Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Medium founder Evan Williams says he is stepping down as CEO, to be replaced by Tony Stubblebine, and plans to start a new holding company and research lab — Mr. Williams, the company's founder and a co-founder of Twitter and Blogger, said in a post that he planned to start a new holding company and research lab.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Ev Williams, @ev, @dlberes, @jeffjarvis, @rafat, @iankar_, @mgsiegler, @nbashaw, @caseynewton, @kerrymflynn, @mgsiegler and @ev, more at Techmeme »
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Seven news outlets in Georgia, all led by POC and targeted at Black, Hispanic, or Asian-American audiences, receive a combined $2M from The Pivot Fund — “You can call these rural parts of the state news deserts. But in these deserts are oases.” — Seven nonpartisan news outlets in Georgia …
Discussion:
@tmpowell, The Pivot Fund, @jenniferbrandel, @mitrakalita, @jenniferpreston, @dicktofel, @aliciacbell and The Rural Blog
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Google says YouTube TV has 5M+ subscribers, including free trial users, making it the US' biggest internet pay TV provider and fifth-largest TV distributor — Google says YouTube TV has surpassed 5 million accounts — making it the U.S.'s biggest internet-based pay TV service.
Discussion:
YouTube Official Blog, Deadline, @susanwojcicki, The Streamable, TechCrunch and @nealmohan
J. Clara Chan / Hollywood Reporter:
Spotify acquires Heardle, describing the music trivia game inspired by Wordle as a “tool for musical discovery”, and plans to keep it as a standalone site — The game, which challenges users to identify a song based on short audio clips, will remain free to play for users.
Discussion:
Axios, Spotify, Variety, Billboard, Deadline, The Verge, Adweek, PC Gamer, @starfire2258, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, CNBC, UPROXX, @kerrymflynn, CNET, Rolling Stone, @spotifynews, The Wrap, @mrdiscopop, @loudmouthjulia, Music Business Worldwide and Consequence, more at Techmeme »
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
The BBC reports record income of £5.33B, of which £3.8B came from the license fee, and a surplus of £206M for the 2021-2022 period — The BBC has declared a record income of £5.33 billion ($6.4 billion) for the 2021/2022 period, up from £5.06 billion last year, and a surplus of £206 billion.
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Aisha Majid / Press Gazette:
BBC reports a media gender pay gap of 5.9% in 2021-2022, up from 5.2% a year ago, a 1.6% pay gap for BAME, up from 0%, and 5.9% for people with disabilities — Forty BBC on-air journalists made more than £150,000 last year, according to the corporation's 2022 annual report.
Discussion:
@pressgazette, @pressgazette and @blackamazon
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Disney and The Trade Desk announce an agreement to let brands target automated ads across Disney properties with data matched on the backend from both companies — Disney has reached an agreement with The Trade Desk, a global ad tech company, that makes it possible for brands …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Variety, Adweek, Ad Age, Next TV, @aripap, @disneyadsales, @thetradedesk, @digitalshields, AdExchanger, @sarafischer, @kerrymflynn, @aaron, @eric_seufert, @mediumbuying and @liebermanaustin
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The Information is launching a social network for subscribers, which will include user profiles, a directory, DMs, and a news-feed like page — The Information is rolling out a series of features designed to make it easier for its network of influential tech and business subscribers to connect …
Discussion:
The Information, @heetermaria, The Information and @jessicalessin
Axios:
In H1 2022, US cable news viewership fell 19% YoY, news app sessions for the top 12 publishers fell 16% YoY, and visits to the top 5 news sites fell 18% YoY — Engagement with news content has plunged during the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2021 and in some cases has fallen below pre-pandemic levels.
David Shepardson / Reuters:
A US court struck down an FCC rule forcing broadcasters to check sponsors' identities, imposed after concerns that foreigners were buying time to air propaganda — A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday struck down a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirement that broadcasters check federal sources to verify sponsors' identities.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, @annalecta and Radio & Television …
Ben Strauss / Washington Post:
Profile of ESPN's NFL “insider” Adam Schefter, who delivers scoops, has 10M Twitter followers, and buys sources holiday gifts written off as business expenses — Even after a string of controversies, Schefter's star is only rising at ESPN. No pictures, please. — Listen
Discussion:
@sopandeb, @benjstrauss, @avkingjames, @dannyoneil, @ddiamond, @ihartitz, @jimmytraina, New York Post, Sports Illustrated, @mathewi, @ejleven, @ichotiner, @sopandeb, @nikdecostaklipa, @howelloneill, @brianstelter, @chrsbakr, ProFootballTalk, @jayrosen_nyu, @bykatherineross and @timmarchman
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
The Evening Standard, which relies on ads for 90% of its revenue, reports revenue of £28M in 2021, down 36% YoY, with a loss of £14M, down from £17M in 2020 — Evgeny Lebedev's London freesheet reports £14m loss for last year as Covid continues to hit advertising
Discussion:
Press Gazette