Top News:
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
BLKFAM, a free, ad-supported streaming service focused on Black families, launches in the US with 1,000+ hours of kid-friendly animation titles and more — BLKFAM is a free, ad-supported, Black-focused family streaming service launching today to give Black Americans access to more than 1,000 hours …
Discussion:
The Streamable, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap and Deadline
Jess Jones / City A.M.:
Sesamy, launched by Acast co-founders to let users in Sweden and Denmark purchase single articles or podcasts as a one-time transaction, plans to expand to UK — Could one-off articles and podcast purchases be the future of publishing? That's the vision of the co-founders of Acast …
Discussion:
@johnspurlock, @rasmus_kleis and Benjamin Webb on LinkedIn
The Guardian:
Former TV news executives and others criticize Ofcom for allowing GB News to violate broadcasting impartiality rules by dragging its feet with investigations — Ofcom is accused of not treating all broadcasters the same and of dragging its feet with investigations into the rightwing channel
Discussion:
@docrussjackson, @justicetrousers, @catrollo, @adrian_warner, @michaellcrick, @paulmarsha11 and Mediaite
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:
@rachelrwithers, @ianpmcleod, @markdistef, @pollyanna_04, @matt_levinson, @john_macgowan, @chris_dengate, Sydney Morning Herald, Crikey and Mumbrella
Helen Bushby / BBC:
British film censors change the age rating for the classic 1964 film Mary Poppins from U to PG citing “discriminatory language” — Mary Poppins, the classic film starring Julie Andrews, has had its age rating raised by British film censors because it features “discriminatory language”.
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?
RELATED:
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
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, Business of Fashion, CBS News, Slate, MobileSyrup, @quillmatiq@threads.net, Ian Greenleigh on LinkedIn, Gail J. Cohen on LinkedIn, 404 Media, @KarlBode@masto.ai, WWD, CNN, TVNewsCheck, CMU, Raw Story, Press Gazette, @jswatz.bsky.social and UPI
Columbia Journalism Review:
A profile of Dale Anglin, first director of Press Forward, a philanthropic effort to invest $500M over five years in local news and aiming to raise $500M more — Dale R. Anglin has spent more than twenty years in the nonprofit sector, channeling millions of dollars to social service organizations.
Discussion:
NewsLab, MediaPost, Inside the News in Colorado and @geisler_jill@threads.net
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
The Economist Group names Disney+ executive Luke Bradley-Jones as The Economist president and Leon Saunders Calvert as Economist Intelligence president — The publisher has also appointed a new president of Economist Intelligence — The Economist Group announced two key executive hires …
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.
Discussion:
Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn and @lucas_shaw
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
UK's Ofcom delivers its roadmap for implementing the Media Bill, saying regulation of streaming services will not come into place in full for two years — Streamer regulation in the UK will not come into place in full for two years, Ofcom said today. — Delivering its roadmap for implementing …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News
Patrick Frater / Variety:
France's Canal+ Group says it has increased its stake in Asian streaming platform Viu to 30%, worth ~$300M, and retains an option to increase its stake to 50% — UPPING THE ANTE — France's Canal+ Group said that it has increased its stake in multi-territory Asian streaming platform Viu to 30%.
Discussion:
Deadline and Broadband TV News
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 and Fast Company
Eileen AJ Connelly / The Wrap:
WBD's David Zaslav says the joint venture sports app in development with Fox and Disney will include the ability to bundle with Max — Warner Bros. Discovery CEO confirms that joint venture app with Fox and Disney will access non-sports content — Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed Friday …
Discussion:
Next TV, Front Office Sports, Awful Announcing, The Streamable and Deadline
RELATED:
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
Discussion:
@royprice, Forbes, @lucas_shaw, @picklemaddierix, @jbflint, @richlightshed, @jbflint, @lmoses, The Wrap, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, The Wrap and Warner Bros. Discovery
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