Top News:
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Dotdash Meredith will cease printing six magazines, including InStyle and EatingWell, after April, turning them into digital brands and cutting about 200 jobs — The publications, which IAC's Dotdash acquired when it bought Meredith last year, will live on as digital-only brands
Discussion:
Variety, Axios, Daily Front Row, Ad Age, MediaPost, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, WWD, Nieman Lab, New York Times, The Wrap, @jensantamaria, @jensantamaria, @jensantamaria, @ambernoelle, @kasie, @kod, @marcatracy, @jmrivera02, Al Jazeera, TheStreet, New York Post, @tinajordannyt, @daniellenuss, @thehrh, @shanellegenai, @casey_mink, @chrisvfeil, Christopher Six's Pick Six, @jeffjarvis, @natalieabrams, @jbflint, @benpershing, @sarahjaeleiber, @jessewashington, @mikeroe, @lmoses, @jmdornbush, @richardlnewby, @hiattb, @tvmojoe, @heykmenz, @froomkin, @jaredbkeller, @terri_schwartz, @ericrennerbrown, @markstenberg3, @jowrotethis, The Hollywood Reporter, @azalben and @samontv
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Filing: Discovery says its merger with WarnerMedia received US antitrust clearance, following European Commission approval in December — The mega-deal is expected to close in the second quarter.
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, CNN, The Week, The Hill, New York Post, The Wrap, New York Times, @brianstelter, Deadline, @brianstelter, @axios, Media Play News, @alexweprin, @alexweprin, @dcnorg, @roncharles and The Verge
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Discovery sees Zucker's departure as an opportunity for a reset at CNN, making it less opinionated, after ratings declined noticeably in recent months — Ever since Jeff Zucker seized the reins at CNN in early 2013, the cable-news network has been one of loudest voices in media circles.
Discussion:
Mediaite, @jayrosen_nyu, @soledadobrien, @bristei, Poynter, @emilytvproducer, @bristei, @froomkin and @bristei
Sara Fischer / Axios:
As ABC News, ESPN, Daily Mail, and other outlets amass over 1M TikTok followers, some suggest the surge is similar to the explosive growth on Facebook in 2015 — A handful of news media companies now have more than 1 million followers on TikTok, a testament to how much the viral video platform …
Discussion:
@shannmclellan, @evanmcmurry, @_andersonbecca and @callingcaterina
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Interview with Capital B CEO and co-founder Lauren Williams, on fundraising, the enduring power of social platforms, launching an Atlanta newsroom, and more — Lauren Williams is the co-founder and CEO of Capital B, a new nonprofit media company dedicated to news for Black audiences.
Discussion:
@laurenwilliams, @annalysagayle and NPR Fangirl
Financial Times:
A look at the effect of current and prospective regulations by EU countries on US streamers, including mandatory investments and retention of producer rights — Netflix, Disney and Amazon grapple with national investment targets and a shake-up in who owns rights
Discussion:
@labboudles, more at Techmeme »
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
In a deposition, James Bennet says that he included a direct apology to Sarah Palin in a response to CNN's questions but the apology didn't make it past NYT PR — “America's Lethal Politics,” the June 14, 2017, editorial at the center of Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit, is cause for apology.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Politico, @erikwemple, The Daily Beast, CNN, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, Poynter, @oliverdarcy, @mboorstein and NPR
Andrew Kersley / Press Gazette:
BBC will launch a new live team with 31 journalists to expand coverage beyond COVID-19, after its live pages collectively had 1B+ visits during the pandemic — The pandemic has attached “rocket boosters” to news live blogs and led to more investment from publishers as sites try …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @jasminecoleman, @ponniahkevin, @davidclinchnews and @stuartmillar159
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Tumblr launches a tip jar, initially in the US, on iOS, Android, and the web; Tumblr will not take a cut and won't use Apple or Google's billing systems — Tumblr is launching its second attempt at a monetization feature today. Rolling out in the U.S. now and soon globally …
Discussion:
Tumblr Staff, Tubefilter and @mattnavarra, more at Techmeme »
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
James Murdoch and ex-Star India CEO Uday Shankar form Bodhi Tree with $1.5B from Qatar's wealth fund to invest in media and tech in SE Asia, particularly India — The alliance sees the launch of the platform, titled Bodhi Tree, with financial backing from the Qatar Investment Authority.
Discussion:
Variety, TechCrunch, @sarafischer and Deadline
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Moonbug Entertainment acquires Little Angel, a YouTube network with more than 88M subscribers — The deal is the first for Moonbug since selling itself to Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs' Candle Media. — Moonbug Entertainment, fresh off of its $2.7 billion sale to Candle Media, is expanding its footprint.
Discussion:
Variety, Bloomberg, Tubefilter and Kidscreen
Axios:
Foreign correspondents detail intimidation in Beijing, including being assigned a “guide” to follow them and check that interviewees stick to official discourse — Foreign correspondents in China are speaking out after a Chinese security official pulled a Dutch reporter …
Discussion:
@sjoerddendaas, @joannachiu, @phelimkine, @serpentza, @niccijsmith, @emilyzfeng, @antwanmorel, @sarafischer, @paddyfok, @edmundlee and The Daily Beast