Top News:
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
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, The Wrap, Sportico.com, The Streamable, @jbflint, @loudmouthjulia, @taralach, @sherman4949, @kevinmayer and Broadband TV News
Brent Lang / Variety:
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 …
Gilad Edelman / Wired:
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.
Dustin Jones / NPR:
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.
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
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.
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
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
Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter:
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, Digital TV Europe, Broadband TV News, C21Media and Kidscreen
New York Times:
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:
@melsil, @tminsberg, Front Office Sports and Sportico.com
Sara Fischer / Axios:
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:
New York Times, Facebook, Adweek, The Wrap, Financial Times, @mshannahmurphy, @drewharwell, @b_fung, Bloomberg, @sarafischer, @sarafischer and CNBC, more at Techmeme »
Samantha Hissong / Rolling Stone:
Kings of Leon to be one of the first bands to debut an album as part of an NFT package, with tokens unlocking perks like limited-edition vinyl and concert seats — The band's revolutionary tokens will unlock special perks like limited-edition vinyl and front row seats to future concerts
Discussion:
@gramatik, @gramatik, @seanoconnz, Cointelegraph, @ldrogen, @carlquintanilla, @zoescaman, @aridavidpaul, @raoulgmi and @mdudas
Ken Klippenstein / The Intercept:
DOJ document: the Trump administration referred a record number of leaks for criminal investigation in a crackdown meant to instill fear of talking to the press — The Trump administration referred a record number of classified leaks for criminal investigation, totaling at least 334 …
Discussion:
@kenklippenstein, @matthewacole and @kenklippenstein
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
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 …
Discussion:
@paldhous, @sellathechemist, @stephaniemlee, @jennyhirst_eco, @charlesarthur, @laurie_winkless, @webbo_init, @mmoyr, @marshallexi, @gitoma1, @lickmyocelot, @suw, @debbiebmoon, @scitech_cat, @nevfountain, @drsdeg, @tucker5law, @johnaglionby, @lydiakahill, @frances_coppola, @catdl, @emilyhwilson and Press Gazette
Todd Spangler / Variety:
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, 9to5Mac, @netflixisajoke, @lucas_shaw, @kylebrussell and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Democracy Fund:
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.
Rob Shaw / 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, @nllcommish, @zonozi, @richlightshed, @pkafka, @soshnick and @pkafka
Reuters:
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:
New York Times, @raju and The Hill
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