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Cox Enterprises plans to acquire Axios, sources say for $525M, later in August; Axios expects $100M+ in 2022 revenue and will spin off its software arm Axios HQ — The digital media company's founders, Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz, will continue to run the company.
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The Rebooting, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Wrap, Vox, @jessicalessin, @benmullin, Media Nation, American Press Institute, The Wrap, Nieman Lab, @benmullin, Poynter, @sarafischer, Newslit Daily, Wall Street Journal, Axios, The Muffin por Mauricio …, @johncarreyrou, @dancow, @nytimestech, @jbflint, @benmullin, @scottnover, @stephentotilo, @amyaharder, @sherman4949, @terronk, @swin24, @sherman4949, @ckrewson, @danprimack, @jonathanvswan, @jakesherman, @robertjimison, @sherman4949, @brianstelter, @stanfordc, @dave_enna, @ericnewcomer, Junghoon's Direct Media …, @bluestein, @sonalibasak, @tim_bays, @alaynatreene, @jessicalessin, Vanity Fair, @edmundlee, @alexsalvinews, @sherman4949, @rafat, @edmundlee, @kerrymflynn, @jordanzakarin, @andrewsolender, @sarafischer, @strngwys, @johnbattelle, @sarafischer, @andrewgiambrone, @rakeshlobster, @mayazi, @yoda, @ted_williams, @crecenteb, @loudmouthjulia, Press Gazette, Reuters, Financial Times, Mediaite, CNBC, Variety, Deadline and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »
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Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz plan to stay on Axios' board and maintain control of the company's editorial direction and day-to-day operations — Axios has signed a deal to sell to its most recent lead investor, Cox Enterprises, Inc., the companies announced Monday.
Discussion:
Insider, Adweek, Poynter, @gregbettinelli, @jakesherman, @jdawsey1, NPR, @seangriffey, Observer, @robinwigg, @ajawmoore, @jasonmillerindc, @jimvandehei, @jeremarketer, @w7voa, Sublink, @mcbyrne, @austin_rief, @emmakway, Florida Politics, The Guardian, @themaxburns, @stphnfwlr, @alaynatreene, @sherman4949, @katie_statesman, @sarakgoo, Bloomberg and The Hill


Hollywood's streaming evangelism seemingly ends, as WBD shelves Batgirl and David Zaslav says costly movies going straight to streaming offers no economic value — Five years almost to the day after it began, Hollywood's evangelistic fervor for streaming has been extinguished this week by the “Batgirl” imbroglio.
Discussion:
@michellemanafy, @variety_cynthia, @jeffjarvis, @drtvlotz, @akstanwyck and @zsharf
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John Oliver criticized Warner Bros. Discovery on his August 7, 2022 show, saying his “new business daddy” is “burning down my network for the insurance money” — Last Week Tonight host John Oliver went after Warner Bros. Discovery during his Sunday broadcast …
Discussion:
Deadline

Movies from Warner Bros. are no longer guaranteed on HBO Max after 45 days in theaters; a source says streaming dates will be decided on a “case-by-case basis”
Discussion:
Media Play News, Gamereactor UK, CBR, The Wrap, @decider, @lancestlaurent, Collider, @unclegrambo, ScreenRant, CBR and @regulartweetsuk


A look at the diverging fortunes of The New York Times and Gannett, as a recent internal memo shows 88% of Gannett's subscription revenue still comes from print — Where Gannett has spread itself too thin, the Times has found overwhelming success with its longstanding digital-focused plan
Discussion:
@davidlarter, Media Nation, @dkiesow, @brierdudley, @jimswiftdc, @tatecurtis, @kellymcb, @jayrosen_nyu, @allisonlcarter, @jeongpark52, @garonsen, @clarajeffery, @poynter, @daphnechen_, @h_edelman and @jbenton


Apptopia: Netflix's games have 23.3M downloads and average 1.7M DAUs, under 1% of Netflix's 221M subscribers; Netflix plans to have 50 games by the end of 2022 — - Netflix plans to expand its video game catalog from 24 to 50 by year-end, marking a significant investment.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Music Ally, Input, @counternotions, Dan's Stack, The Desk, CNET, @davezatz, @chrismlacy, The Verge, The Streamable, 9to5Mac and Next TV


An interview with Rachel Maddow on her decision to step back from MSNBC's daily prime time slot after 14 years to focus on a WWII-era podcast and other projects — The cable juggernaut signed a multimillion-dollar contract to not be on the air five nights a week.
Discussion:
@vanityfair, Webb Chatham Report, @joehagansays, @bywillpollock, TVNewser, @shaunproulx, The Wrap, UPROXX, Mediaite, @neilmcmahon, @vanityfair, The Hill, New York Post, Supercreator, @joepompeo, @mlcalderone, Variety, Insider and Blood & Ink


Lyft forms Lyft Media, a business unit to consolidate and expand its ad offerings, and plans to show more ads in cars, on its app, and at bike-share stations — Through its Lyft Media unit, the ride-hailing company plans to offer more ads inside cars, on its app and at bike-share stations
Discussion:
Lyft, @counternotions, @itstheannmarie, @nandoodles, @om, @patrickcoffee, @kenanhsaleh, @tkawaja, @megancgraham, TechCrunch and MediaPost


Gannett, Warner Bros. Discovery, The New York Times, Paramount, and other US media firms have noted a Q2 2022 advertising slowdown and headwinds in Q3 guidance — Warner Bros. Discovery, New York Times and Paramount Global warn of pressure on ad revenue — U.S. television networks …
Discussion:
@mmaglobal, @dwaynelaf, @michaelmiraflor, @jason_kint, Digiday, American Press Institute, @newley and @blackamazon


Despite YouTube suspending hundreds of Kremlin-linked channels, Russia has yet to ban the service, some argue because the Kremlin views it as too big to block — Access to the video site allows Russians access to one of the few sources of independent information about the Ukraine war
Discussion:
@rachaelmyrow, @anthony, @mhbergen, @samschech and Beyond Search


Some companies are hiring B2B influencers, mostly on LinkedIn, to pitch to other companies; LinkedIn says 11M+ users have enabled “creator mode” as of July 2022 — Bernard Marr, 49, who has degrees in business, engineering, and information technology, is interested in topics …
Discussion:
@jordannovet


News Corp reports Q4 revenue up 7% YoY to $2.67B, $127M net income, WSJ subscriptions up 8% YoY to 3.7M+, and full year 2022 net income up 95% YoY to $760M — Rupert Murdoch's publishing and media giant attributes record profits and revenue to acquisitions and digital transformation