Top News:
Jaspreet Singh / Reuters:
Filing: BuzzFeed President Marcela Martin intends to resign on January 12 to pursue other opportunities; the CEO and others plan to absorb her responsibilities — BuzzFeed's (BZFD.O) Marcela Martin has announced her intention to resign as president effective Jan. 12 to pursue other opportunities, the digital media firm said on Friday.
Discussion:
US Securities …, @zerohedge and Jaspreet Singh on LinkedIn
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The Information:
Sources: BuzzFeed is close to selling most of Complex Networks to livestream shopping startup Ntwrk for ~$100M, far below what Jonah Peretti originally sought — After months of discussions, BuzzFeed is close to an agreement to sell most of its Complex Networks business to Ntwrk …
Discussion:
@tomaxwell and @theinformation, more at Techmeme »
Alex Griffing / Mediaite:
Fox News was 2023's most watched US network, followed by MSNBC, the only one to grow viewers YoY; MSNBC's average viewer was 70, Fox's was 69, and CNN's was 67 — The cable news industry had an undeniably rough 2023, ending the tumultuous year with fewer eyeballs as cord-cutting continues …
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The Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix stock ended 2023 up 65% YoY, and Spotify jumped 139% YoY; Roku, Lionsgate, Sony Group, and NBCUniversal owner Comcast were also media sector winners — Renewed sector deal chatter helped boost some stocks late in the year despite questions about the advertising and streaming outlook.
Discussion:
Variety
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Sources: for months, OpenAI has held talks with major news publishers including Gannett, News Corp, and IAC about the price and terms of licensing their content — Several major publishers have been in talks to license content to the creator of ChatGPT, but agreement on the price and terms has been elusive.
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
WBD acquires BluTV, a streamer launched in Turkey in 2016, to focus on Turkish- and Arabic-speaking audiences globally — The streamer offers premium originals, Turkish TV series and movies, as well as Hollywood and international series and films. … Financial terms weren't disclosed.
CNBC:
Altice USA sells Cheddar News to media company Archetype, which is owned by private equity firm Regent; source: the terms are structured as an “earn out” deal — - Cheddar News-owner Altice USA announced Thursday it has sold the financial news streaming service to the media company Archetype …
Eugene Weekly:
Oregon-based Eugene Weekly cancels its print edition after discovering that “EW had been the victim of embezzlement at the hands of someone we once trusted” — EUGENE WEEKLY IS FIGHTING TO COME BACK AFTER A MASSIVE FINANCIAL BLOW — Eugene Weekly is this town.
Angela Fu / Poynter:
Research: the US news industry cut 2,681 jobs from January to November 2023, not including buyouts, more than in all of 2022 or 2021, and 130+ newspapers closed — It's a sharp reversal from the last two years, when layoffs fell and some news outlets even expanded.
Discussion:
@joelmathis.bsky.social and Joel Marino on LinkedIn
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
The New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft relies on a false belief that copyright can limit the right to read and process data — This week the NY Times somehow broke the story of... well, the NY Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft. I wonder who tipped them off.
Discussion:
@Colarusso@mastodon.social, @mer__edith, @ceciliazin, @josephjacks_, @wholemarsblog, @zackkanter, @norabelrose, The Indian Express, @willoremus@threads.net, @ernie@writing.exchange, @LaureM@federate.social, Times of India, @MattHodges@mastodon.social, GeekWire, Digital Journal, @mmasnick@mastodon.social, @glynmoody@mastodon.social, MediaPost, Associated Press, Fast Company, Financial Times, New York Daily News, New York Times, Shelly Palmer, Neowin, Reuters, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety
Leyla Latypova / The Moscow Times:
How Russia's independent media fared in 2023: imprisoned media workers grew from 11 to 28 as wartime censorship laws forced some outlets to cease all operations — The past year has been another troubling one for the Russian free press. — Russian officials branded scores of independent news outlets …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Talking Biz News, Reporters Without Borders, The Hill and @sambreazeale2
Bloomberg:
A US judge rejects X's bid to block California's AB 587, which seeks to control toxic social media posts by requiring companies to disclose moderation policies — - Measure seeks to control toxic posts on social media platforms — Company alleged state is trying to censor controversial speech
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Hill, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Mediaite, New York Post, Know Your Meme, The Information, Engadget, Reuters and Reason, more at Techmeme »
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
A profile of Francesca Street, whose Chance Encounters love stories for CNN.com appeared five times on Chartbeat's list of 2023's most-engaging stories — The 29-year-old CNN reporter, who writes about love and romance, was one of 2023′s most popular reporters
Discussion:
Francesca Street on LinkedIn and @farhip
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