Mediagazer: Antenna: Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, and others struggle to retain US subscribers who joined to watch a hit show or movie; many unsubscribe within a few months (Wall Street Journal)

12:20 AM ET, February 1, 2022

Top News:

The New York Times acquires Wordle, the simple word game that has amassed “millions of daily players”, for “an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures” — Wordle, Josh Wardle's stimulating and wildly popular daily word game, is joining The New York Times's portfolio of original …

Discussion: @powerlanguish, New York Times, New York Times, @marcatracy, Axios, @kevinroose, Variety, Nieman Lab, @katierogers, The Guardian, @karaswisher, The Register, @isaacfitzgerald, Mediaite, Financial Times, Associated Press, Protocol, New York Post, Deadline, Semiotech, @hshaban, @dhchait, Forbes, @wfkars, @xor, @ofirahy, @sherman4949, @scott_tobias, @seanludwig, @helaineolen, @reckless, @nrarmour, @phillyd, @everyteam_mark, @jackmirkinson, @jonnelledge, @aedwardslevy, @benfritz, @byjayking, TechCrunch, @kfury, @shalomgood, Gawker, The Comeback, @starfire2258, @bafeldman, @pjputh, @jasonschreier, @dharmesh, @starfire2258, @jessicalessin, @tonyajoriley, @adambvary, @grahamstarr, @levie, @ditzkoff, @tomcoates, @stshank, @chrisvannini, @jephjacques, CNET, @benadida, @parkermolloy, @manruss, @teroterotero, @dylanmatt, @ellievhall, @jonporty, @sayssimonson, @danlamothe, @jackmirkinson, @dcseifert, @andreawoo, Wall Street Journal, @jonrussell, @sherman4949, The A.V. Club, @maxkennerly, The Verge, @benjysarlin, @christinemhall, 9to5Mac, @sherman4949, @laurenpelley, @edmundlee, @emilybell, @brennacgray, @lpolgreen, @pkafka, @janinegibson, @marcoarment, @farnazfassihi, @daveyalba, @jbflint, @daveleeft, @brianstelter, @maggiekb1, @levie, @damiencave, @sherman4949, @katienotopoulos, @ofirahy, @alexweprin, @by_cjewett, @domdelport, @robertjimison, @reckless, @zackbeauchamp, PC Gamer, @budgetben, @bdsams, @rodger, @levie, @jeremymbarr, @fredsmith914, @ernietedeschi, CNBC, @bombur, The Hollywood Reporter, @rover829, @engadget and @jbflint, more at Techmeme »

Daniel Ek / Spotify:

Spotify publishes its long-standing Platform Rules and says it is working to add a content advisory to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19 — A decade ago, we created Spotify to enable the work of creators around the world to be heard and enjoyed by listeners around the world.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, @mikeisaac, Columbia Journalism Review, Protocol, Variety, @justinjm1, Reuters, Bloomberg, Billboard, The Verge, @spotifynews, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, @sarafischer, @reckless, @eldsjal, @lucas_shaw, Los Angeles Times, CNN, The Information, @caseynewton, @pkafka, Breitbart, @stanphylcap, The Crucial Years, Vanity Fair, @mikeisaac, @shannonrwatts, @loudmouthjulia, Media Matters for America, Ty Burr's Watch List, Complete Music Update, MediaPost, Don't Let It Go, RAIN News, Gawker, @eaton, Bastonate per Posta, Podcast Movement, NBC4 Washington, Music Ally, @dfsparks, @mmasnick, The Why Axis, New York Post, @ericboehlert, Tubefilter, @paulbernaluk, @molly0xfff, @maxnordau, @future_of_music, @shanselman, @aaronhuertas, @texasinafrica, Digital Threat Digest, @intelwire, New York Magazine, The Morning Dispatch, @amlwhere, @darnelsugarfoo, Today in Tabs, Reclaim The Net, Mindless Drivel, Webb Chatham Report, @sabivm, @naveedajamali, insideradio.com, @lethalityjane, NPR, Reason, @willoremus, @lucas_shaw, Rolling Stone, JOMO, TechCrunch, CNET, @karaswisher, @jbflint, @carnage4life, Light Reading, UPROXX, Insider, Bustle, @ruckcohlchez, @davidgura, Top Celebrity News … and @rvawonk, more at Techmeme »

Sam Byford / The Verge:

Joe Rogan posts a video to Instagram defending booking contentious guests, apologizes to Spotify for the backlash, and says he may book more “experts” — 'I'm very sorry that this is happening to them.' — Joe Rogan has issued a response to the ongoing controversy …

Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day:

Spotify made an editorial choice by paying $100M to be Joe Rogan's publisher and can't shirk its responsibility by just adding a content warning to his episodes — Read to the end for Pumpkin Cowboy — Please Do Not Let Spotify Convince You That Joe Rogan Is A Content Moderation Problem

Elahe Izadi / Washington Post:

Capital B, a US local nonprofit news organization focused on Black audiences, launches with $9M in philanthropic backing and 16 employees with plans to hire 11 — Capital B, a new digital-media start-up, will provide hard news and investigative reporting aimed at Black audiences.

Wall Street Journal:

Antenna: Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, and others struggle to retain US subscribers who joined to watch a hit show or movie; many unsubscribe within a few months — Roughly half of U.S. viewers who joined right after ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ were gone in six months, data show

Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:

The FT's US journalists seek to unionize with the NewsGuild, ask for voluntary recognition from the FT, and say their 40-person unit has over two-thirds support — Journalists at the Financial Times are seeking to unionize the publication's U.S. operation, the latest in a wave of organizing efforts in the news media.

Discussion: @josheidelson, @greenhousenyt, @anastasiakeeley, @demfromct, @bigblackjacobin, @davidgura, @moisenoise, @mshannahmurphy, @josheidelson and @josheidelson

Helen Davidson / The Guardian:

Survey: at least six foreign journalists have left China amid increased intimidation through online trolling, physical assaults, hacking, and visa denials — Report says heightened dangers have prompted at least six to leave and many others to develop emergency exit plans

Discussion: @lotteleicht1, @birgitmschwarz, Bloomberg, BBC and Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Cassandra Garrison / Reuters:

Univision and Televisa complete their merger and plan to launch the world's biggest Spanish-language streaming service in H1 2022, targeting nearly 600M people — Mexican broadcast powerhouse Grupo Televisa and U.S. based Univision (UVN.UL) are preparing to launch what would be the biggest …

Discussion: Adweek, @jczamora, @brianmmunoz, Variety, Forbes, Next TV, Business Wire, @sarafischer, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, @isalara and @adweek

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

With SCOTUS eager to revisit precedent, Sarah Palin's NYT lawsuit is a serious challenge to the press-friendly standard for libel set by Times vs. Sullivan — But none of these landmark cases are as potentially consequential as Sarah Palin's suit against the New York Times

Discussion: @porter_anderson, @brianlehrer, @matthewschafer, @moiradonegan, @terri_rupar, @stormmela and @sarafischer

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Sources: Amazon paid $100M+ for exclusive ad and distribution rights to the podcast My Favorite Murder and all other Exactly Right Media shows — Two Canadian folk singers have forced Spotify to do what thousands of angry social media users could not. — Spotify on Sunday outlined a series …

Discussion: @lucas_shaw and @alexanderchee

Richard J. Tofel / Second Rough Draft:

ProPublica's Richard Tofel reflects on 20+ years as a newsroom attorney: preventing cases from being filed, the need for newsroom counsel independence, and more — Reflections on retiring from practice, with gratitude. — Welcome to Second Rough Draft, a newsletter about journalism in our time …

Discussion: American Press Institute

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 12:20 AM ET, February 1, 2022.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

Copy Editor, Remote US — ProPublica

Markets Reporter, NY/CA — Sherwood Media

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Food Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Staff Writer, NV — Las Vegas Weekly

Pharma Editor, Remote — Endpoints

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Multi Media Reporter, NC — Cardinal & Pine

Afternoon/Night Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

Education Lab Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Senior Editor, Remote US — PCWorld

State Worker Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Executive Editor, NM — Searchlight

News Assistant, NY — Quanta Magazine

Local Editor, NJ (Remote) — Patch

News Editor/Reporter, KS — Blade-Empire

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Associated Press:
A fourth Mexican journalist, who was enrolled in the government's protection program, has been murdered in less than a month, after killings sparked protests

Discussion: The Guardian, MyNorthwest.com, @martinxhodgson, @ema_sasic and @keegan_hamilton

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
NBCUniversal names Valari Dobson Staab as the chair of its local content division and says NBC's RSNs will launch a direct-to-consumer offering later this year

Discussion: Deadline, Awful Announcing and Barrett Media

Josh Sandiford / BirminghamLive:
UK police seek a court order under the Terrorism Act to reveal sources from a journalist who helped overturn convictions in the 1974 IRA Birmingham bombings

Discussion: The Guardian, The Times, Press Gazette and @lisaocarroll

Sharon Moshavi / International Center for Journalists:
Velocidad, a media accelerator that invested nearly $1.5M in 10 Latin American news outlets, says its grantees generated new revenue over six times their grants

Discussion: @icfj and @icfj

Glen Owen / Daily Mail:
Source: UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries is planning legislation where the DMU force Meta, Google, and others to negotiate payment deals with news publishers

Discussion: The Signal, @lukejohnsonrcp, The i Paper, @benedictevans, @matthewlesh, @benedictevans, The Sun, @s8mb and @benedictevans, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

William Turvill / Press Gazette:
The Seattle Times says it now has 81,000 digital-only subscribers, up 10% over the past 12 months and almost doubling its 41,000 subscribers in January 2019

Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
Pigeon 605, which sells ads and sponsored posts, emails news to 4K of 200K residents in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, based on interest topics users pick

Discussion: Pigeon605

J. Clara Chan / Hollywood Reporter:
Podcast network Lemonada Media, which grew its annual revenue from $1.5M in 2020 to over $5M in 2021 and reaches 2M+ listeners per month, raises an $8M Series A

Reuters:
Meta says it has paused new users from joining its social media tracking tool CrowdTangle as it works “through some staffing constraints”

Discussion: @melissaryan, @jordanguiao and @kevinroose

Stefanie Murray / Center for Cooperative Media:
A look at Ad Lab, which launched last year as an advertising network of 16 independent media organizations in New Jersey with a shared sales representative

Discussion: Nieman Lab

From Techmeme:

Emilia David / The Verge:
Microsoft launches Phi-3 Mini, a 3.8B-parameter model that competes with GPT-3.5, and plans to release Phi-3 Small and Phi-3 Medium with 7B and 14B parameters

Counterpoint Research:
iPhone sales in China fell 19.1% YoY to a 15.7% share in Q1 2024; Vivo fell 0.4% YoY to 17.4%, Honor rose 11.5% YoY to 16.1%, and Huawei rose 69.7% YoY to 15.5%

Washington Post:
Google fires ~20 more staff the company says participated in protests denouncing an Israeli cloud contract; an activist workers' group says the total is now 50+

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page