Top News:
Emily Baker-White / Forbes:
Documents show TikTok parent ByteDance surveilled Forbes journalists and former BuzzFeed employees Emily Baker-White, Katharine Schwab, and Richard Nieva — ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists' physical location using their IP addresses, as first reported by Forbes in October.
Discussion:
Financial Times, @sarahnemerson, El País, @brucedaisley, @rlheinrichs, @kevincollier, @zichenwanghere, @choeshow, @ebakerwhite, @malwarejake, @congressmanraja, @mshannahmurphy, @forbes, @anoushasakoui, Ars Technica, @stevemur, @sarahemclaugh, @adhutchinson, @brianroemmele, @deftechpat, @jbarro, @geoffrey_cain, @kimzetter, @fmanjoo, @ihnatko, @matthewstoller, @charlesarthur, @johnpaczkowski, @runasand, @bing_chris, @niubi, @marietjeschaake, @eriqgardner, @hatr, @mattgarrahan, @badiucao, @binarybits, @ebakerwhite, @runasand, @genic0n, @birdyword, @brendancarrfcc, @tjmanotoc, @congressmanraja, @banditelli, Reclaim The Net, Boing Boing and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Sarah Emerson / @sarahnemerson: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists' physical location using their IP addresses, as first reported by @ebakerwhite in October. Specifically, the company tracked my colleagues Emily Baker-White, @richardjnieva, and @SchwabKatharine https://www.forbes.com/...
Luis Pablo Beauregard / El País: TikTok spied on ‘Forbes’ journalists investigating the social network in the US
Bruce Daisley / @brucedaisley: This is a huge story. TikTok is already being eyed suspiciously in Congress. There's going to be increasing pressure for it to be banned in 2023. https://twitter.com/...
Rebeccah Heinrichs / @rlheinrichs: “...ByteDance tracked multiple Forbes journalists as part of this covert surveillance campaign, which was designed to unearth the source of leaks inside the company following a drumbeat of stories exposing the company's ongoing links to China.” - Forbes https://www.forbes.com/...
Kevin Collier / @kevincollier: This is downright scandalous. Significantly more damning than anything in the Twitter files. More overt abuse of access to users' data from a tech company than anything I can think of in recent memory. https://www.ft.com/...
Zichen Wang / @zichenwanghere: Any clear-minded observer will have to call it: It's over. ByteDance will (have to) sell at least its U.S. business. It's just unbelievable that the last straw came from self-inflicted harm, which sealed its fate. https://www.ft.com/...
Jonathan Choe Journalist / @choeshow: READ IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING TIKTOK: And I just started getting some serious traction with my videos on @tiktok. 🙃🤷🏽♂️ https://twitter.com/...
Emily Baker-White / @ebakerwhite: ByteDance used TikTok to track my location — and the locations of two of my colleagues — to try to find our sources. We reported on this back in October, but kept things vague to protect sources. Today ByteDance admitted it, so we can say much more: https://www.forbes.com/...
Jake Williams / @malwarejake: I believe this is what we'll refer to as “the thing that finally changed minds about the threat posed by TikTok.” https://twitter.com/...
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / @congressmanraja: Wow - and now this. More alarming news re: ByteDance's handling of user data from TikTok. https://twitter.com/...
Hannah Murphy / @mshannahmurphy: TikTok owner ByteDance has admitted it inappropriately obtained the data of users - including that of my Financial Times colleague @CristinaCriddle - in order to analyse their location as part of an internal leaks investigation https://www.ft.com/...
@forbes: “We will continue to do the work we need to do to keep the public informed...If TikTok had their way, nobody would've known about this,” @RandallLane says, about ByteDance confirming it used TikTok to monitor Forbes journalists' physical location. https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica: TikTok cops to running “covert surveillance campaign” on Western journalists
@stevemur: Trust is earned in drops, but lost in buckets. Use TikTok? Just know they have no problem tracking/searching location data and IP addresses for internal use. https://www.forbes.com/...
Sarah McLaughlin / @sarahemclaugh: ByteDance employees used TikTok to track multiple journalists to try to uncover their sources. Gotta say this looks pretty bad! https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Hutchinson / @adhutchinson: Odds of TikTok being banned in the US just rose to ‘likely’ https://twitter.com/...
Brian Roemmele / @brianroemmele: “TikTok Spied On Forbes Journalists”—2022 “TikTok is being unfairly persecuted by conspiracy theorists”—2019 https://www.forbes.com/...
Patrick Tucker / @deftechpat: They hope you won't care, but you should https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: Don't trust communist China! https://twitter.com/...
Geoffrey Cain / @geoffrey_cain: If TikTok is spying on @Forbes, you can bet they'll spy on you too. https://www.forbes.com/...
Kim Zetter / @kimzetter: Pretty explosive. “ByteDance..parent company of..TikTok, found that employees tracked... journalists covering the company, improperly gaining access to their IP addresses and user data in an attempt to identify whether they had been in the same locales as ByteDance employees” https://twitter.com/...
Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo: Reporters get documents showing TikTok's China team can spy on Americans. TikTok says that's not even possible. TikTok's China team then **spies on the reporters.** Reporters get docs showing they were spied on. TikTok says it's shocked, shocked! https://www.forbes.com/...
Andy Ihnatko / @ihnatko: Very relevant to this morning's discussion of TikTok on @BosPublicRadio - Forbes' @ebakerwhite goes into great detail on how TikTok surveilled her and other journalists, as confirmed today by TikTok's parent company. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Just ban TikTok already https://twitter.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: “EXCLUSIVE: TikTok Spied On Forbes Journalists” - and other journalists. This is explosive for TikTok (and parent ByteDance): makes all its assurances about data access completely empty. Regulation/lawsuits sure to follow. https://www.forbes.com/...
John Paczkowski / @johnpaczkowski: “Forbes first reported the surveillance tactics, which were overseen by a China-based team at ByteDance, in October...TikTok did not deny the surveillance, but took to Twitter after the story was published to say that 'TikTok has never been used to “target” people. https://twitter.com/...
Runa Sandvik / @runasand: ByteDance used TikTok to monitor journalists' physical location in an attempt to identify whether they had been in the same locales as the company's employees. https://www.forbes.com/...
Chris Bing / @bing_chris: “The investigation, internally known as ***Project Raven***, began this summer after BuzzFeed News published a story revealing that China-based ByteDance employees had repeatedly accessed U.S. user data, based on more than 80 hours of audio recordings of internal TikTok meetings” https://twitter.com/...
Bill Bishop / @niubi: TikTok admits tracking FT journalist in leaks investigation https://www.ft.com/... 2 members of staff in US and 2 in China gained access to IP addresses and other personal data of FT journalist Cristina Criddle, to work out if she was in the proximity of any ByteDance employees
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Unfortunately I can believe this which is why I've stayed away from TikTok https://twitter.com/...
Hakan / @hatr: “improperly gaining access to their IP addresses and user data in an attempt to identify whether they had been in the same locales as ByteDance employees.” After initial story ran in Oct' 20, ByteDance denied essence of reporting. Apparently they lied. https://www.forbes.com/...
Matthew Garrahan / @mattgarrahan: Outrageous: TikTok has admitted using its app to track the movements of two journalists reporting on the company, including the FT's Cristina Criddle, who delivered fearless reporting about problems at its commerce unit https://www.ft.com/...
@badiucao: TikTok is a spying tool for Beijing. legislations around world should ban it asap. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@binarybits: Ban TikTok. (And follow Emily! Her reporting has been amazing.) https://twitter.com/...
Emily Baker-White / @ebakerwhite: And now, TikTok confirmed what it weakly tried to deny in October: that ByteDance targeted and tracked me and my colleagues to thwart our reporting. It didn't work. Needless to say we are staying on this beat. Tip me via signal or email (in bio)! https://www.forbes.com/...
Runa Sandvik / @runasand: Unlike U.S. tech companies that have done similar in the past, ByteDance did admit to using TikTok to monitor journalists' locations. But missing from this Forbes piece is what the company intends to do to prevent it from happening again. https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@genic0n: so when @zachsdorfman reported in 3 separate @ForeignPolicy articles that ByteDance servers were being used to roll up the CIA's foreign informant network via PII leaks and nobody listened.... must not be a big deal https://twitter.com/...
Mike Bird / @birdyword: Two members of staff in the US and two in China gained access to the IP addresses and other personal data of FT journalist Cristina Criddle, to work out if she was in the proximity of any ByteDance employees, the company said. https://www.ft.com/...
Brendan Carr / @brendancarrfcc: This is TikTok on its best behavior This is TikTok while in the midst of negotiations with U.S. officials—when it has every incentive to safeguard data This is TikTok spying on journalists This should be the final nail in the coffin for the idea that the U.S. can trust TikTok https://twitter.com/...
TJ Manotoc / @tjmanotoc: Damn. It's getting real 😳 https://twitter.com/...
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / @congressmanraja: This news only underscores the need to pass our recently-introduced bipartisan ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act. For more on why we need to pass this bill, read this: https://www.dailyherald.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Parker / Reclaim The Net: TikTok spied on US journalists and other US users, monitored their location
Rob Beschizza / Boing Boing: Tik Tok kept Financial Times reporter under surveillance
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News: TikTok spied on Forbes journalists
RELATED:
Cecilia Kang / New York Times:
ByteDance fired four employees after finding in a probe they accessed data on US TikTok users, including reporters, while trying to learn the sources of a story — The company's internal investigation showed that workers also obtained data on a small number of other U.S. users.
Discussion:
@ebakerwhite, Observer, The Verge, @richardjnieva, @johnpaczkowski, @schwabkatharine, @katienotopoulos, @kantrowitz, @journalistslike, @redsteeze, Al Jazeera, @forbes, @alexeheath, @semaforben, @cathymcmorris, @alexeheath, The Desk, @kyliebytes, @lauferlaw, @ewong, @jdiamond1, @kenvogel, @tanvi_madan, @byrontau, @katienotopoulos, @mattnavarra, Fox News, @james_t_quinn, @mikeisaac, @hawleymo, @ceciliakang, @lourdesgnavarro, The Hill, CNN, Insider, MediaPost, Gizmodo, Adweek, The Wrap, Variety, Bloomberg and CBS News
Discussion:
Emily Baker-White / @ebakerwhite: Remember back in October when we reported that ByteDance sought to surveil specific US citizens, and TikTok assured everyone that they weren't targeting journalists? Well, turns out they were. I know because they targeted me. https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly / Observer: TikTok's Owner ByteDance Confirms Employees Tracked User Data of Journalists
Richard Nieva / @richardjnieva: TikTok and ByteDance spied on my colleagues and me. Barn burner from @ebakerwhite https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
John Paczkowski / @johnpaczkowski: I have been dreaming about this tweet for almost 3 months now. https://twitter.com/...
Katharine Schwab / @schwabkatharine: TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance spied on Forbes journalists, including me. Read the shocking story from @ebakerwhite. https://www.forbes.com/...
@katienotopoulos: “I also want to emphasize that we have an open and candid culture within ByteDance. It's a core part of our ByteStyles.” (I love when goofy company lingo is used during while describing something that is probably a crime) https://www.theverge.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: This is going to turn into a crisis for TikTok very quickly https://twitter.com/...
@journalistslike: Is there any social media platform that isn't terrible for journalists? https://www.theverge.com/...
Stephen L. Miller / @redsteeze: I mean, the Washington Post has an entire team of people who just make TikToks. Bloomberg just signed up for it even after the Forbes report was released. https://twitter.com/...
@forbes: “This is a direct assault on the idea of a free press and its critical role in a functioning democracy,” says @RandallLane, the chief content officer of Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/...
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: Our story has been updated with the full internal emails from ByteDance's CEO, TikTok's CEO, and TikTok's GC acknowledging that the TikTok location data of at least two US journalists was improperly accessed https://www.theverge.com/...
Ben Smith / @semaforben: This ham-handed misuse of their own data reminds me of early Uber https://www.nytimes.com/...
CathyMcMorrisRodgers / @cathymcmorris: TikTok has placed the safety and privacy of Americans in jeopardy. They have gone on record numerous times claiming that they do not share Americans' data with China. We know that is a lie, and we now know the list has grown to include U.S. journalists. Accountability is coming. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: Here is the full internal memo TikTok General Counsel Erich Anderson sent employees confirming that the user data of two US journalists was improperly accessed in a leak investigation https://www.theverge.com/...
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Reporters targeted by rogue TikTok employees, now fired
@lauferlaw: TikTok is an apparatus utilized by China's MSS to farm personal data and influence perception. It needs to be banned nationwide. https://twitter.com/...
Edward Wong / @ewong: This will not help TikTok's case to the Biden administration & Congress: Employees of ByteDance, the Chinese parent co. of TikTok, accessed the data of reporters at Forbes in trying to track down leaks. The employees were in the US and China. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeremy Diamond / @jdiamond1: “Employees gained access to the IP addresses and other data of two reporters and a small number of people connected to the reporters via their TikTok accounts. They were trying to determine if those individuals were within proximity of ByteDance employees” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kenneth P. Vogel / @kenvogel: How TikTok handles media scrutiny: ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, found that employees had inappropriately obtained the data of 2 reporters to try to find the sources of suspected leaks of internal conversations & business documents. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tanvi Madan / @tanvi_madan: TikTok reacting to allegations that it's shady by being, well, shady. https://twitter.com/...
Byron Tau / @byrontau: TikTok accessed data on two US journalists. All reporters—not just those covering national security—need to understand the risks of letting *any* company have access to their data in order to best protect sources from retaliation, job loss and lawsuits. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@katienotopoulos: “The targeted reporters wrote for BuzzFeed and The Financial Times, ByteDance said, though it declined to identify them and other affected TikTok users.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Navarra / @mattnavarra: ByteDance Inquiry Finds Employees Obtained User Data of 2 Journalists The targeted journalists wrote for BuzzFeed and The Financial Times, ByteDance said Good luck convincing the U.S. government to trust you, TikTok. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Fox News: TikTok parent company fires staffers who obtained data of U.S. users: ‘Egregious misuse of their authority’
Jimmy Quinn / @james_t_quinn: “The employees gained access the IP addresses and other data of two reporters and a small number of people connected to the reporters via their TikTok accounts...Two of those employees were based in China and two were in the United States.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: thesis antithesis synthesis (@ebakerwhite has been all over this one) https://www.nytimes.com/... https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Josh Hawley / @hawleymo: This is why Congress must BAN TikTok on all federal devices now - “ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, said on Thursday ...employees had inappropriately obtained the data of U.S. TikTok users, including two reporters.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Cecilia Kang / @ceciliakang: The investigation was prompted by an article by @ebakerwhite in Forbes https://twitter.com/...
Brad Dress / The Hill: TikTok parent company employees inappropriately gained access to American users' data: report
Clare Duffy / CNN: TikTok confirms that journalists' data was accessed by employees of its parent company
Samantha Delouya / Insider: TikTok owner ByteDance reportedly confirmed employees in US and China accessed the user data of some US citizens, including 2 journalists
Wendy Davis / MediaPost: TikTok Confirms It Spied On American Journalists
David Cohen / Adweek: Report: TikTok Tracked Journalists From FT, BuzzFeed, While Investigating Leaks
Loree Seitz / The Wrap: ByteDance Fires 4 Employees Who Illegally Obtained TikTok User Data on U.S. Journalists
Reuters:
Sources: aiming to appease the US government, TikTok offers to operate more of its business at arm's length and allow more outside scrutiny by Oracle and others — Popular short-video app TikTok is offering to operate more of its business at arm's length and subject it to outside scrutiny …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, NPR, The Guardian, @reutersbiz, Ars Technica, @knowledge_vital, The Information, @nytimesbusiness, @jordanschnyc, @akinunver, @sushantsin, Tubefilter, CNN, CBS News and Insider
Discussion:
Nikki Main / Gizmodo: Colleges Move To Ban TikTok on Campus
Manuela López Restrepo / NPR: Why the proposed TikTok ban is more about politics than privacy, according to experts
@reutersbiz: Popular short-video app TikTok is offering to operate more of its business at arm's length and subject it to outside scrutiny as it tries to convince the U.S. government to allow it to remain under the ownership of Chinese technology company ByteDance https://www.reuters.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica: TikTok, blocked? US access may rest on shaky terms of natsec deal
@knowledge_vital: $ORCL TikTok is redoubling efforts to strike a deal w/the US gov't that would placate security concerns and allow it to continue operating (TikTok is offering to give Oracle a larger role in storing data and reviewing the firm's underlying code) https://www.reuters.com/...
@nytimesbusiness: “It's become a mainstream tech firm — we're getting people from Google, Facebook, Snapchat,” a current American employee of TikTok told @NYTMag. “It no longer feels in any way like a pariah Chinese company.” Inside the the world's biggest virality machine. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jordan Schneider / @jordanschnyc: TikTok's problems run far deeper than pissing off Trump by organizing a fake rally. The screams are coming from inside the house. TikTok's foreign employees, again and again, have tipped off Western media on alarming behavior from ByteDance. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@akinunver: All social media platforms have the inevitable risk of being swallowed by the security and intelligence organizations of the country in which they operate and store data. TikTok has the same risk, but so does/did Meta and Twitter et al. for more than a decade. https://twitter.com/...
Sushant Singh / @sushantsin: What often goes unnoticed in these conversations is that TikTok is as much a product of the West as it is of China. ByteDance owes its very existence to the intermingling of ideas, capital and people that defined the last 5 decades of US-China engagement. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sam Gutelle / Tubefilter: TikTok has reportedly spent $1.5 billion to set up the team that will shepherd U.S. user data
Samantha Murphy Kelly / CNN: Some universities are now restricting TikTok access on campus
Paayal Zaveri / Insider: If TikTok gets banned in the US, Oracle could be the secret loser
Alex W. Palmer / New York Times:
How ByteDance and TikTok, which owe their existence to intermingled Western and Chinese ideas, capital, and people, became caught in changing US-China relations — A Chinese app conquered the planet — and now the U.S. is threatening to shut it down. Can the world's biggest virality machine survive?
Discussion:
@willystaley, @leftiblog, @jordanschnyc, @nytimestech, @jordanschnyc, @jchengwsj, Financial Times, CNET, @jordanschnyc, Fox News and Breitbart
Discussion:
@willystaley: On the cover of this week's Magazine: Alex Palmer on the story of TikTok, an app born in a very different era of U.S.-China relations that has become ensnared in the beginnings of a new one. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@leftiblog: NYT says it's difficult to imagine another Chinese company having the success of TikTok in the US. Well, it might have been Huawei, but the US government put a stop to that! “Free trade”, unless it doesn't benefit US companies. https://twitter.com/...
Jordan Schneider / @jordanschnyc: loved the bits about how at first Trump's NSC hoped tiktok would just be a passing fad. https://twitter.com/...
@nytimestech: TikTok's extraordinary success is made even more remarkable by the fact that it is a product of America's greatest geopolitical rival. In a fraught geopolitical context, TikTok is considered a Trojan horse — for Chinese influence, for spying, or both. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jordan Schneider / @jordanschnyc: Fantastic feature by alex palmer in the times magazine telling the arc of tiktok in America Really well written and captures the story in all its complexity https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj: “Last year, TikTok had more site visits than Google, and more watch minutes in the United States than YouTube. Facebook took almost nine years to reach one billion users; TikTok did it in five.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Gillian Tett / Financial Times: America should be wary of singling out TikTok
David Lumb / CNET: TikTok Also Banned by Some US Universities
Axios:
Source: Michael Bloomberg wants to expand his media empire and is interested in acquiring Wall Street Journal parent company Dow Jones or The Washington Post — Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and media mogul, is interested in acquiring either Wall Street Journal parent company Dow Jones …
Discussion:
@mikeallen, Insider, Talking Biz News, New York Post, @deitaone, @edmundlee, @sfiegerman, @brucebartlett, @edmundlee, @mattzeitlin, @jaredbkeller, @bgrueskin, @migold, @anthony, @rory_johnston, @sivavaid, @axios and @mbindwane
Discussion:
Mike Allen / @mikeallen: 🚨 NEW in @axios AM w/ @sarafischer: “Succession”-worthy media power play, starring 3 moguls! Michael Bloomberg is interested in acquiring either Wall Street Journal parent company Dow Jones or The Washington Post, per a source familiar with his thinking https://www.axios.com/...
Travis Clark / Insider: Michael Bloomberg reportedly wants to buy either Rupert Murdoch's WSJ or Jeff Bezos' Washington Post
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post: Michael Bloomberg reportedly eyes buying Dow Jones, Washington Post
@deitaone: MICHAEL BLOOMBERG HAS NOT REACHED OUT TO RUPERT MURDOCH ON A POSSIBLE DEAL FOR DOW JONES - SOURCES MURDOCH'S CAMP DOES NOT KNOW IF THE AXIOS STORY IS TRUE - SOURCES THERE ARE NO ACTIVE TALKS BETWEEN MICHAEL BLOOMBERG AND THE MURDOCHS AS OF NOW - SOURCE
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: But if Bezos or Murdoch are concerned about handing off one of America's preeminent papers, they'd have to wonder what will happen when Bloomberg, 80, dies. His corporation would have to be transferred to someone else. His foundation couldn't own for profit papers.
Seth Fiegerman / @sfiegerman: These deals would make a certain amount of sense for Bloomberg but man I wish he or one of his fellow billionaires would just commit $5 billion-$10 billion in a fund to backstop local news publications instead. It would do much more good. https://www.axios.com/...
@brucebartlett: Exclusive: Bloomberg eyes WSJ-parent Dow Jones, WaPo. I hope he buys the WSJ so he can fire everyone on the editorial page and I can go back to subscribing to it. https://www.axios.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: .@MikeBloomberg and @rupertmurdoch go way back, not always friendly, I know this first hand. Bloomberg and @JeffBezos would be strictly business. Mike might finally get his newspaper https://www.axios.com/...
Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin: Cue @felixsalmon's somewhat insane but also brilliant explanation of how the New York Times could “buy” Bloomberg LP in order to solve Michael Bloomberg's estate and charitable giving needs https://talkingbiznews.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jared Keller / @jaredbkeller: Mike Bloomberg has been talking about buying the WSJ or FT since I worked there a decade ago https://www.axios.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Wow, this would be quite a development. Seems like Bezos would be more willing to part with the WashPost than Murdoch would be willing to part with WSJ. via @sarafischer @mikeallen https://www.axios.com/...
Michael Gold / @migold: i would like to see the Succession version of whatever conversation at Davos leads to this. https://twitter.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: Reality check: Bloomberg hasn't approached Murdoch about his interest in the Wall Street Journal. Nor has he engaged bankers. https://www.axios.com/...
Rory Johnston / @rory_johnston: we needs competition? https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: There would be no clearer assault on the principles of antitrust. https://twitter.com/...
@axios: Exclusive: Michael Bloomberg is interested in acquiring either Wall Street Journal parent company Dow Jones or The Washington Post, a source familiar with his thinking told Axios. https://www.axios.com/...
Bo Mbindwane / @mbindwane: Will that pass antitrust rules? https://twitter.com/...
Wall Street Journal:
YouTube buys NFL Sunday Ticket's residential rights for seven years, sources say for ~$2B/year; DirecTV paid $1.5B/year for residential and commercial rights — Video streamer to pay annual fee of roughly $2 billion under seven-year deal — Created with sketchtool.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Awful Announcing, @jbflint, The Verge, Next TV, Axios, NFL.com, @pkafka, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, The Week, @loudmouthjulia, Collider, @kazeem, @jacksettleman, @peter_bukowski, New York Times, @kantrowitz, @brentscher, @damonbruce, Ad Age, @brucemurraynfl, @kurtbenkert, @pschrags, @dabearsblog, @philmackey, @joebucsfan, @pkafka, @pkafka, @j_dot_j, CNET, Bloomberg, CBS News, The Streamable, IndieWire, Adweek, Media Play News, MediaPost, Insider, The Information, MacRumors, Deadline, New York Post, Bloomberg, The Wrap, Associated Press, Variety, @dcseifert@mastodon.social, The Verge, ProFootballTalk, The Hollywood Reporter, NBC New York, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, The Desk, Tubefilter, Ars Technica, Light Reading and Sports Business Journal, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing: With Google/YouTube Sunday Ticket deal, the NFL has further strengthened their media empire
Joe Flint / @jbflint: YouTube's roughly $2 billion per-season deal for NFL's Sunday Ticket is residential only. NFL will look for deal for bars and restaurants that could be worth at least another additional $200 million. More details on the deal here! W/@MilesKruppa https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Nilay Patel / The Verge: Why YouTube spent the money on NFL Sunday Ticket
Jon Lafayette / Next TV: Move To YouTube Could Boost Number of Sunday Ticket Subscribers
Tim Baysinger / Axios: YouTube beats out Amazon and Apple for NFL Sunday Ticket
NFL.com: NFL, Google announce agreement to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, Primetime Channels
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Good summary of the head-scratching economics of YouTube's NFL Sunday Ticket dealfrom @TheAnkler's Sean McNulty: https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: And of course: congrats to @JBFlint on an incredible scoop and fantastic reporting. Long one of the best in the business, so great to see him bring this story in.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Software is the bigger upsell. Continue making that software far more appealing than what competitors have, use that momentum to create cheaper, more accessible hardware price points/give it away for free in trade for a timed software lock in. Own the hardware and software side.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: That's if Google wants it. But we do know that Google, Apple, Amazon, and Roku do want to control the future homepage. They want to be a middle player, with subscription business, ad business, and taking a cut of signups to other streamers that customers access through their hub.
Brigid Kennedy / The Week: YouTube snags NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ in 7-year deal
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Google TV devices make up a fraction of domestic market share (7%, -1% y/y), dropping as Amazon/Roku rise. If I'm Google, and I've got a killer package in YT TV, YT Premium, YT Channels, and Sunday Ticket, I'd use software pushes to drive stronger adoption and larger market share
Ryan O'Rourke / Collider: NFL's ‘Sunday Ticket’ Finds New Home With YouTube in Massive Streaming Deal
Kazeem Famuyide / @kazeem: Whichever streaming platform gets League Pass is gonna get all my coins https://twitter.com/...
Jack Settleman / @jacksettleman: Incredible opportunity for youtubers & creators 🚀 https://twitter.com/...
Peter Bukowski / @peter_bukowski: You all should have switched to YouTubeTV years ago #NoFreeAdsThough https://twitter.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: Major missed opportunity for Netflix https://www.wsj.com/...
Brent Scher / @brentscher: This is going to be a disaster, no way the @NFL thought this through. Sunday Ticket is used by every bar in the country through cable, now the Buffalo Wild Wings of the world have to figure out how to stream to all their TVs. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Damon Bruce / @damonbruce: Yuck. There is so much lag time on YouTube TV. You'll be behind every beat writer tweeting in the press box. I had YouTube TV but went right back to Direct TV years ago the lag on real time was so severe. https://twitter.com/...
Bruce Murray / @brucemurraynfl: Something said by no one “I'll miss Directv's customer service”. I will pay extra to have them waiting for the games to end on January 8th to get their boxes out. #mynightmarewillbeoverinthreeweeks. https://twitter.com/...
Kurt Benkert / @kurtbenkert: Sheeeesh. Twitch got Thursday Night Football, YouTube gets Sunday Ticket. 👀 https://twitter.com/...
Peter Schrager / @pschrags: Great news for fans of the game. Watching games anywhere at anytime just got a whole lot easier. https://twitter.com/...
@dabearsblog: I read that as you won't need a YouTubeTV subscription to get Sunday Ticket. So it's likely the same for those of us who get Ticket on Roku (or similar). Now we will see what the speeds are like. https://twitter.com/...
Phil Mackey / @philmackey: This may seem like a lot, except... (Checks notes) YouTube brings in over **$30 billion** per year in revenue 😮 https://twitter.com/...
@joebucsfan: A quick glance at NFL's accounting department. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Btw this is also a likely model for the next NBA deal, which both Disney and WBD would like to re-up, but not at the $7 billion floated price tag. Solution: Sell premium games to current partners, and carve out other games (Wolves-Mavs in December?) to the likes of Amazon.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Obviously Google can afford to blow billions without near-term return. But not forever. Best possible argument is that this helps set them up to buy actual NFL broadcast rights one day. But NFL will hang on to broadcast, while slicing off slivers to digital, as long as it can. https://twitter.com/...
Feliz Navi J.J. / @j_dot_j: Setting a reminder to cancel DIRECTV as soon as this season is over https://twitter.com/...
Eli Blumenthal / CNET: NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube: 8 Things Football Fans Should Know
Christopher Brito / CBS News: NFL Sunday Ticket heads to YouTube starting in 2023
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable: NFL Fans Get Their Wish: More Than 2x NFL Fans Preferred YouTube to Apple For NFL Sunday Ticket
Mollie Cahillane / Adweek: YouTube Nabs NFL Sunday Ticket Package, Ending DirecTV's Three-Decade Run
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Google to Bring NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels in $2 Billion Deal
Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost: YouTube To Pay $2B Annually To Secure Rights To NFL Sunday Ticket
Sami Fathi / MacRumors: YouTube Secures Deal for NFL Sunday Ticket After Apple Drops Out of Negotiations
Dade Hayes / Deadline: NFL And YouTube Punch Sunday Ticket, Finalizing Deal For Package After Drawn-Out Negotiations With Multiple Bidders
Justin Tasch / New York Post: Google's YouTube TV taking over NFL Sunday Ticket for $2 billion a year
Eileen AJ Connelly / The Wrap: YouTube Secures Rights to NFL Sunday Package for $2 Billion Yearly Price Tag
Todd Spangler / Variety: Google's YouTube Grabs NFL Sunday Ticket in Seven-Year Deal
Dan Seifert / @dcseifert@mastodon.social: google won the bidding war for NFL Sunday Ticket. interestingly, you'll be able to get it as a YouTube Premium channel in addition to a YouTube TV add on. so you won't necessarily need YouTube TV to get it. cost on either option TBD though https://www.theverge.com/...
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter: YouTube Bags NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Package
William Gallagher / AppleInsider: NFL announces multi-year YouTube deal for Sunday Ticket
Matthew Keys / The Desk: DirecTV looks to cancel Sunday Ticket RedZone
Jeff Baumgartner / Light Reading: YouTube close to clinching NFL Sunday Ticket rights - report
RELATED:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
The NFL will make $120B in the next decade from NBC, CBS, Disney, Fox, Google, Apple, and Amazon deals, cementing its position as a premier content provider — The league chose YouTube as its Sunday Ticket partner in part because the service aims to be “much more broadly available.”
Discussion:
Financial Times, Awful Announcing, The Verge, Radio & Television …, SlashFilm, Next TV, Next in Marketing and AppleInsider
Discussion:
Joe Lucia / Awful Announcing: Five questions still unanswered after the NFL's Sunday Ticket deal with Google
Chris Welch / The Verge: YouTube's NFL Sunday Ticket deal is a brilliant move for its subscription future
Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report: YouTube TV Snags NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ In Exclusive Deal
Jon Lafayette / Next TV: NFL, Google Announce ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ Is Coming to YouTube TV, YouTube Primetime Channels
Mike Shields / Next in Marketing: Emergency Google Gets NFL Sunday Ticket Newsletter
William Gallagher / AppleInsider: YouTube expected to beat Apple to NFL Sunday Ticket
Public Notice:
Q&A with Insider's Linette Lopez on covering Elon Musk since 2018, Twitter suspending her for a tweet showing a court document with his email address, and more — “Once Elon took over, I was not optimistic. As usual, he is exceeding expectations for me."
Discussion:
@lopezlinette, @atrupar, Talking Biz News, @atrupar, @brosandprose, @davidrlurie, @cwebbonline, The Hill and The Shortcut
Discussion:
Linette Lopez / @lopezlinette: I have returned. I hope that while I was gone some of you read my latest @businessinsider story about @elonmusk's rough and rude business tactics — and why they're about to run Twitter into the ground. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: “He's a desperate billionaire who needs money for his social media company, and who are these investors? What needs do they have? ... this guy seems to be rolling around with Jared Kushner. All of those pictures from the World Cup were a little disturbing” https://aaronrupar.substack.com/ ...
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: “He went to China & saw the govt moved very fast there bc it doesn't have to reach a consensus ... sometimes businessmen who wish they could snap their fingers & get something done the way they want it admire these autocrats who seemingly can pull it off” https://aaronrupar.substack.com/ ...
Ella Dawson / @brosandprose: “At a certain point I think when very rich people aren't getting their way all of the time, they think, ‘Well, I should just run everything.’ That's kind of the attitude that you see from him.” @lopezlinette on Elon and her Twitter suspension: https://aaronrupar.substack.com/ ...
@davidrlurie: Just during his World Cup trip, Musk publicly schmoozed Gulf state royals, a notorious Putinist and Jared Kushner: “He's a desperate billionaire who needs money for his social media company, and who are these investors? What needs do they have? That's worrisome.” @lopezlinette https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Webb / @cwebbonline: Interesting read. Lopez makes an excellent point about Musk's China experience with Tesla. Goes to his state of mind when it comes to his expectations. https://twitter.com/...
Maureen Breslin / The Hill: Musk says Twitter to add ‘view count’ for posts
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Fox News host Sean Hannity and others say they doubted Trump's 2020 voting fraud claims, as Dominion Voting lawyers try to show Fox knowingly aired false claims — On Wednesday, lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems shared some of the strongest evidence yet that some Fox employees knew what they broadcast about the claims was false.
Discussion:
Insider, @exavierpope, @cassandrajar, @michael_muscato, Los Angeles Times, @brianstack153, The Hill, @jaynordlinger, @lisatozzi, National Review, IndieWire, @jessefferguson, @aghamilton29, @jamieford, @jreinermd, @nytimes, @froomkin, NPR, @spytalker, @gtconway3d, @bradmossesq, @jkarsh, @kazweida, @kimmasters, @mattgertz, @badler, @jillgeisler, @beckerdavidj, @peterhimler, @mattyglesias, @davidbernardtv, @jwpetersnyt, @froomkin@journa.host and Mediaite
Discussion:
Cheryl Teh / Insider: Even Donald Trump laughed at Sidney Powell when she spouted baseless voter fraud claims: 'This does sound crazy, doesn't it?'
@exavierpope: Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham are despicable charlatans selling bigotry for profit. Willing to spout lies on air, knowing full well their cults will treat testimony admitting they're full of it like they're just “playing the game” instead of facing the truth https://twitter.com/...
Cassandra Jaramillo / @cassandrajar: “Many of the highest-ranking Fox people have admitted under oath that they never believed the Dominion lies.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Muscato / @michael_muscato: Which actually makes what he used his program to say and do... worse... 🤦♂️ https://twitter.com/...
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times: Murdochs will not face separate trial in Dominion's defamation suit against Fox News
Brian Stack / @brianstack153: Pushing the Big Lie until you get sued and admit you knew it was bullshit the whole time even though your viewers will never hear that admission on your show. Peak Hannity. https://twitter.com/...
Jay Nordlinger / @jaynordlinger: The cynicism is ... tremendous. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lisa Tozzi / @lisatozzi: “strongest evidence yet to emerge publicly that some Fox employees knew that what they were broadcasting was false.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Caroline Downey / National Review: Sean Hannity Admits He Didn't Believe Dominion Voter-Fraud Claims ‘for a Second’
Wilson Chapman / IndieWire: Sean Hannity and Fox News Employees Knew the Election Wasn't Rigged Against Trump
Jesse Ferguson / @jessefferguson: They knew. They lied. They ran a criminal conspiracy to overturn an election. And they'll try again. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@aghamilton29: Putting aside legal liability, think about grandparents & regular Americans that donated income they could barely spare to the fake election fraud legal efforts based on lies they saw on Hannity & heard from others they trusted. Exactly what I meant here: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jamie Ford / @jamieford: How do these people sleep at night? Oh yeah, on a bed of money. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Reiner / @jreinermd: Now tell me whether Fox News hosts really believed the questions they asked night after night about COVID vaccine safety and efficacy. https://twitter.com/...
@nytimes: “I did not believe it for one second.” That was the answer Sean Hannity gave, under oath, in a deposition in Dominion's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, according to information disclosed in a court hearing on Wednesday. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@froomkin: NYT seems surprised at evidence that Fox anchors don't believe what they're selling. https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Folkenflik / NPR: Fox News' Sean Hannity says he knew all along Trump lost the election
Jeff Stein / @spytalker: 'Hannity's disclosure-along with others that emerged from court about what Fox News executives and hosts really believed...is among the strongest evidence yet to emerge publicly that some Fox employees knew that what they were broadcasting was false.' https://www.nytimes.com/...
George Conway / @gtconway3d: If this doesn't meet the New York Times v Sullivan test, nothing does. Wow. https://twitter.com/...
Bradley P. Moss / @bradmossesq: Folks like @seanhannity were never punished for this conduct. I look forward to @ggreenwald addressing this next time he is on with Tucker. Oh who am I kidding ... https://twitter.com/...
Jason Karsh / @jkarsh: It's always funny when there's that glimpse behind the curtain and you get to see that Hannity has ALWAYS been in it for the money and the fame. https://twitter.com/...
Kaz Weida / @kazweida: Whelp. That implies some liability that's gonna be a problem for Fox. https://twitter.com/...
@kimmasters: I guess under oath, Sean Hannity is capable of telling the truth about his lies. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: Fox's biggest stars were knowingly misleading their viewers at best and lying to them at worst about the credibility of Trump's election fraud conspiracy theories. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Adler / @badler: Hannity admits he knowingly lied on air about Dominion Voting Systems and Trump's false claims of election fraud https://www.nytimes.com/... “I did not believe it for one second.”
Jill Geisler / @jillgeisler: “Mr. Hannity's disclosure — along with others that emerged from court on Wednesday... — is among the strongest evidence yet to emerge publicly that some Fox employees knew that what they were broadcasting was false.https://www.nytimes.com/ ...
David Becker / @beckerdavidj: “Did Mr. Hannity believe any of this? “I did not believe it for one second.” That was the answer Mr. Hannity gave, under oath, in a deposition in Dominion's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Is that a defense? I'm confused https://twitter.com/...
David Bernard / @davidbernardtv: I'm no theologian but there's something in there warning of false prophets. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy W. Peters / @jwpetersnyt: “I did not believe it for one second.” That's Sean Hannity, talking about the Big Lie in his deposition in the $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News by Dominion. https://www.nytimes.com/...
The Hill:
January 6 committee recommends Congress “continue to evaluate policies of media companies that have had the effect of radicalizing their consumers” — The House committee examining last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol issued its long-awaited final report on Thursday night …
Discussion:
Associated Press, El País, Insider, NBC New York, The Hollywood Reporter, Newsday, The Guardian, Washington Post and NPR
Discussion:
Insider: The House committee released its final, 845-page report detailing the deadly Capitol riot and Trump's role in it. Read 10 of the most fascinating details.
Mary Clare Jalonick / NBC New York: Jan. 6 Committee's Report Asserts Trump Engaged in ‘Multi-Part Conspiracy’
The Hollywood Reporter: House Jan. 6 Panel Releases Final Report, Concluding 18-Month Probe Into the Capitol Attack
Kim Masters / The Hollywood Reporter:
Film executives are reaffirming their vows to theatrical releases, especially after Top Gun: Maverick, but it's unclear whether audiences will show up regularly — This year brought some big box office wins — never underestimate Tom Cruise — but mostly it was a time for film execs to stanch bleeding …
Discussion:
The Streamable, @robogeek, @jasoncolavito, @tico_romao, @kimmasters, @coreyatad, @daveweigel, Los Angeles Times and Variety
Discussion:
David Satin / The Streamable: Is Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie's New Film ‘Babylon’ Streaming? When Will it Come to Paramount+?
Paul Alvarado / @robogeek: Essential reading for anyone in the movie business — an astute year-in-review by the great @kimmasters https://twitter.com/...
Jason Colavito / @jasoncolavito: Pacing, structure, and an ending. If they think the only difference is marketing, it's no wonder they are producing so much failed garbage. https://twitter.com/...
Tico Romao / @tico_romao: A good peak into Hollywood film industry's environment: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
@kimmasters: “What makes a $10 million Jason Blum movie feel like a movie and a $15 million House of Dragon episode feel like a TV show?” says the top exec at one media company. “A theatrical launch, and even more so, the marketing.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ... via @thr
Corey Atad / @coreyatad: glad more and more people are recognizing that these companies are actually training and shaping the audience, not the other way around https://twitter.com/...
David Weigel / @daveweigel: Great story. Disney shoving its good animated movies into the Disney+ funnel while putting the garbage ones (Lightyear, Strange World) in theaters still confuses me. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
A federal judge rules movie studios can be sued under false advertising laws for releasing deceptive trailers, like ones featuring an actor cut from the movie — Movie studios can be sued under false advertising laws if they release deceptive movie trailers, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Reason, @gabrielmalor, The Shortcut, @jyuter, New York Post, IGN, @stevendeknight, @ellewhyelle, MediaPost, @guylodge, New York Daily News, The Week, The A.V. Club, The Verge, The Playlist, Gizmodo, SlashFilm, Rolling Stone, @theericgoldman, @iramadisonthree, @variety, @culturecrave, Collider and Deadline
Discussion:
Elizabeth Nolan Brown / Reason: Why Is Sesame Suddenly in Everything?
Gabriel Malor / @gabrielmalor: Hopefully this one will be overturned on appeal. https://variety.com/...
Callum Bains / The Shortcut: Movie studios can now be sued for releasing misleading trailers - will games be next?
Rabbi Josh Yuter / @jyuter: This is amazing, and most worthy of the 🍿 emoji. Seriously, I'd love to head what filmmakers and critics have to say about trailers being “commercial speech” https://variety.com/...
Adriana Diaz / New York Post: Angry Ana de Armas fans sue studios over false advertising in ‘Yesterday’
Carson Burton / IGN: Movie Studios Can Now be Sued for Deceptive Trailers
Steven DeKnight / @stevendeknight: How do people have enough time on their hands to sue over this nonsense? Good lord. Trailers are cobbled together way in advance of a complete edit. Things always change during test screenings much later in the process. How incredibly stupid. https://twitter.com/...
@ellewhyelle: Imagine if someone sued over one of the best theatrical fake outs ever. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Todd Wasserman / MediaPost: Yesterday, Trailers Could Misrepresent Movies — Today, Not So Much
Guy Lodge / @guylodge: It's been nearly a decade but I'm finally coming for you, Lee Daniels https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jami Ganz / New York Daily News: Angry Ana de Armas fans can sue studios over misleading ‘Yesterday’ trailers
Brendan Morrow / The Week: Movie studios can be sued for misleading trailers, judge rules
Gabrielle Sanchez / The A.V. Club: Ana de Armas fans know—and may change—the law, baby
The Playlist: Ana De Armas Fans' Lawsuit Over ‘Yesterday’ Trailer Puts Movie Studios At Risk Over Deceptive Trailers
Linda Codega / Gizmodo: A New Ruling Could Make ‘Deceptive’ Movie Trailers a Target For Legal Action
Eric Vespe / SlashFilm: New Ruling Declares Studios Potentially Liable For ‘Deceptive’ Movie Trailers
Larisha Paul / Rolling Stone: Ana de Armas Fans Score Legal Victory After Suing Universal Over Deceptive ‘Yesterday’ Trailer
Eric Goldman / @theericgoldman: This feels problematic. What if I sued Sony because their trailer indicated Spider-Man was leaping into a fight against Electro, Sandman, and Lizard by himself, but in fact he had two other Spider-Men alongside him? “I expected to see him overcome those odds on his own!” https://twitter.com/...
Ira / @iramadisonthree: BRB filing a lawsuit against Universal for cutting every scene Rita Ora learned French for in 50 Shades of Grey https://twitter.com/...
@variety: Two Ana de Armas fans filed a lawsuit, alleging that they rented a movie after seeing de Armas in the trailer, only to discover that she was cut from the final film. Now a judge has ruled that movie studios can be sued if they release deceptive trailers. https://variety.com/...
@culturecrave: This comes after two Ana De Armas fans filed a lawsuit after renting the movie ‘Yesterday’ because she was in the trailer but did not appear in the movie https://variety.com/...
Shane Romanchick / Collider: Movie Studios Can Now Be Sued for False Advertising