Top News:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
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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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @alexthomp, @kaitlancollins, Mediaite, Fox News, The Hill, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Beast, UPROXX, The Wrap, TVNewser, New York Post, CBS News, @noahcrothman, SHERO, @ashleestrong, Breitbart, @jason_kint, @akilahobviously, @acampanajjar, The A.V. Club, @billscher, @vickerysec, TheGrio, @byyourlogic, @nytimes, @repswalwell, Very Serious, @grynbaum, @redsteeze, @atrupar, The Source, @xeni, @elienyc, CNN, The Federalist, SheKnows, Hollywood Life, Yahoo News, Insider, The Guardian, Newser, Washington Post, Barrett Media, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Deadline, Rolling Stone, Insider and Variety
Viola Zhou / VICE:
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 …
Discussion:
Variety, @tomgara, Agence France-Presse, Washington Free Beacon, @vice, @thedragonfeeder, New York Post, Insider, @viceworldnews, The Independent, @erichschwartzel, Bloomberg, IndieWire, @vladsavov, Polygon, @gladstein, @hurtingbombz, @whitebison66, @mrbrianfirenzi, The A.V. Club, @gerryshih, @rhokilpatrick, @oliverjia1014, @praddenkeefe, @violazhouyi, South China Morning Post, Consequence, Collider, SlashFilm and ScreenRant
Andy Greene / Rolling Stone:
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.
Discussion:
The Guardian, TechCrunch, USA Today, Forbes, Financial Times, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, NBC 6 South Florida, @bretthamil, Twelve Thirty Six, Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, RADAR, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, UPI, @benschwartz_, @anthonylfisher, Reclaim The Net, Engadget, @rexchapman, @page88, @scottwalker, The Verge, @jimwaterson, New York Post, Hollywood Life, Boing Boing, The Wrap, Breitbart, The A.V. Club, Barrett Media, Insider, Music Ally, UPROXX, Variety, WGN-TV, Consequence and Digital Music News
Sara Fischer / Axios:
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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Wall Street Journal:
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
Alex Webb / Bloomberg:
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
Daniel Frankel / Next TV:
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
Sara Fischer / Axios:
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:
@ckrewson, On Substack, @sarafischer, @simonowens and @protocol
Cáit Caden / Irish Examiner:
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.
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
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:
@annaknicolaou and Music Business Worldwide
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
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