Top News:
Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
Discovery says it has 18M subscribers, most on Discovery+, reports Q2 net income of $672M on revenue of $3.06B, up 21% YoY; US ad revenue grew 12% YoY to $1.1B — Discovery surpassed financial expectations in the second quarter of 2021, when advertising sales and growth at Discovery+ made for a solid three-month period.
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The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Streamable, MediaPost, WORLD SCREEN, The Streamable, Variety, The Wrap, nexttv.com, @kelseymsutton, @loudmouthjulia and @alexweprin
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Knight Foundation:
Knight Foundation announces Jim Brady as VP/Journalism; Brady has worked at WaPo, Digital First Media, and founded Spirited Media — Jim Brady will be VP/Journalism — Heidi Barker will be VP/Communications and Chief DEI Officer — Digital news leader Jim Brady will join the John S …
Discussion:
@knightfdn, @jimbrady, @raju, @sewellchan, @jenniferpreston, @froomkin, @jeffjarvis, @vivian and @ckrewson
Leonard Greene / New York Daily News:
A staffer sues Fox News saying Andrew Napolitano sexually harassed him and Larry Kudlow made racist and sexist remarks; Fox has “parted ways” with Napolitano — Fox Business host Larry Kudlow repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks during staff meetings and even blocked …
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Supreme Court of the State of New York County of New York, Talking Biz News, Mediaite, Breitbart, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, @owillis, The Week, Columbia Journalism Review, @nydailynews, Newser, HuffPost, Deadline, Insider, @jaywillis, @deanobeidallah, @jeremymbarr, TVNewser, Variety, Law & Crime and ResetEra
Lauren Easton / Associated Press:
Daisy Veerasingham named president and CEO of The Associated Press, becoming the first woman, person of color, and foreign citizen to lead the outlet — NEW YORK - The Associated Press today named Daisy Veerasingham as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, The Hill, Reuters, The Wrap, Poynter, @dsupervilleap, @jpacedc and @sarafischer
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter partners with Reuters and the AP, who will provide context and highlight links from trusted sources for Trends, Moments, Search, and more — Twitter announced today it's partnering with news organizations The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters to expand its efforts focused …
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Belarusian journalist given 18 months for insulting Lukashenko; human rights org reports 200+ July raids on offices and homes of activists and journalists — A Belarusian journalist has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of insulting the country's authoritarian leader …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
For the first time, a film distributor will debut a movie on Facebook via a live ticketed event; the documentary “The Outsider” will launch on August 19 — For the first time ever, a film distributor will use Facebook to debut a movie exclusively via a ticketed live event, executives tell Axios.
Discussion:
The Streamable and Variety
J. Clara Chan / Hollywood Reporter:
On-demand movie and TV service FandangoNow has merged with video streaming service Vudu, which will become Roku's official movie and TV store — The updated Vudu service will have more than 200,000 titles to rent or buy — including features on Disney+ like ‘Black Widow.’
Discussion:
MediaPost, Cord Cutters News, Decider and FierceVideo
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost:
ViacomCBS announces a multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications, which will now gain access to Paramount+, Showtime OTT, and Pluto TV — ViacomCBS announced a new multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications that includes greater access to ViacomCBS's streaming services …
Discussion:
Radio & Television …
Miranda Sawyer / The Guardian:
Some podcasters worry about the impact of huge investment into the industry, led by Spotify and Amazon, especially on indie shows — As big spenders such as Amazon and Spotify fill our ears with more commercial, celebrity-driven fare, can grassroots, diverse shows survive?
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
YouTube will pay creators up to $10K/month for making original videos on YouTube Shorts, starting in 10 regions this month and paid out of its $100M Shorts Fund — YouTube's $100 million Shorts Fund launches this month — YouTube will pay creators up to $10,000 per month for making popular videos …
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The Wrap, TechCrunch, Variety, The Verge, @reckless, @alexeheath and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
WarnerMedia and LG reach an agreement to distribute HBO Max on recent-model LG smart TVs in the US — More than a year after HBO Max debuted, LG Electronics USA and WarnerMedia reached a deal to distribute the HBO Max app on recent-model LG smart TVs in the U.S.
Discussion:
The Streamable, The Verge and Cord Cutters News
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
The White House and some states are teaming up with influencers on TikTok and Instagram to encourage vaccine uptake in young people and counter misinformation — The White House has teamed up with TikTok stars, while some states are paying “local micro influencers” for pro-vaccine campaigns.
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