Top News:
Adam Goldman / New York Times:
A jury finds Project Veritas broke wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself to Democratic political consultants; Project Veritas plans to appeal — The conservative group was found to have violated wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself to a Democratic consulting firm …
Discussion:
@bgrueskin, @electproject, @electproject, @erikwemple, @kimmasters, @electproject, @dangillmor, @electproject, Politico and Project Veritas
Tripp Mickle / New York Times:
Apple signs a multiyear NFL deal to have Apple Music replace Pepsi as the main sponsor for the Super Bowl halftime show; sources say the NFL was seeking ~$50M — Apple's pursuit of an N.F.L. media package has broadened to include a sponsorship of one of TV's most-watched events.
Nicholas Quah / Vulture:
A look at the crowded podcast market, where competition has made almost everything in the business more difficult, and some say no one is taking creative risks — It's been ages since the last blockbuster narrative show. What does that mean for the medium as an art form?
Jolie Lash / The Wrap:
Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier is leaving to join Roku in October as president of Roku Media, overseeing ad sales, its ad platform business, and content — Fox Entertainment chief executive officer Charlie Collier is exiting the company and heading to Roku next month.
Discussion:
Variety, MediaPost, Ad Age, C21Media, Advanced Television, @variety, TBI Vision, @jasonhirschhorn, @hedgeyecomm, Too Much TV Newsletter, Media Play News, Adweek, WORLD SCREEN and Deadline
Chris Willman / Variety:
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz settle a missed payments lawsuit with Triller after Triller acquired their music series Verzuz in March 2021; terms were not disclosed — Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have settled their lawsuit with Triller, after suing the service last month for $28 million …
Discussion:
Billboard, New York Post, @gregt2u2, UPROXX, Complete Music Update, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter
Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:
Amazon's prohibition on alcohol ads on Prime Video means its NFL broadcasts break with the longstanding tradition of featuring ads for beer brands — To many viewers, Amazon.com Inc.'s first exclusive “Thursday Night Football” game last week looked like a typical NFL broadcast.
Discussion:
@sportsrapport, @newsynick and @gerryfsmith
RELATED:
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
Nielsen says Amazon Prime Video's first Thursday Night Football game averaged 13.03M viewers; Amazon claimed 15.3M viewers after guaranteeing advertisers 12.5M
Nielsen says Amazon Prime Video's first Thursday Night Football game averaged 13.03M viewers; Amazon claimed 15.3M viewers after guaranteeing advertisers 12.5M
Discussion:
Sports Business Journal, Ad Age, @andrewmarchand, Awful Announcing, Amazon Studios, Axios, Awful Announcing, Rolling Stone, @alexweprin, @bmarcello, @jyarow, @marshacollier, Sports Media Watch, TechCrunch, Forbes, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, The Streamable, CNBC, Deadline and IndieWire, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
France plans to impose a €3 minimum delivery fee for online book orders of less than €35 to help independent bookstores compete against big sellers like Amazon — France plans to impose a minimum delivery fee of 3 euros ($2.93) for online book orders of less than 35 euros to level …
Rich Iurilli / The Authors Guild:
The Authors Guild says Amazon agreed to limit ebook returns for those who have read over 10% starting soon, after complaints over returning fully read books — The Authors Guild is proud to report that our discussions with Amazon's senior executive team concerning the platform's policy …
Discussion:
@amy_stewart, @authorsguild, @vanjchan, @authorsguild, @victoriastrauss, The Verge and Publishers Weekly
Voice of America:
In a 60-36 vote, the US Senate approves Amanda Bennett to head the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America and other broadcasting entities — The U.S. Senate Thursday approved President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) …
Eliza Mackintosh / CNN:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi withdrew from a long-planned interview with Christiane Amanpour after she declined his last-minute demand to wear a head scarf — Iran's President cancels interview after Amanpour refuses head scarf demand — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi withdrew …
Discussion:
@amanpour, @nprkelly, @amanpour, @amanpour, Deadline, @amanpour, Associated Press, @kathapollitt, @jimsciutto, @elizabethcnn, @marklittlenews, @murphyslaw74, @dandrezner, The Daily Beast, @mrjoelclark, @casmudde, @mehdirhasan, @sphillipsab, @saragoldrickrab, @henrymance, @amanpour, @amanpour, @amanpour, The Economic Times, The Hill, NBC News, NPR, The Guardian and The Wrap
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
The British Film Institute unveils a National Lottery Strategy for 2023-2033, including spending £136M over the first three years, and plans for a BFI+ streamer — The British Film Institute (BFI), the U.K.'s lead organization for film and the moving image, has set out a new …
Discussion:
Variety, The Guardian, The Guardian, Televisual, Screen, Advanced Television, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Instagram, and now TikTok, have fallen afoul of the “Bootleg Ratio”, as clout-chasing accounts overtake content created by users specifically for each platform — TikTok is changing. … That stuff is still on the platform, but it's largely fallen off my For You page …