Top News:
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify reports Q1 revenue up 20% YoY to €3.6B, MAUs up 19% YoY to 615M, below 617.9M est., subscribers up 14% YoY to 239M, and a €168M operating income — - Subscribers to paid Spotify tiers grew 14% to 239 million — Audio-streaming firm swings to profit in first quarter
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Puck hires veteran journalist and TV commentator John Heilemann as its chief political columnist and partner, as the outlet expands its presence in Washington — - The company, which will host its first event for the White House Correspondents' Dinner this week, has built out a broader slate …
Discussion:
The Hill, @pucknews and @sarafischer
Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:
PEN America cancels its 2024 literary awards ceremony, set for April 29, after months of protests over the organization's response to the war in Gaza — The event had been set for April 29, but weeks of escalating criticism of the organization's response to the war had led nearly half of the prize nominees to withdraw.
Discussion:
Deadline, The Bookseller, CBS News, The Daily Beast, PEN America, Los Angeles Times and Publishers Weekly
Kate Lyons / The Guardian:
Australia's ABC South Asia correspondent Avani Dias says India refused her a standard visa renewal, after issuing a takedown notice to YouTube for her stories — Despite eventual visa backflip by authorities, ABC's south-Asia correspondent Avani Dias left after being made to ‘feel so uncomfortable’
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Independent, Hindustan Times, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, The Wire, The Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express, @free_thinker, @ptrmadurai, @emilyzfeng, @behlihyi, @parthpunter, @cathedavison, @avanidias, @adityamenon22, @derekobrienmp, @opindia_com, @avanidias, @baxiabhishek and @johnreedwrites
Adam B. Vary / Variety:
The Blair Witch Project cast requests retroactive residuals and “meaningful consultation” on future projects, after Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced a reboot — The directors and producers of the groundbreaking 1999 horror film release a separate statement in support …
Discussion:
Joshua Leonard, @themythtraveler, IGN, The Guardian, The Independent, The Independent, @asap17, @rickbur1n, @mothrasattorney, @nash076, @drewmcweeny, @newbyrichard3, @discussingfilm, Joshua Leonard, Joshua Leonard, Joshua Leonard, Vulture, ComingSoon.net, Deadline, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Inverse, The Wrap, Screen Rant, People, SlashFilm and Bloody Disgusting!
Tariq Panja / New York Times:
Sources: FIFA is close to giving Apple the global rights for its 2025 World Cup-style soccer competition in the US, likely for ~25% of FIFA's first $4B estimate — The agreement would give the tech company worldwide rights for a monthlong World Cup-style competition between top teams set to take place next year.
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
In its first open call for funding, Press Forward announces support, over two years, of $100,000 each for 100+ newsrooms focused on underserved audiences — It includes $100,000 each in general operating support for more than 100 newsrooms — We now know the focus for the first open call …
Discussion:
Press Forward, @frankwords, @travisfain, @mattdpearce, @kristenhare and Radio & Television …
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Memo: Aaron LaBerge, the CTO of Disney Entertainment and ESPN, will leave the company after June for personal reasons, to become the CTO of Penn Entertainment — The Walt Disney company logo is displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on Dec. 1, 2023.
Discussion:
@sherman4949, Los Angeles Times, Tv Technology, The Hill, Deadline, The Desk, The Wrap, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters and Awful Announcing
New York Times:
The American Sunlight Project, led by ex-US DHS exec Nina Jankowicz, launches to fight a “campaign by conservatives” to undermine disinformation researchers — The group intends to fight what its leader, Nina Jankowicz, and others have described as a coordinated campaign …
Discussion:
@researchbuzz@researchbuzz …, @heidireports and @makkhorn@c.im
Ian Youngs / BBC:
Huw Edwards, the BBC news anchor who has been off air since July 2023 after reports that he paid a young person for explicit images, resigns on “medical advice” — Huw Edwards has presented major national events for the BBC including general elections and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Discussion:
@scottygb, @kevin_maguire, @vicderbyshire, @ianlloydroyal, @andrewiconnell, @kelvmackenzie, @johnrivers, @jake_kanter, @vicderbyshire, @leahboleto, @nickszczepanik, @katierazz, The Sun, Sydney Morning Herald, Financial Times, The Desk, Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Telegraph, Press Gazette, Variety, Sky News, The Guardian, GB News, HuffPost and Deadline
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
Four top editors from Texas, California, and Canada talk about the challenges of running a metro newspaper in the digital era, keeping readers engaged, and more — “People will pay you to make their lives easier, even when it comes to telling them which burrito to eat.”
Discussion:
Media Voices
Elle Griffin / The Elysian:
Penguin vs. DOJ transcripts: top publishing houses spend most of their money on book advances for big celebrities like Britney Spears and franchise authors — Everything we learned about the publishing industry from Penguin vs. DOJ. — In 2022, Penguin Random House wanted to buy Simon & Schuster.
Discussion:
@robinwigg, @weirdwriter@tweesecake.social, @jmsdnns@mastodon.social and Mark Carrigan
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