sports networks.
Discussion:
@cnbcnow: After Disney shares jumped to session high on a report that said the company is looking into potentially exploring an ESPN spinoff, a source tells CNBC the report is inaccurate. The source tells CNBC the company aims to pursue further value through ESPN+ and sports betting. https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / Puck: Will Disney and ESPN Consciously Uncouple?
Owen Poindexter / Front Office Sports: Disney Reportedly Exploring ESPN Spinoff
Julia Boorstin / @jboorstin: As I said Dylan- and mad respect for you too- I spoke to one source- and that person denied the report and pointed to @espn's various recent investments including sports betting and NHL. What I didn't say is that Disney analysts have been suggesting this for some time! https://twitter.com/...
@sbjsbd: “If Bob Chapek was sitting here right now he would say he's completely committed to sports. He sees the value of live sports.” @espn President Jimmy Pitaro addressed the topic earlier this week at #SBJWCOS. https://sbjsbd.biz/... https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: 100% respect for @JBoorstin & @CNBC, my former colleagues (seriously). But a few things... - The “source” here (Z? J?) had 48+ hours to deny this on the record, and didn't. - Disney will of course pursue further value until they decide to spin it off, or not It's real, folks. https://twitter.com/...
Larry Shapiro / @larrys32: @modestproposal1 As you know, this kind of exploration happens EVERY year !
Modest Proposal / @modestproposal1: Disney is presumably constantly exploring this https://twitter.com/...
@seannyberg: ESPN makes roughly $30 per cable subscription, regardless if the customer ever watches it. If Disney sticks with $15 for ESPN+ and EVERY person with cable gets a subscription (they won't), Disney's revenue is still cut in half. That's best case scenario. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Stonks / @markstonks: @SeanNyberg Interesting. Fox Sports Australia (not included in $DIS acquisition) had this problem a few years ago. They released a streaming service called Kayo, charged $25-$35 per month, and loaded it with advertisements. The platform was a major success. https://twitter.com/...
David Poland / @davidpoland: Good Dylan Byers piece. But again and again and again... trying to get Wall St to price you like Netflix is madness. If ESPN can throw off more spun off, worth considering. Not for stock price. Will Disney and ESPN Consciously Uncouple? - Puck https://puck.news/...
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “It has inched toward...fantasy sports, but actual gambling is...more consequential. Imagine it as the Robinhood of sports. Currently, this option to transition from the declining cable business to the lucrative gambling space doesn't fully exist for ESPN.” https://puck.news/...
Renan Borelli / @renan: investors hate the concept of linear television so much that disney's financial ceiling is capped for simply *owning* the extremely profitable ESPN https://puck.news/... https://twitter.com/...
John Ourand / @ourand_sbj: I asked Jimmy Pitaro about an ESPN spin-off: We're succeeding in the DTC space. It's a big priority for Disney. Live sports rights are so important. “I believe that the Walt Disney Co. is completely committed to ESPN for the future.” https://twitter.com/...
Darren Rovell / @darrenrovell: Then they can do the sports betting thing — four years late. https://twitter.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: “There are only two ways to make money in business...” https://twitter.com/...
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