Top News:
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:
Vice has another round of layoffs, and sources say the cuts affect Vice Digital and Refinery29 employees in North America, with fewer than 20 let go — Vice Media saw another round of layoffs Thursday, just weeks after declaring a pivot to video content. According to one source with knowledge …
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CNBC:
Axel Springer agrees to acquire Politico, the remaining 50% share in Politico Europe, and Protocol; sources say the deal is worth around $1B — - German publisher Axel Springer plans to acquire digital media site Politico. — The deal is worth about $1 billion, according to a person familiar with the situation.
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Forbes:
Forbes is going public via SPAC at a valuation of $630M; the transaction is expected to close in late 2021 or early 2022 — ● Combination will enable Forbes to further capitalize on its successful digital transformation, pursue additional growth opportunities and fully recognize …
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Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple launches News Partner Program, which lowers commissions on in-app purchases to 15% for news publishers who participate in Apple News — Apple today is launching a new program that will allow subscription news organizations that participate in the Apple News app and meet certain requirements …
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The Verge, CNBC, AppleInsider, Apple and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
Media figures have privileged the victims of American withdrawal from Afghanistan over those of American intervention even in straight news coverage — America's withdrawal from Afghanistan has yet to cost our nation a single casualty. Evacuations of U.S. citizens and allies from Kabul's airport …
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Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Researchers say YouTube, which attracts less scrutiny than Facebook or Twitter, is a hard platform to study because video is so difficult to analyze in bulk — While Facebook and Twitter take the brunt of backlashes over misinformation and ‘censorship,’ the Google-owned video giant has often laid low.
Ian Burrell / inews.co.uk:
UK newspaper groups are adding local news sites and reaching places historically served by their rivals in order to attract national advertising — ANALYSISThe era of the local news monopoly is over, with publishers setting up digital operations to challenge their rivals
Joan E. Solsman / CNET:
Netflix is testing games in its Android app in Poland, starting with two existing Stranger Things games — Playing on Netflix's mobile app is new, but the games themselves — two pixelated Stranger Things games — have already been available off Netflix for years.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Polygon, The Verge, Protocol and Decider, more at Techmeme »
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
WarnerMedia is ending distribution of CNN International on UK's Virgin Media, BT, and Freesat; viewers will have to pay £2/month for streaming service CNN Live — A global variant of AT&T WarnerMedia's news channel CNN will no longer be available on British cable television systems starting next month.
Discussion:
Broadband TV News
The Wire:
Yahoo says it is shutting down content operations in India as of Thursday due to the country's new regulations limiting foreign ownership of digital media — New Delhi: Online tech giant Yahoo is shutting down its content operations in India, a decision that the company says is due to changes in regulatory laws in the country.
Discussion:
Hindustan Times and @shakirmir
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap:
ESPN takes Rachel Nichols off its NBA programming and cancels her show The Jump, after controversy over her comments about now-former colleague Maria Taylor — ESPN is taking Rachel Nichols off its NBA programming, which includes canceling her daytime show “The Jump.”
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New York Times:
Sources: Facebook has approached experts about forming an advisory body for how it handles global election matters, including political ads and misinformation — The social network has contacted academics to create a group to advise it on thorny election-related decisions, said people with knowledge of the matter.
Discussion:
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