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YouTube says it's winding down YouTube Originals after six years and will only fund programs that are part of its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds — YouTube is getting out of the business of originals: The Google-owned video giant said it is winding down its original productions team after more than six years.
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@rkyncl, Adweek, Digital TV Europe, The Verge, Protocol, @jakerawr, @natjarv, @thafnine, @cleoabram, @film_girl, @tweetsauce, MediaNama, @domsmales, @brodyfoxx, @richlightshed, @rfaughnder, C21Media, @dfriend, Collider, CNET, MediaPost, Fast Company, nexttv.com, Tubefilter and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
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YouTube's global head of original content, Susanne Daniels, is leaving on March 1 after almost seven years
Discussion:
Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Media Play News and The Wrap


Chicago Public Media's board approves the Chicago Sun-Times acquisition, set to close on or about January 31, which will convert the Sun-Times into a nonprofit — The noncash transfer will not be final until contracts are approved, but both media organizations said they hope to close on the deal by the end of the month.
Discussion:
WBEZ Chicago, @nprinskeep, @nprinskeep, @satchelprice, @stellinitweets, @lynnsweet, @sdkstl, @youranonnews, @suntimes, @jrichardoneill, @jayrosen_nyu, @davemckinney, @localnewsini, @mizamudio, @robertmccoppin, @nprinskeep, @leighgiangreco, @charlesjaco1, @walldo, @robneyer, @localnewsini, @garveymcvg, @seidelcontent, @nprinskeep, Robert Feder, @patrickfinley, @jpelzer, @davidearllive, @asmamk, @msjanicemorris, @ejdionne, @mgerrydoyle, @doctaj, @michaelsobrien, @dmihalopoulos, @robertloerzel, @billruthhart, @doctaj, @inkyamy, @mgerrydoyle, @localnewsini, @naderdissa, @tananarivedue, @tracylbrown and @vabvox


Dazn launches specialist content development arm Dazn Studios to sell and license its original sport documentaries, series, and films — The launch comes as the streaming company prepares to premiere boxing doc ‘La Guerra Civil’ in Sundance and alongside the launch of its 2022 content slate.
Discussion:
Variety, Digital TV Europe, Broadband TV News and C21Media


Influencer and former NBA player Rex Chapman will host a weekly CNN+ show featuring “intimate conversations with athletes, entertainers, and everyday heroes” — Per the WarnerMedia-owned subscription streaming platform, which is set to debut in the first quarter of the year …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Awful Announcing, @peterhimler, @stevebastoni, @brittanylkaplan, @jeneuston, @philsancheztv, CNN, Fox News, USA Today, TVNewser, The Hill, Deadline, Sports Illustrated and nexttv.com


Edelman: 67% of people globally said media purposely tries to mislead, up eight percentage points from 2021; US and Australia saw the biggest drops in trust — A majority of people around the world are concerned that they are being lied to by journalists, according to the latest trust survey from PR firm Edelman.


RocaNews, which delivers news via Instagram, raises a $4.4M seed and acquires River News, an app that provides news stories via a TikTok-like video feed — RocaNews, an Instagram news brand with 1 million followers, has raised $4.4 million in a seed round led by Ori Allon, the co-founder and executive chair of Compass Real Estate.


The mission statements and manifestos of journalism startups, from Grid to Puck, promise to remake journalism but fail to articulate a unique message — The entrepreneurial spirit rages beneath the breastbone of your average journalist, rivaled in intensity only by his scorn for his bosses.
Discussion:
@andrewrestuccia, The Rebooting, @ckrewson, @mradamtaylor, @patferrucci, @risj_oxford, @joshsternberg, @terri_rupar and @amandakhurley


BBC DG Tim Davie says license fee freeze will leave a £285M gap in funding by 2027, which would mean “less services and less programmes” — Tim Davie says six-year licence fee settlement will mean fewer programmes and services — The BBC will be forced to axe …
Discussion:
@blackamazon, London Evening Standard, @jimwaterson and @leejbbc


Ex-NY Post digital EIC Michelle Gotthelf sues News Corp, NY Post, and two editors, claiming she was fired for alleging ex-EIC Col Allan sexually harassed her — The ousted digital editor claims the Post's former longtime boss sexually propositioned her and later ordered her to scrub a story accusing Donald Trump of rape.
Discussion:
New York Times, Poynter, New York Magazine, Bulletin, @nytimes, @davidfolkenflik, @bgrueskin, @kate_mcclymont, The Guardian, @ejeancarroll, Axios, @julieroginsky, @azi, @davidfolkenflik, Los Angeles Times, @thedailybeast, @owillis, @oliverdarcy, @davidfolkenflik, @oliverdarcy, @maxwelltani, @davidfolkenflik, @lalpert1, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, @sarafischer, CNN, NPR, Insider, Mediaite, Financial Times, Deadline, Rolling Stone and The Wrap


Study: Sky is Europe's largest TV company by revenue at €16.3B in 2020, followed by ARD at €6.53B and Netflix at €6.15B; Netflix has a 35% VOD market share — M&A activity is picking up pace in Europe, driven by the streaming wars and the COVID crisis, according to a new report by the European Audiovisual Observatory.
Discussion:
Media Play News


NewsGuard, which rates the reliability of news sources, expects to be profitable in every quarter of 2022 thanks to licensing deals with advertisers and others — New York (CNN Business)NewsGuard, a four-year-old startup that scans the web and rates the reliability of news sources …
Discussion:
What's New in Publishing, @pressgazette and @niemanlab


An in-depth look at Sony's ambition to become the world's most fully integrated entertainment company across movie blockbusters, music catalogs, and PlayStation — The Japanese corporation is on the cusp of full integration but critics say it needs to be wary of distractions like electric vehicles
Discussion:
@sharp_writing, @venkatananth, @patrickmcgee_, @gdalmiathinks, @haranikkei, @financialtimes, @grimes_ce and @ivan_brussels