Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Internal memo: CNN is closing its offices in the US to all nonessential employees as COVID-19 cases rise — President Jeff Zucker cited a surge of cases at the network in a memo on the decision — CNN is closing its offices to nonessential employees, network President Jeff Zucker told employees …
The Streamable:
Disney fails to reach a deal with YouTube TV, removing 17+ channels including ABC, Disney, ESPN, Freeform, and FX; YouTube TV drops its price to $49.99/month — After a year of bitter disputes with its partners, YouTube TV just took a gut-punch from one of the entertainment world's biggest titans.
Discussion:
The Verge, @youtubetv, Washington Post, @sprungonsports, CNN, Yahoo Sports, @jellis1016, @mrrseriously, @gregpinelo, @bostonradio2, @brentaxemedia, @lincolnowh, @aaronbrandt, @wxblakeharms, @312will, @maxwinebach, @phil_lewis_, @danrubenstein, @thenjmick, @kyleve, @hollyanderson, @cwmwrites, Cord Cutters News, @film_girl, @killedbygoogle, @trengriffin, Bloomberg, The Wrap and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »
Andy Maxwell / TorrentFreak:
Malaysia passes a bill to imprison illegal streaming pirates, primarily those involved in the provision or facilitation of illegal streams, for up to 20 years — Malaysia's House of Representatives has passed amendments to copyright law that will boost the country's deterrent …
Discussion:
Malaysiakini, Lowyat.NET and thesundaily.my, more at Techmeme »
Randall Lane / Forbes:
Forbes says two of its editors testified about two old stories in front of a New York grand jury investigating Trump, after fighting subpoenas for months — Almost three months ago, I was subpoenaed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to appear before the grand jury investigating Donald Trump.
Discussion:
@spj_tweets, Mediaite, @chasewithorn, @dianesbaker1, @randalllane, @randalllane, The Hill, Axios and Talking Biz News
Danny Leigh / Financial Times:
Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley on releasing Trolls World Tour online at the start of the pandemic, shrinking theatrical release windows, and more — Donna Langley only looks ahead. She moves at pace through the packed dining room of La Petite Maison, a French Mediterranean restaurant in a Mayfair side street.
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
NYT fires a Wirecutter editor for “repeatedly invoking the NYT's name in an unprofessional way” in messages she allegedly sent to a gun rights advocacy group — Erin Marquis, a staffer for the popular product-review site, had also lashed out at a gun-rights organization on Twitter.
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @jeremymbarr, New York Post, The Hill, Mediaite and Talking Biz News
Pew Research Center:
Analysis of news tweets from 500 US adults shows a focus on entertainment, politics, and sports; only 2% of news tweets had a hashtag, down from 34% in 2015 — Most Americans who use Twitter get news on the platform, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
Discussion:
@pewjournalism, @jenmercieca, @pewresearch, @pewjournalism, @pewresearch, @killedbygoogle, @spj_tweets, @pewjournalism, @asmitch and @jamcnn
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / Nieman Lab:
The news industry has neglected R&D and staff development for decades; Malaysiakini and South Africa's The Daily Maverick show how to do long-term investments — “The furniture industry seems able to invest in its future. Maybe we can, too?” — The news industry is a technology …
Jonathan Burgos / Forbes:
BandLab, a Singapore-based music creation platform letting artists collaborate and engage with fans, raises a $53M Series B at a $303M post-money valuation — BandLab—a Singapore-based digital platform for music creators—said it raised $53 million from a funding round that will help …
The Citizen Lab:
The phone of an exiled Egyptian TV news host was compromised in June using Cytrox's Predator spyware via a single-click link in a WhatsApp message — Key Findings — Two Egyptians—exiled politician Ayman Nour and the host of a popular news program (who wishes to remain anonymous) …
Discussion:
@ryp__, @dr_ulrichsen, @laughing_mantis, @sarahleah1, @ngleicher, @evacide, Cyber Defence News …, ScreenRant, TechCrunch, NPR, Bloomberg, The Guardian and The Daily Beast
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:
Interview with former NYT reporter Nina Bernstein on traditional news media's “tics and timidities” that impoverish reporting out of a fear of taking sides — Nina Bernstein was covering homelessness for the New York Times in 1999 when then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced …
Gavin Bridge / Variety:
A record 1,923 original series were released across TV and streaming services in 2021, beating the previous high of 1,628 in 2019 — - 2021 saw a record number of original series across TV & streaming — Subscription streaming is now the platform with the largest number of original shows
Discussion:
@sportstvratings, @variety and The Streamable