Mediagazer: Nexstar names Fox distribution head Michael Biard as its president and COO, effective August 21; Fox Corp. names David Espinosa to succeed Biard (Jon Lafayette/Next TV)

Top News:

Q&A with Justine Bateman, a member of the DGA, the WGA, and SAG-AFTRA, on how AI may change the industry, the importance of the timing of the strike, and more — Audio of this conversation is available via your favorite podcast service. — Artificial intelligence will likely impact every type of job.

Discussion: @emilymbender@dair … and @justinhendrix

Washington Post:

The previous big strikes reshaped Hollywood and fueled reality TV's rise; the current ones will likely turn established actors into TikTok stars and vice versa — The last big strikes reshaped the movie business and fueled the rise of reality TV. The latest walkout likely …

Discussion: @videodrew, @shiralazar, @drewharwell, Brightcove, Digiday, The Information, Rolling Stone, Study Hall and Foreign Policy

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Netflix rolls out a My Netflix tab on iOS, superseding the Downloads tab to offer downloads, watch lists, reminders, and more; Android gets My Netflix in August — Netflix has rolled out a new feature designed to — what else? — get you to stream as much as possible on the service.

Discussion: About Netflix, Broadband TV News, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, CNET, Media Play News, Engadget, Deadline, UPROXX and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

Instagram rolls out creator subscriptions in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK, expanding on support in the US — Meta announced today that it's rolling out Instagram subscriptions to all eligible creators in Australia, Brazil, Canada …

Discussion: Instagram and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:

Spotify reports Q2 revenue rose 11% YoY to €3.2B, Premium subscribers grew 17% YoY to 220M, MAUs rose 27% YoY to 551M, and a €112M adjusted operating loss — Spotify Technology SA, the Swedish audio streaming platform, beat analyst expectations in its second-quarter results …

Discussion: Fast Company, Billboard, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Engadget, Axios, @eldsjal, @sarthakgh, NBC 7 San Diego, Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw and Spotify, more at Techmeme »

Jon Porter / The Verge:
Spotify confirms raising US Premium to $10.99/month, up from $9.99, the first increase since its US launch in 2011; Duo rises by $2, Family and Student by $1

Jon Lafayette / Next TV:

Nexstar names Fox distribution head Michael Biard as its president and COO, effective August 21; Fox Corp. names David Espinosa to succeed Biard — David Espinosa named president of distribution at Fox — Nexstar Media Group named Fox distribution head Mike Biard as president and chief operating officer, effective August 21, 2023.

Discussion: Fox Corporation, TVNewsCheck, @jbflint, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and WORLD SCREEN

Thomas Seal / Bloomberg:

The UK plans to force social media and ad platforms like Google Ads to stop scam ads including fake celebrity endorsements and pop-ups with malware — - Ad-tech will be forced to crack down on scam advertisements — Measures are intended to complement the Online Safety Bill

Discussion: Financial Times, more at Techmeme »

Angelique Jackson / Variety:

SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance says Dwayne Johnson donated a seven-figure sum to the SAG-AFTRA Relief Fund, the largest single donation ever — On July 13, as SAG-AFTRA leadership declared the union was going on strike, SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance …

Discussion: The Guardian, ET Canada, @hankofjuly, Metro, @discussingfilm, UPROXX, New York Daily News, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, Deadline and Comic Book

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

Reach reports revenue fell 6.1% YoY to £279.4M and operating profit dropped 23.5% YoY to £36.1M; print revenue fell 2.7% YoY and digital slid 16.1% YoY — Reach half-year results hit by falling page views and lower online ad yields. — The UK's largest regional news publisher Reach …

Discussion: Investegate, Financial Times and HoldtheFrontPage

Vidya Krishnan / Nieman Reports:

A look at NDTV, India's last mainstream TV network willing to critically cover the Modi government, as Adani Group's NDTV takeover leaves few independent voices — The hostile takeover of NDTV — one of India's last channels willing to report critically on the Modi government …

Discussion: @vidyakrishnan and Columbia Journalism Review

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

The Guardian creates seven journalist jobs to improve its coverage of underrepresented communities, including in the UK and US, after its founder's slavery ties — The roles include dedicated correspondents for the Caribbean, Africa and South America. — The Guardian is creating seven …

Discussion: The Guardian, @judeinlondon, @andria.bsky.social, @josephharker, @josephharker and @blackamazon

Catherine Perloff / Adweek:

Mailchimp owner Intuit is launching SMB MediaLabs, which lets advertisers target QuickBooks' 7.1M customers on social media, online publishers, CTV, and more — Targeting QuickBooks' customers across digital media is a promising new revenue line — Financial services giant Intuit …

Discussion: @sethliebert, @lefterisjp, @catherineperlo1, @johnathanbarnes, @sean_kaushal and Intuit SMB MediaLabs