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, The Wrap, The Hill, @sarafischer, @sizpatel, AM New York, The Spun, @siempreseattle, @tvgrimreaper, @rafat, @danprimack, @danprimack, @nichcarlson, @graceonfootball, @ylichterman, @mathewi, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @mattietk, @ericliptonnyt, @sportsrapport, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @daryrezvani, @keganreneau, @john_p_carvalho, @38godfrey, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @jeremylittau, @rafat, @rasmus_kleis, @freddiecampion, @arashmarkazi, @jeffveillette, @chrisryan_nj, @michelesteele, @_zeets, @dylanbyers, @katie_martin_fx, @mathewi 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 …
Discussion:
The Streamable, MediaPost, The Wrap, Ad Age, Variety, SlashFilm, Radio & Television …, MediaPost, Gizmodo, The Worldwide Reader …, New York Post, ScreenRant, @alexweprin, @film_girl, @kerrymflynn and Deadline
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The Hollywood Reporter:
In memo to staff, 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, @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, Press Gazette, @pressgazette, @benyt, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @jake_kanter, Telegraph, @katyturnbc, @marklittlenews and @benfenton
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
WaPo names Steven Ginsberg as managing editor, overseeing the main news sections and 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 and helped propel …
Discussion:
@shearm, @farhip, @jackshafer and @froomkin
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, @charlessoule, @mattblaze, @allidhellegers, @eliselemassena, Emma Straub's Newsletter, @malwarejake, @jessicavalenti, @brokenbottleboy, @_elizabethmay, @franklinleonard, @kieracass, @pgourevitch, @eriqgardner, @qjurecic, @nicoleperlroth, @qjurecic, @nytimesbooks, @markberman, @e_alexjung, UPI, @xanalter, @lrozen, @nicoleperlroth, The Guardian, The A.V. Club and Variety
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
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, @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
Jem Aswad / Variety:
The Grammy Awards, planned for January 31 in Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, have been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 concerns — As expected, the Grammy Awards have been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus-related concerns, an Academy spokesperson has confirmed to Variety.
Discussion:
GRAMMY.com, Bloomberg, RouteNote Blog, @claireatki, NPR, @amandasalas, @jennifer_su, @variety, TheGrio, WWD, UPI, Collider, Billboard, TVLine, The Guardian, The A.V. Club, The Wrap and Adweek
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