Top News:
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
Google will remove RT News and Sputnik News from the Play Store, after removing Russian state outlets from its news features, following a similar move by Apple — Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google said on Tuesday that it has blocked mobile apps connected to RT and Sputnik from its Play store …
Discussion:
Mediaite, TechCrunch, Wired, Protocol, Polygon and Silicon Republic, more at Techmeme »
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Politico:
The EU officially bans Sputnik and five legal entities associated with RT; national regulators must ensure that the sanctions are enforced — Kremlin-backed media outlets RT and Sputnik are officially banned in the EU as of Wednesday morning, in a move meant to crack down on Russian disinformation amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Discussion:
@laukaya, consilium.europa.eu, TechCrunch, @fabiochiusi, Euractiv, CNET, Silicon Republic and Bloomberg
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Spotify closes its office in Russia indefinitely, removes all content from RT News and Sputnik, and adds a guide on the platform to “trusted news” sources — Spotify has taken several steps in response to Russia's military attack on Ukraine, including closing its offices in Russia “indefinitely.”
Discussion:
Reuters and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Euan O'Byrne Mulligan / The Guardian:
BBC stops all content licensing in Russia and requests the remaining episodes of two programs for which it sold rights are not aired on Russian state TV
Discussion:
(Ir)rational Politics and Reuters
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Roku says it will no longer offer RT News among its channels globally, after earlier pulling the Russian state-controlled TV network from its service in Europe
Discussion:
UPROXX, The Verge, Engadget, Wall Street Journal, @tomwarren, MediaPost, Deadline, Axios and Bloomberg
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
DirecTV drops RT “effective immediately”, accelerating this year's contract expiration timeline; DirecTV and Dish are the only major US TV providers carrying RT
Discussion:
Axios, Protocol, Reason, The Daily Beast, @billprady, @kantrowitz, @scottienhughes, @paulrieckhoff, @olganyc1211, @karlbode, @michaelsocolow, @brianstelter, @jkarsh, UPROXX, Fox News, The Week, CNET, Mediaite, Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, The Wrap and Washington Post
Mark Scott / Politico:
YouTube plans to block Russia-backed RT and Sputnik in the European Union and the UK, following similar bans by Meta and TikTok, citing the invasion of Ukraine
Discussion:
@googleeurope, @broderick, The Banter, @ggreenwald, @eliothiggins, insideradio.com, @drewcurtis, @kolga, @carolecadwalla, @americascomic, Music Ally, @ezralevant, @jeffjarvis, @elilake, @yiannisbab, Washington Post, Popular Science, @hillelneuer, @eliothiggins, @christopherjm, @eliothiggins, @jessikkaaro, @jimwaterson, Reuters, Vanity Fair, Euractiv, Variety, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, The Verge, Insider, Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, TASS, euronews and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Twitter starts labeling tweets that link to Russian state-backed media outlets and plans to label other countries' state media outlets “in the coming weeks”
Discussion:
@yoyoel, The Hill, Engadget, @digiphile, @sarafischer, @silvermanjacob, ScreenRant, Mashable, MediaPost, @caitoz, @noupside, @gregbensinger, @adam_k_levin, @etbrooking, Bloomberg, @nachristakis, @robaeprice, @markwarner, @digiphile, @vijaya, @mcfaul, @nickpickles, @twittersafety and @nickclegg
Ethan Diamond / Bandcamp Updates:
Epic Games acquires Bandcamp, which will continue operating as a standalone marketplace and music community; Bandcamp has paid nearly $1B to artists and labels — I'm excited to announce that Bandcamp is joining Epic Games, who you may know as the makers of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, and champions for a fair and open Internet.
Discussion:
The Verge, Variety, CNET, @bandcamp, Music Ally, ScreenRant, Billboard, TechCrunch, PC Gamer, @punkrevnow, New York Times, Tubefilter, @tha_rami, Bloomberg, @ronmknox, @ronmknox, @ronmknox, @ronmknox, GOOD INTERNET, The A.V. Club, Input, @marcissist, @future_of_music, UPROXX, Protocol, Engadget, @vahn16, @jujuadams, AppleInsider, @jubileedj, @ricmac, @toadsanime, @mattetti, @pathedger18, @katselesnya, @theneedledrop, @mowtendoo, @dcseifert, @chronowolfmusic, @mowtendoo, @acertainabbie, @dada_drummer, @zoecello, @tedgioia, @backxwash, @loudmouthjulia, @rjcc, @danozzi, Polygon and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Apollo Global is in talks with Australia-based PointsBet Holdings and other sports betting companies about merging their assets with Yahoo Sports — - Apollo Global is considering merging Yahoo Sports with a sports betting company, sources say. — A deal could set …
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@sherman4949, @richlightshed, @sherman4949, @thedomino, @jgsventures, @yoda, @jacobfeldman4, @adamlevitan, @butlerbets and @loudmouthjulia
Erik Crouch / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Yevhenii Sakun, a camera operator for Ukrainian TV station LIVE, was killed Tuesday along with four other people when Russian forces shelled a TV tower in Kyiv — New York, March 2, 2022 - In response to reports that Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun was killed on Tuesday, March 1 …
Discussion:
@olgatokariuk, Voice of America, @rsf_inter, @bbclysedoucet, @pressfreedom, @cpj_eurasia, LBC, MEN - MEN and Freedom of the Press …
Vikas SN / Moneycontrol:
Netflix acquires Finnish game developer Next Games for around $72M; the studio specializes in games based on entertainment franchises, such as Stranger Things — Next Games had released ‘Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales’, a role-playing game based on the streaming giant's hit 80s horror drama series in October last year.
Discussion:
Next Games, Variety, Tubefilter, CNET, Los Angeles Times, The Streamable, @zhugeex, Digital TV Europe, @brandolightshed, Engadget, Bloomberg, Tech.eu, Media Play News and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Brian Welk / The Wrap:
Source: Netflix is pausing all its future projects and acquisitions of shows and films in Russia — Netflix is pausing all future projects and acquisitions of shows and films in Russia amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, a source confirmed to TheWrap.
Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today:
Meta releases its Q4 Widely Viewed Content report, showing the most viewed Facebook Page comes from a banned account; Meta would not reveal the account — Safe to say that Meta's efforts to refute the idea that Facebook amplifies divisive political content are not going exactly as it would have hoped.
Discussion:
Transparency Center, @kevinroose, @brandyzadrozny, @mhbergen, @oneunderscore__, @jayrosen_nyu, @blackamazon, Adweek and Meta, more at Techmeme »
CNN:
Journalists from TV Rain, also known as Dozhd, leave Russia after employees received threats and the country set up a digital roadblock of the network — New York (CNN Business)Journalists from the last remaining independent news network in Russia have left the country for their own safety …
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @cliffordlevy and Reuters
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
BBC says Russian invasion of Ukraine led to record audiences for its Russian and Ukrainian websites; BBC also launched two shortwave frequencies in the region — The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to record audiences for the BBC's Russian and Ukrainian language news service websites.
J. Clara Chan / Hollywood Reporter:
BuzzFeed Studios and podcast company Acast strike a multiyear deal to collaborate on six shows, with Acast leading production, distribution, and monetization — The studio and podcast company will work together on a slate of six shows, with the first expected to release later this year.
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