Top News:
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings steps down as co-CEO but plans to stay on as executive chair; the company promotes COO Greg Peters to co-CEO with Ted Sarandos — Streaming company names new leadership as it looks to reset after ‘tough year’ in 2022 — Reed Hastings is stepping …
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About Netflix, @reedhastings, Insider, Reuters, New York Times, CNBC, GameSpot, Music Ally, Quartz, Broadband TV News, The Indian Express, @carnage4life, @tvgrimreaper, @gerberkawasaki, @pythianism, @mattbelloni, @samro, AdExchanger, @wholemarsblog, Rappler, Forbes, @film_girl, The Information, Breitbart, Media Play News, Deadline, Engadget, Adweek, Fast Company, SlashFilm, Free Press Journal, CNN, The Guardian, The Streamable, The Desk, CNET, The Hill, Vanity Fair, GeekWire, The Wrap, IndieWire, Los Angeles Times, Cord Cutters News, Bloomberg, Observer, TechCrunch, New York Daily News, WORLD SCREEN, Variety, CBS News, The Verge, Axios, Radio & Television … and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
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Sarah Whitten / CNBC:
Netflix reports Q4 revenue up 1.9% YoY to $7.85B, $55M net income, down from $607M YoY, 231M paid memberships, adding 7.66M subscribers vs. 4.57M expected — - Netflix is scheduled to report fourth quarter earnings after the bell. — The streaming service's new ad-supported service will be in focus.
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The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix, @felixsalmon, @matthewkeyslive, The Register, @richlightshed, Thurrott, Vox, Light Reading, MediaPost, Insider, Axios, The Streamable and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Netflix's ad-supported tier is off to a “solid” start, says new co-CEO Greg Peters; CFO Spence Neumann estimates the ad tier will be about 10% of future revenue — Netflix's landmark entry into ad-supported streaming, which began last November, is off to a “solid” …
The Verge:
Source: CNET owner Red Ventures has used AI tools like Wordsmith to write stories for at least a year and a half, causing unease amid layoffs and restructuring — Fake bylines. Content farming. Affiliate fees. What happens when private equity takes over a storied news site and milks it for clicks?
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Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
India releases rules on social media influencers and virtual avatars promoting content without disclosing payment, adding an up to ~$12.3K fine for violations — As the market of social media influencers is getting bigger in India, the South Asian nation has introduced endorsement guidelines …
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MediaNama, YouTube, Free Press Journal, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Ayenat Mersie / Reuters:
Rwandan journalist and government critic John Williams Ntwali died on January 18 in a traffic accident, but activists raise questions about the cause of death — John Williams Ntwali, one of Rwanda's few journalists who published stories critical of the government, has died, his newspaper The Chronicles reported.
CNBC:
Sources: Vice Media restarts its sale process, after bidders balked at the initial price tag, and is likely to fetch under $1B; Vice was valued at $5.7B in 2017 — - Vice Media is restarting its sale process after earlier interested bidders balked at the initial price tag, according to people familiar with the situation.
Discussion:
@sherman4949, @sherman4949 and @anthony
Horowitz Research:
Horowitz Research: 71% of password sharers would pay full price for Netflix, 51% for HBO Max, 49% for Amazon Prime Video, 47% for Disney+, and 46% for Hulu — As Netflix cracks down on password sharing, a new study by Horowitz Research suggests that the decision may not spell doom and gloom for the service.
Discussion:
Media Play News and The Streamable
Glenn Peoples / Billboard:
Amazon plans to hike Music Unlimited's monthly prices by $1 and £1 to $10.99 and £10.99 in the US and UK on February 21, matching Apple Music's October increase — Prices will rise to $10.99/10.99 pounds per month for individual plans and $5.99/5.99 pounds per month for students.
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9to5Mac, Music Ally, Engadget, The Verge, Complete Music Update and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Right-wing YouTuber Steven Crowder, who has 5.94M subscribers on the platform, feuds with Ben Shapiro's The Daily Wire, which offered him a $50M four-year deal — Right-wing blowhard Steven Crowder is accusing Ben Shapiro's media empire of being in bed with Big Tech—fighting words that have ignited a heated public dispute.
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Chris Stokel-Walker / Nature:
Journal editors, researchers, and publishers are debating the place of AI tools like ChatGPT in published literature and whether they should be cited as authors — Chris Stokel-Walker is a freelance journalist in Newcastle, UK. — You can also search for this author in — PubMed Google Scholar
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Fandom cuts jobs at GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic, and TV Guide, four months after their ~$50M acquisition from Red Ventures; source: under 10% are impacted — Fandom has made an unspecified number of layoffs at GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic and TV Guide — four months after buying …
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Kotaku, @giantbomb, TechCrunch, @lindsaykatai, @ashleylcarter1, @tamoorh and The Wrap