Top News:
Samantha Murphy Kelly / CNN:
Disney CEO Bob Iger says Disney+ will crack down on password sharing in June 2024 in some countries and more broadly in September 2024; Disney+ isn't profitable — New York CNN — — Disney is curbing password sharing for its Disney+ streaming service as part of a larger effort to boost signups and revenue.
Discussion:
CNBC, Variety, Deadline, IGN, The Verge, CityAM, The Sun, Media Play News, Engadget, CNBC, @lakewitchhouse.bsky.social, Samantha Murphy Kelly on LinkedIn, Dow Jones Newswires, 9to5Mac, Tom's Guide, CBC News, Forbes, Raw Story, BGR, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Bob Iger says “succession is the board's No. 1 priority” and that the search committee met seven times in 2023; Iger's contract extension runs through 2026
Bob Iger says “succession is the board's No. 1 priority” and that the search committee met seven times in 2023; Iger's contract extension runs through 2026
Samantha Masunaga / Los Angeles Times:
Disney says the standalone ESPN streaming service it plans for 2025 will be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, similar to its Hulu integration
Disney says the standalone ESPN streaming service it plans for 2025 will be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, similar to its Hulu integration
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Media Voices, Barrett Media, SportsPro, Hollywood Reporter, Cord Cutters News and The Desk
Ernie Smith / Fast Company:
A look at The Santa Barbara News-Press' tentative deal to sell its assets to Weyaweya, whose principal Max Noremo has ties to Malta's online gambling industry — The Santa Barbara News-Press's digital assets are up for sale. Locals worry they could become a farm for AI-generated SEO bait.
Discussion:
@shortformernie
Reuters:
A look at tech giants' AI training data deals; Defined.ai: some are ready to pay $1-$2 per image, $2-$4 per short video, and $100-$300 per hour of long video — At its peak in the early 2000s, Photobucket was the world's top image-hosting site. The media backbone for once-hot services …
Discussion:
Axel C. on LinkedIn, Boing Boing and @tchambers@indieweb.social, more at Techmeme »
Benjamin Bathke / Reuters Institute:
A look at Correctiv, Germany's first nonprofit investigative outlet, which has 100 full-time staff and published a bombshell investigation into the far right — We take a deep dive into Correctiv's investigation, its mission and its funding — Imagine you're an investigative reporter.
Discussion:
Anping Richter on LinkedIn, Daniel Drepper on LinkedIn, @eduardosuarez, @jpmarthoz and JURIST
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Top ESPN executive Norby Williamson is leaving the network after almost 40 years; in January, Pat McAfee accused him of “sabotaging” his show — Norby Williamson, the ESPN veteran who has managed everything from NFL coverage to “SportsCenter,” is leaving the Disney sports-media giant abruptly …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Mediaite, CNN, The Wrap, Sportico, Front Office Sports, New York Post, Deadline, Fox News, The Hollywood Reporter, Barrett Media and Sports Media Watch
New York Times:
Shari Redstone's Paramount stake sale may conflict with shareholder interests; source: David Ellison envisions Paramount in a joint streaming venture in the US — The board of directors has to walk a fine line, looking out for investors without running afoul of Ms. Redstone, the company's most influential shareholder.
Discussion:
CNBC, Advanced Television, Bloomberg, Variety and The Information
Barrett Media:
Several sports podcasters who were part of Vox Media's SB Nation Podcast Network say they were told on April 4 that the network is being shut down immediately — “I am not sure what's next, but we fully intend to continue the podcast elsewhere.” — Several podcasters who were part …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, @bloggingtheboys, @pgsween, @scottcoleman55 and @prideofdetroit
Ryan Heath / Axios:
Meta plans to label a wider range of video, audio, and image content as “Made with AI” starting in May, following feedback from its independent Oversight Board — - The labels could be generated through self-disclosure when a user posts content, as a result of advice from fact-checkers …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Meta, Ars Technica, Reuters, The Hill, Raw Story, The Verge and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
The Economic Times:
India's IT minister says the country is looking to frame a “balanced” AI law that will protect news publishers and content creators while minimizing user harm — Global AI regulation discussions intensify as companies seek fair compensation for AI data training from publishers.
Discussion:
Sunitha S on LinkedIn and MediaNama, more at Techmeme »
Clay Wirestone / Kansas Reflector:
Facebook restores the Kansas Reflector's ability to share links, removed the day the outlet ran a piece critical of Facebook, which still can't be shared — Facebook has blocked the sharing of Kansas Reflector stories and removed all posts linking to our website. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
Discussion:
Kansas City Star, The Handbasket, @andymstone, @blogoklahoma@social …, @1060waddy, @sherman_news, @Smootasaurus@mstdn.social, @janenorman, @fitzsimon, @couts.bsky.social, @marisakabas@threads.net, @kalihays1@threads.net, David Jordan on LinkedIn, @marisakabas@threads.net, @kalihays1@threads.net, Media Nation, @robpegoraro@threads.net, @hybridhavoc@darkfriend.social and @shawngoldwater@mstdn.ca
Matt Pearce:
Interest in policy interventions to protect journalism is exploding, but industry gatherings keep failing to include journalism labor advocates as strikes grow — Somebody is missing from the upcoming International Symposium on Online Journalism in Austin, Texas.
Discussion:
@heathkeri, @mattdpearce, The NewsGuild, WHEC.com, International Symposium … and MediaPost
Ryan Barwick / Marketing Brew:
The New York Times partners with ad metrics company Adelaide, which uses eye tracking and more to gauge attention to ads and is launching tools for publishers — The New York Times is partnering with Adelaide, a company that uses signals like eye-tracking data to gauge whether readers are paying attention to ads.