Top News:
New York Times:
Justin and Ben Smith's Semafor raised $25M from Jessica Lessin, crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, and others, and plans to employ ~30 by its fall launch — The news start-up Semafor has raised $25 million from wealthy individuals, with a goal of cultivating direct relationships between its journalists and its audience.
Discussion:
@ashleevance, Mediaite, @semafor, @damemagazine, @owillis, @semaforben, @_cingraham, @kimmasters, @kimmasters, @froomkin, @hshaban, @athenae, @jonvankin, @keitholbermann, @jayrosen_nyu, @karlbode, @jeremymbarr, @mattgertz, @blackamazon, @oliverdarcy, @benmullin, @green_footballs, @soledadobrien, @_cingraham, @oliverdarcy, @ceciliakang, @dgisserious, @juwanthewriter, @mlcalderone, @semaforben, @davmicrot, @froomkin, @mattnegrin, @margarettalev, @scclemons, @owillis, @jason_kint, @mobute, @hbottemiller, @semaforben, @parkermolloy, @katie_robertson, @dceiver, @joshsternberg, @teddyschleifer, @taylorlorenz, @kadiagoba, @letsgomathias, @haleaziz, @samro, @elanazak, @tomgara, @grace_panetta, @goldengateblond, @benmullin, @benmullin and Washington Monthly
New York Times:
Sources: Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are divorcing; the split, his fourth, is unlikely to alter the structure of his businesses, with family stakes in a trust — The media mogul's fourth divorce is unlikely to change the ownership structure of Mr. Murdoch's empire, but it could reverberate …
Discussion:
Variety, Reuters, The Wrap, The Guardian, Insider, @benmullin, Vanity Fair, TMZ.com, RADAR, E! Online, @jamesdoleman, @ecareyo, @evanhandler, @pcd2009, @fakedansavage, @richsignorelli, The Daily Beast, @jyarow, @revrrlewis, @sarahkendzior, @davidfolkenflik, @nkulw, @kimmasters, @rumaan, @clydehaberman, @newsynick, @lbyock and National Zero
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter tests Twitter Notes with select users, for creating long-form content with rich text formatting and uploaded media that can be tweeted upon publishing — In what could be one of Twitter's more significant changes since doubling the character count from 140 to 280 characters …
Discussion:
@twitterwrite, Variety, Adweek, TechCrunch, Engadget, XDA Developers, Mashable India, Twitter Help Center, @mohanadelshieky, @grantrindner, @shivaroor, @mobute, @chrislaawrence, @venkatananth, @taylorlorenz, @kirawontmiss, @thefirstokiro, @ashleyksmalls, @adamjmoussa, AppleInsider, Gizmodo, @mgsiegler, Newslit Daily, @themojomissy, @dlberes, @davidellis, @eckhartsladder, @pressgazette, @oliverdarcy, @stammy, @lucas_jackson_, The Verge, RECHEIO, @jspector, @tomwarren, @robpilk, Search Engine Land and Android Police, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Google revamps News, elevating local news and fact checks; News returns to Spain after 7.5 years citing the country adopting EU copyright rules in November 2021 — Google News is relaunching in Spain almost eight years after it shut down to avoid paying publishers when the country introduced …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
PwC: in 2026, the US is expected to become the first major media market to see digital newspaper ad revenue surpass print newspaper ad revenue — The U.S. is expected to make history in 2026 when it becomes the first major media market in the world to see digital newspaper ad revenue eclipse …
Discussion:
@tatecurtis, #5SmartReads, @kenherts, What's New in Publishing, @blowryontv, @jbenton and @patricialclark
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Comcast and Google have emerged as the top contenders to help Netflix develop an ad-supported tier, and Netflix has discussed ad partnerships with Roku — Deals with the streaming company could include exclusive agreements and revenue-sharing — Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal …
Discussion:
Adweek, @asharma and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »
Paul Vieira / Wall Street Journal:
Canada's government approves legislation that would compel YouTube, TikTok, and streaming services to boost domestic content; the Senate votes on the bill next — Government says measures needed to foster growth in domestic cultural sector and make Canadian content more accessible
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @mgeist and @paulvieira
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The Economist's revenue grew 12% YoY in FY 2022 to £346.3M, with operating profit up 11% to £46.4M, its best since 2016, and it had 1,185,000 subscribers — The Economist had its most successful year financially since 2016 last year with profit up and record revenue, thanks to increased subscriptions.
Discussion:
Simon Owens's Media Newsletter
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
The Washington Post is offering a promotional digital news subscription for $50/year, locked in for the next 50 years; a normal subscription costs $100/year — Anyone who tells you they know what digital news will look like in 50 years is lying. But the Post — with an owner rich enough …
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @jbenton, @joelmmathis, @abtran, @josh_good_ and @kierankelly
Variety:
Sources: Netflix launched a charm offensive with top creators and agents, stressing its commitment to spending aggressively to make and market content — Netflix has a message for Hollywood: We're not broke. — In the wake of a massive stock slide triggered by a subscriber dip during the first quarter …
Discussion:
The Streamable, @dustyevely, @cinemavsdave and @brentalang
Rolling Stone:
Filmmaker Alex Holder, who followed the Trump family for a documentary over the last six weeks of his 2020 campaign, gave the footage to the January 6 committee — Former administration and campaign officials tell Rolling Stone they had no idea a film crew had months of access to the former president and his family
Discussion:
@alexjholder, New York Times, The Hill, Politico, @pbump, SheKnows, @maggienyt, Politico, Vanity Fair, NPR, Columbia Journalism Review, Insider, @pbump, @eugenedaniels2, @katiephang, @zcohencnn, @davidpepper, @markhertling, Mediaite, The Week, @gerryconway, @meridithmcgraw, @tribelaw, @rschooley and The Wrap
Todd Spangler / Variety:
PwC: subscription streaming video services in the US are projected to generate $25.32B in 2022 revenue, up 13% YoY but down from 2021's annual growth of 19.5% — Subscription streaming video is cooling down from torrid growth rates seen in 2020 and '21 — fueled by pandemic lockdowns …
Discussion:
Axios