Mediagazer: The UK's Reach launches its first metered paywall, albeit only on the app and not the website, for the Manchester Evening News, alongside a premium membership (Charlotte Tobitt/Press Gazette)

6:40 PM ET, June 27, 2023

Top News:

Sapna Maheshwari / New York Times:

TikTok admits that it's funding the TikTok creators' lawsuit in Montana challenging the state's ban of the app, but says it's not paying the creators directly — The popular video service had deflected questions about its involvement in the creators' lawsuit for more than a month.

Discussion: @sapna, @sapna and Complete Music Update

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.

Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal:

Adalytics: ~80% of Google's video ad placements on third-party sites violated the company's promised standards between 2020 and 2023; Google disputes the claims — About 80% of Google's video ad placements on third-party sites violated promised standards, new research shows; Google disputes claims

Discussion: @nandoodles, @nandoodles, @nandoodles, @nandoodles and @nandoodles, more at Techmeme »

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 …

Discussion: Axios, @sarafischer, @mediaevan, @baekdal, @albertojourno, @thewelcomepac, @bloodravenlib, @posselist, @beachwoodreport, @dylanbouscher, What's New in Publishing, @niemanlab and @rasmus_kleis

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:

Internal memo: SiriusXM plans to shut down its Stitcher podcast app on August 29 and move subscribers to its flagship SXM app, where podcasts will include 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, The Verge, CBS News, Engadget, 9to5Google, @matt@isfeeling.social, Hollywood Reporter and @therealpodvader, more at Techmeme »

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

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

The UK's Reach launches its first metered paywall, albeit only on the app and not the website, for the Manchester Evening News, alongside a premium membership — Reach may “explore premium options” with more of its biggest newsbrands if the trial is successful.

Discussion: Manchester Evening News and HoldtheFrontPage

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: @imleor, @dennisjromero, @passionweiss, @theashleyray, @ruthesamuel, @j_fassler and @studyhallxyz

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, BGR, Engadget, TechRadar, NBC 7 San Diego, The Wrap, The Desk, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable, The Verge, Barrett Media, Media Play News, Deadline and TechCrunch

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.

Discussion: The Wrap, MacRumors, Gizmodo, @peet2, Engadget, The Verge and Collider

Josh Rubin / Hamilton Spectator:

Postmedia Network, publisher of the National Post and Toronto Sun, and Nordstar Capital, owner of the Toronto Star and Metroland Media, are in talks to merge — NordStar, Postmedia would have 50% voting stake in a new company that would control most of the combined assets of both.

Discussion: Postmedia, @NMBA@mstdn.ca and @simonhoupt

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: Reuters, Observer, @alexkolicich, Bloomberg, Castext, @darian314 and @trace_cohen, more at Techmeme »

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, TechCrunch, Collider, Deadline, The Wrap, Variety, Gizmodo and Cord Cutters News

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Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
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Kayla Cobb / The Wrap:
CW programming chief Kevin Levy, who joined when the network launched in 2006, is leaving as Nexstar puts its stamp on The CW

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Burcu Karakas / Reuters:
Report: a Turkish court jails a TV channel's chief editor, now pending trial on propaganda charges after criticizing the prison isolation of a jailed PKK leader

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Wall Street Journal:
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Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
The 2023 Glastonbury Festival broke BBC digital audience records for viewing and listening with a record 50.3M streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, up 47% YoY

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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

Discussion: @jake_kanter

Earlier Picks:

David Bauder / Associated Press:
A look at CBS News' “solutions journalism” efforts focused on people and organizations that are trying to tackle problems like mental health and climate change

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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

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Wall Street Journal:
The White House condemns the online harassment of WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui for questioning PM Modi about human rights in India at a press event last week

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Sources: Group Black is in talks to buy a majority stake in the Arena Group, which publishes Sports Illustrated and owns 50+ publications, including TheStreet

Discussion: New York Post, @alexbruell, @davidclinchnews and Awful Announcing

From Techmeme:

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
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Matthew Gault / 404 Media:
Framework pauses sales of its six lowest-priced laptops in the US, saying the models would sell at a loss due to the 10% tariff that went into effect on April 5

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Apple plans to send more iPhones to the US from India to offset the China tariffs, but the situation is too uncertain to upend supply chain investments

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