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.

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 4:45 PM ET, July 17, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Senior Data Journalist, NY — WSJ

Manager - Publishing Editorial, Manila — Reuters

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Senior California Politics Reporter, CA — SFGATE

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Team Editor - Opinion, ON — Toronto Star

Assistant Correspondent, DC — Kyodo News

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

Lead Business Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

City Correspondent, London — Financial News

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Senior Political Reporter, DC — The Lever

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — CT Mirror

Coordinating Editor, OR — OPB

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

Business Reporter, WA — Longview Daily News

Editor-in-Chief, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Variety:
Alexandre Fonseca, Altice Group's co-CEO and Altice USA's chairman, resigns after Portuguese police arrested an Altice Group co-founder in a corruption probe

Discussion: The Desk, Awful Announcing, Bloomberg, @lalithavelvet and @xpangler

Brendan O'Boyle / Reuters:
Local media report that Mexican journalist Nelson Matus was killed on July 15 in Acapulco after reportedly surviving two assassination attempts in 2017 and 2019

Discussion: Fox News and Agence France-Presse

Financial Times:
A look at Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin's online media empire, which stands in post-mutiny limbo after Russia's internet censor banned Prigozhin websites

Discussion: @valentinapop, @kenroth, @galajulianm, @justincormack, New York Post, Insider and The Guardian

Lewis Gordon / The Ringer:
After DVDs and streaming, Netflix gears up for what appears to be its third and most ambitious act: video games, with 67 in its library and 86 in development

Discussion: Insider, @lewis_gordon, @lewis_gordon, @ringer, @soi, @ballmatthew, @lewis_gordon, @adrianhon@mastodon.social, Comic Book and CBS News

Clayton Davis / Variety:
Letter: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences affirms its commitment to DEAI programs; at least four Black leaders left the Academy in the past year

Discussion: @disparutoo, @lamardcheraime, @littlecharlestv, Screen Rant, @blackamazon, @carolinerenard_, @shannon_sense, @kirkwrites79, @lizfilmnyc, The Wrap, Deadline, IndieWire and ET Canada

Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Sources detail some of SAG-AFTRA's demands, including paying 2% of streaming revenue to performers, compensation when using AI likenesses, pay raises, and more

Discussion: Jalopnik, @variety_cynthia, @somebadideas, @tvgrimreaper, @cinesnark, @pagetpaget, @alexandrian.bsky.social, @brianstorms@mastodon.social, The A.V. Club, The Hollywood Reporter and The Hollywood Reporter

Earlier Picks:

Sohee Kim / Bloomberg:
A look at Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which has 100M+ registered members, including 11M paid subscribers, as the anime streaming service looks to India for growth

Discussion: @ncsh, @thejidetaiwo, @soheefication and @sidcoins

Rhiannon Williams / MIT Technology Review:
Study: ChatGPT helped writers complete tasks, such as writing press releases or reports, 40% faster and produce work that assessors scored 18% higher in quality

Discussion: @csoleil, @dwaynephillips, @stopsatgreen, @hciphdstudent, @mrbumpyface, @jarviska, @oosthuizen_izak, @extraface.bsky.social, @glenngabe@mas.to and @carnage4life@mas.to

Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:
Sources: at an all-hands, New York Times staff expressed frustration at how the sports desk was cut and raised concerns over differing standards at The Athletic

Discussion: @dvnjr, @dvnjr, @alex_shephard, @charlottetklein, @dvnjr, @fakebook, @sidhubaba, @GW@newsie.social and New York Magazine

Jessica Nicholson / Billboard:
Radio and music industry trade website All Access plans to close on August 15, 2023, after 28 years, over a revenue drop “that makes moving forward impossible”

Discussion: AllAccess.com, Digital Music News, The Desk, @miguelfuller, @timmurphytalks, @jbleach85, @foxebenbrown, @jamescridland, @tonylorino, @jaredhalpern, Deadline and Inside Radio

Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Creator monetization platform Passes, founded in 2022, plans to acquire rival Fanhouse, founded in 2020; some creators are worried and one Fanhouse founder quit

Discussion: Music Ally, Digital Music News, @asilbwrites, @lucy_guo, @lucy_guo, @itsbellaxrose, @lucy_guo, @lucy_guo, @rileyrosez, @jasminericegirl, The Passes Blog and The Information

David Satin / The Streamable:
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

Discussion: The Hollywood Reporter, Sports Business Journal, Sportico, The Desk, Awful Announcing, Barrett Media, Cord Cutters News and The Athletic

From Techmeme:

Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says the DOJ's “wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision”, would hurt US consumers, and jeopardize the US' global tech leadership

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Adam Mosseri says Threads is rebalancing ranking to prioritize content from people that users follow, warns that creators' “unconnected” reach may go down

Paige Smith / Bloomberg:
The CFPB will supervise tech companies with digital wallets, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo, with 50M+ annual transactions, treating them more like banks

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page