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Google shutters FLoC, its controversial ad tech for replacing third-party cookies, and proposes Topics, which categorizes the sites users visit into 300+ topics — FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts), Google's controversial project for replacing cookies for interest-based advertising …
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Fox News' Peter Doocy says Biden called him to “clear the air” about an hour after the president was caught on a hot mic calling Doocy “a stupid son of a bitch” — The president later called Peter Doocy and “cleared the air,” Mr. Doocy said.
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Fight Club, newly released on Tencent Video in China, features an alternative ending whereby police thwart Tyler's anarchist plan — Someone tried very hard to please Chinese movie censors. — VZ — Fight Club is getting an entirely different ending in a new online release in China …
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Neil Young posts and then deletes a letter to his management team demanding they remove his music from Spotify over Joe Rogan's vaccine misinformation — Neil Young posted a since-deleted letter to his management team and record label demanding that they remove his music from Spotify.
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Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee send letter to NBC's execs asking whether China or IOC have attempted to influence NBC's Olympics coverage — Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have sent a letter to NBC Universal executives voicing concerns about …
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Visa and other major advertisers are skipping the Olympics ad blitz, caught between the US' stance on Uighurs and China's ability to punish brands — Visa, P&G and Coca-Cola are keeping a relatively low profile as Washington highlights human rights in Xinjiang
Discussion:
@stuwoo, @vranicawsj, MSMI Intelligencer and New York Post


Cable operators are quietly dropping Newsmax; Atlantic Broadband, Cincinnati Bell, Hargray Communications, and Blue Ridge Communications say it's just business — Conservative channel's carriage issues emerge as rival OAN faces pay TV oblivion — While the focus has been on its conservative …
Discussion:
The Streamable and @dannyfrankel


PitchBook: VCs invested $1.4B in US and European publishing startups in 2021, more than twice the investment of any previous year — Spiffy online news outlets are hot again. Every month seems to welcome a new publication built on an established journalist's existing audience.
Discussion:
@acoyne


Stripe partners with Spotify to help podcasters accept payments in dozens of currencies in more than 30 countries — — Stripe has partnered with Spotify to help podcasters use the platform to accept payments in dozens of currencies in more than 30 countries.


HarbourView Equity, the group backed by $1B from Apollo to invest in music rights and other media assets, buys Luis Fonsi's catalog, its first major acquisition — Deal with HarbourView comes as Wall Street chases returns from music copyrights — Private equity giant Apollo Global Management …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide


Substack plans to launch an embedded video player in beta next week that will let creators upload or record a video directly onto a Substack post — Substack plans to launch a native video player next week in an effort to lure new creators to the platform, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Discussion:
On Substack, @sarafischer, @simonowens and @protocol


Gus Wenner, son of Rolling Stone found Jann Wenner, has been promoted to CEO of Rolling Stone, where he was previously COO — The publisher had its most profitable year in two decades in 2021
Discussion:
@adweek, @markstenberg3 and @adweek