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, @cameronwilson, @joshbutler, UPI, Fast Company, The Desk, 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:
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
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
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
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:
@niemanlab, @hbottemiller, @scottnover, @maxwelltani, @scottnover@mas.to, @dannygroner, @annasale, @amonck, @drewkerr and @scottnover
Thomas Germain / Gizmodo:
A look at AARoads, a dedicated US roads and highways wiki site started by a group of Wikipedia editors, after years of frustration over Wikipedia's rules — A group of Wikipedia editors wrote 15,000 articles on US roads and highways. But after a fight over the platform's rules, they went rogue.
@tdsnewsguild:
[Thread] The Desert Sun NewsGuild says it has reached an agreement for its first contract with Gannett, and its strike is now set to end on March 3 — BREAKING: The Desert Sun NewsGuild has reached an agreement for its first contract!!! We're thrilled to have a deal with immediate, life-changing raises for many of our members, annual raises for every member, and crucial workplace protections. More details to come, but first:...
Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @tdsnewsguild, @tdsnewsguild, @tdsnewsguild, @tdsnewsguild and The NewsGuild
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:
MediaPost, @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
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