Top News:
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Jeffery Katzenberg and Meg Whitman's Quibi short-video streaming service launches with $1.8B in funding amid the Covid-19 pandemic — Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman had to cancel a starry Hollywood party for their short-video platform because of the virus. But Quibi is still going live.
Discussion:
Fast Company, TechCrunch, Washington Post, @fangsbites, @chrismichel, @larardavid, @ryankadro, @davidehrlich and @markharrisnyc, more at Techmeme »
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Adam Epstein / Quartz:
To succeed, Quibi should lean into the unscripted content that works well on the platform, and not mimic prestige television — The Third Age of TV — First came broadcast, then cable, now streaming. — The original pitch for Quibi, a new video app launching today (April 6) …
Discussion:
Engadget, @devindra, @joshconstine, @davidpoland, @scottfeinberg, @devindra, @devindra and @pierce
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Quibi app review: works reliably, auto-flips between landscape and portrait, but no tablet-optimized mode, no family member profiles, and lacks a TV experience — A mobile-only video app was always going to be a hard sell — After months of publicity, Quibi — the mobile phone app that's centered …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, Bloomberg, @joshconstine, @imbrettbowman, @chriswelch and @brotractor, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Health risks and privacy issues prevent journalists from reporting inside hospitals, leading to conspiracy theories as some cast doubts about lack of visuals — The coronavirus pandemic has been likened to a war. But journalists are largely absent from the harrowing, heartbreaking front line of this crisis: hospitals.
Discussion:
@ooikokhin, @ap_corpcomm, @cassvinograd, @pwgphoto, @cnn, @sdulai, @yunghi, @ruthservensmith, @rweingarten, @kellymcb, CNN, @kerrymflynn, @liaeustach, @ianshapira, @undarkmag, @jadeswilson, @farhip, @davidheinzmann, @sarahellison and @sulliview
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The daily TV appearances of Chris Cuomo with Gov. Cuomo have become compelling viewing but critics question the journalistic propriety of the familial episodes — A month ago, it would have seemed unlikely — ridiculous, even — that the most riveting duo in America would be the Empire …
KQED:
A San Francisco Examiner reporter reflects on the impact of the paper's 40% cut in hours and pay for all staff, even as its news site gets more views — On Tuesday, all staffers at the San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly were notified that they'll be taking a 40 percent cut in hours and salary …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @idamoj, @kqednews, @alanmontecillo, @notoriousecg, @editorpublisher and The San Francisco Examiner
Robert Boxwell / South China Morning Post:
The blame game: Covid-19 and the anatomy of a fake news story — The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's recent retweet of an article blaming the US for infecting Wuhan with coronavirus provides one clear example of how governments and their agencies can manipulate facts and blur reality …
Discussion:
Politico
Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
IAB: digital ad spending for March and April is down 38% from what was expected, TV ad spending is down 41%, 45% on radio, 43% for print, and 51% on billboards — Blank billboards and canceled online ads signal an industry in crisis as the coronavirus spreads.
Discussion:
@tiffkhsu
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Apptopia and Braze study: with 59M global installs, Netflix led rivals YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ in Q1, but more time was spent on YouTube Kids — Netflix may still dominate global streaming, but Disney+ has made a huge splash in the United States, where it launched in November.
Discussion:
MediaPost and @masasoncap
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
NYT is growing its in-house book development program to expand on its reporters' journalism and extend its brand, with another 10 books planned for this year — “Reporters leave a ton in their notebooks. The book form really gives us a chance to expand the journalism."
Discussion:
@niemanlab and @niemanlab
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
Some independent movie theaters are launching “virtual cinemas” to let patrons stream first-tier films from home as a temporary revenue source amid the pandemic — Greg Laemmle never thought he'd recommend anyone to stream a movie at home. The best way to watch a film …
Discussion:
@variety, more at Techmeme »
Julie Reynolds / DFM Workers:
Sources: Alden Global Capital's MNG has quietly laid off or furloughed staff across its local newspapers this past week, including 13 layoffs at the Denver Post — At the Denver Post, the newsroom staff has shrunk by 70 percent in just a few years. But on Friday, when those remaining believed …
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