Mediagazer: How free 24/7 ad-supported TV services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel, with their big content libraries, became the fastest-growing streaming segment (David Pierce/The Verge)

9:40 PM ET, May 1, 2023

Top News:

Sources: Vice Media is preparing to file for bankruptcy; a source says more than five companies have expressed interest in acquiring it but chances are slim — The company, which was once valued at $5.7 billion, has been struggling to find a buyer this year.

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:

The Super Mario Bros. Movie crosses $1B globally at the box office, becoming the first to do so in 2023 and the most financially successful video game movie yet — “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is officially the first film of the year to cross the coveted $1 billion milestone.

Discussion: New York Times, The Verge, Comic Book, @starryeyedwho, Nerdist, @epro, Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, TMZ.com, The Wrap, The Week, IGN, Associated Press, Media Play News, Forbes, Screen Rant, SlashFilm, Vanity Fair, Collider and Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »

Matt Binder / Mashable:

Automattic plans to drop its WordPress plugin JetPack's ability to automatically tweet blog posts, citing Twitter's dramatic change to its API terms and pricing — Twitter continues to lose vital support from major companies. — When users set up a brand new WordPress-powered website …

Discussion: @mattbinder, @smtuffy, @mashable, @samthielman, @wickdchiq, @drivenbyboredom, WordPress.com News, Gizmodo, Crain's New York Business and The Hill, more at Techmeme »

Dominic Patten / Deadline:

At the WHCD, President Biden called for the release of Evan Gershkovich and Austin Tice, offered support to their families, and said “journalism is not a crime” — “I believe in the First Amendment, and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it,” …

Sarah Fielding / Engadget:

Amazon plans to make 100+ Prime Video original series and movies available on its free streaming service Freevee, formerly IMDB TV, gradually throughout 2023 — Amazon has announced it's making over 100 Prime Video original series and movies available on Freevee, its free streaming service.

Discussion: The Hollywood Reporter, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Streamable, The Wrap, Deadline, Variety and Tv Technology

Ben Smith / Semafor:

Sources: ABC News is scrambling to replace Nate Silver's election forecasting model, which the network rented from Silver as part of ESPN's 2013 deal with 538 — I've spent my career in digital media, so it was humbling to stand in a corner at the lavish CBS News party at the French …

Discussion: @jbillinson, Insider and Mediaite

Davey Alba / Bloomberg:

NewsGuard finds 49 websites with generic names like “News Live 79” using generative AI and posing as news outlets; some feature falsehoods and programmatic ads — The news-rating group NewsGuard has found dozens of news websites generated by AI chatbots proliferating online …

Discussion: The Hill, @gianluca_string, @sarahscire, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @adamsinger, Gizmodo, @businessposthq, @mattdpearce, @ouranosaurus, @mmitchell_ai, @alistairmbarr, @independent_ie and @mylesudland, more at Techmeme »

Pete Hammond / Deadline:

The Motion Picture Academy sets new Oscar campaign rules for private events, social media use, and more after Andrea Riseborough's surprising acting nomination — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday revealed its updated rules and regulations for the 96th annual Academy Awards.

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, The Playlist, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Times, GoldDerby, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone

David Pierce / The Verge:

How free 24/7 ad-supported TV services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel, with their big content libraries, became the fastest-growing streaming segment — Call it FAST, call it AVOD, call it whatever you want. Free ad-supported streaming is having a moment, and it's only going to get bigger from here.

Discussion: TechCrunch, @hshaban, @buzzedition, Variety, Digital Content Next, MediaPost and Adweek

Pesha Magid / Columbia Journalism Review:

A profile of Jeff German, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter murdered in September 2022 after a career covering the city's mob violence and the men behind it — In 1978, forty-four years before Jeff German was murdered, he left Milwaukee for a job at The Las Vegas Sun.

Discussion: Washington Post

Elon Musk / @elonmusk:

Elon Musk claims that Twitter plans to let media publishers charge users on a per-article basis, with one click, starting in May 2023 — Rolling out next month, this platform will allow media publishers to charge users on a per article basis with one click. This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per article price for when they want to read an occasional article.... https://twitter.com/...

Discussion: Nieman Lab, The Verge, CNBC, The Guardian, @josephpolitano, Gizmodo, Engadget, CBS News, @panopticonomy, TechCrunch, CNN, New York Post, Observer, @sharonodea, @idvck, Variety, @jsblokland, @arctechinc, @ryanatdust2, @strobist, @ashkan, @catale7a, @icodrops, @deanrosario, @jakehaleee, @aphelelejody, @beirutspring, @apagut, @whereisdaz, @givenality, @apagut, @electroniceggs, @jt_mag_os, @hacksultan, @electionlegal, @juddlegum, @mahirzeynalov, Metro.co.uk, @stevanzetti, @mcwm, @benedictevans, @ezralevant, @prestonjbyrne, @brianmbunde, @mattnavarra, @jamesrbuk, @realtombohn, @iamasarch, @martinsfp, @choisungho, @chaddepue, @taylorlorenz, @philduan, @bmeiselas, New York Daily News, @sullycnbc, @royprice, @t0nyyates, @schmmuck, @truedevonthomps, @arrington, Rolling Stone, The Economic Times, The Wrap, Deadline, The Information, The Hill, Insider, Fortune, New York Magazine and Bloomberg

Amrita Khalid / The Verge:

Spotify's Findaway says Findaway Voices, its audiobook distributor for indie authors, is dropping its 20% distribution fee for audiobooks purchased on Spotify — Spotify-owned audiobooks seller Findaway will no longer take a 20 percent cut of royalties for titles sold on its DIY Voices platform …

Discussion: Findaway Voices Blog and TechCrunch

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More News:

Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Source: Sinclair plans to replace three more local news operations with The National Desk in the coming months, on top of two newsrooms shutting down last week

Discussion: The Streamable, Local News Initiative, FTVLive and Cord Cutters News, Thanks:@thedeskdotnet

John Eggerton / Next TV:
An FCC judge suspends her review of Standard General's acquisition of TV broadcaster Tegna, likely killing the deal as financing is set to expire on May 22

Discussion: The Desk, Tv Technology, Adweek and Fierce Video

Jason Zengerle / New York Times:
How Tucker Carlson became the far right's standard-bearer in the culture wars, as his dark influence on US politics is set to continue after his Fox News ouster

Discussion: Mediaite, Next TV, @jayrosen_nyu, @kausmickey, @nandoodles, @andrew_levidis, The Daily Beast, Poynter, @curtishebert, PoliticusUSA, @notjessewalker, The Guardian and The Hill

Tabata Viapiana / Brazil Reports:
Brazil's “fake news bill” to regulate social media is set for a vote next week, as platforms argue for self-regulation and critics raise free speech concerns

Discussion: Breitbart and Reclaim The Net

New York Times:
As labor contract negotiations heat up in Hollywood, unions representing screenwriters and actors seek to regulate the use of AI-produced material

Discussion: @highbrow_nobrow, @alecstapp, @noamscheiber, @nytimesbusiness, @nytimes, @joefav, @jackarking, @noamscheiber, @bostonvoiceguy, @j_g_allen, @noamscheiber, @jeffjarvis and @v21collective, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Brian Stelter / Los Angeles Magazine:
A look at the diminished state of late-night TV as James Corden departs; sources: his show cost $60M to $65M per year to produce but brought in less than $45M

John Herrman / New York Magazine:
The death of BuzzFeed News and the pivots to nowhere by bloated social media giants show the absurdity of the news media marrying a speculative tech industry

Discussion: @semaforben, @rafat, @chr1sa, @lisatozzi, Digiday, CNBC, @amelscript, @brianroemmele, @localmediarocks, @bobbyallyn, @ckrewson, @mattvella, @marcissist, @jwherrman, NPR, BuzzFeed, Observer, Wired and Press Gazette

BBC:
Wikimedia won't comply with the Online Safety Bill's age checks of its UK readers or contributors, citing the foundation's “commitment to collect minimal data”

Discussion: @carnage4life, @pgildersleve, @tonyajoriley, Derry Journal, Verdict and The Guardian

@hearstunion:
[Thread] WGA East members at Hearst Magazines announce they have a union contract, subject to a ratification vote starting next week, after years of bargaining

Discussion: Deadline, @lisacullen, @tracyvwilson, @timesunionguild, @ericfrancisco24, @joshgondelman, @tamara_fuentes, @evanromano, @tylercoates, @laurpuckett, @dominicknero, @sesmith and The Wrap

From Techmeme:

Samantha Subin / CNBC:
The Nasdaq falls 4%, with Meta closing down 7%, Nvidia down 6%, Amazon down 5%, and Apple down 4%, as the White House says tariffs on China now total 145%

Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunch:
OpenAI updates ChatGPT with a memory feature that references past chats for answers, rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Plus subscribers, but not in the UK and EEA

Matt Horne / Android Authority:
The OnePlus Watch 3 launches in the US after it was pulled to fix the “Meda in China” typo, but for $500, up from $330 OnePlus had previously announced

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