Top News:
Eva Mathews / Reuters:
Spotify plans to lay off ~6% of its workforce, or ~600 jobs, says content and ad head Dawn Ostroff is leaving, and reorganizes its engineering and product units — Music streaming firm Spotify Technology SA (SPOT.N) plans to cut 6% of its workforce, the company said on Monday …
Discussion:
Spotify, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @sarafischer, @richlightshed, @carnage4life, UPI, @carlquintanilla, RAIN News, The Information, The Guardian, @staronline, NME, CNN, @jillkrajewski, The Hill, The Wrap, Gizmodo, @aagave, @mitsuhiko, @according2_taz, @lisaabramowicz1, CNET, MediaPost, Quartz, @livemint, @kiruti, UPROXX, New York Times, Financial Times, Insider, TechCrunch, Variety, Deadline, @chrismessina, Billboard, Music Ally, CNBC, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Ad Age, Observer, AppleInsider, CBS News and Digital Music News, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
An interview with Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution CTO Aaron LaBerge on the Disney Ad Server, which shows ~500M Hulu and Disney+ ad impressions per day — Aaron LaBerge, chief technology officer of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) division …
Discussion:
Digiday, AdExchanger and Gizmodo
Jon Christian / Futurism:
An investigation finds extensive evidence that AI used by CNET appears to have plagiarized the work of competitors and human writers at Bankrate and even CNET — CNET's AI-written articles aren't just riddled with errors. They also appear to be substantially plagiarized.
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
A look at Informed, an app that bundles curated articles from FT, NYT, WSJ, WaPo, and other partners, raised a €5M seed, and costs £51.99/year or £6.99/month — Paywalled publishers such as the Financial Times, Economist, Bloomberg and NYT are on board.
Discussion:
@informed_app, @janebsinger and @johnmcm1
BBC:
The UK Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross plans to review the hiring of Richard Sharp as BBC Chair, in addition to the BBC board's review — The process of hiring BBC chairman Richard Sharp is to be reviewed by the Commissioner of Public Appointments William Shawcross.
Discussion:
London Evening Standard, Metro.co.uk, The Guardian and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
BBC chair Richard Sharp says he's asked the BBC board to review any potential conflicts of interest over his reported role in securing a loan for Boris Johnson
BBC chair Richard Sharp says he's asked the BBC board to review any potential conflicts of interest over his reported role in securing a loan for Boris Johnson
Discussion:
The Guardian, @gabriel_pogrund, @harryyorke1, @tomlarkinsky, @jake_kanter, @alliehbnews, @peterwalker99, Broadband TV News, Sky News, The Guardian, Variety, BBC, BBC, Daily Express, Deadline and Mirror.co.uk
Jacob Bernstein / New York Times:
Friends and colleagues of Deadline founder Nikki Finke, who died in October 2022, recall her last years and try to make sense of Hollywood's brashest chronicler — Was Nikki Finke a genius or a monster? Friends and colleagues try to make sense of the entertainment industry's brashest chronicler.
Ben Smith / Semafor:
The unprofitable Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlantic, and Time rely on their billionaire owners' goodwill to survive while trying new business models — Starting a decade ago, a generation of new-money billionaires rode to the rescue of American journalism:
Discussion:
@nkulw, @richard_florida, @arimelber, Media Nation, CNN, @jayrosen_nyu, @tvgrimreaper and @davidsirota
Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:
Sources: Samsung is considering launching its free TV Plus streaming service on third-party smart TVs and is approaching some rival manufacturers about the idea — Move FAST and make money … To grow the audience of its free TV Plus streaming service, Samsung is considering a move …
Discussion:
The Desk, @astaniscia86, @matthewkeyslive, The Streamable, @jank0@sfba.social and The Verge
Jim Fitzpatrick / openDemocracy:
Hacked emails: the UK Treasury issued special licenses in 2021 to let Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, sanctioned in 2020, sue Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins — UK Treasury, then under Rishi Sunak's control, let Yevgeny Prigozhin circumvent sanctions to target Eliot Higgins
Discussion:
Financial Times, @liambyrnemp, @writesbright, @michaeldweiss, @peterkgeoghegan and @janelytv
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Schools tell teachers in Manatee County, Florida to make their classroom libraries unavailable until they are “vetted” by librarians, or risk felony prosecution — Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other “unvetted” …
Reuters:
Prominent Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo's mutilated body was found on January 22, five days after being abducted, showing reporting perils in the country — The mutilated body of a prominent Cameroonian journalist was found on Sunday near the capital Yaounde five days after he was abducted …
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
SCOTUS asks the Biden administration for its views on the constitutionality of Florida's and Texas' social media laws, likely putting off a decision until 2024 — The laws, enacted by Florida and Texas in response to conservative complaints about censorship, have been challenged under the First Amendment.