Top News:
Max Willens / Digiday:
Medium says its Partner Program has 200,000+ enrollees as it launches a referral program that will give participants a ~50% cut of new subscriber revenue — As the creator services arms race intensifies across digital media, Medium is hoping to stand out by sharing more of its spoils with a smaller …
Discussion:
@maxwillens, 3 min read, @realbengilbert, @ahmetasabanci, @rebeccatee, @mattnavarra, @caleweissman, @mclendaniel and TechCrunch
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Center for Public Integrity's new CEO Paul Cheung and EIC Matt DeRienzo on CPI's plans for a membership program, diversified revenue strategy, and more — “I'm not worried about the journalism. But if you don't have the business and technical infrastructure to support the journalism, then it's just not going to thrive."
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @sarahscire, @aaronmehta, @jbenton and @jbenton
Vanessa Gera / Associated Press:
Poland's parliament passes a bill that could force Discovery, owner of Poland's TVN network, to sell its holdings, in a move viewed as a blow to media freedom — WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner …
CNBC:
Snap creators say they are leaving Snapchat's Spotlight feature as payments have dried up after June 1, with some moving to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — - Creators say they're leaving Snapchat's Spotlight feature after payments on the service had dried up.
Discussion:
The Drum and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The New York Times is launching seven subscriber-only opinion newsletters and making 11 other existing newsletters exclusive to subscribers beginning August 16 — The New York Times is rolling out a slew of new, subscriber-only newsletters from news and opinion writers.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, New York Times, @nbj914, @nbj914, @jakesherman, Bloomberg and @lucas_shaw
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
Quartz says it has 27,000 members, up 71% YoY, and is set to generate $3M+ in subscription revenue in 2021, as it refocuses subscription program on newsletters — Quartz is making changes to its three-year-old subscription program, with a new focus on its email newsletters after the publisher found …
Discussion:
What's New in Publishing, @dabeard and @zseward
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Reddit raises $410M+ led by Fidelity Investments at a $10B+ valuation, up from $6B six months ago when it raised $250M; the new round could reach $700M — Reddit, the virtual town square of the consumer internet, has raised a fresh $410 million in funding, valuing it at more than $10 billion, the company said on Thursday.
Discussion:
The Verge, Upvoted, Variety and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Clara Hernanz Lizarraga / Bloomberg:
Lionel Messi's exclusive interview with a Twitch influencer following his move to Paris shows how sports programming is shifting steadily to streaming platforms — - Interview after star's Paris move is a coup for the Amazon app — Clubs working with influencers to tap new generation of fans
Discussion:
Beyond Search, @adrianweckler, @risj_oxford, @tzm_tmt and @mattnavarra
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
VerSe Innovation, parent of news aggregator Dailyhunt and short video app Josh, raises $450M+ Series I, five months after raising $200M — VerSe Innovation, the parent firm of popular news aggregator Dailyhunt and short video app Josh, said on Thursday it has raised over $450 million …
Discussion:
The Economic Times, Business Insider, Tech in Asia, musically.com and The Tech Portal, more at Techmeme »
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Interview with Facebook ad exec Graham Mudd on Facebook's plans to enhance privacy in its ads, regulation, Apple's ad tracking prompt, Google's FLoC, and more — A ‘very meaningful pivot’ is underway inside the world's largest social network — Facebook's massive business was built on its ability to track users across the internet.
Discussion:
@samfbiddle, @alexeheath, @astaniscia86, @hamburger, @mattprd, @giladedelman, @eric_seufert, @chrismessina, @alexeheath, @willoremus, @simonjharris, @mattnavarra, @reckless, @moonalice, @niemanlab, @charlesarthur, @lanceulanoff, @kevinbankston, AppleInsider and About Facebook, more at Techmeme »
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Disney to pay Lionsgate nearly $10M to launch Star Plus in Brazil after local judge said the name sounded too similar to Lionsgate's streaming service StarzPlay — The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to Lionsgate for the right to use the “Star Plus” branding for a streaming service set to launch in Brazil.
Natasha Ishak / Nieman Lab:
A look at the Twitter account Writers of Color, started by a group of journalists to politely shame publications about pay transparency — As a freelancer and journalist of color, I use many sources to find jobs, but the Writers of Color account on Twitter has become one of my favorite go-tos.
Discussion:
@writersofcolor, @writersofcolor, @writersofcolor, @laurahazardowen, bookforum.com and What's New in Publishing
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