Top News:
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: Vice Media Executive Chairman Shane Smith sold $100M+ of his shares in Vice, ~25% of the outlet's current value, during a $500M fundraising deal in 2014 — After Vice raised $500 million in 2014, its CEO and co-founder Shane Smith remarked to a friend that he'd become “post-economic.”
Discussion:
@maxwelltani, @semaforben, @katierosman, @willystaley, The Wrap, @lorenzofb, @sorayaroberts, @jeremypgordon, @kimzetter, @edmundlee, @scottnover, @mediaevan, @tomgara, @anthony, @wobburner and @david_j_roth
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Netflix's ad-supported tier reached ~1M MAUs in the US after its second month, and the company fulfilled its forecasted deliveries to advertisers — Good afternoon from Los Angeles. It's good to be home and I hope your March Madness bracket is doing better than mine.
Carol E. Lee / NBC News:
Source: in his upcoming testimony to Congress on March 23, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to reveal TikTok has 150M MAUs in the US, up from 100M in August 2020 — When TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before Congress on Thursday, he plans to unveil new internal data that suggests …
Discussion:
Reuters, Tubefilter, Politico, WFLA-TV, MediaPost, @annmarie, @annalysagayle, @marshacollier, TechCrunch and Digital Music News, more at Techmeme »
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy says the company plans to lay off 400 employees to “run our business sustainably” after user and revenue growth didn't match expectations — Twitch announced plans to reduce its workforce on Monday, demonstrating that even the booming streaming site …
Discussion:
Twitch Blog, PC Gamer, @siefe, GeekWire, GeekWire, Los Angeles Times, Tubefilter, @iambrandontv, @minethatdata, The Information, @cecianasta, @twitch, @ethangach, @crubtv and @theblackhokage, more at Techmeme »
A.O. Scott / New York Times:
Q&A with NYT's A.O. Scott after 2,293 film reviews over 23+ years on ambivalence toward movies, the review process, review regrets, and the poor state of cinema — A.O. Scott conducts his own exit interview as he moves to a new post after more than two decades of reviewing films.
Discussion:
@davidmwessel, Screen Rant and The Week
Adam Gabbatt / The Guardian:
Fox losing the Dominion lawsuit could bring shareholder litigation, jeopardize Rupert Murdoch's control, hurt contract renewals with cable companies, and more — Beyond the defamation case, Fox News must reckon with an alienated audience and its waning hold over the GOP
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, @gpaddymanning, Forbes, Insider and FTVLive
Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:
NPR host Jesse Thorn's media company Maximum Fun plans to become a cooperative owned equally by its 16+ workers, a novel business model in the podcast industry — Jesse Thorn has built a sizable audience with his podcast business Maximum Fun. His NPR interview show, “Bullseye With Jesse Thorn …
Discussion:
@patbits, @shanepang, @rfaughnder, @dankennedy_nyc, Axios, @alexlaughs, TechCrunch, @kerrymflynn and @devindra
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Netflix plans to launch 40 games in 2023 and has a further 70 in development with its partners, after releasing 55 titles since adding games in November 2021 — Netflix has announced that it has 40 games slated for launch this year and has 70 in development with its partners.
Discussion:
Engadget, MediaPost, CNET, The Streamable, The Verge, @jetscott, Screen Rant, NME, 9to5Google and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Inside Higher Ed:
A group of librarians argue the Internet Archive is a library, saying that the four major publishers' lawsuit threatens the development of digital collections — A lawsuit against the Internet Archive threatens the most significant specialized library to emerge in decades, say a group of current and former university librarians.
Discussion:
Internet Archive Blogs, Battle for Libraries, Ars Technica, @wikimedia, Wall Street Journal, @internetarchive, @rushkoff, MediaNama, @fightfortheftr, @matthewkeyslive, @_budgie, @joannablackhart, Publishers Weekly, @fightfortheftr, @matthewkeyslive, Semafor, Beyond Search, @nazlinbhimani, @yeenie_mcbeenie, @fireh9lly, @g0ro4, @write4research, @rickypo, @neoncaffeine, @neglectedbooks, @tjstiles_author, @internetarchive, @freedomofpress, @aem76us, @mathewi, @library_futures, @library_futures, @whanamura, @dovesandletters, @insidehighered, @markgraham, @politicsanded, @waybackmachine and Reclaim The Net
RELATED:
Maria Bustillos / The Nation:
A look at four publishers' lawsuit against the Internet Archive, which hinges on defining the legal ownership of ebooks, ahead of oral arguments on March 20
Discussion:
The Verge, Internet Archive Blogs, @thenation, @harrymccracken, @josephscoccyx, @criticalai, @rossdawson and @jeffjarvis
Emily Russell / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with media policy expert Victor Pickard on the NPR layoffs, the JCPA's reform failure, and how government funding can better support public and local media — b — Recently, NPR announced that it would lay off ten percent of its staff and eliminate vacant positions to compensate …
Discussion:
@maddie_sofia, @jsamimifarr, @caseyriankelly, @centercoopmedia and @freepress
The Guardian:
The BBC urges its staff to delete TikTok from their work phones due to “data privacy and security” concerns, unless there is “a justified business reason” — Move comes after UK government bans app on government devices over fears of data being accessed by Chinese state
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:
Business journalist Joe Bel Bruno launches The Intersect for “investors who sink cash into entertainment stocks”, with a newsletter for $10/month or $100/year — Longtime business journalist Joe Bel Bruno has launched The Intersect, which covers how the entertainment industry and Wall Street collide.
Discussion:
@joebelbruno and The Intersect
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Q&A with Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt on rescuing the company by halving its central workforce, how his business differs from Amazon's, book bans, and more — CEO James Daunt explains how Barnes & Noble is different than Amazon. … In this installment of our Centennial Series …
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