Top News:
Kirsten Eddy / Nieman Lab:
Reuters' 2023 Digital News Report: 22% of news consumers actively participate via posts or comments, down 11 percentage points from 2018; 47% don't participate — “We find that news users who say their experiences engaging with news online are negative (21%) are nearly four times as likely …
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Internal memo: SiriusXM plans to shut down the Stitcher podcast app on August 29 and move subscribers to its flagship SXM app, where podcasts will have ads — Sirius XM Holdings Inc., the satellite radio and audio company owned by Liberty Media Corp., plans to shut down its Stitcher podcast app …
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Billboard, Engadget, 9to5Google, @matt@isfeeling.social, Hollywood Reporter and @therealpodvader, more at Techmeme »
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Max Tani / Semafor:
Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, and other podcast companies are shifting from A-list celebrities and big-budget audio narratives to professional audio talent
Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, and other podcast companies are shifting from A-list celebrities and big-budget audio narratives to professional audio talent
Discussion:
@semafor, SheKnows, New York Post, The Rebooting, The Atlantic, Fortune, @tomgara, @timmhotep, @leadpacer, @robertjbennett, @lpolgreen, Mumbrella, @meerapattni, @ashleyrindsberg, @maxwelltani, @katierosman, @dandarling, @donetodeath, @paulskallas, Variety, Page Six, The Guardian, UPROXX, The A.V. Club and ET Canada
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Roku and CBS Sports buy US media rights for Formula E; Roku plans to stream 11 races per season on the Roku Channel, its first foray into live sports — The company is sharing the rights with CBS Sports, which will televise 5 races annually as part of the multi-year deal.
Discussion:
Roku, Variety, Sports Business Journal, MediaPost, Engadget, TechRadar, NBC 7 San Diego, The Verge, The Wrap, The Desk, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable, Barrett Media, Media Play News, Deadline and TechCrunch
John Koblin / New York Times:
Ryan Seacrest will succeed Pat Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” as Sony hopes to avoid the succession fiasco it faced with “Jeopardy!” — The game show has demonstrated remarkable durability even as traditional television has declined in the wake of streaming entertainment.
Discussion:
Variety, Inside Radio, NBC News, Mediaite, Bloomberg, New York Post, The Hill, The Wrap, TVLine, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, @ryanseacrest, Us Weekly, Daily Mail, @mgsiegler, The Week, @louisvirtel, The A.V. Club, UPI, Collider, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, TMZ.com, CBS News, Deadline, NPR, @drinkarizona, @scottygb, @yashar, @lindaholmes, @caroljsroth, @justinbaragona, @benjaminjs, @mediumsizemeech, @ohjuliatweets, @nick422, @farhip, Rolling Stone, @keisean, Page Six, Fox News, Comic Book, Full Feed, WSPA-TV, New York Daily News, Consequence and Cord Cutters News
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Thomson Reuters plans to acquire YC-backed Casetext, which builds AI/ML-powered workflows and tools for lawyers, for $650M in cash, expected to close in H2 2023 — Thomson Reuters has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Casetext, a Y Combinator-backed legal tech startup.
Discussion:
Observer, Reuters, Castext, @darian314 and @trace_cohen, more at Techmeme »
Daniel Spielberger / Study Hall:
Source: Brian Calle, CEO and publisher of The Village Voice and L.A. Weekly, purchases Paper Magazine and plans to resurrect it, contacting some former staffers — The magazine has been purchased by Brian Calle, CEO and publisher of The Village Voice and L.A. Weekly.
Discussion:
@ruthesamuel, @j_fassler and @studyhallxyz
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Apple offers the full first episode of Silo, a sci-fi show, to be viewed on Twitter for free, three days before Apple TV+ airs the show's season finale — Apple has uploaded the entire first episode of its sci-fi dystopian TV show “Silo” on Twitter, allowing anyone on the platform to view it for free.
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount+ with Showtime launches for $11.99/month, without ads; price of the ad-supported Paramount+ essential plan rises from $4.99/month to $5.99/month — The Showtime linear channel will continue for now, with eventual plans to rebrand it with Paramount+ programming.
Discussion:
Next TV, The Streamable, The Verge, The Wrap, Deadline, TechCrunch, Collider, Variety, Gizmodo and Cord Cutters News
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
A report on Canadian tax incentives for local journalism finds they aren't a cure-all and explores lessons the US can learn as some states debut related bills — “There are other big questions hanging over the program, like whether it has actually helped stave off the collapse of newsrooms.”
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @jason_kint, @joeycoleman, Reuters, @issielapowsky, @jason_w_white, @jbenton and Local News Initiative
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Documents: the BBC's Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official the day he suspended Gary Lineker, raising questions about government pressure — EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official on the day he suspended Gary Lineker …
Discussion:
@jake_kanter
New York Times:
A look at review-bombing campaigns on Goodreads that can derail a book's publication long before its release, frustrating both new and established authors — The website Goodreads has become an essential avenue for building readership, but the same features that help generate excitement can also backfire.
James Vincent / The Verge:
AI is killing the web with spam sites, mass article producing “AI editors”, AI-generated junk on Etsy, Reddit, and Wikipedia that exhausts moderators, and more — In recent months, the signs and portents have been accumulating with increasing speed. Google is trying to kill the 10 blue links.
Discussion:
@jsnover, @jayrosen_nyu, @tariqkrim, @tomgara, @mmitchell_ai, @basicincomeorg, @andreworlowski, @carnage4life.bsky.social, @adamsinger, @hkesvani, Beyond Search, @tldrnewsletter, @harrymccracken, @darth_na, The Overspill, @paytobreed, @varunkrish, @glenngabe, @glenngabe, @brianroemmele, @chrismoranuk, @soldni, @nolan@toot.cafe, @waxy@xoxo.zone and @ukuku@mstdn.social
RELATED:
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok launches the TikTok Creative Challenge, which lets US-based creators with 50K+ followers submit video ads for brands and make money based on performance — TikTok is introducing a new way for creators to earn money on its platform. The company announced on Tuesday that it's launching the …
Discussion:
TikTok, The Verge and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »