Top News:
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Los Angeles Times managing editors Sara Yasin and Shani O. Hilton have exited less than two weeks after executive editor Kevin Merida resigned from the paper — UPDATED, 11:42 AM: Two more top editors have resigned from the Los Angeles Times ahead of a new round of planned layoffs.
Discussion:
@katie_robertson, @maxwelltani, @megjameslat, New York Times, @meridak, Los Angeles Times, @maxwelltani, The Wrap, @brianstelter, @megjameslat and @lucas_shaw
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Netflix film chairman Scott Stuber plans to leave to start a production company; Netflix's Chief Content Officer will oversee films until a replacement is found — - Executive built streaming service's film studio as chairman … Stuber will stay on as global film chairman at least until …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Variety, Benzinga, Screen Rant, Deadline, New York Times, @lucas_shaw, @tim_bays, Los Angeles Times, IndieWire, @mattbelloni, @pkafka@threads.net, The Wrap and Reuters
Patrick Coffee / Wall Street Journal:
A look at the challenges Amazon Prime Video faces as it plans to show ads, including attracting large brands that don't already sell products on Amazon — The e-commerce giant must provide more high-quality content and court advertisers that don't sell products on its platform, experts say
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple will pay up to 10% more per play in Apple Music royalties for tracks where a Spatial Audio version is available, starting with January's payouts — Apple Music is now encouraging artists with a financial incentive to make their music available in Spatial Audio, which offers …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Billboard, The Verge, Rolling Stone, TechCrunch, @shobhitnerd, AppleInsider and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Kourosh Ziabari / New Lines Magazine:
A look at the state of journalism in Iran as Ebrahim Raisi, the most hardline president of the Islamic Republic since 1979, cracks down on independent media — President Ebrahim Raisi is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his country dethrones North Korea as the most inhospitable place for reporters
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …
Sahil Patel / The Information:
Memo: Verizon chief content officer Erin McPherson, who helped make distribution deals with Netflix, Disney+, and others, is leaving at the end of February — Erin McPherson, senior vice president and chief content officer at Verizon who spearheaded the telecom giant's content and distribution deals …
Inside Radio:
Nexstar launches the NewsNation Audio Network to offer “ready to air audio clips” from the news network for participating radio stations and audio platforms — Nexstar Media Group's cable news network NewsNation is branching into the audio business.
Discussion:
The Desk, RADIO ONLINE, Radio & Television …, @chistodotme, @thedeskdotnet and NewsNation
Max Tani / Semafor:
The 2024 GOP primary races are failing to lure news audiences back, with ratings down, as media execs reckon with the lack of a “Trump bump” to save ad budgets — The News — For one week every four years, the DoubleTree hotel in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire …
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
Union staffers across Condé Nast brands plan a 24-hour walkout on Jan. 23, coinciding with Oscar nominations, to protest alleged unlawful bargaining practices — More than 400 workers at Vanity Fair, Vogue, Condé Nast Entertainment, Bon Appétit and other brands are walking …
Discussion:
@bootsriley, @condeunion, @erik_hayden, The Wrap, Variety, @condeunion and @katiekilkenny7
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sources: popular YouTuber MrBeast is nearing a deal for a reality-competition show with Amazon's Prime Video; the deal is reportedly worth around $100M — MrBeast, the massively popular YouTube creator known for big-money giveaways and outlandish stunts, is nearing a deal for a reality-competition show …
Discussion:
The Verge, Puck, Business Insider, WNCT, Tubefilter, The Messenger and Cord Cutters News
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
ElevenLabs, which uses AI tools to create and edit synthetic voices, raised an $80M Series B co-led by a16z, Nat Friedman, and Daniel Gross at a $1B+ valuation — There's a lot of money in voice cloning. — Case in point: ElevenLabs, a startup developing AI-powered tools to create …
Ben Axelrod / Awful Announcing:
Nearly two months after pulling its Surviving Barstool series from YouTube over censorship claims, Barstool Sports announces a deal with Rumble; RUM jumps 30%+ — Nearly two months after pulling its popular Surviving Barstool series from YouTube over claims of censorship, Barstool Sports has a new video home.
Discussion:
Rumble, Reclaim The Net, Sportico, @rumblevideo, Bloomberg, The Messenger and Barrett Media, more at Techmeme »