Mediagazer: Amazon adds IAP back to Prime Video for Android, letting users buy VOD rentals and more, after removing IAP from its apps in 2022 to avoid Google's 30% fee (Janko Roettgers/Lowpass)

4:20 PM ET, September 14, 2023

Top News:

Sources: Disney has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to Nexstar Media Group, which now has 200 owned or partner TV stations — Walt Disney Co. has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to local broadcaster Nexstar Media Group Inc. …

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, Next TV, 9to5Mac, Deadline, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News and The Desk

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:

Nielsen names Karthik Rao, a 23-year veteran of the company, as CEO, succeeding David Kenny, who will become executive chairman — Karthik Rao succeeds David Kenny at the top of the ratings firm as competition grows and measurement grows more complex — Nielsen is shaking up its leadership …

Discussion: Insider Intelligence, Radio & Television …, Adweek, RAIN News, Variety, Inside Radio, @nielsen, Axios, @bristei, Ad Age, Nielsen, WORLD SCREEN and MediaPost

Emma Roth / The Verge:

TikTok and Billboard launch the TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart to track the most popular songs on the platform each week in the US — TikTok is partnering with Billboard to launch a top 50 chart that tracks the most popular songs on the platform. Topping the chart right now is Sexyy Red with …

Discussion: Billboard, Billboard, TechCrunch, Variety, Forbes, Forbes, TMZ.com and TikTok

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Newsquest reports 2022 revenue up 6% to £150.6M, says it has passed 65K paying digital subscribers and ~50% of its advertising revenue now comes from digital — Digital now makes up almost half of ad revenues, and digital subs have surpassed 65,000. — Regional news publisher Newsquest grew …

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Linda Yaccarino hires media executives for X's sales teams, including former TNT and TBS GM Brett Weitz as X's head of content, talent, and brand sales — Yaccarino also unveiled a new sales leadership team, including former NBCUniversal and Dow Jones executives.

Discussion: MediaPost, Variety, The Wrap, The Messenger, Deadline and The Information

Carolyn Giardina / The Hollywood Reporter:

Generative AI company Metaphysic claims its new system can help actors navigate the AI likeness rights, and says early users include Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway — The generative AI tech firm announced a new toolset on Thursday and revealed multiple actors who are using its products.

Discussion: National Review

Matthew Keys / StreamTV Insider:

In a US House hearing, lawmakers expressed frustration over rising pay TV prices and blackouts, and industry experts called cable and broadcast rules outdated — Federal lawmakers this week expressed their frustration over rising cable and satellite television prices and numerous programming blackouts …

Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:

Amazon adds IAP back to Prime Video for Android, letting users buy VOD rentals and more, after removing IAP from its apps in 2022 to avoid Google's 30% fee — Next up: The Kindle app, maybe? — Some news from the someone-must-have-struck-a-deal department: Amazon is once again allowing users …

Discussion: 9to5Google and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Victor Tangermann / Futurism:

Microsoft's Start news website published a garbled, seemingly AI-generated obit for former NBA player Brandon Hunter, headlined, “Brandon Hunter useless at 42” — Former NBA player Brandon Hunter passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 42 this week, a tragedy that rattled fans …

Discussion: Awful Announcing, New York Post, @jbenton, @baldur@toot.cafe, @philco78, @staringispolite, @dsmith_tucson, @edlockwood87, @vtanger, @jmhaigh, @bydankoller, @futurism, @michaelroston, Reuters, UPI, The Hill, The Messenger, Vibe and Fox News

Virginia Chamlee / People:

Fox News adds Lawrence Jones as a co-host of Fox & Friends, starting September 18, making him the youngest Black co-host on cable news — Fox News is expected to announce during its Thursday morning ‘Fox & Friends’ broadcast that Jones, 30, will become the latest addition to the weekday hosting team

Discussion: TVLine, Mediaite, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, TV Insider, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, @blackamazon, @lawrencebjones3, The Hill and The Messenger

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:

UK fact checking charity Full Fact announces long-time BBC correspondent Chris Morris as its CEO, succeeding founding chief executive Will Moy — Chris Morris says it's best not to “get too po-faced” about dealing with inaccuracies but wants to boost their profile.

Discussion: @fullfact and Full Fact

Bloomberg:

DAZN plans to bid for Ligue de Football media rights in which the local league is seeking at least €800M per year; source: beIN is also considering a bid — - LFP is seeking at least €800 million a year for the rights — Streaming platforms are spending more on sports rights

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 4:20 PM ET, September 14, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — Reuters

Energy Markets Reporter, London — WSJ

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

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Editor, MA — Nieman Reports

Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — Toronto Star

Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — Newcomer

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

News Reporter, MA — Berkshire Eagle

Multimedia Journalist, PA — Observer-Reporter

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

Senior Media Editor — Digiday

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

Staff Reporter, CA — Daily Kos

Data Editor, NY — ProPublica

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:

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Automattic releases ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress, letting fediverse users follow WordPress blogs on apps like Mastodon and receive replies as blog comments

Discussion: @chrismessina@mastodon.xyz, more at Techmeme »

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Hipgnosis plans to sell 29 music catalogues, including songs by Shakira, Kaiser Chiefs, and Nelly, to a Blackstone-owned fund for $465M, to boost its finances

Discussion: Billboard, Reuters and Music Business Worldwide

Caitlin Vogus / Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Some US lawmakers retaliate against local outlets that criticize them by revoking public notice contracts or changing laws requiring notices in newspapers

Discussion: Palm Beach Post and Media Nation

Tyler Cowen / Bloomberg:
Child content creators, or “kidfluencers”, some of whom make $20M+/year, show that protecting kids from labor exploitation is difficult in the social media age

Discussion: @tylercowen and @anecdotal, more at Techmeme »

Futurism:
Analysis: the bulk of The A.V. Club's AI-generated articles appear to be copied verbatim from IMDb; the articles have “reviewed and edited” by staff disclaimer

Discussion: Plagiarism Today, @shivvyshiv.bsky.social, @kbeninato@mstdn.party, @kphipps3000, @charlescmann, @samuelaadams, @jhoffman, @thehighsign, @dceiver, @jon_christian, @pierogipowered.bsky.social, @dell.bsky.social, @baldur@toot.cafe, @Lazarou@mastodon.social and @tante@tldr.nettime.org

Kat Tenbarge / NBC News:
Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland is accused of sexual assault and grooming underage fans, based on interviews with 11 people plus pictures, emails, and more

Earlier Picks:

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
Bill Maher says Real Time With Bill Maher will return without writers, joining several talk shows resuming production amid strikes; HBO says it'll air Sept. 22

Discussion: @billmaher, Mediaite, New York Times, Screen Rant, Breitbart, @parkermolloy, @parkermolloy, @wgawest, @stephenking, Deadline, @elonmusk, NPR, Variety, @davidkusnet, @fmanjoo, @nickknudsenus, Cord Cutters News, @wgawest, @gennefer, Decider, @bradleywhitford, @michaelsocolow, @wgawest, Fox News, @joshgnosis, New York Post, Bleeding Cool News, TV Insider, @aletheion.bsky.social, Vanity Fair, Boing Boing, @dannyzuker, @thor_benson, @thor_benson, @drewzachary, @ironstache, @guyendorekaiser, @robynelyse, @andrewperezdc, @cmclymer, @harrymwood, @ashtonpittman, @clairewillett, @annamerlan, @lehmannchris, @geoffreyplitt, Deadline, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, The A.V. Club, CBS News, UPROXX, The Daily Beast, @EarthIsOurHome@mastodon.world, TMZ.com, @nedhamson@campaign …, The Hill, @tylerjameshill.bsky.social, The Messenger, TVLine, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, Consequence and The A.V. Club

Ben Hallman / The Examination:
Nonprofit health news outlet The Examination launches, publishing collaborative investigations with Der Spiegel, The Washington Post, The Guardian US, and more

Discussion: @marinawalkerg, @sheilacoronel, @examinationnews, @mujschool, @mujschool, @examinationnews, @ben_hallman, @ben_hallman, @ben_hallman, @ben_hallman, @ben_hallman, @ben_hallman, The Examination and Columbia Journalism Review

Andrea Grimes / Dame Magazine:
Elon Musk's takeover of X has led to a loss of income, opportunities, and connections for independent journalists, and alternatives are lacking so far

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok expands its revamped creator fund Creativity Program Beta beyond the US to eligible creators in Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the UK

Discussion: Insider, MediaPost and Music Ally, more at Techmeme »

Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:
Bob Boilen, who created NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts and All Songs Considered and directed All Things Considered for 18 years, says he's leaving NPR after 35 years

Discussion: @bobboilen, @belafleckbanjo, The Wrap, @minaannlee, @pastemagazine, @seejanemarie, @unrealbluegrass, Billboard and The Messenger

Angela Fu / Poynter:
The Dallas Morning News, which reported a $0.9M net loss in Q2 2023, offers buyouts that could eliminate as many as 40 jobs across the company, or a 6% cut

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
How Tim Cook may navigate Trump's presidency, a closer look at Apple's upcoming smart home command center, sources detail a new AirTag coming in 2025, and more

The Information:
Sources: in recent months, Nvidia has asked its suppliers to change the design of server racks for Blackwell GPUs several times to overcome overheating problems

Reuters:
Sources: Tata Electronics agrees to buy a 60% stake in Pegatron's iPhone plant in Tamil Nadu, India, forming a joint venture, and will run the daily operations

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