Top News:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Spotify lays off ~17% of its workforce, or ~1,500 staff, to “rightsize” its costs, citing slow economic growth and rising capital costs, its third cut in 2023 — Spotify is eliminating about 17% jobs, its third round of layoffs this year, as the music streaming looks to become “both productive and efficient.”
Discussion:
Variety, Axios, The Wrap, Billboard, Spotify, Fast Company, Ad Age, Inside Radio, Financial Times, The Information, Rolling Stone, New York Post, Ars Technica, CNN, @lucas_shaw, CMU, @markgurman, @sarafischer, Neowin, The Bookseller, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, @carnage4life@mas.to, BBC, 9to5Mac, Music Ally, Bloomberg, Reuters and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast president Mike Cavanagh says Peacock now has 30M paying subscribers, with an ARPU of $10 per month, and saw $2.8B in losses in 2023 — “We collected an eight and a half billion dollar check on Friday,” Mike Cavanagh said, adding that Disney's payment for Hulu has cleared.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, @lmoses, Streaming Better and @sherman4949
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Streaming services seem to be increasingly open to bundling with rivals, as Verizon announces a $10 per month deal for Netflix and Max's ad tiers — A Verizon-backed Netflix and Max deal, and talks between Apple and Paramount suggest that streaming bundles may be about go get bigger and better.
Discussion:
The Verge, The Streamable, Reuters, Deadline, 9to5Mac, Streaming Better, Media Play News, Cord Cutters News and Wall Street Journal
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
James Dyson loses his £1M libel case against Mirror Group after a High Court judge rules Dyson was not caused “serious harm” by a January 2022 Mirror article — High Court judge says Brian Reade comment piece did not cause ‘serious harm’.
Discussion:
BBC, @pressgazette, The Guardian, @jolyonmaugham, @kevin_maguire, @shipbrief, @healthreglawyer, @pollyrippon, Boing Boing and Financial Times
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
GroupM forecasts global ad spending to grow 5.8% YoY to $889B in 2023, excluding US political ads, and US political ad spending in 2024 to reach a record $15.9B — Worldwide advertising will post a 5.8 percent gain this year to $889 billion, before slowing to a 5.3 percent gain in 2024 …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Wall Street Journal, Tv Technology, AdExchanger, Inside Radio, Deadline and VideoWeek
Kellen Browning / New York Times:
Kick, a Twitch rival that has generous creator deals, online gambling, and lax moderation, tries to move beyond edgy content amid public and regulatory pressure — The Twitch competitor has doled out generous deals to content creators. It has also faced criticism for its lax moderation and embrace of online gambling.
Discussion:
@psuitenetwork and @dannygroner, more at Techmeme »
Anthony Ha / Engadget:
A look at the escalating battle between YouTube and ad blockers, as YouTube speeds up its methods to detect blockers and rolls out new ways to serve ads — Against all odds, open source hackers keep outfoxing one of the wealthiest companies. — YouTube recently took dramatic action …
Celeste Katz Marston / Nieman Reports:
Five lessons from successful local news startups, including focusing on a single mission, openness to non-traditional reporting, and engaging the public — Let's start with an encouraging statistic: Despite years of demoralizing reports on sweeping media layoffs, nearly 300 …
Reuters:
A group of 83 Spanish media outlets files a €550M lawsuit against Meta, citing unfair competition in ads due to its “massive” and “systematic” use of data — A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets on Monday said it has filed a 550 million euro ($598 million) …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Sam Buckingham-Jones / Australian Financial Review:
The Guardian's senior editors issue a rare joint message to staff, warning them on signing letters and posting messages that “risk compromising” its integrity — The Guardian's most senior editors have issued a rare joint message to their staff, warning journalists …
Discussion:
@samebjones, @_claireconnelly, @s_mitchell, @jonkudelka and @markdistef
Peter Walker / The Guardian:
UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer confirms that the BBC will receive a below-inflation license fee increase; the £159 annual fee has been frozen for two years — Imminent announcement expected to signal further cuts to broadcaster's staffing and programmes
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Dawn Wotapka / Talking Biz News:
Q&A with Kevin Delaney, who co-founded “future-of-work” media and research company Charter in 2021, on the company's goals, his time at Quartz and WSJ, and more — When I started this column, I expected it to be filled with routine Q&As about reporting, writing and editing.
Maria Sherman / Associated Press:
Kiss' three current members reveal digital avatars of themselves, created by Pophouse and George Lucas' ILM, which will tour as the rock band stops live touring — On Saturday night, Kiss will close out the final performance of their “The End of the Road” farewell tour at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.
Discussion:
The Verge, CMU, Business Insider, @eddietrunk, @benshotonfilm, @toastydecline, Variety, Heather Gallagher on LinkedIn, Digital Music News, @anshelsag, @fridayinhalifax, Engadget, Rolling Stone, @kiss, Billboard, @carnage4life@mas.to, Bloomberg, Fast Company and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »
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