Top News:
New York Times:
Justin Smith and Ben Smith's Semafor raised $25M from Jessica Lessin, crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, and others; debut is planned for fall with ~30 staff — The news start-up Semafor has raised $25 million from wealthy individuals, with a goal of cultivating direct relationships between its journalists and its audience.
Discussion:
@hshaban, @ashleevance, @semafor, @jayrosen_nyu, @jeremymbarr, @emilybell, @blackamazon, @oliverdarcy, @benmullin, @semaforben, @green_footballs, @_cingraham, @soledadobrien, @_cingraham, @mattgertz, @oliverdarcy, @ceciliakang, @dgisserious, @juwanthewriter, @keitholbermann, @mlcalderone, @semaforben, @davmicrot, @sivavaid, @froomkin, @mattnegrin, @margarettalev, @damemagazine, @scclemons, @owillis, @jason_kint, @mobute, @hbottemiller, @semaforben, @kimmasters, @parkermolloy, @marisakabas, @loganrhoades, @katie_robertson, @athenae, @kimmasters, @dceiver, @joshsternberg, @owillis, @teddyschleifer, @taylorlorenz, @karlbode, @kadiagoba, @maxkennerly, @letsgomathias, @haleaziz, @samro, @jeffjarvis, @elanazak, @froomkin, @theferocity, @jonvankin, @tomgara, Mediaite, @kairyssdal, @grace_panetta, @goldengateblond, @benmullin, @benmullin and Washington Monthly
New York Times:
Sources: Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are divorcing; the split, his fourth, is unlikely to alter the structure of his businesses, with family shares in a trust — The media mogul's fourth divorce is unlikely to change the ownership structure of Mr. Murdoch's empire, but it could reverberate …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Variety, @benmullin, Los Angeles Times, The Indian Express, @yashar, Reuters, The Wrap, Deadline, RADAR, TMZ.com, The Guardian, @pcd2009, The Daily Beast, @ayocaesar, @kimmasters, @rumaan, @revrrlewis, @sarahkendzior, @jamesdoleman, @jolyonrubs, @jyarow, @nkulw, @juddapatow, @clydehaberman, @fakedansavage, @newsynick, @ecareyo, @davidfolkenflik, @lbyock, @jamesoliphant, @evanhandler, @richsignorelli, E! Online, Insider and National Zero
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter tests Twitter Notes with select users, for creating long-form content with rich text formatting and uploaded media that can be tweeted upon publishing — In what could be one of Twitter's more significant changes since doubling the character count from 140 to 280 characters …
Discussion:
@twitterwrite, Variety, Mumbrella, CNET, @landfali, Twitter Help Center, Mashable India, @mgsiegler, @themojomissy, @dlberes, @davidellis, Gizmodo, @grantrindner, @eckhartsladder, @pressgazette, @kirawontmiss, @ashleyksmalls, Adweek, @alissacaliente, @thefirstokiro, @oliverdarcy, @stammy, @lucas_jackson_, @tomandlorenzo, AppleInsider, @venkatananth, XDA Developers, @taylorlorenz, @shivaroor, @jspector, TechCrunch, @tomwarren, @adamjmoussa, Engadget, @sonnybunch, @mobute, @robpilk, @jerrydunleavy, @mohanadelshieky, @chrislaawrence, Newslit Daily, Search Engine Land, RECHEIO, The Verge and Android Police, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Google revamps News, elevating local news and fact checks; News returns to Spain after 7.5 years citing the country adopting EU copyright rules in November 2021 — Google News is relaunching in Spain almost eight years after it shut down to avoid paying publishers when the country introduced …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Comcast and Google have emerged as the top contenders to help Netflix develop an ad-supported tier, and Netflix has discussed ad partnerships with Roku — Deals with the streaming company could include exclusive agreements and revenue-sharing — Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal …
Discussion:
@asharma, @matt_cochrane7, Tubefilter and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
PwC: in 2026, the US is expected to become the first major media market in the world to see digital newspaper ad revenue eclipse print newspaper ad revenue — The U.S. is expected to make history in 2026 when it becomes the first major media market in the world to see digital newspaper ad …
Discussion:
@kenherts, @jbenton, @patricialclark, @tatecurtis, @blowryontv, #5SmartReads and What's New in Publishing
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The Economist reports revenue grew 12% YoY in FY 2022 to £346.3M, operating profit up 11% to £46.4M, its best since £47m in 2016, and 1,185,000 subscribers — The Economist had its most successful year financially since 2016 last year with profit up and record revenue, thanks to increased subscriptions.
Discussion:
Simon Owens's Media Newsletter
Variety:
Sources: Netflix launched a charm offensive, stressing to top creators and agents that the company will keep spending aggressively to make and market content — Netflix has a message for Hollywood: We're not broke. — In the wake of a massive stock slide triggered by a subscriber dip during …
Discussion:
@dustyevely, @cinemavsdave, The Streamable and @brentalang
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The UK's The New European raised £513K+ in two days by offering readers the chance to buy £3 shares in the newspaper, and is considering expanding into Germany — The New European has raised £510,000 in two days by offering readers the chance to buy shares in the newspaper.
Discussion:
@aaronbastani, @theneweuropean and @pressgazette
Paul Vieira / Wall Street Journal:
Canada's government approves legislation that would compel YouTube, TikTok, and streaming services to boost domestic content; the Senate votes on the bill next — Government says measures needed to foster growth in domestic cultural sector and make Canadian content more accessible
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @mgeist and @paulvieira
Max Brantley / ArkansasTimes:
An appeals court rules against The Arkansas Times, which challenged a state law requiring contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel; the ACLU plans to appeal — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that the state law limiting state business with those who refuse to sign …
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The UK unveils a Bill of Rights, which would replace the Human Rights Act and make it harder for courts to order journalists to disclose their sources — The UK Government wants to make it harder for courts to order journalists to disclose their sources in its proposed Bill of Rights.
Discussion:
The Sun, @speechunion, @howkinsauthor, @baekdal and A Lawyer Writes