Mediagazer: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says podcasting is ageing down, citing the growth of video podcasts and “Internet-native” creators who upload “more longform content” (Jill Goldsmith/Deadline)

12:40 PM ET, July 25, 2023

Top News:

Angelique Jackson / Variety:

SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance says Dwayne Johnson donated a seven-figure sum to the SAG-AFTRA Relief Fund, the largest single donation ever — On July 13, as SAG-AFTRA leadership declared the union was going on strike, SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance …

Justin Hendrix / Tech Policy Press:

Q&A with Justine Bateman, a member of the DGA, the WGA, and SAG-AFTRA, on how AI may change the industry, the importance of the timing of the strike, and more — Audio of this conversation is available via your favorite podcast service. — Artificial intelligence will likely impact every type of job.

Discussion: @emilymbender@dair … and @justinhendrix

Washington Post:
The previous big strikes reshaped Hollywood and fueled reality TV's rise; the current ones will likely turn established actors into TikTok stars and vice versa

Discussion: @videodrew, Brightcove, @drewharwell, @shiralazar, Digiday, The Information, Rolling Stone, Study Hall and Foreign Policy

Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says podcasting is ageing down, citing the growth of video podcasts and “Internet-native” creators who upload “more longform content” — Spotify had its best quarter ever for new additions but revenue fell short of expectations and the music streamer booked …

Discussion: @connorwein

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify reports Q2 revenue rose 11% YoY to €3.2B, Premium subscribers grew 17% YoY to 220M, MAUs rose 27% YoY to 551M, and a €112M adjusted operating loss

Discussion: The Guardian, Fast Company, Spotify, TechCrunch, @carnage4life@threads.net, Reuters, Engadget, Axios, Wall Street Journal, NBC 7 San Diego, @lucas_shaw, Hollywood Reporter, @eldsjal and @sarthakgh, more at Techmeme »

Jon Porter / The Verge:
Spotify confirms raising US Premium to $10.99/month, up from $9.99, the first increase since its US launch in 2011; Duo rises by $2, Family and Student by $1

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Netflix rolls out a My Netflix tab on iOS, superseding the Downloads tab to offer downloads, watch lists, reminders, and more; Android gets My Netflix in August — Netflix has rolled out a new feature designed to — what else? — get you to stream as much as possible on the service.

Discussion: About Netflix, Broadband TV News, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, CNET, Media Play News, Engadget, Deadline, UPROXX and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

Instagram rolls out creator subscriptions in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK, expanding on support in the US — Meta announced today that it's rolling out Instagram subscriptions to all eligible creators in Australia, Brazil, Canada …

Discussion: 9to5Mac, Instagram and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »

TechCrunch:

Threads adds an option for a chronological feed of posts from people the user follows — Meta's text-based social network Threads is rolling out one of the most requested features after its launch — a following feed. — In a post on his Instagram Channel, Mark Zuckerberg said that the company …

Discussion: Engadget, The Verge, @joannastern@threads.net, @mikeisaac, 9to5Google, @rachawilliams@threads.net, @tomwarrenuk@threads.net, @parkerortolani@threads.net, @snazzyq@threads.net, @martinsfp@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @sarahfrier, @tomwarren, 9to5Mac, @zuck@threads.net and @reckless1280@threads.net, more at Techmeme »

Raffaele Huang / Wall Street Journal:

Sources: TikTok plans to launch an e-commerce business in the US in early August to sell made-in-China goods to consumers — TikTok wants to replicate the success of other popular China-founded shopping platforms Shein and Temu — TikTok is launching an e-commerce business in the U.S …

Discussion: Gizmodo, The Verge, @michaelsobolik and @sino_market, more at Techmeme »

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

In response to MPs questions over The Sun's Huw Edwards reporting, its EIC says the story had “significant scrutiny pre-publication” and corroborative evidence — MPs wanted to know how The Sun verifies its stories. — MPs asked The Sun how it verifies its stories following …

Discussion: The Guardian, @craftyoldgit, @archewellbaby, @adambienkov, @dave43law, @stuzi_pants, @_not__happy_, @j_a_warrington, @lorna_tveditor, @adambienkov, PinkNews, Deadline and Variety

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

Reach reports revenue fell 6.1% YoY to £279.4M and operating profit dropped 23.5% YoY to £36.1M; print revenue fell 2.7% YoY and digital slid 16.1% YoY — Reach half-year results hit by falling page views and lower online ad yields. — The UK's largest regional news publisher Reach …

Discussion: Investegate, Financial Times and HoldtheFrontPage

Thomas Seal / Bloomberg:

The UK plans to force social media and ad platforms like Google Ads to stop scam ads including fake celebrity endorsements and pop-ups with malware — - Ad-tech will be forced to crack down on scam advertisements — Measures are intended to complement the Online Safety Bill

Discussion: Financial Times, more at Techmeme »

Vidya Krishnan / Nieman Reports:

A look at NDTV, India's last mainstream TV network willing to critically cover the Modi government, as Adani Group's NDTV takeover leaves few independent voices — The hostile takeover of NDTV — one of India's last channels willing to report critically on the Modi government …

Discussion: @vidyakrishnan and Columbia Journalism Review

Jon Lafayette / Next TV:

Nexstar names Fox distribution head Michael Biard as its president and COO, effective August 21; Fox Corp. names David Espinosa to succeed Biard — David Espinosa named president of distribution at Fox — Nexstar Media Group named Fox distribution head Mike Biard as president and chief operating officer, effective August 21, 2023.

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, Business Wire, Fox Corporation, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Radio & Television …, Media Play News, @jbflint, TVNewsCheck and WORLD SCREEN

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This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 12:40 PM ET, July 25, 2023.

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Transcription Copy Editor - Opinion, CA — NYT

Agriculture Reporter, Winnipeg — Reuters

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter - Ireland — Newsweek

Investigative Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

Deputy Spotlight Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Disinfo/Extremism/Tech Reporter — Mother Jones

Audience Editor - Search, NY — ProPublica

Awards Specials Editor, CA — Hollywood Reporter

Middle East Editor, Remote — Semafor

Arts Editor, London — FT

Deputy Tech Ed. - CNBC, CA — NBCUniversal

Reporter - Police Beat, OR — The Oregonian

National Tech Reporter — States Newsroom

Express Desk Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Alabama Reporter, AL — Inside Climate News

Tech Reporter, CA — Fortune

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Senior IP Correspondent, Brussels — MLex

Senior Editor - Business Desk, DC — NPR

Freelance Reporter - L.A. Education, CA — The 74

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More News:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The Guardian creates seven journalist jobs to improve its coverage of underrepresented communities, including in the UK and US, after its founder's slavery ties

Discussion: The Guardian, @josephharker, @andria.bsky.social, @blackamazon, @josephharker and @judeinlondon

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
The Telegraph Media Group reports 2022 revenues up 4% YoY to £254.2M, digital subscription revenue up 31% YoY to £57.9M, and subscriptions up 2% YoY to 734K

Discussion: The Guardian, @guardiannews, Telegraph Media Group, Reuters, The Times, Financial Times, London Evening Standard and Telegraph

Catherine Perloff / Adweek:
Mailchimp owner Intuit is launching SMB MediaLabs, which lets advertisers target QuickBooks' 7.1M customers on social media, online publishers, CTV, and more

Discussion: @sethliebert, @lefterisjp, @catherineperlo1, @johnathanbarnes, @sean_kaushal and Intuit SMB MediaLabs

Washington Post:
Mandiant: a Chinese PR firm used newswire services to place pro-Beijing content on the subdomains of 32+ US news outlets, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Discussion: @nakashimae, @nakashimae, @nakashimae, @nakashimae, @ericgarland, @heminator, CNN and Mandiant

David Folkenflik / NPR:
NPR names Edith Chapin as its SVP for news and editor-in-chief; she's been serving in the position on an acting basis since fall 2022, after joining NPR in 2012

Discussion: Inside Radio, @elbordeaux, @isalara, @vivian, @greenfield64, @davidfolkenflik, Current and The Wrap

Earlier Picks:

Sports Business Journal:
Sources: MLS Season Pass is nearing 1M subs including season-ticket holders; team execs say they are frustrated due to lack of transparency in viewership stats

Discussion: CNN, @ahess247.bsky.social, @usmnt_thoughts, @turnersavesthat, @tvanswerman, @tvgrimreaper, @jheaps4, @worldsoccertalk, @alexmsilverman, @griffin_author, @zone_nhl, Awful Announcing, @GreenFire@mstdn.social, The Streamable and 9to5Mac

Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg:
Sources: Disney is reviewing its film release schedule for the rest of 2023 and may delay some titles because striking actors won't help promote the pictures

Discussion: Screen Rant, IndieWire, The Playlist, Comic Book, @bart_smith and @tvgrimreaper

Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Court docs reveal Vice's financial struggles and fundraising history; Vice held $834M in debt in May 2023, raising $1.3B+ in debt and equity funding since 2017

Discussion: Media Voices, @adamry_n, @markstenberg3 and United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok rolls out support for text posts, available via the app's Camera page and letting users add sounds, locations, stickers, and more

Lisa Richwine / Reuters:
The much-hyped “Barbenheimer” opening weekend netted $155M for Barbie and $80.5M for Oppenheimer, for $300M in total in the US and Canada for just the 4th time

From Techmeme:

Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
Take-Two announces a fall 2025 release date for GTA VI, reports Q4 bookings down 3% YoY to $1.35B, and lowers its FY 2025 bookings forecast from $7B+ to $5.55B+

Carl Franzen / VentureBeat:
OpenAI says ChatGPT can now directly import files from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, available to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users

Wall Street Journal:
DOJ charges five people for allegedly duping 300+ US companies into hiring North Korea-linked remote IT workers and helping fund the country's nuclear program

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