Top News:
Scott Nover / Slate:
Websites that shut down make it hard for journalists to preserve writing clips, but maintaining a defunct site creates technical issues including security risks — Vice workers scrambled this week to save their work, just in case. Would keeping it online really cost so much?
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Chris Thompson / Defector:
Vice leadership failed to act as responsible stewards of a good product, and instead paid themselves lavish salaries and burned through hundreds of millions — Vice was a good website. On Thursday it was killed by its private equity owners, in a characteristically cruel and sudden maneuver …
Discussion:
Pluralistic, @lfitzmaurice, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @jason, @sorayamcdonald@threads.net, @jeremymbarr, @davidclinchnews, @tvgrimreaper, @mjgault, @ninastarner, @adamjkovac, @sarahscire, @sharonwaxman, @nick_kapur, @nina_metz, @juliaccarpenter, @defectormedia, New York Times, Business of Fashion, CBS News, Slate, MobileSyrup, @quillmatiq@threads.net, Ian Greenleigh on LinkedIn, Gail J. Cohen on LinkedIn, 404 Media, CNN, @KarlBode@masto.ai, WWD, TVNewsCheck, CMU, Raw Story, The Verge, Press Gazette, @jswatz.bsky.social, UPI, The Desk, New York Daily News and The Hill
Sam Buckingham-Jones / Australian Financial Review:
Australian businessman Kerry Stokes launches The Nightly, a daily online newspaper with backing from billionaires Katie Page, Chris Ellison, and Gina Rinehart — Billionaires Katie Page, Chris Ellison and Gina Rinehart are the key backers of Kerry Stokes' new daily online newspaper …
Discussion:
Crikey, Mumbrella and Sydney Morning Herald
Bloomberg:
While Netflix is profitable in South Korea, local rivals Tving and Wavve lost a combined ~$165M in 2023 and are reportedly in talks to merge — After years of pumping out hit shows, South Korea's biggest media companies are cutting back and consolidating to survive a global pullback in entertainment.
Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:
A look at possible effects of Walmart's Vizio purchase: a negative impact on Roku, for whom Walmart is a big retail partner, and Vizio's data unit shutting down — Big box bucks — Together with … Tuesday's news that Walmart is acquiring Vizio for $2.3 billion has the potential …
Discussion:
Janko Roettgers on LinkedIn, Forbes and Fast Company
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
A preview of the NetChoice cases to be argued at SCOTUS on February 26, about the constitutionality of Texas and Florida laws regulating social media content — The ruling could impact other publishing industries and future social media regulation. … Social media companies have long …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Kirk T. Schroder on LinkedIn, Politico, @lauren_feiner and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
NPR affiliate WAMU is shutting down local news site Dcist and laying off 15 employees to focus on audio and plans to add 10 new positions — - “We're making the choice to invest in what we're better at than anyone else in this town, and that's audio,” Pulley-Hayes said.
Discussion:
@wemakewamu, Washington Post, @eleanornorton, @wesleylowery, Coleen O'Lear on LinkedIn, @coop_rebecca, @jwhitepubradio, @floorcharts, @tamarakeithnpr, @robertwhite_dc, Armando Trull on LinkedIn, @wemakewamu, @jfkucinich, @elaheizadi, @jasonshevrin, @emma_a_whitford, @maustermuhle, @maustermuhle, @emmasarappo, @nicdawes, @digiphile, @digiphile, @maustermuhle, @jbenton, @ckrewson, @elaheizadi, @jeffjarvis@threads.net, Inside Radio, The Hill, @abeaujon@threads.net, Current, Benjamin Freed on LinkedIn, Andi McDaniel on LinkedIn, Sara Fischer on LinkedIn, @jenhoward.bsky.social and The Wrap
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Three years after Spotify's original announcement that it would launch a higher-quality audio subscription, the company has yet to roll out the feature — I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this again. Last year, it seemed like there was no reason to believe Spotify would ever roll …
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
WBD reports Q4 revenue down 7% YoY to $10.3B, adjusted EBITDA down 5% YoY to $2.5B, 97.7M global streaming subscribers, and a $103M streaming profit for 2023 — The owner of the TNT and TBS cable networks,. the Warner Bros. studio and the Max streaming service reported a loss of $400 million …
Discussion:
Forbes, The Wrap, @royprice, @lucas_shaw, The Hollywood Reporter, @picklemaddierix, @jbflint, @richlightshed, @jbflint, @lmoses, CNBC, The Desk, The Wrap and Warner Bros. Discovery
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Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Cord Cutters News lays off EIC Roger Cheng, who joined in July 2023, and two staff writers, as the outlet plans to focus more heavily on its YouTube channels — The publication favored by streamers will publish guides and focus on the production of YouTube videos moving forward.
Discussion:
@cordcuttersnews, @shelbybrown91, @rogerwcheng and Cord Cutters News
Steven McIntosh / BBC:
UK police will take no further action against suspended GB News host Dan Wootton, who was accused of using fake identities to bribe men for explicit material — Police have said they will take no further action against GB News presenter Dan Wootton. — The New Zealand-born broadcaster …
Discussion:
Telegraph, Daily Express, Press Gazette, Deadline, Byline Times, Mediaite, The Guardian and The Independent
Amie Parnes / Vanity Fair:
A journalist tells how Jimmy Finkelstein wooed her to The Messenger, reassured staff two months before closure, and left her without a promised severance — I have yet to receive a promised severance following the media start-up's abrupt collapse, which left hundreds of us without jobs.
Discussion:
@carrasquillo, @jonallendc, @amieparnes, @benmullin and @mkady
Rani Molla / Sherwood Media:
In response to a query for news stories about Putin's comments on Navalny's death, Microsoft's AI-assisted search Copilot invented Putin quotes — Microsoft really wants you to use its new Copilot AI-assisted search. Not only was the service featured in an expensive Super Bowl spot …
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