Top News:
Bloomberg:
Meta plans to deprecate the Facebook News tab in the US and Australia in early April 2024 and stop signing deals for traditional news content in those countries — Meta Platforms Inc. is winding down its news feature in the US and Australia, part of a broader shift away from the category for the social media giant.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Meta, Digital Journal, @daedalus@eigenmagic.net, The Verge, @jeffjarvis, Beth Ashton on LinkedIn, The Hill, Alexandra Wake on LinkedIn, Quartz, @realdrbrendan, @jason_kint, @brianstelter, @cameronwilson, @markdistef, @bloodiedwombat, New York Post, UPI, Fast Company, @cameronwilson, The Desk, @joshbutler, New York Times, Engadget, Gizmodo, Alan Soon on LinkedIn, William Easton on LinkedIn, TechCrunch, @snurb@aoir.social, @parismarx@threads.net, Al Jazeera, NBC 7 San Diego, The Wrap, Reuters, Mumbrella, @alansoon73@threads.net and @camwilsonreporter@threads.net
RELATED:
Anthony Crupi / Sportico:
Diamond Sports files its bankruptcy reorg plan, which includes ending its Bally naming rights deal for RSNs, and says cord-cutting led to 22M fewer subscribers — Almost a year to the day after Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the operator of the 19 Bally Sports-branded RSNs …
Discussion:
Sportico, @crupicrupicrupi, Awful Announcing, Awful Announcing and Puck
David Bauder / Associated Press:
A look at the decline of cable TV networks like USA Network, Discovery Channel, and MTV; MTV's 2023 average prime-time audience was 256K, down from 807K in 2014 — The list of memorable characters and personalities who entered popular culture through cable television is long: Honey Boo Boo.
Discussion:
@knittingknots2@mstdn.social
Scott Nover / Slate:
Semafor media reporter Maxwell Tani talks about cord-cutting, the importance of niches for digital media, threats from AI, and how it feels to break bad news — Maxwell Tani is known for his work on an obituary beat of sorts. A media reporter at Semafor, he always seems to be the first person …
Discussion:
@hbottemiller, @scottnover, @maxwelltani, @scottnover@mas.to, @dannygroner, @annasale, @amonck, @drewkerr and @scottnover
Mark Harris / New York Times:
An analysis of Hollywood's grim status in 2024, recovering from a year of downsizing and strikes; supply lines will take at least a year to flow at capacity — The Academy Awards ceremony, which this year will take place on March 10, traditionally provides a reliable moment of optimism for a perennially anxious industry.
Discussion:
@sternbergh and @jeffjarvis
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Meta plans to make its Threads API, currently being tested by partners like Techmeme, Sprinklr, and Hootsuite, broadly available to developers by June 2024 — Meta-owned social network Threads said today that it will make its API broadly available to developers by June.
Reuters:
A US judge says Google must face advertisers' antitrust lawsuit, but dismisses some claims, including those focused on ad-buying tools used by large advertisers — Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google must face advertisers' proposed class action lawsuit claiming that it monopolizes the ad exchange market, a U.S. judge ruled on Friday.
Discussion:
@jason_kint, @jason_kint, Media Voices, New York Post, WinBuzzer and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
The Intercept:
At a Feb. 13 all-hands in London, CNN staff pressed EIC Mark Thompson and others about Israel-Gaza coverage; Christiane Amanpour criticized “double standards” — CNN employees, including the renowned international news anchor Christiane Amanpour, confronted network executives …
Discussion:
Raw Story, @jkdamours, @prem_thakker, @wajahatali, @benjamingoggin, @kenklippenstein, Fox News, @riquier.bsky.social and Mediaite
@tdsnewsguild:
Union members strike at Gannett's Desert Sun, calling for a fair labor contract and saying they've been denied regular cost-of-living raises for three years — It's official: As of 7 a.m. today, @TDSNewsGuild is now on strike!!! Taking this step is not easy. But after being denied any sort of regular cost of living raises for the last three years, we decided it's time to deny @Gannett our labor until a fair contract is reached!
Discussion:
@tdsnewsguild, @em_brindley, @tomcoulter_, @janetwilson66 and The NewsGuild
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify launches the Audiobooks Access Tier, which lets free US users stream 15 hours of audiobooks from its 200K+ catalog every month for $9.99 per month — After adding 15 hours of free audiobooks listening to its subscription plan late last year, Spotify today is introducing …
Discussion:
Spotify, The Hill, BGR, Engadget, Publishers Weekly, The Verge, Digital Trends, @ashleycarman@threads.net and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
An interview with Chris Moran, the Guardian's head of editorial innovation, about its new “Deeply Read” list, which uses an “active time spent” ranking metric — The No. 1 most-clicked story on The Guardian's U.S. site right now: “Alabama IVF ruling leaves Republicans stuck between …
Discussion:
@chrismoranuk, @davidclinchnews, @chrismoranuk and MediaPost
Government of Canada:
Canada's heritage minister announces CA$58.8M to extend the Local Journalism Initiative for three years; the program funded 400+ journalism jobs in 2023-2024 — News release — Local journalism reflects our day-to-day realities, informs us about issues that might affect us and …
Discussion:
@caj, @michelle_gamage, @jenstden and Broadcast Dialogue