Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Warner Bros. Discovery plans to keep Discovery+ as a standalone service after launching a new service that combines content from HBO Max and Discovery — Move comes amid concerns that some Discovery+ subscribers might not want to move to upcoming pricier, bigger platform
Discussion:
Deadline, CNN, The Streamable, SlashFilm, TechCrunch, The Desk, Variety, Next TV, Decider, The Wrap, Engadget, TechRadar, IGN, The Verge, CNET, @asharma, IndieWire, @jbflint, @great_katzby, The A.V. Club, @jbflint, Mashable, @enzuigiri, @bysarahkrouse, @brianstelter, @sonnybunch, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Rant and Cord Cutters News
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The New York Times reports Q4 revenue up 12.3% YoY to $667.5M, 2022 revenue up 11.3% to $2.3B, and a $347.9M operating profit, as subscribers reached 9.6M — The company said it added more than a million digital subscribers in 2022, bringing its total number of paying subscribers to 9.6 million.
Discussion:
@katie_robertson, Awful Announcing, The New York Times Company, @4evrmalone, @taffyakner, @nickconfessore, @stacycowley, @jbsgreenberg, @bgrueskin, @bencasselman, @alexcarp_, @nkulw, @jdawsey1, @tripgabriel, @jennyvrentas, @kathyvsinternet, @amandahess, @liamstack, @jayrosen_nyu, @ndhapple, @katie_thomas, @brianstelter, @heytherehaley, @nycjim, @maggieastor, @dicktofel, @mariaramirezny and @jo_becker
David Friend / Canadian Press:
Netflix begins rolling out new password sharing rules in Canada, Spain, Portugal, and New Zealand; other countries will be added in the next few months — Under new rules, premium and standard account holders will be given option to add extra members for $7.99 per month
Discussion:
About Netflix, Canadian Press, The Verge, CBR, The Hollywood Reporter, @netflix_ca, @sherman4949 and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
A live blog of the House Oversight Committee hearing with three ex-Twitter executives on the handling of banning the New York Post's Hunter Biden laptop story — A congressional hearing today promises a moment of political reckoning more than two years in the making …
Discussion:
@justinbaragona, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, HuffPost, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, New York Post, El País, @willoremus, The Hill, @juddlegum, The Daily Beast, @rob_sheridan, @parkermolloy, Mother Jones, @alex@cybervillains.com, @willoremus, Bloomberg, Politico, UPI, @viacristiano, @sulliview, Financial Times, @digiphile, @reppatfallon, Wall Street Journal, @viacristiano and United States House Committee …, more at Techmeme »
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google confirms that AI-generated content isn't against its Search guidelines, but using AI content to manipulate search results ranking violates its policies — AI is set to change the game in some big ways in the near future, and AI-generated content is one of the more controversial elements.
Discussion:
The Drum, MarTech, CNN, Search Engine Land, Night Walk, Wired and Axios, more at Techmeme »
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Over 200 staff represented by NBC News Digital's union plan to walk off the job on February 9 to protest the outlet cutting seven union-covered staff in January — It's the latest major labor action to strike a national news organization in recent months as the media industry faces headwinds and cut-backs.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, @jackdickey, @hayesbrown, @redsteeze, @jeremymbarr, @jeremymbarr, @benjamindictor, The NewsGuild and @kattenbarge
Max Tani / Semafor:
Ozy, which imploded in 2021 and is facing US federal investigations over a misleading investor pitch, is raising money again, pitching itself as a “hip” brand — Ozy, the youth-focused media company that imploded in 2021 over a misleading pitch to potential investors …
Discussion:
@akarl_smith, @aagave, @tomgara, @semaforben and @jbillinson
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Fox Corp reports Q2 revenue up 4% YoY to $4.61B, ad revenue up 4% YoY to $2.5B due to the World Cup, and a $321M net income, up from a $73M net loss in Q2 2021 — After the Murdoch family recently dropped plans to merge Fox with News Corp, the company reported its fiscal second-quarter results.
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Q&A with authors Felix Gillette and John Koblin on their book It's Not TV, the genesis of HBO, competing with Netflix, AT&T's Time Warner acquisition, and more — Authors Felix Gillette and John Koblin explain how your favorite shows kept HBO afloat. — HBO started as an experiment.
Discussion:
@felixgillette
Angelina Chapin / The Cut:
Sources detail how ABC News office relationships between women and men with more seniority were common in the 2010s, after the T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach affair — Sascha didn't pay much attention to T.J. Holmes when he began working as an anchor for ABC News in 2014.
Discussion:
Fox News, @cindygallop, @angelinachapin, @juliamoserrrr, @johnnydollar01, @angelinachapin, @elizajbarr, @tombevanrcp, @schwarz, Page Six and Decider
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Qustodio: kids aged 4 to 18 used TikTok for 107 minutes per day on average in 2022, up from 82 minutes in 2020, and 60% longer than YouTube's 67 minutes per day — For another year in a row, TikTok has found itself as the social app kids and teens are spending the most time using throughout the day, even outpacing YouTube.
Discussion:
Tubefilter, @glenngabe and @mattnavarra
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Instagram expands Gifts, a monetization feature that lets fans tip Reels creators using its virtual currency Stars, to more US creators, after a test in 2022 — Instagram announced today it's expanding access to a new monetization feature called Gifts to more creators across the U.S. The feature …
Discussion:
Meta