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Memo: BDG Media suspends Gawker operations and CEO Bryan Goldberg says the company will cut 8% of its full-time staff after “a surprisingly difficult” Q1 2023 — BDG Media is suspending Gawker and will lay off 8% of full-time staff, according to an internal memo from CEO Bryan Goldberg that was obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
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The US DOJ charges former ABC News foreign correspondent James Gordon Meek over the alleged transportation of CSAM; the FBI raided Meek's home in April 2022 — The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced the arrest of an award-winning investigative reporter on charges related to child pornography.
Discussion:
Department of Justice, Variety, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, @awprokop, TVNewser, @tomaxwell, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, @awprokop, @noahshachtman, @calebjhull, New York Post, @maxwelltani, The Wrap, @mattwolking, @arlnowdotcom, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Mediaite, @semaforben and The Daily Beast


Netflix says US password sharing rules haven't been set yet and removes rules from its US help page saying users must connect to a “primary Wi-Fi” every 31 days — Based on info sourced from Netflix's support pages, The Streamable reported on Tuesday details about its upcoming anti-password sharing efforts.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, The Hill, Screen Rant, @jewish_activist, @ericafails, @jacefrederick, @carnage4life, The Daily Beast, @jamiekaywilde, @mattxiv, @bugsmaytrix, @ow, @pt, The Streamable, ZDNet, @grantmcauley, @roywoodjr, Observer, @scottmendelson, @tinu, @andiesophia23, @imani_barbarin, @verge, @emmavigeland, @mmasnick@mastodon.social, CNBC, @hasanthehun, The Wrap, gHacks Technology News, 9to5Mac, Gizmodo, Forbes, Mashable and Sky News, more at Techmeme »


A look at ad industry meme accounts, often run by anonymous industry veterans to share news, create a sense of community among junior staff and CMOs, and more — Ad industry meme creators have begun breaking news, earning revenue and attracting attention from industry leaders
Discussion:
@patrickcoffee, @media_lad, @patrickcoffee and @mjbarash


As documentaries boom, filmmakers, their subjects, and the bill-paying streamers wrestle with questions of ethics, money, and control, amid shrinking budgets — The boom — or glut — in streaming documentaries has sparked a reckoning among filmmakers and their subjects.
Discussion:
@saba_h, @emilynussbaum, @cengizyar, @sidhubaba, @nymag, @noah_kirsch, @lpolgreen, @charliechar, @sarahrosejenks, @chutry, @juliekosin, @sarahw, @sorayamcdonald and @grahamstarr


Bloomberg renames its Quicktake streaming channel to Bloomberg Originals and adds more documentaries and talk shows, after seeing growth in ad-supported video — News publisher to launch climate, science and sports shows on rebranded streaming platform — Bloomberg Media is adding …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News


TikTok is limiting the number of songs that some users in Australia can post on its app, an experiment meant to assess how much they value music in their videos — TikTok is limiting the number of songs that users can post on its app, an experiment to assess how much they value music in their videos.
Discussion:
Fox News, @quicktake, Social Media Today and Newsday

[Thread] After the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, The Washington Post picked up and finished his work on an alleged $500M Ponzi scheme — Not long after Jeff German — a reporter at the @reviewjournal — was slain outside of his home last fall, my editor called me with a question. The Post had reached out, asking if we could help in some way. Jeff's editor had an idea. Maybe we could take on the last of his work.


SEC filing: Comcast sold 5,726,385 BuzzFeed shares from January 30 to February 1 as BuzzFeed's stock surged, leaving the company with 19.97% of BuzzFeed's stock — Buzzfeed stock has rocketed in recent days amid enthusiasm over its use of AI — Comcast Corp. has sold part of its stake in Buzzfeed Inc. …
Discussion:
Crain's New York Business


Sources: Netflix told advertisers that sign-ups for its ad tier doubled in January 2023 over December 2022; Netflix predicted 1.75M ad tier subscribers in Q1 — Netflix is making progress in its plunge into advertising—slowly. — The streaming firm told advertisers in the past 10 days …
Discussion:
@amir, @richlightshed, IndieWire, @sizpatel, Deadline and Cord Cutters News


Netflix adds spatial audio to its $20 per month Premium plan, available on 700+ of its most-watched titles; Standard and Basic plans will get limited support — Listen to this: Netflix is hoping audiophiles will upgrade to the $20-per-month Premium tier to gain access to the streamer's full collection …
Discussion:
IGN, The Streamable, The Verge, 9to5Mac, Engadget, TechCrunch and LostRemote, more at Techmeme »


HuffPost and its union reach an agreement on a new three-year contract, after 98% of the union's 91 members had pledged to strike if a fair deal wasn't reached — The WGA East and HuffPost have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract, averting a threatened strike.
Discussion:
@marinafang, @davecullen and @wgaeast