Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon suspends access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia — Amazon has joined the growing number of businesses suspending commercial activities in Russia in the wake of the country's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. — The e-commerce giant said in a statement that it is cutting off access …
Discussion:
About Amazon, TechCrunch, Engadget, ZDNet, The Streamable, @zdroberts, @biannagolodryga, @ercboxoffice, The Verge and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
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Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Jason Kilar announces that WarnerMedia will pause “all new business in Russia” amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine — WarnerMedia is “pausing all new business in Russia” amid its continued invasion of Ukraine, CEO Jason Kilar announced Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Streamable and @brianstelter
Scott Roxborough / The Hollywood Reporter:
Discovery pulls 15 channels in Russia, operated as part of a joint venture with the country's leading TV company National Media Group
Discovery pulls 15 channels in Russia, operated as part of a joint venture with the country's leading TV company National Media Group
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
The New York Times temporarily removes its journalists from Russia in response to the law that effectively renders independent reporting in the country illegal
The New York Times temporarily removes its journalists from Russia in response to the law that effectively renders independent reporting in the country illegal
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @cliffordlevy, @dylanbyers, @emilybell, CNN, American Press Institute, @cliffordlevy, Vox, @vabvox, New York Magazine, Poynter, Nieman Lab, @stevenleemyers, @abarnardnyt, @oliverdarcy, @sbg1, @waschukcanua, Talking Biz News, @ichbinilya, bbc.co.uk, Variety, @mschwirtz, @nytimesbusiness, @izatabaro, Mediaite, @sarafischer, @jonathancmunro, @maxboot, @ewong, @cliffordlevy, @grynbaum, @kasparov63, @alexey__kovalev, Washington Post, @cliffordlevy, Fox News, Freedom of the Press …, Variety, Metro.co.uk, The Wrap, The Hill, @sulliview, bookforum.com, Condé Nast, Reuters and Deadline
On Substack:
Substack launches an iOS app for reading; Android users can join a waitlist — What you read matters — Today, we're launching an iOS app for reading. It's like your email inbox, but better. — For readers, the app brings all your Substack subscriptions together in one venue …
Discussion:
@hamishmckenzie, @bmorrissey, @iroughol, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, Input, Nieman Lab, The Bounce, Finley Quality Network, LaborUnionNews.com's …, @adders, @baekdal, TechCrunch, InvestTank's Newsletter, @jrothenberg_, The Verge, Engadget, Searching for Political …, The Kokomo Lantern, Alts by Flippa, 9to5Mac, @niubi, The Lee Show, thotfulness, gratitude …, @substackinc, @jonrussell, AIPT, Substack Finance, @thesteinline, @pierce, @kendallbaker, @dwr, @annehelen, Mashable, @tcarmody, @martinsfp, @kantrowitz and Liberal Confessions, more at Techmeme »
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Adam Tinworth / One Man & His Blog:
Substack's app lets users pause email delivery to read only in the app, building a moat for Substack that potentially protects it from competitors — Substack has launched a reader app for iOS, turning itself from a newsletter company into a platform one. Publishers — beware.
Discussion:
CNET, On Substack, Stupid Fresh Mess, @baekdal and David Lebovitz Newsletter
Jessica Toonkel / The Information:
Sources: Disney is considering significantly broadening Disney+ content beyond its strict family focus, including horror and thriller movies and shows — Bob Iger only left the building at Walt Disney Co.'s headquarters at the end of December, and his successor as CEO, Bob Chapek, is already doing things differently.
Discussion:
Financial Times, @amir, @jtoonkel, The Week, @jessicalessin, @richlightshed, Vanity Fair and Popular Information
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Mike Ozanian / Forbes:
Sources: the streaming deal between MLB and Apple is worth $85M annually over seven years and NBC Sports' two-year MLB deal is worth $30M annually — Baseball is in the midst of a lockout that is threatening the start of the 2022 season, but that isn't preventing the league from getting richer.
Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg:
Two Austrian entrepreneurs acquire the assets of LimeWire, the music sharing service shuttered in 2010, and plan to relaunch it as an NFT marketplace for music — A pair of serial entrepreneurs in Austria has bought the rights to defunct music platform LimeWire with plans to revamp its image …
Vox Media:
Vox Media President Pam Wasserstein announces the company's new combined leadership structure following the acquisition of Group Nine — President Pam Wasserstein shared the leadership structure for editorial and studios teams following the acquisition of Group Nine.
Discussion:
@melissabell, @vivian, @mitrakalita, @voxmedia, @melissabell and @melissabell
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
TikTok launches music distribution platform SoundOn in the US, the UK, Brazil, and Indonesia, letting artists upload music to TikTok, Resso, Spotify, and more — TikTok has already achieved massive influence in today's music industry, sending songs that find popularity on the app to the top of the Billboard charts.
Discussion:
CNET, Adweek, Variety, Tubefilter, TikTok, Social Media Today, Music Business Worldwide and @marshallk, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Jeff Zucker's exit deal with CNN paid him $5M+, which was owed from his 2021 bonus, and he didn't get further severance; he waived his rights to sue — Mr. Zucker, who resigned last month citing his failure to report consensual relationship with colleague, waived rights to sue CNN parent WarnerMedia as part of pact
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Week, @johnnydollar01, @benmullin, Fox News, The Wrap, Mediaite, @jbflint, @mattbelloni and @jeremymbarr
Angelique Chrisafis / The Guardian:
President Macron vows to scrap the €138/year French TV license fee if he is re-elected next month, prompting questions over the funding of public media — Presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo says scrapping fee will ‘kill’ independence of public media — Emmanuel Macron has promised …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: Amazon is expected to win unconditional approval from the European Commission for its $8.5B acquisition of MGM, which was announced in May 2021 — Amazon is expected to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $8.5 billion buy of U.S. movie studio MGM, people familiar with the matter said …
Discussion:
@auerdirk and Axios, more at Techmeme »