Mediagazer: Elon Musk says a ~50% ad revenue drop and a heavy debt load kept Twitter cash flow negative; he said in March 2023 the company could be cash flow positive in Q2 (Jahnavi Nidumolu/Reuters)

4:45 PM ET, July 17, 2023

Top News:

Politico names co-founder John Harris as its top editor, overseeing US and European newsrooms; Matt Kaminski shifts to editor at large at the end of August 2023 — Mr. Harris, who helped found the media outlet in 2007, will succeed Matt Kaminski as the publication's editor in the United States …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Biz News, The Wrap, Deadline, @maxwelltani, @katie_robertson and @maggienyt

Byline Times:

Investigation: GB News presenter Dan Wootton used fake online identities from 2008 to 2018 to trick and bribe many men into sharing compromising sexual material — In the first part of its three-year special investigation, Byline Times reveals the accounts of victims targeted by the powerful TV presenter

Discussion: @imshanereaction, @imshanereaction, @rubytrubes, @adambienkov and @adambienkov

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Sources: Tucker Carlson signed a seven-figure ad deal with Public Square, making the anti-ESG shopping app one of his Twitter show's first advertisers — - Tucker Carlson has agreed to a seven-figure ad deal with Public Square (PublicSq.), a conservative-friendly shopping app, for his Twitter show.

Discussion: New York Daily News, Axios, The Wrap, @schwartzbcnbc, @cacoreyu, Wall Street Journal and The Information

Bryan Alexander / USA Today:

An interview with Jesse Watters about how his controversial comments are “brutally honest”, Tucker Carlson's firing, and more, as he moves to Carlson's 8pm slot — “Jesse Watters Primetime” will finally live up to its name. — The Fox News host won the conservative commentator golden ticket …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, @decodingfoxnews, @davidfolkenflik, @jessebwatters, @abughazalehkat, NPR and The Desk

Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:

NYC-based private equity firm Integrated Media Company plans to acquire Toon Boom Animation from Corus Entertainment's cartoon company Nelvana for CA$147.5M — The software firm, owned by cartoon company Nelvana and part of Corus Entertainment, was sold to a New York-based equity firm, Integrated Media Company.

Clothilde Goujard / Politico:

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority orders Meta to stop showing users personalized ads for three months starting on August 4 or face a daily ~€89,500 fine — Meta's social media platforms will be barred from behavioral advertising in August. — 3 MINUTES READ

Discussion: The San Diego Union-Tribune, TechCrunch, Reuters, @jason_kint, @eric_seufert, @johnnyryan and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:

Antenna: June 2023 was Netflix's best US growth month in years, with a gross ~3.5M signups, 100%+ above its recent averages, amid its password sharing crackdown — Netflix just had its best month in years and Disney is looking to sell its TV assets. What does that mean for the future of Hollywood?

Discussion: @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @carnage4life@mas.to, @jerrycap, @scottgustin and CNBC, more at Techmeme »

Caitlin Huston / Hollywood Reporter:

Fox's free ad-supported streaming service Tubi hires Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud as its new CEO, reporting to Tubi Media CEO Paul Cheesbrough, starting on September 1 — The executive had been CEO of video platform Vimeo since 2017. — Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud has been named the new CEO of Fox's free ad-supported streaming service Tubi.

Discussion: The Desk, Adweek, Variety, TechCrunch, The Wrap, @tvgrimreaper, Broadband TV News, Deadline, @anjsud, @xpangler and Cord Cutters News

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Comcast adds NBC News Now, the free ad-supported streaming service NBC launched in 2019, to its X1 platform and channel guide, alongside 20 other FAST channels — Cable subscribers typically recognize a handful of news brands, including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel.

Discussion: The Desk, Light Reading, @simplyzinhle, @tvkatesnow, @adrianbutler, @tomranzweiler and Cord Cutters News

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

Meta rebrands Facebook's Watch tab as Video, which will now include all visual content like Reels, long-form content, and live videos, and adds editing features — Facebook announced new video-related features today ranging from editing to discovery to make the platform competitive with YouTube and TikTok.

Discussion: PRWeek, MediaPost, The Verge, Engadget, @paulgreenberg and Meta, more at Techmeme »

Sara Guaglione / Digiday:

Analyses: 53% of weekly US podcast listeners listen to non-US podcasts; in February 2023, Latin America saw the fastest growth in podcast listeners, up 7.7% YoY — Though the podcast industry is in a state of correction after a period of significant investment, some podcast networks have found …

Discussion: @glenngabe and @ryanmcraver

Jahnavi Nidumolu / Reuters:

Elon Musk says a ~50% ad revenue drop and a heavy debt load kept Twitter cash flow negative; he said in March 2023 the company could be cash flow positive in Q2 — Elon Musk said Twitter's cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and a heavy debt load.

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Brendan O'Boyle / Reuters:
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Jessica Nicholson / Billboard:
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Creator monetization platform Passes, founded in 2022, plans to acquire rival Fanhouse, founded in 2020; some creators are worried and one Fanhouse founder quit

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The Phoenix Suns and Gray Television's broadcasting deal, announced in April 2023, becomes official; report: Diamond Sports' RSN could not match Gray's offer

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