Top News:
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast and Charter launch a joint venture to develop a nationwide streaming platform that will use Comcast's Flex streaming tech and feature Xumo content — Comcast will license Flex, its aggregated streaming platform and hardware, and contribute streamer Xumo to the joint venture …
Discussion:
New York Times, Variety, Comcast, Ad Age, MediaPost, TechCrunch, Deadline, CNET, @benmullin, Engadget, @comcast, @alexweprin, Light Reading, The Verge, Media Play News, Cord Cutters News and Next TV
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify Q1: revenue rose 24% YoY to €2.66B, including €282M from ads, up 31% YoY; paid subs rose 15% YoY to 182M, despite losing 1.5M in Russia; stock down 12%+ — Spotify Technology SA has spent more than a billion dollars in an effort to become the No. 1 name in podcasting …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide, Billboard, Mediaite, Financial Times, @eldsjal, TechCrunch, Business Wire, Spotify, Investor's Business Daily, @ashleyrcarman, @pkafka, Reuters, @lucas_shaw, Axios, @kerrymflynn, Variety, @sarahintampa, The Verge, @spotifynews, @jonporty, The Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw, Engadget, Ad Age, @anthonyc3004, @ashleyrcarman and @anthonyc3004, more at Techmeme »
Dell Cameron / Gizmodo:
Twitter confirms banning the promotion of HBO documentary Q: Into the Storm in 2021 via its ad platform, alongside QAnon account removal and content limiting — Twitter told the director of “Q: Into the Storm” it had “made the decision not to allow promotion of this documentary” when he tried to advertise the film.
Discussion:
@dellcam, @bmarchetich, @mattmillsphoto, @cullenhoback, Newslit Daily, @blakersdozen, @justinhendrix, @rothschildmd, @jeremymbarr and @anthony, more at Techmeme »
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
YouTube starts testing ads on Shorts, including app-install ads and other promotions; Google says that Shorts now has 30B daily views — YouTube is testing advertisements on Shorts, its short-form video feature that competes with TikTok and Instagram, Google's chief business officer told investors on Tuesday.
Discussion:
MediaPost, PhoneArena, The Verge, Engadget and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Alphabet reports YouTube Q1 ad revenue of $6.87B, up 14% YoY but below estimates of $7.48B, and blames Q1 2021's “exceptional” direct response ad performance
Alphabet reports YouTube Q1 ad revenue of $6.87B, up 14% YoY but below estimates of $7.48B, and blames Q1 2021's “exceptional” direct response ad performance
Discussion:
The Wrap, MediaPost, CNBC, @stevekovach, Digiday, Music Ally, PhoneArena, Hollywood Reporter and Deadline
Megan Graham / Wall Street Journal:
Real-time TV ad measurement service iSpot.tv raises $325M from Goldman Sachs and says it had $75M in 2021 revenue, up from $51M in 2020 — The firm helps marketers track whether their ads spurred a visit to their website or a purchase. The new funding is the latest in a flurry of deals around TV ad metrics
Discussion:
Insider, iSpot.tv, Beet.TV, @stahura, Bloomberg, @megancgraham, @loupas, @zachservideo, @ispottv, GeekWire, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, @airgups23, Next TV, @nickcicero, Ad Age and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
The WHCA turned down an offer to install UV devices to fight transmission of the coronavirus at its dinner on Saturday, for which it has sold 2,600 tickets — White House correspondents rebuff proposal to install special lights to stop viral spread — More than 2,000 journalists …
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
BBC DG says it will cut the number of programs it makes and consider turning more stations into archive services, as it looks for £285M in annual savings — Tim Davie suggests more stations could become archive services, as he prepares to announce deep cuts
Jennifer Rankin / The Guardian:
The European Commission proposes measures to protect journalists and campaigners working to expose corruption and wrongdoing from “manifestly unfounded” SLAPPs — Anti-Slapp directive would also enable EU states to refuse to recognise judgments passed in UK
Discussion:
@mafevema, @jennifermerode, Reporters Without Borders and @uk_domain_names
Nicholas Diakopoulos / Columbia Journalism Review:
A deep dive into predictive journalism, the value of computational methods in news media, developing a responsible journalistic practice of prediction, and more — EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — Whether it's who is going to win an upcoming election, how a pandemic will unfold next month …
Discussion:
@janebsinger, @ndiakopoulos and @micahcohen
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Viacom 18, which runs several TV channels and streaming services in India, raises $1.78B led by Bodhi Tree, a partnership between James Murdoch and Uday Shankar — The Indian conglomerate Reliance and Viacom18 have inked a strategic partnership with Bodhi Tree, an “investment platform” …
Discussion:
Variety, @refsrc and Business Today
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
Sources: Twitch is considering cutting the revenue share for top creators in its partner program to 50%, from 70%, among other changes to boost its revenue — Twitch, the Amazon.com Inc.-owned live-streaming website, is weighing potential changes to how it pays top talent …
Discussion:
@zigzaggyzagg, @devinnash, @misspurplettv, @kuueater, @hanner, @tigerwritertv, @transscribe, Gizmodo, @geometric, @ifooya, @authorblues, @caseynewton, @wolfy2032, @carnage4life, Engadget, @somospostpc, @bigcheesekit, @froste, @nottheclick, @jjliebig, @cecianasta, @zachbussey, @cecianasta, @fredstreams and PC Gamer, more at Techmeme »
Amanda Darrach / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with Dean Baquet and Joe Kahn as Kahn succeeds Baquet as The New York Times' executive editor, on growing subscriptions, objectivity and democracy, and more — · Dean Baquet & Joe Kahn: What's next for the New York Times? — Last week, after years of public speculation on the matter …
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@voxshelby, @jayrosen_nyu, @ardenthistorian, @tzimmer_history, @sifill_ldf, @jamisonfoser, @vabvox, @neontaster, @adamdavidson, @moorehn, @keitholbermann, @vabvox, @transscribe, @nickkristof, @froomkin, @pcdunham, @tomwatson, @markhughesfilms, @ashtonpittman, @joeltrose, @froomkin, @owillis and @froomkin