Top News:


Internal memo: CNN is closing its US offices to all nonessential employees as COVID-19 cases rise at the network and nationwide — President Jeff Zucker cited a surge of cases at the network in a memo on the decision — CNN is closing its offices to nonessential employees …


YouTube TV reaches a deal with Disney to bring back 17+ channels including ABC, Disney, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic — After one day of being dark, YouTube TV and Disney have reached a deal which will see more than 17 Disney-owned channels, including local ABC affiliates, Disney Channel, and ESPN return to the service.
Discussion:
CNET, Awful Announcing, Variety, nexttv.com, Sports Illustrated, The Wrap, UPI, Deadline, @film_girl, The Verge, @reckless, 9to5Google, @thestreamable, @pkafka, @epro, Cord Cutters News, Sportico and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »


Forbes says two of its editors testified about two old stories in front of a New York grand jury investigating Trump, after fighting subpoenas for months — Almost three months ago, I was subpoenaed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to appear before the grand jury investigating Donald Trump.
Discussion:
@spj_tweets, Mediaite, @chasewithorn, @dianesbaker1, @randalllane, @randalllane, The Hill, Axios and Talking Biz News


NYT fires a Wirecutter editor for “repeatedly invoking the NYT's name in an unprofessional way” in messages she allegedly sent to a gun rights advocacy group — Erin Marquis, a staffer for the popular product-review site, had also lashed out at a gun-rights organization on Twitter.
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @jeremymbarr, New York Post, The Hill, Mediaite and Talking Biz News


Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley on releasing Trolls World Tour online at the start of the pandemic, shrinking theatrical release windows, and more — Donna Langley only looks ahead. She moves at pace through the packed dining room of La Petite Maison, a French Mediterranean restaurant in a Mayfair side street.
Discussion:
@patrickvons, @raju and @markghuneim


Malaysia passes a bill to imprison illegal streaming pirates, primarily those involved in the provision or facilitation of illegal streams, for up to 20 years — Laws that forbid the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted content are common around the world but the rise of streaming has sometimes exposed gaps in legislation.
Discussion:
Malaysiakini, Lowyat.NET and thesundaily.my, more at Techmeme »


Analysis of news tweets from 500 US adults shows a focus on entertainment, politics, and sports; only 2% of news tweets had a hashtag, down from 34% in 2015 — Most Americans who use Twitter get news on the platform, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
Discussion:
The Starting Block, @jenmercieca, @killedbygoogle, @pewresearch, @pewresearch, @asmitch, @pewjournalism, @pewjournalism, @spj_tweets, @pewjournalism and @jamcnn


The news industry has neglected R&D and staff development for decades; Malaysiakini and South Africa's The Daily Maverick show how to do long-term investments — “The furniture industry seems able to invest in its future. Maybe we can, too?” — The news industry is a technology …


A record 1,923 original series were released across TV and streaming services in 2021, beating the previous high of 1,628 in 2019 — - 2021 saw a record number of original series across TV & streaming — Subscription streaming is now the platform with the largest number of original shows
Discussion:
@sportstvratings, @variety and The Streamable


BandLab, a Singapore-based music creation platform letting artists collaborate and engage with fans, raises a $53M Series B at a $303M post-money valuation — BandLab—a Singapore-based digital platform for music creators—said it raised $53 million from a funding round that will help …


Documents and sources: WaPo execs weigh how to attract young readers and expand features content as the outlet faces a slump in readership and subscriber growth — News outlet's audience is down sharply, amid sector-wide declines; subscription growth has stagnated as readers look beyond politics
Discussion:
@benmullin, @benfritz, @timothynoah1, @sewellchan, @froomkin, @janjekielek, @jayrosen_nyu, @alexbruell, @noahchestnut, @noahchestnut, @noahchestnut, @noahchestnut, @noahchestnut, @noahchestnut, @claremalone, @karaswisher, Nieman Lab, Breitbart, @drewsav, @pressgazette, @joshsternberg, @dellavolpe, @jbenton, @budkennedy, @stephengutowski, @chuckrossdc, @alexthomp, @walldo, @millie, @justupthepike, @ylichterman, @genepark, @daviduberti, @bmorrissey, @asharma and Poynter


The phone of an exiled Egyptian TV news host was compromised in June using Cytrox's Predator spyware via a single-click link in a WhatsApp message — Key Findings — Two Egyptians—exiled politician Ayman Nour and the host of a popular news program (who wishes to remain anonymous) …
Discussion:
@nouraaljizawi, @ryp__, @dr_ulrichsen, @laughing_mantis, @sarahleah1, @ngleicher, @evacide, Cyber Defence News …, TechCrunch, NPR, ScreenRant, Bloomberg, The Guardian and The Daily Beast