Top News:
Kirsten Eddy / Nieman Lab:
Reuters' 2023 Digital News Report: 22% of news consumers actively participate via posts or comments, down 11 percentage points from 2018; 47% don't participate — “We find that news users who say their experiences engaging with news online are negative (21%) are nearly four times as likely …
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Internal memo: SiriusXM plans to shut down the Stitcher podcast app on August 29 and move subscribers to its flagship SXM app, where podcasts will have ads — Sirius XM Holdings Inc., the satellite radio and audio company owned by Liberty Media Corp., plans to shut down its Stitcher podcast app …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter and @therealpodvader, more at Techmeme »
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Max Tani / Semafor:
Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, and other podcast companies are shifting from A-list celebrities and big-budget audio narratives to professional audio talent — The News — CANNES — In 2020, Spotify's stock spiked on the news that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry signed an exclusive deal with the streaming platform.
Discussion:
@semafor, New York Post, The Rebooting, The Atlantic, Fortune, @tomgara, @timmhotep, Mumbrella, @leadpacer, @robertjbennett, @lpolgreen, @meerapattni, @ashleyrindsberg, @maxwelltani, @katierosman, @dandarling, @donetodeath, @paulskallas, Variety, Page Six, The Guardian, UPROXX, The A.V. Club and ET Canada
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Roku and CBS Sports buy US media rights for Formula E; Roku plans to stream 11 races per season on the Roku Channel, its first foray into live sports — The company is sharing the rights with CBS Sports, which will televise 5 races annually as part of the multi-year deal.
Discussion:
Roku, MediaPost, Variety, Sports Business Journal, TechRadar, NBC 7 San Diego, TechCrunch, The Wrap, The Verge, Deadline, The Desk, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable, Barrett Media and Media Play News
John Koblin / New York Times:
Ryan Seacrest will succeed Pat Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune” as Sony hopes to avoid the succession fiasco it faced with “Jeopardy!” — The game show has demonstrated remarkable durability even as traditional television has declined in the wake of streaming entertainment.
Discussion:
Variety, NBC News, Mediaite, Bloomberg, New York Post, Billboard, The Wrap, The Hill, TVLine, Forbes, @ryanseacrest, Us Weekly, Daily Mail, The Week, UPI, Associated Press, CBS News, TMZ.com, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, @drinkarizona, @scottygb, @ohjuliatweets, Deadline, NPR, @yashar, @justinbaragona, @farhip, @lindaholmes, @caroljsroth, @benjaminjs, @mediumsizemeech, @nick422, @keisean, Fox News, Page Six, The Hollywood Reporter, Full Feed, WSPA-TV, Comic Book, New York Daily News, Consequence and Cord Cutters News
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Thomson Reuters plans to acquire YC-backed Casetext, which builds AI/ML-powered workflows and tools for lawyers, for $650M in cash, expected to close in H2 2023 — Thomson Reuters has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Casetext, a Y Combinator-backed legal tech startup.
Discussion:
Observer, Reuters, Castext, @darian314 and @trace_cohen, more at Techmeme »
James Vincent / The Verge:
AI is killing the web with spam sites, mass article producing “AI editors”, AI-generated junk on Etsy, Reddit, and Wikipedia that exhausts moderators, and more — In recent months, the signs and portents have been accumulating with increasing speed. Google is trying to kill the 10 blue links.
Discussion:
@jsnover, @jayrosen_nyu, @tariqkrim, @tomgara, @mmitchell_ai, @basicincomeorg, @andreworlowski, @carnage4life.bsky.social, @adamsinger, @harrymccracken, @hkesvani, Beyond Search, @tldrnewsletter, @darth_na, The Overspill, @paytobreed, @varunkrish, @glenngabe, @glenngabe, @brianroemmele, @chrismoranuk, @soldni, @nolan@toot.cafe, @waxy@xoxo.zone and @ukuku@mstdn.social
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Kayla Cobb / The Wrap:
CW programming chief Kevin Levy, who joined when the network launched in 2006, is leaving as Nexstar puts its stamp on The CW — The executive VP has been with the network since its 2006 launch — As Nexstar continues to put its stamp on The CW, another network staple is set to depart.
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
New York Times:
A look at review-bombing campaigns on Goodreads that can derail a book's publication long before its release, frustrating both new and established authors — The website Goodreads has become an essential avenue for building readership, but the same features that help generate excitement can also backfire.
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Documents: the BBC's Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official the day he suspended Gary Lineker, raising questions about government pressure — EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official on the day he suspended Gary Lineker …
Discussion:
@jake_kanter
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok launches the TikTok Creative Challenge, which lets US-based creators with 50K+ followers submit video ads for brands and make money based on performance — TikTok is introducing a new way for creators to earn money on its platform. The company announced on Tuesday that it's launching the …
Discussion:
TikTok, The Verge and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »
David Bauder / Associated Press:
A look at CBS News' “solutions journalism” efforts focused on people and organizations that are trying to tackle problems like mental health and climate change — A Colorado school is creating a “zen den” for troubled students. A soccer coach in Pittsburgh goes out of her way to relieve pressure on players.
Discussion:
American Press Institute and @spj_tweets
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
The 2023 Glastonbury Festival broke BBC digital audience records for viewing and listening with a record 50.3M streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, up 47% YoY — AUDIENCE RECORDS — The 2023 Glastonbury Festival has broken previous digital audience records for viewing and listening on the BBC …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, BBC and New York Daily News