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.
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Andy Greene / Rolling Stone:
Neil Young posts and then deletes a letter to his manager and a Warner exec 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, CNET, Mediaite, USA Today, TechCrunch, Forbes, The Daily Beast, NBC 6 South Florida, Financial Times, Billboard, @bretthamil, RADAR, Vanity Fair, Deadline, UPI, @benschwartz_, @anthonylfisher, Reclaim The Net, Engadget, @page88, @scottwalker, The Verge, @jimwaterson, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Twelve Thirty Six, @rexchapman, Bartl Bright, Boing Boing, The Wrap, Breitbart, Music Ally, Insider, UPROXX, Barrett Media, WGN-TV, Consequence and Digital Music News
Viola Zhou / VICE:
Fight Club gets an alternate ending in its China release on Tencent Video wherein the police thwart Tyler Durden'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, New York Post, Insider, @viceworldnews, @erichschwartzel, IndieWire, @vladsavov, @thedragonfeeder, @gladstein, @hurtingbombz, @whitebison66, @mrbrianfirenzi, The A.V. Club, @gerryshih, @rhokilpatrick, @oliverjia1014, @praddenkeefe, @violazhouyi, South China Morning Post, @vice, Consequence, The Independent, Polygon, Bloomberg, Collider, SlashFilm and ScreenRant
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Two House Energy and Commerce Committee members send a letter to NBC Universal's execs asking whether China or the IOC have influenced NBC's Olympics coverage — Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have sent a letter to NBC Universal executives voicing concerns about …
RELATED:
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
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
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
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.
Jacob Adelman / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Philly Inquirer is negotiating to rent office space that is 60% smaller and $1M/year cheaper than at present, as it expects people to work from home or off-site — The Philadelphia Inquirer is negotiating a lease at the midcentury landmark at 100 S. Independence Mall West still often known …
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
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