Top News:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Nielsen: US monthly TV viewership rose 1.4% YoY to a four-year high in January, which included three of the top 10 days with the most TV viewing since May 2021 — Monthly TV usage hit a four-year high in January 2024, according to Nielsen, with three of the top 10 days (Jan. 1, 14 and 28) …
Discussion:
Nielsen, Radio & Television …, Next TV, MediaPost, @tvgrimreaper, @lucas_shaw, @tvgrimreaper, The Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw, Cord Cutters News and Deadline
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Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Nielsen: YouTube has been the top streaming service in the US for 12 consecutive months; YouTube says viewers watch 1B+ hours of YouTube per day on their TVs — Nielsen today released its January report on viewing usage across linear TV and streaming, which revealed that YouTube is once again …
Discussion:
The Hill, YouTube Official Blog, MediaPost, The Verge, Mashable, Media Play News and CNET
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
As YouTube marks one year as Nielsen's top US streaming service, a Q&A with YouTube VPs Nicky Rettke and Tara Levy on the NFL, ad innovation, creators, and more — EXCLUSIVE: YouTube has been racking up milestones lately. Its pay-TV bundle, YouTube TV, just passed 8 million subscribers.
CNBC:
Lawsuit document: FuboTV sues Disney, Fox, and WBD over their planned joint venture in sports streaming, citing “extreme suppression of competition” — - FuboTV is suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced sports streaming joint venture, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNBC.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, The Hill, Variety, Next TV, Sportico, The Streamable, Ad Age, @soshnick, The Verge, MMA Fighting, Screen Rant, The A.V. Club, Puck, The Drum, Media Play News, The Information, Deadline, Bloomberg, WORLD SCREEN, MarketWatch, Front Office Sports, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, @benmullin, @eriqgardner and Cord Cutters News
Arijit Barman / The Economic Times:
Sources: Zee has re-engaged with Sony in a last-ditch attempt to revive their $10B merger, which had been called off on January 22; ZEEL closed up 7.93% — Zee Entertainment Enterprises has re-engaged with Sony Group Corp in a last-ditch attempt to revive their $10-billion merger.
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Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
Walmart agrees to acquire TV maker Vizio for $2.3B, or $11.50/share, to boost its ad business via Vizio's SmartCast OS, which lets users stream content with ads — - Walmart is buying TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion in cash. — The move is a bid to boost the big-box retailer's high-margin ad business.
Discussion:
Walmart Inc., The Hill, Variety, Adweek, NBC 7 San Diego, Andy Barr on LinkedIn, Deepak Maini on LinkedIn, Fast Company, Axios, AdExchanger, @eric_seufert, MarTech, @simondowens@threads.net, @thetranscript_, Johanna Bauman on LinkedIn, CBS News, Chris Williams on LinkedIn, Jon Gibs on LinkedIn, @carnage4life, @rasmus_kleis, Observer, Forbes, The Desk, Rio Longacre on LinkedIn, Ian Baer on LinkedIn, New York Post, Ars Technica, @sarafischer, Jason Goldberg on LinkedIn, The Streamable, The Information, Broadband TV News, Rob Leathern on LinkedIn, @lucas_shaw, Deadline, The Drum, Joseph Artuso on LinkedIn, @rasmus_kleis, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Verge, CNN, MediaPost, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, TechCrunch, Search Engine Land, Ad Age, ABC4 Utah, NBC Bay Area and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
HouseFresh:
How some big publishers are inundating the web with subpar product recommendations without testing the products, and how Google is helping them through inaction — And why you shouldn't trust product recommendations from big media publishers ranking at the top of Google
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Search Engine Land, Jill Caren on LinkedIn, Jonathan Berthold on LinkedIn, @weaselproof.bsky.social, Jean-Christophe Chouinard on LinkedIn, Ian Betteridge on LinkedIn, Mark Williams-Cook on LinkedIn, @jason_koebler, @mhucka@fediscience.org, @metin@graphics.social, @Infloop@indieweb.social, @mpesce@arvr.social, @mdekstrand@hci.social, @danack@threads.net, @clive@saturation.social, @dmitriid, @ichbingisele, @ichbingisele, @thishousefresh, @shanejones, @stevage1 and Hacker News, more at Techmeme »
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
Sony Pictures Entertainment strikes a deal to manufacture, distribute, and market Disney's DVD, Blu-ray discs, and other physical media in the US and Canada — Disney is outsourcing a big piece of its home entertainment division to Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will manufacture …
Blake Brittain / Reuters:
A US appeals court rules a $1B jury verdict from 2019 against Cox for users' music piracy was unjustified; a new trial to be held to determine suitable damages — Cox Communications [RIC:RIC:COXC.UL], the cable television and internet service provider, convinced a U.S. appeals court to throw …
Discussion:
The Verge, Ars Technica, Billboard, Cord Cutters News, Music Business Worldwide, Wall Street Journal and Variety
Nate Ostiller / The Kyiv Independent:
Russia labels RFE/RL an “undesirable organization”, following an earlier decision by Russian tax authorities to begin bankruptcy proceedings against the outlet — Russia labeled Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) an “undesirable organization,” the outlet reported on Feb. 20, citing Russia's Justice Ministry.
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Voice of America
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple debuts a monthly Apple Music Replay, offering insights like total listening time, top songs, artists, and albums, and releases 2024's Replay Mix playlist — Apple today updated the Apple Music Replay experience, available at replay.music.apple.com, with visualizations of your favorite music habits …
Discussion:
CNET and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The New York Times is recruiting select advertising partners to test its new generative AI ad-targeting tool, which it plans to make widely available in H2 2024 — The New York Times is recruiting partners to test new ad-targeting solutions using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) beginning next quarter, executives told Axios.
Discussion:
@sarafischer and The Wrap
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