Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's letter to shareholders: Prime Video now reaches 200M monthly viewers, and streaming TV advertising is growing quickly — Prime Video has a big audience, and now Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has put a new number on it: The premium video service has more than 200 million monthly viewers.
Megan Graham / Wall Street Journal:
How “made for advertising” sites, which are criticized for their UX and dubious results for advertisers, get ~15% of automated ad spend or $10B/year, per ANA — Industry leaders want brands to shun ‘MFA’ websites. Others think more nuance is needed.
Discussion:
Nandini Jammi on LinkedIn, Dr. Augustine Fou on LinkedIn, Heidi Saas on LinkedIn and Adweek
The Information:
Sources: TikTok is testing an AI feature that generates a virtual influencer and a script for a video ad based on prompts submitted by advertisers — TikTok touts itself as a platform where creators can stand out and build a following. But the company has begun discussing with advertisers …
Discussion:
The Verge and Brandon Perlman on LinkedIn, more at Techmeme »
Doja Daoud / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Q&A with Gaza journalist Diaa Al-Kahlout, Gaza bureau chief for the Qatari-funded newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on being held for 33 days in Israeli custody — Diaa Al-Kahlout, the veteran Gaza bureau chief for the Qatari-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed …
Discussion:
Naomi Zeveloff on LinkedIn, Doja Daoud on LinkedIn, @caseyrights, @gypsystrategy and @jfsteinfeld
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Amazon hires Krishan Bhatia, previously a senior NBCUniversal exec, as VP of global video advertising for Amazon Ads, leading global sales for video operations — As Amazon ramps up its efforts to woo ad dollars that once were earmarked for traditional TV, it is also luring ad executives …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paramount is shutting down Showtime's streaming service on April 30, after it integrated Showtime's programming into the top-tier Paramount+ plan in June 2023 — Sunset of premium TV service's standalone apps comes after its integration into Paramount+ With Showtime package
Discussion:
TVLine, The Verge and The Hollywood Reporter
Variety:
Taylor Swift's music returns to TikTok, ahead of her next album due out on April 19, after UMG pulled her songs as part of an ongoing dispute with TikTok — As of Thursday morning, multiple Swift songs — including “You Belong With Me,” “Lover,” “Cardigan,” “Mirrorball,” “Fearless …
New York Times:
Uri Berliner's essay about NPR reignited criticism of the outlet on social media, especially by conservatives, and spurred vehement pushback from some staffers — An essay from an editor at the broadcaster has generated a firestorm of criticism about the network on social media, especially among conservatives.
Discussion:
The Verge, New York Magazine, @jbouie@threads.net, @jbouie@threads.net, @matt.bachand@threads.net, @greenloopstore@threads.net, @digiphile@threads.net, @digiphile@threads.net, @digiphile@threads.net, @jenniferschulzechi …, @dankennedy_nu@threads.net, @maxkennerly.bsky.social, @jpederzane, The Hill, Media Nation, CNN, Mediaite, MediaPost, Inside Radio, New York Post, Newser, The Guardian, The Wrap, Fox News, The Daily Caller and NPR
Brian Bonilla / Ad Age:
A look at The Way Upfronts, a quarterly event debuting in May and led by Sugar23, where producers and celebrities will pitch their projects to brands to invest — Host committee includes Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Tom Brady, Elizabeth Banks and Steven Soderbergh
Discussion:
Brian Bonilla on LinkedIn and @adage
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Substack now lets podcasters distribute their shows on Spotify, and says podcasters on Substack collectively earn $100M+ per year, up 100%+ over the past year — Substack announced on Thursday it's introducing a few new features for podcasters on its platform.
Discussion:
On Substack, Spotify, Engadget, MSPoweruser, RAIN News and Branded Podcast Agency, more at Techmeme »
Anne Steele / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Spotify is developing tools to let subscribers speed up, mash up, or edit songs as a type of playback feature; rights holders would still get paid — Streamer is developing tools that would make it easier for fans to create custom versions of their favorite music
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide, Tubefilter, 9to5Mac and UPROXX, more at Techmeme »
Emilia David / The Verge:
The Weather Company launches ReelSphere, an AI-powered video creation tool that provides captions, hyperlocal weather overlays, and an AI “meteorologist” — Generative AI could be coming to your local TV station as The Weather Company, aka the people that run The Weather Channel …
Discussion:
Next TV, The Weather Company and The Weather Company
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