Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Netflix plans to raise the price of its ad-free service a few months after the SAG-AFTRA strike ends, likely starting with the US and Canada — Company to become latest streamer to lift fees; Disney weighs launching new live-sports tier abroad — plans to raise the price …
Discussion:
Screen Rant, The A.V. Club, @carnage4life@mas.to, Ars Technica, IndieWire, Variety, The Streamable, The Wrap, Reuters, @deitaone, @mimarek@universeodon.com, @imdavidpierce@threads.net, The Verge, @pogue.bsky.social, BGR, ComingSoon.net, Media Play News, IGN and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Memo: Meta VP of Media Partnerships Campbell Brown says she's stepping down from the role in the fall but staying as a consultant, as Meta backs away from news — Campbell Brown, the veteran TV anchor who led Meta's foray into news, is leaving the company, according to an internal note obtained by Axios.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
In honor of “Mean Girls” day, Paramount makes the movie available on TikTok for free in 23 clips — Happy “Mean Girls” day, to all who celebrate! — In observance of so-called Mean Girls Day, Paramount Pictures launched an official account for “Mean Girls” on TikTok …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Guardian, Screen Rant, IndieWire, Decider, IGN, Deadline, The Verge, @flitter, Fox News, @wagatwe.bsky.social, Insider and The Messenger
Kalhan Rosenblatt / NBC News:
MrBeast questions whether social media platforms are ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes after a scam TikTok ad used his likeness; the ad has been deleted — MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, called the rise of AI deepfakes “a serious problem” in response to a fake ad circulating online.
Discussion:
Insider, TechCrunch, The Messenger, Semafor and Engadget
New York Times:
Spotify says Premium subscribers will get 15 hours of audiobook streaming per month across 150K+ titles, first in the UK and Australia, and the US this winter — A year after adding à la carte sales of audiobooks, Spotify is offering paying subscribers 15 hours of books a month.
Discussion:
Fast Company, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, The Sun, Deadline, The Verge, Spotify, Bloomberg and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Ben Strauss / Washington Post:
A look at the scoop wars between NBA reporters Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, the impact on other NBA beat reporters, and their usefulness to the league — In a battle for scoops and attention, it's ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski vs. his former protégé, the Athletic's Shams Charania.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Defector, @leadergrev, @thelatinochild, @alexknobel, @dannyfunt and Poynter
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Wattpad replaces its Paid Stories paywall with a freemium tier letting users read some chapters free and buy others; Premium+ subscribers get two stories/month — After launching its “Paid Stories” program in 2019, the social storytelling platform Wattpad is now replacing it with a new freemium model called …
Discussion:
wattpad
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
An interview with Atlanta Journal-Constitution Publisher and President Andrew Morse, on the goal of growing its digital subscribers from ~60K to 500K by 2026 — “We want to cloak ourselves in all things Atlanta. And frankly, in recent years, we haven't necessarily done that."
Discussion:
@jboren4507 and @sarahscire
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
A profile of The Examination, a new nonprofit global health outlet with 12 employees and a partnership model to work with outlets based in areas it covers — One of The Examination's first priorities is boosting and diversifying its funding. — The executive director …
Discussion:
Journalism.co.uk
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
The Guardian, The Mirror, Reach sites, and The National take down some stories about Dan Wootton; a source says the moves follow a warning by Wootton's lawyer — Publishers threatened with exemplary damages and punitive costs. — The Guardian, Mirror, various other Reach sites and Newsquest's …
Dalya Alberge / The Guardian:
A look at County Highway, a new, $8.50 print-only newspaper published six times a year with a retro 19th-century look, no advertising, and a focus on the US — The retro-look County Highway costs $8.50, is published six times a year - and will never be available online
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK's Independent Publishers Alliance urges members to block crawling access for OpenAI and Google, as OpenAI removes ChatGPT's September 2021 training cut-off — Independent Publishers Alliance urges members to block GPTBot and Google Bard crawler ASAP. — ChatGPT's threat …