Top News:
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Amazon finalizes its $8.5B acquisition of MGM, two days after the deal received clearance from the EU's antitrust regulator — Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM first announced last May, the companies said Thursday. — “MGM has a nearly century-long legacy …
Discussion:
About Amazon, Adweek, CNET, Deadline, The Streamable, TechCrunch, SlashFilm, New York Post, The A.V. Club, @variety, @jacobqknight, WHDH-TV, @leojtravis10, Vanity Fair, @willmckinley, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, Media Play News, @henereyg, @colinhantsco, @barbaracrampton, The Hollywood Reporter, @richlightshed, IndieWire, WORLD SCREEN and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Justin Smith says his startup with Ben Smith will hire English-language-educated journalists globally and will launch in the US and at least one other market — The former Bloomberg Media C.E.O. offered new details on the venture he is starting with the journalist Ben Smith.
Discussion:
@gerritd, @grynbaum, @niemanlab, @gabekahn, @shibanimahtani, @matinastevis, @heatherchen_, @africasacountry, @shibanimahtani, Columbia Journalism Review, @jyarow, @shibanimahtani, @jbhavan, @shibanimahtani, @d_jaishankar, @shibanimahtani, @f_potkin, @kenli729, @burgessev, @andrewbeatty, @joshgerstein, @dcbigjohn, @bensherwood, @taylorlorenz, @beachwoodreport, @robinsonmeyer, @dandrezner, @mikemadden, @leighgiangreco, @nanjala1, @maxjrosenthal, @mattyglesias, @bendreyfuss, @alicemuwu, @anthony, @adamfeuerstein, @amandabecker, @mediaevan, @katenocera, @missanabeem, @mattzeitlin, @jamesrbuk, @scottnover, Gawker, The Wrap, @craftworksxyz, @chrisgeidner and @ginaskchua
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
Gannett moves the printing of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and 10 other Wisconsin dailies 220 miles to Illinois' Peoria Journal Star, cutting 180 jobs — The move will result in the shuttering of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's printing plant and the loss of 180 jobs.
Discussion:
members.charlesriverchamber …, Media Nation, @peterrobison and @bradhoylman
Sara Fischer / Axios:
A study by The Advertising Research Foundation found 36% of Americans share their Netflix passwords with relatives, while 13% share them with friends — Streaming companies are cracking down on password sharing, as the number of quarterly subscription cancellations in the U.S. grows.
Discussion:
Variety, Light Reading, E! Online and @ashleyrgold
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix will test an “add an extra member” feature in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, letting primary account holders pay a fee for users not in their household
Discussion:
About Netflix, The Guardian, Washington Post, Decider, New York Post, Supercreator, Gizmodo, Insider, @_shamgod, @film_girl, @zigzaggyzagg, Broadband TV News, @steph_i_will, @iwriteallday_, NPR, @notcapnamerica, @scottbix, Nerdist, @mattnavarra, @shobz, @oneunderscore__, @gracerandolph, Engadget, Input, Glamour, IGN, The A.V. Club, The Week, UPROXX, Protocol, TechCrunch, Deadline, IndieWire, Tom's Guide, BGR, Polygon, The Streamable, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Shraddha Chakradhar / Nieman Lab:
Interview with Amethyst Davis, founder of the six-month-old Harvey World Herald in a Chicago suburb, on her non-traditional journalism route and building trust — Tales of local news dying are abundant, but against the odds of today's media landscape, there are many new ventures taking root.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @apurple_reign, Newmark J-School, @niemanlab, @ckrewson and @pilhofer
Andrew Kersley / Press Gazette:
The Times says it crossed 400K digital subs earlier this year after gaining 60K in 2021, and added an average of 1,000/day during Ukraine war's first two weeks — The Times gained an average of 1,000 new digital subscribers a day during the first two weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of its highest ever growth rates.
Washington Post:
How Volodymyr Zelensky and associates from his former TV production company, now in government jobs, are using media expertise for strategic war communications — When President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, aired a video documenting the human toll of Russia's assault …
Discussion:
CNET, The Nation, @oknox, @fabiochiusi, @seanmcfate, @paulsonne, @aaronblake, @appcpenn, Today's Edition Newsletter, @tim_hayward_, @tim_hayward_, @nycjim, @thedeshbhakt and The Daily Beast
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
Media mogul Byron Allen sues Nielsen, claiming it committed fraud by misrepresenting its ability to produce accurate ratings for Allen's smaller TV networks — Media mogul Byron Allen is suing Nielsen, claiming the ratings company was not forthcoming about the reliability of its audience measurement data for smaller TV networks.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Radio & Television …, Bloomberg, Ad Age and Deadline
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
ITV announces an £80M Diversity Commissioning Fund to be spent over the next three years on shows produced by or related to BAME or disabled people — ITV has forged an £80M ($105M) Diversity Commissioning Fund to be spent over the next three years on shows produced by or related to Black …
Discussion:
Variety and Hollywood Reporter
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
UK's Online Safety Bill, introduced in Parliament, exempts outlets from fines for false content but lets tech companies take down content without justification — The Government's Online Safety Bill has been introduced in Parliament, but still lacks promised protections for journalistic content.
Discussion:
Reclaim The Net and HoldtheFrontPage, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK plans crackdown on oligarchs and companies intimidating media via SLAPP lawsuits, including strengthening the public interest defense in Defamation Act 2013 — The UK Government has set out plans to crack down on wealthy people and businesses intimidating journalists using defamation and privacy SLAPP actions.
Discussion:
The Guardian, @pressgazette and @pressgazette
Ross A. Lincoln / The Wrap:
A UAE-based consortium, which includes ADQ and e& subsidiary E-Vision, acquires a majority 57% stake valued at ~$420M in Starzplay Arabia — On Thursday, Abu Dhabi-based investment companies ADQ and E-Vision (a subsidiary of e&), and Starz announced the signing of a binding agreement …
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline, Broadband TV News, Digital TV Europe and Hollywood Reporter
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