Top News:
Jason Guerrasio / Insider:
MoviePass is “exploring the possibility of relaunching soon” after a bankruptcy judge granted co-founder Stacy Spikes ownership of the company — - MoviePass cofounder Stacy Spikes has bought back the company. — His bid was approved by a Southern District of New York bankruptcy court judge on Monday.
Discussion:
Variety, Fast Company, CNET, 9to5Mac, @harrymccracken, The Wrap, ScreenRant, @jasonguerrasio, IndieWire, The Verge, The Week, Engadget, Gizmodo, Protocol, @richardlnewby, @russellhfilm, The A.V. Club, @leibel, @caitiedelaney, SlashFilm, @nikkimcr, @s_m_i, @ashleylcarter1, @jasonguerrasio, @erinisaway, @franklinleonard, @mikelennial, @martinsfp and Gawker
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Universal Music Group says it is creating a “band” called Kingship out of four Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs and plans to feature them in video games, VR, and more — Kingship, consisting of four virtual apes, reimagines the idea of a band — and a brand
Discussion:
CNET, Insider, @deankissick, @lucas_shaw, @grady_booch, @lucas_shaw, @dbreunig, @technology, @somafm, @danielgothits, @barry, @loopifyyy, @athertonkd, @jjhlane, @nathanchubbard, @alexhern, @alexia, @markdistef and @grrlmusic, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify acquires audiobook distributor Findaway and says it expects the deal to close in Q4 2021 — In an effort to expand beyond music, Spotify has been investing hundreds of millions to build out its podcasts business. Now the company has set its sights on another form of audio …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Patreon CEO Jack Conte says the service is building native video hosting, which would reduce creators' reliance on YouTube — CEO Jack Conte: 'We're building a video product' — This story is part of a group of stories called — Patreon is building a video hosting solution and native player.
Discussion:
@fb_bmb, Engadget, @theryanford, hotpodnews.com and @backlon, more at Techmeme »
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Streamers are seeking out unscripted TV, including documentaries and reality TV, as a cheaper and popular alternative to the prestige shows they first produced — Netflix has grown into the world's biggest buyer of unscripted programming. Its competitors are following suit.
Discussion:
@hoff and @lucas_shaw
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
CBS says viewers watched 166.7B minutes of its programming since September, using the metric associated with streamers to show broadcast TV's continued strength — CBS touts its strength in the metric most associated with streamers, so THR decided to check the network's claims.
Discussion:
@rickporter and Variety
Ernesto Van der Sar / TorrentFreak:
The history of torrent site The Pirate Bay will be made into a six-part TV drama for Swedish public broadcaster SVT, with production starting in fall 2022 — The inception and early years of The Pirate Bay are an intriguing chapter of the Internet's history.
Austin Smith / Alley:
The Alley Group spins out Lede, offering revenue-sharing subscription, newsletter, podcast, and ad tools for journalist-led publishers, with Burt Herman as CEO — Journalist, entrepreneur, and leading thinker on the future of journalism, Burt Herman, driving the vision for new company.
Discussion:
@ckrewson, @pilhofer, @digidave, @arctictony, @burtherman and @alleyco
Sohee Kim / Bloomberg:
South Korean K-pop management agency Hybe partners with crypto exchange Dunamu to create a US platform for NFTs, including of BTS members, launching next year — Hybe Co., which last week announced a new blockchain business offering digital assets, is already contemplating expanding …
Discussion:
South China Morning Post, Blockchain News, allkpop and NME
Lara O'Reilly / Insider:
Sources: the CEO and finance director of Finecast, GroupM's connected-TV ad network, have left the company after an investigation of a whistleblower complaint — - The CEO and finance director at WPP ad agency Finecast have left the company. — The pair had recently been suspended …
Discussion:
@larakiara
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Minute Media, owner of Players' Tribune, acquires Israeli publishing tech company Wazimo, which helps media companies obtain and monetize first-party data — Minute Media, a holding group that owns digital sports and entertainment websites like Players' Tribune and The Big Lead …
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Vice suspends Max Clark, a fashion editor at UK's i-D magazine, following accusations by more than a dozen women that he sent sexually inappropriate messages — Exclusive: Max Clark accused of sending inappropriate messages to more than a dozen women — A top executive at one of the UK's …