Mediagazer: Project Oasis, a research initiative focusing on European digital-native media outlets, finds those with sales staff average 6x more revenue than those without (Neha Gupta/WAN-IFRA)

5:05 PM ET, January 12, 2024

Top News:

Casey Newton / Platformer:

Platformer is leaving Substack and migrating to Ghost, saying the outlet doesn't believe Substack will publicly commit to proactively removing pro-Nazi material — After much consideration, we have decided to move Platformer off of Substack. Over the next few days, the publication …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, @parismarx@threads.net, @_megconley@threads.net, Search Engine with PJ Vogt, @dsilverman@threads.net, @vthallam@threads.net, Quartz, One Man & His Blog, Media Nation, @hunterwalk@threads.net, @benedictevans@threads.net, @ricmac@threads.net, John V Willshire on LinkedIn, @silvermanbrandon@threads.net, @molly0xfff, @jaredlholt, @molly0xfff, Rolling Stone, @mossbergwalt@threads.net, @benedictevans@threads.net, @alexcox@mastodon.social, @aaronrosspowell@threads.net, @nichcarlson@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @moskov@threads.net, The Wrap, The Verge, @paul_rietschka@threads.net, @pkedrosky@threads.net, @semaforben@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @alexkantrowitz@threads.net, @edzitron@threads.net, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @0x8007000e@threads.net, @jeffjarvis@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »

David W. Chen / New York Times:

As deepfakes warp elections overseas, US state legislators race to enact laws, with varying penalties, requiring disclosure of the use of AI in political ads — Sophisticated political deepfakes have warped elections overseas. Can U.S. legislators act fast enough to make A.I. campaign ads more transparent?

Discussion: Semafor and @votepenelope, more at Techmeme »

Chavi Mehta / Reuters: Insider Intelligence: US political ad spend is expected to rise to $12.32B in 2024, up ~30% from 2020, with traditional media accounting for 71.9% of all spend

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says that Fox is not accepting MyPillow ads; a source says ads are paused because Lindell has not paid for his ads since August 2023 — Lindell said he's been ‘canceled,’ but a source with knowledge of the situation said he just hasn't paid his bills

Discussion: Mediaite, Media Matters for America, @justinbaragona, @jeremymbarr, @dinner4polonia, @jeremymbarr, @2xaught7.bsky.social and The Daily Beast

Tom Gerken / BBC:

Many prominent voice actors say they weren't told about the SAG-AFTRA's deal with Replica Studios setting out how AI-generated voices can be used in video games — Prominent voice actors say they weren't told about a landmark deal setting out how voices generated by artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in games.

Discussion: @charalanahzard, @bluehorizon186, @yongyea, @g0ffthew, @andrethetruth, @eliastoufexis, SAG-AFTRA, gamedeveloper, NME and Decrypt

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:

Sources: RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker met Ofcom officials to make a last pitch and win them over RedBird's Telegraph takeover, ahead of a crucial Ofcom report — Jeff Zucker meets Ofcom ahead of its report on whether takeover backed by Abu Dhabi cash should proceed

John Herrman / New York Magazine:

A look at TikTok's dogged e-commerce push by subsidizing sales and promoting sellers in user feeds, as ad sales weaken and social media stagnates — It was supposed to be a test. Suddenly hundreds of people were watching. What's going on here? — Over the last four months …

Discussion: Business Insider, @jwherrman, @svzwood, The Daily Beast, James Hirst on LinkedIn, Business Insider and Bloomberg

Phillip Nieto / Mediaite:

A US judge orders Trump to pay $392,638 in legal fees to The New York Times over a “frivolous” 2021 lawsuit he brought against NYT and three of its reporters — A New York state judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay The New York Times a six-figure legal fee …

Discussion: The Hill, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, Deadline, CBS News, Boing Boing, @wjcarter, @susannecraig, @katiephang, @jason_kint, @markjacob16, @susannecraig and Rolling Stone

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

CNN, Fox, and MSNBC carried Trump's conference after his NY fraud trial live, a reminder of his media advantage and readiness to exploit his trials — The coverage was a stark reminder that the former president's legal troubles offer an outsize media platform as he pursues the Republican nomination.

Discussion: Mediaite, Reuters, Adweek, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill and Forbes

Michael Schneider / Variety:

The CW unveils an “evolution” in its logo and brand identity, including dropping “The” from its logo and a new “hot sauce” color palette — The CW is spicing up its look. Timed to Sunday's airing of the Critics Choice Awards, the Nexstar-run netlet is unveiling an …

Discussion: Chris Spadaccini on LinkedIn, @elplethora, @franklinavenue and @tvgrimreaper

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

Fubo raised the price of all plans by $5/month as of January 10, with the base plan starting at $80/mo, and plans to offer unlimited DVR “in the coming months” — As traditional cable TV bleeds subscribers and more and more folks sign up for online streaming options …

Discussion: The Verge, @tvgrimreaper, Help Center, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable

Sportico:

Sources: Laurene Powell Jobs is looking to sell half of her stake, or about 10%, in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Monumental Sports Network — Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs is looking to sell a chunk of her stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment …

Discussion: @novy_williams, @dylanbyers and @novy_williams

Neha Gupta / WAN-IFRA:

Project Oasis, a research initiative focusing on European digital-native media outlets, finds those with sales staff average 6x more revenue than those without — Digital native companies with dedicated sales teams and solid gender diversity are more successful than those that do not …

Discussion: @nehahaz

Bloomberg:

Sources: Universal Music Group plans to cut hundreds of jobs in Q1 2024, as revenue growth slows; in 2022, the company had about 10K employees — - Brunt of firings will fall on the recorded music division — CEO Lucian Grainge talked about impending cuts in October

Discussion: Billboard, Reuters, Variety and @lucas_shaw

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Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

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More News:

Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at the post-election battle over Poland's state-run media, as the new moderate government aims to dismantle the hard right party's media legacy

Discussion: Bloomberg, @jon_allsop, Fox News, American Press Institute and New York Times

Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Sources: Cheddar News is hanging on by a thin thread, with no more than a half-dozen or so editorial staffers, down from a couple dozen in December 2023

Discussion: @ronakkallianpur@threads.net, @mark.cianca@threads.net, @oliverdarcy@threads.net and Talking Biz News

John Koblin / New York Times:
Peacock will become the first streamer to exclusively show an NFL playoff game, which cost NBCU $100M+, on January 13; the game airs free in KC and Miami

Discussion: Business Insider, Bloomberg, Awful Announcing, @davidclinchnews, @pkafka, @pkafka, CBS News, TVNewsCheck, The Ringer, Deadspin, The Streamable and @onikuno

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Sources: Pixar may lay off up to 20% of its workforce; Pixar says that number is too high and that the layoffs are not imminent, but will occur later in 2024

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, New York Post, Reuters, @karlamon9, @animated_antic, @brianpshea, @carnage4life@mas.to and Eric Calderon on LinkedIn

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Internal memo: Audible is laying off about 5% of its employees, or just over 100 staffers; a source says the layoffs do not affect Audible's content teams

Discussion: Fast Company, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, Associated Press, Business Insider, TechCrunch, The Information, CNBC, The Hollywood Reporter, Engadget, Digital Music News and Music Ally

Earlier Picks:

Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg:
Oppenheimer will start streaming February 16 on Peacock, the longest time ever between a theatrical opening and its streaming debut for a Universal picture

Discussion: The Streamable, Variety, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, Media Play News and The Verge

Michael Flaherty / Axios:
ValueAct says its investment plan for Disney is centered on the company's parks being high-return assets and the expectation that the streaming wars are ending

Katie Strang / The Athletic:
Emmy Awards organizer NATAS says ESPN won 30+ Emmys using fake names in its “College GameDay” entries; ESPN blames “a misguided attempt” and returns the awards

Michael Hardy / Texas Monthly:
Houston Landing journalists write to the board to reverse CEO Peter Bhatia firing EIC Mizanur Rahman and an investigative reporter; Bhatia cited a “reset”

Discussion: Washington Post, Nieman Lab, @gusbova, @mkerrhardy, @juliaguilbeau, @amandabecker, @michaelgreshko, @jbenton, @robertdownen_, @brizzyc, @mattdpearce, @brookekushwaha and @jlbuch

From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered making a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

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