Top News:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Spotify buys app developer Betty Labs, creator of Locker Room, a live social audio app where fans can talk about sports, which Spotify plans on expanding — The acquisition will allow creators of all kinds to host anything from debates to live concerts.
Discussion:
NBC News, @dylanbyers, Spotify, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, @spotifynews, @lockerroomapp, Variety, @isocialfanz, @dylanbyers, @parkermolloy, @mmasnick, CNBC, @harthanson, @howardakumiah, @richlightshed, @leavittalone, @joshelman, @cheriehu42, @bmkibler, @pitdesi, @lazchance, @bmccandless, @dada_drummer, @ashleyrcarman and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Radio and podcasting company Entercom is rebranding itself to Audacy and retiring Radio.com — After more than 50 years as Entercom Communications, the radio and podcasting company is unfurling a new banner: Effective immediately, it is changing its name to Audacy. … The company's new website is audacyinc.com.
Discussion:
Axios, The Desk, RadioInsight, RAIN News, Radio & Television …, Forbes, @jason_kint and Hot Pod News
Substack Blog:
Substack raises $65M Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz — When we started Substack to build an alternative media economy that unlocks the full potential of the internet and gives more power to writers and readers, we didn't know if the model would work. A lot of people told us that no one would pay for newsletters.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Axios, @somospostpc, @chaykak, @danprimack, The Wrap, @kmikeym, @asymmetricinfo, @kantrowitz and @andrewchen, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Axios:
Sources: Substack's latest round values the company at around $650M
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Awful Announcing, The Hill, @sarafischer, @pkafka, @mathewi, @ericnewcomer, @jayshams, @hunterwalk, @jason, @mdudas, @joshgerstein, @lucas_shaw, @aaronhuertas, @shawnarchen, @eoinhiggins_, @pt, @alexthomp, @mattyglesias, @chrismessina, @ggreenwald, @bmorrissey, @rentjensen, @katie_roof, @tolles, @rafat, @jonathanvswan and @rafat, more at Techmeme »
Brandon Katz / Observer:
LightShed Partners: SVOD subscribers will nearly double by 2024 to 1.25B from 650M at the end of 2020 — Of the 11 major legacy media and tech companies that have a direct hand in Hollywood, all but one house some sort of over-the-top (OTT) streaming service.
Discussion:
The Streamable and LightShed Partners
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
The broadcast of Derek Chauvin's trial, allowed due to intense interest and limited physical access due to COVID, reignites debate over cameras in the courtroom — Earlier this month—with jury selection set to begin in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer …
Discussion:
Associated Press, @athenacnn, USA Today, NBC News and @jon_allsop
Felicia Sonmez / @feliciasonmez:
Felicia Sonmez says she has been told by her editors that the Washington Post is rescinding its years-long ban on her from writing about sexual misconduct — Hi all. I've been told by my editors that the Post is rescinding its ban. This is good news, but it's unfortunate that it had to come at such a high emotional toll, and after my distress was dismissed for years. I'm taking time to rest and process. Thank you for your support.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @feliciasonmez, @farhip, American Press Institute, Jezebel, All in Her Head, @kerrymflynn, @justinwmmoyer, @edokeefe, @emilymiller, @dangillmor, Poynter, @froomkin, @moorehn, @dangillmor, The Guardian, @johnrussell99, @drvolts, @wesleylowery, @dansolomon, @chrchristensen, @elongreen, @irin, @liamstack, @farhip, @scottnover, @jayrosen_nyu, @mike_hixenbaugh, @louisathelast, The Wrap, @briannawu, @cagoldberglaw, @dataeditor, @moiradonegan, @emilyrauhala, @hanaatameez, @tinywriterlaura, @anamariecox, @hshaban, @wesleylowery, @jackmirkinson, @vikkie, @joshchafetz, @jayrosen_nyu, @nycsouthpaw, @bellwak, @adamdavidson, @feliciasonmez, @mcastimovies, The Hill, Insider and Mediaite
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
ViacomCBS' BET is going digital-only in the UK on April 8 and will run on Pluto TV and Channel 5's My5 streaming platform — Originals ‘Celebrity Comfort Food,’ ‘Black to the Future’ and ‘We Do That’ will join the lineup as senior vp of BET International Monde Twala says: “We are committed to growing the BET brand in the U.K.”
Discussion:
Broadband TV News and Digital TV Europe
Chris Welch / The Verge:
T-Mobile to shut down TVision's three bundles of live channels at the end of April, after launching in Nov., and is instead partnering with YouTube TV and Philo — TVision Live, Live Plus, and Live Zone will go offline on April 29th — Only five months after announcing its TVision streaming service …
Discussion:
T-Mobile, T-Mobile, ScreenRant, The Streamable, @taralach, Insider, The Streamable, The Desk, MediaPost, Forbes, @inafried, @reckless, @thestreamable, Deadline, @matthewkeyslive, @jank0, @claireatki, @matthewkeyslive, @nicfildes, @richlightshed, @claireatki, @backlon, @chriswelch, Gizmodo, nexttv.com, Light Reading, Awful Announcing, Variety, The Wrap and Cord Cutters News
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
A look at Roku's experiment with original programming: acquiring shows at a fire-sale price instead of committing billions of dollars to original shows — Roku Sells You TV Dongles. So Why Is It Making TV Series? — When Cody Heller found out Roku was buying her show “Dummy,” she was thrilled.
Max Willens / Digiday:
Kantar: Medium spent <$500K on advertising in 2020; its publications asked for more marketing, but Medium couldn't make it seem like it favored its own content — For most of the past three years, Medium spared no expense producing content for its platform and its publications.
Discussion:
@sarahmarshall, @simonowens and The Fix
Sarah E. Needleman / Wall Street Journal:
Cameo, which now has 40,000 personalities, raises $100M from Vision Fund 2 and others at a $1B+ valuation, up from $300M in 2019 — The four-year-old video platform features more than 40,000 personalities but faces increased competition, potentially from Facebook
Discussion:
Variety, Axios, The Wrap, @mr312, @richlightshed, @mgsiegler, @wsj and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Reveal:
Federal judge dismisses Planet Aid's four year, multimillion-dollar libel lawsuit against Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting — After more than four years of fighting a multimillion-dollar libel lawsuit brought by international aid group Planet Aid, Reveal from The Center …
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @reveal, @emilyroseman1, @christacir, @vdbaranetsky, @jkealing, @achabel, @reveal and @inn
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