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Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
The Correspondent's first US hire, Zainab Shah, tells how messaging moved away from “building a US office” amid fundraising; she wasn't shown a current budget — “They're really good at the PR thing, and it really feels like gaslighting. They were like, 'Well …
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Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
Sources: Trump called Rupert Murdoch to complain about Jeanine Pirro's suspension; one Fox source says execs are worried Fox & Friends may be next to lose ads — When advertisers rebelled at outrage anchors like Jeanine Pirro and Tucker Carlson, Trump called Lachlan's daddy, Rupert Murdoch, to keep them on the air.
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Eugene Kim / CNBC:
Filing: Amazon has spent $1.7B on video and music content in Q1 2019, up 13% YoY — KEY POINTS — Amazon disclosed for the first time its total video and music expense in its quarterly filing on Friday. — In the first quarter, Amazon spent $1.7 billion on video and music content …
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Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Sources: Amazon is readying a high fidelity music streaming service that's expected to launch before the end of 2019, will likely cost $15 per month — Here comes Amazon. — Less than a week after the online giant launched its first fully free music streaming service …
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Luminary says it removes all links from podcast show notes, which are often used for monetization, due to “security concerns associated with links” — I know what you're thinking: Another story on Luminary? Well, they keep making news. Start here if you want some background …
Rich Juzwiak / Jezebel:
Artists like Justin Bieber calling for positive coverage when faced with criticism evince a disregard for free speech while benefiting from massive platforms — It's been a rough week to be a star, and a rough week to be someone who listens to what stars have to say. At least, that's what social media tells me.
Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:
A look at funding of nonprofit news sites: philanthropists are giving more, some larger sites like ProPublica build cushions, and many smaller sites scrounge — Some 200 nonprofit websites are hustling to keep state and city governments honest. Many are succeeding.
Samit Sarkar / Polygon:
Avengers: Endgame breaks records in Thursday US/Canada screenings, grossing $60M; Disney estimates international sales so far of $305M, with $154.5M from China — Here are the other box office records it may set this weekend — Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame is already putting …
John Koetsier / VentureBeat:
Report: Instagram accounts for 19.5% of brand ad spend on Facebook, with ads in Instagram Stories contributing to a third of Instagram's total ad revenue — Intelligence and ephemeral social are two of the biggest drivers of evolving ad spend, according to a Q1 digital advertising benchmark report this week from Marin Software.
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Filing: Comcast chairman Brian Roberts' pay rose to $35M in 2018, up from $32.5M in 2017; NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke's pay fell to $39.9M from $46.5M in 2017 — Comcast chairman-CEO Brian Roberts saw a bump in his total compensation for 2018 while NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke's haul declined by more than $6 million last year.
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Hollywood Reporter, Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline and Multichannel News
Todd Spangler / Variety:
CEO Jim Spanfeller says G/O Media, made up of Gizmodo and the Onion, has no layoff plans, isn't planning to close properties, and is seeking a 2nd office, in LA — - How Will ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Piracy Affect Box Office? It's an Issue but Not a Crisis, Analysts Say
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Variety
Washington Post:
Study: YouTube recommended a video by RT on the Mueller report, which called journalists conspiracy theorists, 400,000+ times; YouTube disputes the numbers — When the report by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III came out last week, offering the most authoritative account yet …
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@drewharwell, @markseibel and @maxblumenthal
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Comcast Q1: earnings beat estimates, up 14% YoY to $3.55B; revenue rose 18% YoY to $26.86B with 121K video customers lost; NBCU revenue fell 12.5% YoY to $8.31B — - Comcast reports adjusted earnings per share of 76 cents vs. 68 cents expected in a Refinitiv survey of analysts.
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Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Comcast is in talks with Disney to sell its 30% stake in Hulu
Sources: Comcast is in talks with Disney to sell its 30% stake in Hulu
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