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

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 6:40 PM ET, June 27, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

City Reporter, WA — Tacoma News Tribune

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

Education & Budget Reporter, CA — Politico

Senior Writer/Editor, FL — Gulfshore Business

Media Editor, Remote — Axios

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More 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

Discussion: @niemanlab, @jason_kint, Reuters, @issielapowsky, @joeycoleman, @jason_w_white, @jbenton and Local News Initiative

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

Discussion: Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

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

Discussion: @atillayesilada1

Wall Street Journal:
Tucker Carlson will be the subject of two upcoming books: “Tucker” by Chadwick Moore, out on July 18, and “Hated by All the Right People” by Jason Zengerle

Discussion: HuffPost and CBS News

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

Discussion: Broadband TV News, BBC and New York Daily News

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

Discussion: American Press Institute and @spj_tweets

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

Discussion: @lilithsaintcrow …, @flargh@mastodon.social, @dorolef, @anjalienjeti, @helaineolen, @zacbissonnette, @newblackman and @mariskreizman, more at Techmeme »

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

Discussion: @andrewrestuccia, @kellyo, @gurratansingh, @andrewrestuccia, @sajahq, @bainjal, @dsupervilleap, Poynter, @kenroth, @iamcouncil, @mythilisk, The Wire, Mediaite and The Hill

John Kang / Forbes:
An interview with Pinkfong CEO Kim Min-seok on Baby Shark Live, a live show based on the viral song, plans to expand into webtoons and theme parks, and more

Wall Street Journal:
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:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks

Lee-Anne Mulholland / The Keyword:
Google files its proposed remedies in the DOJ's search antitrust lawsuit, including letting browser companies have multiple default agreements across platforms

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page