Top News:

Former Disney exec Kevin Mayer named chairman of sport streaming service DAZN, replacing ex-ESPN president John Skipper — Service has substantial boxing and international soccer rights and is looking to expand — Kevin Mayer, a former senior executive of the Walt Disney Co. and architect …
Discussion:
Variety, Awful Announcing, Sportico.com, The Streamable, The Wrap, @kevinmayer, Broadband TV News, @jbflint, @loudmouthjulia, @taralach and @sherman4949

Alamo Drafthouse files for bankruptcy as part of an asset purchase agreement with Altamont Capital Partners, and says it will close some of its 40 locations — Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the Texas-based theater chain that has become a favorite with cinephiles for it dine-in service …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Insider, /Film, @thebabyguynyc, New York Post, The A.V. Club, @alexweprin, Hollywood Reporter, @brentalang, @wellsdunbar, Collider, austonia, @drewkerr, @bklynactivemama, @studdedcollar, @pkafka, @pkafka, @nickchester and @rejects

Six journalists in Myanmar including AP reporter Thein Zaw have been charged under a public order law for covering protests and could face three years in prison — At least eight journalists in Myanmar have been detained by authorities while covering protests against a coup that took place last month.

Study: far-right pubs get 65% more engagement on Facebook when they publish fake news; liberal and centrist pubs get less engagement if they publish misinfo — Far-right pages that publish misinformation get the most interactions by far compared to other news sources, new research shows.

Two professors documented the pandemic's effects on local newsrooms, working with press associations to gather histories in seven states in the center of the US — Last year, two journalism professors started an oral history project to document the work of local newsrooms in mid-America.

Filing: ad sales at Disney's DTC businesses like Hulu and ESPN+ rose 47% to $882M last quarter and sales at ABC grew 5% to $984M — - Online ad revenue grew 47% last quarter, with broadcast up 5% — Company has been consolidating teams to create a one-stop shop
Discussion:
MediaPost

Democracy Fund, which gives grants to support newsrooms and press freedom, commits to confront systemic racism and to expand support for marginalized groups — Independent journalism is an essential instrument of accountability and critical to the health of our republic.

Daily Mail owner DMGT buys The New Scientist for £70M, says the weekly science magazine is forecast to make £7M in profits and £20M+ in revenues this year — The 65-year-old title is forecast to make £7m in profits this year — The publisher of the Daily Mail …

Netflix launches Fast Laughs, a TikTok-like feed in its mobile apps that presents a string of comedy clips from its stand-up specials, TV series, and movies — Netflix just made its iPhone app a little more funny-looking. — The streaming giant Wednesday launched Fast Laughs …
Discussion:
Ad Age, About Netflix, Engadget, @netflixisajoke, 9to5Mac, @kylebrussell, The Verge and @lucas_shaw, more at Techmeme »

Disney to sell its 50% stake in Europe's largest children's channel Super RTL to RTL Group, which will pivot to become an online-first broadcaster — The entertainment giant held 50 percent of Europe's largest children's channel, but is shifting its focus to its streaming platform Disney+.
Discussion:
Variety, Kidscreen, C21Media, Digital TV Europe and Broadband TV News

Kings of Leon to be the first band to debut an album as part of an NFT package, with tokens unlocking perks like limited-edition vinyl, front row concert seats — The band's revolutionary tokens will unlock special perks like limited-edition vinyl and front row seats to future concerts
Discussion:
Cointelegraph, @mdudas, @ldrogen, @carlquintanilla, @zoescaman, @aridavidpaul and @raoulgmi

Facebook says that on Thursday it will lift the ban on political and social issue ads in the US, imposed after the November election — Facebook will finally allow advertisers to resume running political and social issue ads in the U.S. on Thursday, according to a company update.
Discussion:
Facebook and @sarafischer, more at Techmeme »

The Islamic State claims responsibility for an attack that killed three women who worked for local broadcaster Enikas TV in eastern Afghanistan — (Reuters) - The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed three female media workers in eastern Afghanistan.
Discussion:
@raju, New York Times and The Hill

Four female athletes launch TOGETHXR, a media company to elevate women's voices, with a “mid-seven figure investment” by PE holding company Magnet Companies — Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Simone Manuel and Chloe Kim teamed up to create TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company designed to elevate women's voices.
Discussion:
@tminsberg, Front Office Sports and Sportico.com

Facebook exec explains why the company didn't secure rights to extend live sports deals like NFL this year, promoting a free-to-air distribution model instead — We're speeding towards a pivotal moment in the future of sports business. COVID-19 has devastated core revenue streams such as ticket …
Discussion:
@robshawsports, @pkafka, @richlightshed, @pkafka, @nllcommish, @zonozi, @soshnick and @pkafka

The Mail On Sunday refused permission to appeal against High Court ruling in Meghan Markle privacy case, and faces an “extraordinary” legal costs bill of £1.5M — The Mail On Sunday has been refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling granting the Duchess …
Discussion:
@rasmus_kleis and @pressgazette

Sports-focused FuboTV, which went public in October, reports 548K subscribers at Q4 end, up 73% YoY, and net loss for 2020 of $570.5M, compared to $35M in 2019 — FuboTV grew its internet pay-TV subscriber rolls at a rapid clip last year — and it sustained heavy losses to get there.
Discussion:
Insider, The Streamable, MediaPost, Deadline and Business Wire

Facebook says Facebook Journalism Project's Accelerator program delivered “$60M in customer lifetime value” over three years to ~175 news organizations — Accelerator publishers reported $60 million* in customer lifetime value over the last three years of the Facebook Journalism Project's Accelerator program.
Discussion:
@andymstone, @bgrueskin, @campbell_brown and @bgrueskin