Top News:
Jessica Toonkel / The Information:
Source: The NYT has agreed to acquire subscription sports site The Athletic in a deal valued at around $550M — The New York Times Co has agreed to acquire subscription sports site The Athletic in a deal valued at around $550 million, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Discussion:
@jtoonkel, Bloomberg, MediaPost, Axios, @pottsmark, TechCrunch, Financial Times, Nieman Lab, Awful Announcing, Mediaite, @sarafischer, The Hill, The Wrap, Deadline, @sizpatel, @adamrubinmedia, @realobf, AM New York, The Spun, @siempreseattle, @tvgrimreaper, @rafat, @danprimack, @danprimack, @nichcarlson, @graceonfootball, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @mattietk, @ericliptonnyt, @sportsrapport, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @daryrezvani, @keganreneau, @john_p_carvalho, @38godfrey, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @mathewi, @ylichterman, @rasmus_kleis, @dylanbyers, @freddiecampion, @arashmarkazi, @rafat, @jeffveillette, @chrisryan_nj, @katie_martin_fx, @mathewi, @michelesteele, @_zeets and @gavinsblog
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS are exploring selling a significant stake, or all of, CW Network; among possible buyers, Nexstar Media Group is leading — Nexstar Media Group is among the suitors for CW Network, sources say — AT&T Inc.'s WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS Inc. are exploring …
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The Hollywood Reporter:
In a memo to staff, The CW CEO confirms ViacomCBS and Warner Bros. are exploring its sale but says it's “too early to speculate what might happen” — Local TV giant Nexstar is said to be among the suitors for the broadcast network. — The CW is up for sale.
Discussion:
ScreenRant, @azalben, @azalben, @alexweprin, Variety and The Wrap
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Justin Smith says his venture with Ben Smith is not a quick flip and they are aiming for multi-decade growth; Ben says the outlet will be “post social media” — Ex-Bloomberg executive and New York Times journalist are aiming for multi-decade growth
Discussion:
@zielina, @robinwigg, @carlquintanilla, @tomgara, @nivincent, @claireberlinski, @johngapper, @snolen, @kixes, @iroughol, @aadilbrar, @zielina, @emilyrauhala, @zhaoyinfeng, @skinnylatte, @claradfmarques, @damiencave, @mattzeitlin, @benyt, @marklittlenews, @mathewi and Polis
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify introduces Call-to-Action Cards, a visual ad format for podcasts that puts clickable cards inside show and episode pages — Spotify is today introducing is introducing a new ad format aimed at podcasters which it's calling “Call-to-Action Cards” — or CTA cards, for short.
Discussion:
Spotify, Adweek, CNET, The Drum, @spotifynews and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »
Manori Ravindran / Variety:
The BBC appoints ITN chief executive Deborah Turness as CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, replacing Fran Unsworth, who is stepping down at the end of January — The BBC has appointed ITN chief executive Deborah Turness as its CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Financial Times, bbc.co.uk, The Wrap, TVNewser, @pressgazette, @benyt, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @jake_kanter, Telegraph, @katyturnbc, @marklittlenews, @benfenton and Press Gazette
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
The Washington Post names Steven Ginsberg as managing editor for its main news sections, rounding out Executive Editor Sally Buzbee's senior management team — Steven Ginsberg, The Washington Post's National editor who led the organization's political coverage through the Trump years …
Discussion:
@shearm, @farhip, @jackshafer and @froomkin
Kaya Yurieff / The Information:
Patreon says creators earned $3.5B through subscriptions from 2013 to December 2021, up from $2B in November 2020 — The pandemic shutdowns meant boom times for Patreon. The nearly nine-year-old company benefited from a spike in activity from online performers and fans and raised $245 million in funding in less than a year.
Discussion:
@kyurieff and @lauramandaro
Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:
The FBI arrests Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen who worked in publishing, alleging he targeted authors and others to steal unpublished book manuscripts — Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen who worked in publishing, was charged with wire fraud and identity theft for a scheme …
Discussion:
Gawker, The Record, @katienotopoulos, @shiraovide, Defector, bookforum.com, @allidhellegers, @eliselemassena, Emma Straub's Newsletter, @jessicavalenti, @brokenbottleboy, @kieracass, @charlessoule, @mattblaze, @malwarejake, @_elizabethmay, @franklinleonard, @pgourevitch, @eriqgardner, @qjurecic, @nicoleperlroth, UPI, @qjurecic, @nytimesbooks, @markberman, @e_alexjung, @xanalter, @lrozen, @nicoleperlroth, The Guardian, The A.V. Club and Variety
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
LinkedIn plans to launch interactive, audio-only live events this month in beta for some creators and a video version in the spring — LinkedIn, now with more than 800 million people listing their professional profiles to build out their careers, is taking its next steps to get them to spend more time on the platform.
Discussion:
@caseynewton and @thekenyeung, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
China's copyright authority bans digital music platforms from signing exclusive copyright agreements except in special circumstances — China's copyright authority said on Thursday digital music platforms are not allowed to sign exclusive copyright agreements except in special circumstances …
Discussion:
Plagiarism Today
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
NPR's All Things Considered host Audie Cornish is leaving, following exits by other prominent NPR hosts of color, including Noel King and Lulu Garcia-Navarro — Audie Cornish, a host of NPR's “All Things Considered,” is leaving her job, becoming the latest prominent person of color to leave the public broadcaster.
Discussion:
@audiecornish, Washington Post, @seanasaldana, @jmsummers, @emarvelous, @sonari, @mcfaul, @audiecornish, @kathleenpurvis, @eyderp, @farai, @brooklynmarie, @radiomirage, @eugene_scott, Three Things, @farai, @sulliview, @farai, @michele_norris, @emilykwong1234, @andrealgilmore, @audiecornish, @gregpinelo, @adriennelaw, @sportaphile, @doualyx, @marinafang, @annehelen, @rgay, @jayscottsmith, @washingtonpost, @gabrieljr, @tracyjan, @timothypmurphy, @s_m_i, @tjortenzi, @davidfolkenflik, @rebekahentralgo, @rebekahentralgo, @farhip, Mediaite, The Boston Globe and insideradio.com
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