Top News:
Elon Musk / @elonmusk:
Twitter Blue to cost $8/month, with half as many ads, ability to post long video and audio, priority in replies, paywall bypass for some publishers, and more — Twitter's current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
RELATED:
James Ball / New Statesman:
Elon Musk's plan to monetize Twitter verification risks alienating creators and advertisers while helping accounts spread fake news — Elon Musk's latest brainwave risks alienating the users Twitter depends on and would expose it to lawsuits. — Let us start with a confession …
Discussion:
@stephenking, New York Times, Press Gazette, Insider, @jamesrbuk, PRWeek, @hankgreen, @waywardwinifred, @ryancallahan247, @joetrippi, @jhweissmann, @alexvtunzelmann, @malwaretechblog, @cooperlund, Variety, @newstatesman, @klasfeldreports, @lottyburns, @jamesrbuk, @inverseflorida, @justkelly_ok, @jamesrbuk, @rmayemsinger, @thegarance, The Verge, Observer, Editorial Cartoons, Guido Fawkes, New York Post, TechCrunch, Bloomberg and Platformer, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Twitter's Chief Customer Officer Sarah Personette has “resigned” after over four years and says she believes the new administration is committed to brand safety — Sarah Personette, Twitter's chief customer officer who's been with the company for more than four years …
Discussion:
@sep, Adweek, Ad Age, MediaPost, The Information, @sep, @sep, @jamesrbuk, @producermcd, @sarafischer, @laurenshirsch and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Twitter is planning to end the ability of Twitter Blue subscribers to access ad-free articles from hundreds of publishers
Sources: Twitter is planning to end the ability of Twitter Blue subscribers to access ad-free articles from hundreds of publishers
Discussion:
The Verge, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Deadline, @wongmjane, @readdanwrite, CNET, @wsj, Bloomberg, @rhysriddell, The Information and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »
Axios:
Sources: Elon Musk told Twitter engineers to work on a Vine reboot that may be ready by the end of 2022; Twitter acquired Vine in 2012 and shut it down in 2016
Sources: Elon Musk told Twitter engineers to work on a Vine reboot that may be ready by the end of 2022; Twitter acquired Vine in 2012 and shut it down in 2016
Discussion:
@danprimack, The Hill, ZDNet, Insider, Waivly, Bloomberg, The Indian Express, Gizmodo, @perezhilton, @thomasfuchs, @mekkaokereke, @film_girl, @bobcesca_go, @dariccott, @scottmonty, @therealhoarse, @aud_bowler, @pandemona, @mmasnick, @ethank, @film_girl, @vexedinthecity, @jpbrammer, @ryansatin, @brendonkleen14, @jbursz, @dwhate, @luca, @gpingersoll, @igorbobic, @loudmouthjulia, @jamesrbuk, @samsheffer, @kairyssdal, @edzitron, The Hollywood Reporter, The Information, Music Ally, MIT Technology Review, The Verge, Tubefilter, The Verge, Protocol, MacRumors, The Wrap, AppleInsider, New York Magazine, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, CNET, ScreenRant, TechCrunch, The A.V. Club and Advanced Television, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
A US federal judge blocks Penguin Random House's bid to acquire Simon & Schuster, saying the DOJ demonstrated the merger might “substantially” harm competition — The government's case blocked the merger of two of the United States' largest publishers and reflected a more aggressive approach to curbing consolidation.
Discussion:
@papscun, U.S. Department of Justice, The Wrap, Axios, Observer, Financial Times, BOOK RIOT, @trungtphan, Bloomberg, @stephenking, Vox, bookforum.com, @davecullen, @xanalter, @xanalter, @thr, Scroll.in, @helaineolen, @stacyfmitchell, @sam_animeherald, @sarafischer, @peternowak, @davetroy, @penamerica, @baxiabhishek, @adamconover, @chikisarkar, @sarafischer, @senwarren, @nberlat, @future_of_music, @baseballcrank, @zephyrteachout, @phil_lewis_, Quartz, @leehepner, @joumana_khatib, @jeannakadlec, @liz_a_harris, @ronmknox, @biblioracle, @jbflint, Law & Crime, CBS News, Publishers Weekly, The Independent, Politico, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, Crain's New York Business, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, Boing Boing and The Bookseller
David Pierce / The Verge:
YouTube rolls out Primetime Channels in the US, with shows and movies from 35 partners, including Paramount+ and Epix, and plans to add NBA League Pass soon — Streaming services are coming to YouTube. The company is rolling out a new feature called Primetime Channels that will bring shows …
Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic:
A look at video site Rumble, which has been on an upward trajectory since H2 2020, when right-wing star Dan Bongino moved from YouTube and took an equity stake — When Donald Trump was banned from Twitter in January 2021, it was obvious that he would have to find somewhere else to post.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: CVC Capital Partners looks to partner with Group Black on its bid to buy BDG Media, providing equity; Blackstone also eyes a role in the acquisition — CVC Capital Partners is looking to partner with Group Black on its bid to buy BDG Media, according to sources.
Eileen AJ Connelly / The Wrap:
Fox Corp reports Q1 revenue up 5% YoY to $3.19B, compared to $3.17B estimates, ad revenue up 8% YoY to $1.22B, and $613M net income, down from $708M YoY — Fox Corp. on Tuesday said revenue rose 5% in the first quarter of television giant's fiscal year to $3.19 billion …
Discussion:
Next TV, Variety, Wall Street Journal, Front Office Sports, MediaPost, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Fox Corporation and Media Play News
Benjamin Wittes / Lawfare:
National security blog Lawfare removes some of its columns due to “significant plagiarism” and one piece for lack of confidence in the article — Over the past several weeks, I have become aware of two serious quality control failures that have occurred at Lawfare, one recent and one several years old.
Discussion:
@benjaminwittes, @ariehkovler, @rosenzweigp and @benjaminwittes
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Eater partners with publisher Abrams to release four city guides and three cookbooks, including NYC and LA guides in 2024 and a restaurant recipe book in 2023 — The extension marks the first literary foray from the food title — The food and hospitality publisher Eater, a Vox Media title …
Discussion:
Eater and @markstenberg3
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Parrot Analytics plans to unveil a system that predicts the monetary value of streaming titles; Squid Game is on track to become Netflix's most lucrative series — Parrot Analytics, a firm used by many major Hollywood studios to understand audience demand for streaming content …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Instagram is paying millennial-focused media company ATTN: six figures to create content to fight Spanish-language misinformation ahead of the US midterms — - ATTN: is known for making viral videos featuring politicians and celebrities discussing social causes.