Mediagazer: Black-owned media investor Group Black strikes a deal with NBCU to sell ads in Peacock shows popular among Black audiences, keeping the majority of the revenue (Alexandra Bruell/Wall Street Journal)

10:55 AM ET, June 20, 2023

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Emily Flitter / New York Times:

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Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

After Elemental had the worst opening in Pixar's 30 year history, some argue Disney may have weakened the Pixar brand by using its films as “just Disney+ food” — The original animated film took in $29.5 million at the box office, by far the worst opening in Pixar's three-decade history.

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Marah Eakin / Wired:
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Ben Smith / Semafor:

Internal presentation: ~70% of the Los Angeles Times' $232.5M projected 2023 revenue is coming from print, which executives used to explain plans to cut 70 jobs — Progressive media activists, rattled by the collapse of a generation of youth-oriented digital news outlets like Vice and BuzzFeed News …

Discussion: Semafor, @maxwelltani, @stufalk, @tvmojoe, @jamesoliphant, @beachwoodreport, @stufalk, @phil_rosenthal and @jeffjarvis

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Black-owned media investor Group Black strikes a deal with NBCU to sell ads in Peacock shows popular among Black audiences, keeping the majority of the revenue — Some marketers have sought ways to invest more advertising dollars in Black-owned media — Comcast's NBCUniversal said Group Black …

Discussion: MediaPost, @kerrymflynn, @alexbruell and The Hollywood Reporter

Thomas Germain / Gizmodo:

Some publishers say they have seen a sharp drop in Facebook traffic since May 2023; Echobox: the share of traffic to publisher sites from Facebook fell ~50% YoY — With no communication from the company, publishers relying on Facebook traffic are at the mercy of the inscrutable algorithm, and they say it's punishing them.

Discussion: @timkarr, @saptarshinath, @coswise, @thomasgermain and @mattnavarra, more at Techmeme »

Ben Smith / Semafor:

The organizers of Cannes Lions, the ad industry's top awards, tell juries to steer clear of politics and advocacy in favor of more commercially-minded campaigns — The Scoop — The organizers of the advertising industry's top awards ceremony have quietly instructed juries to steer clear …

Discussion: Ad Age and @semaforben

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Spotify signs a deal with Trevor Noah for a weekly podcast, available on multiple platforms, set to launch later in 2023, signaling a commitment to podcasts — The weekly podcast will blend Noah's “signature humor and razor-sharp wit with his global perspective to deliver a unique …

Discussion: TechCrunch, The Hill, Adweek, Billboard, UPI, Spotify, The Wrap, Axios, @eldsjal, Podnews, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @brianstelter, Sydney Morning Herald and Nitter

Alexandra Sternlicht / Fortune:

A look at Kick, a live streaming service launched in March 2023 with lax moderation and gambling company ties, that lets creators keep 95% of subscriber revenue — Video game streamer Tyler Blevins, known as “Ninja” — Video game streamers, who display their prowess in real time playing …

Discussion: Gizmodo, Music Ally and Deadline

Sabrina Ortiz / ZDNet:

Vimeo announces AI tools, coming on July 17, to automate parts of the video creation process: a script generator, a teleprompter, and a text-based video editor — Have you ever had a great video idea that you just never got to because of how much work was involved?

Discussion: The Verge, Gizmodo, @anjsud, Vimeo.com, Inc., @anjsud and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Podnews:

Spotify executive Bill Simmons calls Harry and Meghan “grifters” after their $20M deal ends with 12 episodes; sources say their staff did some of the interviews — Archewell, the podcast company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will not have its contract renewed with Spotify.

Lauren Feiner / CNBC:

Gannett sues Google over its alleged ad tech monopoly, claiming that online readership has grown while online ad spending has decreased for publishers — - USA Today publisher Gannett is suing Google for allegedly illegally monopolizing the advertising technology market.

Jon Henley / The Guardian:

Report: Germany's Bild plans to replace a range of editorial jobs with AI as part of a €100M cost-cutting program expected to lead to hundreds of redundancies — Hundreds of redundancies expected as Axel Springer tells staff certain roles will ‘no longer exist as they do today’

Discussion: Telegraph, @tiagodf and @skoknic

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Alex Barinka / Bloomberg:
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Rebecca Tan / Washington Post:
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Mark Caro / Local News Initiative:
Q&A with Stephanie Lulay, one of Block Club Chicago's three co-founders, as the nonprofit outlet's 29 full-time staff marked its fifth anniversary in May 2023

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From Techmeme:

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:
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Kenneth Shepard / Kotaku:
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Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
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