Top News:
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Sources: Clubhouse is in talks to raise funding from investors in a round valuing the business at about $4B, following its reported valuation of ~$1B in January — Clubhouse, the buzzy audio-based social network, is in talks to raise funding from investors in a round valuing the business …
Discussion:
@joshsternberg, @dgisserious, @paul__armstrong, @justinhendrix, @scottnover, @chrismessina, @jacobwolf, @profgalloway, @mhbergen, @jeffjarvis, @levynews, @ericbahn, @rolandsmartin, @jamespindell, @thekenyeung, @jaykapoornyc, @exavierpope, @pkafka, Gizmodo, @alexrkonrad and @mcwm, more at Techmeme »
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Up until this point, White House reporters have faced a lack of leaks from the Biden administration, a sharp contrast to Trump's tenure — After two and a half months of Joe Biden's presidency, something is missing from the news coverage of his administration: Leaks.
Discussion:
This Is a Newsletter, @erichaywood, @wilson__valdez, @farhip, @brianstelter, @nickconfessore, @jayrosen_nyu, Raw Story, @froomkin, @jayrosen_nyu, @drvolts, @msignorile, @shannonfreshour, @msignorile, @tomlevenson, @davidnir, @haleaziz, UPROXX, @wfkars, @asteadwesley, It's The Mileage and Insider
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
English is the most spoken language in the EU, so UK-centric outlets dominate how the EU is represented; more English-language analysis by EU writers is needed — We've written often about the sense of dislocation brought about by the switch from local, analog news sources to national, digital ones.
Bloomberg:
Sources: Meredith is working with a financial adviser on a potential sale of its 17 TV stations, which would let the conglomerate focus on its magazine division — Meredith Corp. is considering selling its television stations, according to people familiar with the matter …
Discussion:
The Desk
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
YouTube says that 18 out of every 10K views in Q4 2020 were of videos that violate its policies, down from 72 out of every 10K views in Q4 2017 — ‘Violative View Rate’ fell steeply after 2017 — YouTube wants the world to know that it's doing a better job than ever of enforcing its own moderation rules.
Discussion:
Washington Post, YouTube Official Blog, Variety, ScreenRant, Neowin and The Economic Times, more at Techmeme »
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
eMarketer says that Amazon's share of the US digital ad market grew to 10.3% in 2020 from 7.8% in 2019 and estimates that revenue grew to $15.73B, up 52.5% YoY — Company chips away at market leader Google as its search ad business continues to grow — Amazon. com Inc.'s share …
Discussion:
AdExchanger, @juokaz and MediaPost
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Kansas City's Northeast News received $3K+ in donations and new advertisers after printing a blank front page to show readers what they'd miss if it folded — NEW YORK (AP) — Stories are back on the cover of Kansas City's Northeast News this week after the newspaper intentionally printed …
Discussion:
@rebekahlsanders, What's New in Publishing and American Press Institute
Paul Sandle / Reuters:
UK launches the Digital Markets Unit, tasked with halting anticompetitive acts by Big Tech, starting with platform relationships with publishers and advertisers — LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's new regulator for tech giants Facebook and Google launches on Wednesday with an initial remit …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
Tim Peterson / Digiday:
Sources: Roku has been pitching ad agencies to sponsor Roku Recommends, 5-7 minute videos promoting programming available across its connected TV platform — Roku is preparing to debut a new promotional product that has not only piqued advertisers' interest but will also likely please streaming services.
Discussion:
The Desk, Insider and @ericjhonsa
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK's Telegraph is creating 60 jobs in the first half of 2021 as it surpasses 600K subscribers and aims for 1M subscribers by 2023 — The Telegraph is investing millions of pounds in its newsroom, creating 60 jobs in the first half of 2021. — The investment comes after The Telegraph's …
Discussion:
@jasonbyephoto, @pressgazette, @hermida, @cotswoldeditor1, @jinnovationcity, @duncanhooper, @leindanny and @shonaghosh
Steven Goldstein / Amplifi Media:
Apple podcast data indicates that there are 2M podcasts, but of those, 26% only have one episode, 44% have three or fewer, and only 36% have 10+ episodes — Today's post breaks down the numbers of how many podcasts you're actually up against. — It seems everyone has a podcast. Or do they?
Discussion:
@sjgoldstein, @simonowens, @ekaycbs and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
Poynter:
Report for America says its partners raised ~$5M in local support in 2020, mostly from new donors, and 61% more per reporter than the year before — Communities lead the way in supporting local journalism and other causes, even when resources are fewer. — As Report for America embarked …
Discussion:
@ramsammy, @poynter, @pennyriordan1, @poynter, @report4america and American Press Institute