Mediagazer: A look at TikTok's e-commerce push, including subsidizing sales and shipping, and promoting sellers in user feeds, as ad sales weaken and social media stagnates (John Herrman/New York Magazine)

12:25 PM ET, January 13, 2024

Top News:

Kevin Systrom / Artifact News:

Kevin Systrom says news sharing app Artifact will shut down after concluding that “the market opportunity isn't big enough to warrant continued investment” — To our Artifact Users and Partners: — We've made the decision to wind down operations of the Artifact app.

Discussion: @sarthakgh, @seanhackbarth, @loudmouthjulia, Danny Lein on LinkedIn, @thomasgermain, @rafat, @broderick, @hamburger, @hamburger, Daring Fireball, Ezra Eeman on LinkedIn, @loudmouthjulia, @jakeswearingen, @rafat, @nbashaw, @palewire, @davidclinchnews, @devahaz, @pitdesi, @lexnfx, @mrjnowlin, @joshuaogundu, @artemr, @jsmarr, @pitdesi, @trace_cohen, AppleInsider, The Information, @onejarednewman@threads.net, @carnage4life@threads.net, @corybe@threads.net, @martinsfp@threads.net, @danseifert@threads.net, @danseifert@threads.net, @kurtwag8@threads.net, @karissabe@threads.net, The Verge, @dcseifert@mastodon.social, @ricmac@mastodon.social, @quillmatiq@threads.net, @chris@threads.net, @griffitherin@threads.net, @martinsfp@threads.net, Kaya Yurieff on LinkedIn, TechCrunch, @dseetharaman@threads.net, @georgescriban@threads.net, @Jonathanglick@mstdn.social, @crumbler@threads.net and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Casey Newton / Platformer:

Platformer is leaving Substack and migrating to Ghost, saying the outlet doesn't believe Substack will publicly commit to proactively removing pro-Nazi material — After much consideration, we have decided to move Platformer off of Substack. Over the next few days, the publication …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, @benedictevans@threads.net, The Times of Israel, @czottmann@norden.social, @carnage4life@mas.to, @ricmac@mastodon.social, @adamghill@indieweb.social, @kwames@threads.net, The Guardian, @brian.fishman.5@threads.net, @davechensky@threads.net, @parismarx@threads.net, @_megconley@threads.net, Search Engine with PJ Vogt, @dsilverman@threads.net, @vthallam@threads.net, @silvermanbrandon@threads.net, @benedictevans@threads.net, @hunterwalk@threads.net, @ricmac@threads.net, John V Willshire on LinkedIn, Quartz, One Man & His Blog, Media Nation, @molly0xfff, @jaredlholt, @molly0xfff, Rolling Stone, @mossbergwalt@threads.net, @benedictevans@threads.net, @alexcox@mastodon.social, The Wrap, @aaronrosspowell@threads.net, @nichcarlson@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @moskov@threads.net, The Verge, @paul_rietschka@threads.net, @pkedrosky@threads.net, @semaforben@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @alexkantrowitz@threads.net, @edzitron@threads.net, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @0x8007000e@threads.net, @jeffjarvis@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net and Talking Biz News

Washington Post:

HBO led Emmy nominations for 17 of the past 20 years, but its dominance may not last as hit shows end and the company's rebrand to Max seeks a broader audience — Once again, HBO has the most nominations of any network or platform going into the 75th Emmys awards ceremony.

Discussion: @meowzawowza_, @ajmckay, @orphanednebula, @meowzawowza_, The Wrap and Forbes

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Ruth Ashton Taylor, a pioneering TV and radio journalist who was the first woman to have an on-air news role in LA when she joined KSTL-TV in 1951, died at 101 — Ruth Ashton Taylor, a pioneering TV and radio journalist who worked with Edward R. Murrow at CBS News and was a fixture on the air in Los Angeles for decades, has died.

Discussion: CBS News, @wilgoren, The Hollywood Reporter and @kcalnews

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says that Fox is not accepting MyPillow ads; a source says ads are paused because Lindell has not paid for his ads since August 2023 — Lindell said he's been ‘canceled,’ but a source with knowledge of the situation said he just hasn't paid his bills

Michael Schneider / Variety:

The CW unveils an “evolution” in its logo and brand identity, including dropping “The” from its logo and a new “hot sauce” color palette — The CW is spicing up its look. Timed to Sunday's airing of the Critics Choice Awards, the Nexstar-run netlet is unveiling an …

Discussion: @elplethora, @franklinavenue, @tvgrimreaper, The Desk and Chris Spadaccini on LinkedIn

David W. Chen / New York Times:

As deepfakes warp elections overseas, US state legislators race to enact laws, with varying penalties, requiring disclosure of the use of AI in political ads — Sophisticated political deepfakes have warped elections overseas. Can U.S. legislators act fast enough to make A.I. campaign ads more transparent?

Discussion: @votepenelope

Chavi Mehta / Reuters: Insider Intelligence: US political ad spend is expected to rise to $12.32B in 2024, up ~30% from 2020, with traditional media accounting for 71.9% of all spend

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

Fubo raised the price of all plans by $5/month as of January 10, with the base plan starting at $80/mo, and plans to offer unlimited DVR “in the coming months” — As traditional cable TV bleeds subscribers and more and more folks sign up for online streaming options …

Discussion: @tvgrimreaper, The Verge, Help Center, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:

Sources: RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker met Ofcom officials to make a last pitch and win them over RedBird's Telegraph takeover, ahead of a crucial Ofcom report — Jeff Zucker meets Ofcom ahead of its report on whether takeover backed by Abu Dhabi cash should proceed

Phillip Nieto / Mediaite:

A US judge orders Trump to pay $392,638 in legal fees to The New York Times over a “frivolous” 2021 lawsuit he brought against NYT and three of its reporters — A New York state judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay The New York Times a six-figure legal fee …

Discussion: @susannecraig, CNBC, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Fox News, @wjcarter, Newser, @susannecraig, @markjacob16, @katiephang, @jason_kint, Deadline, CBS News, Boing Boing, Politico and Rolling Stone

Sportico:

Sources: Laurene Powell Jobs is looking to sell half of her stake, or about 10%, in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Monumental Sports Network — Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs is looking to sell a chunk of her stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment …

Discussion: @novy_williams, @novy_williams and @dylanbyers

Tom Gerken / BBC:

Many prominent voice actors say they weren't told about the SAG-AFTRA's deal with Replica Studios setting out how AI-generated voices can be used in video games — Prominent voice actors say they weren't told about a landmark deal setting out how voices generated by artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in games.

Discussion: @bluehorizon186, @eliastoufexis, @andrethetruth, @yongyea, @charalanahzard, @g0ffthew, SAG-AFTRA and gamedeveloper

John Herrman / New York Magazine:

A look at TikTok's e-commerce push, including subsidizing sales and shipping, and promoting sellers in user feeds, as ad sales weaken and social media stagnates — It was supposed to be a test. Suddenly hundreds of people were watching. What's going on here?

Discussion: @jwherrman, @nymag, @jwherrman, @svzwood, @mikeisaac, @augustlightning, @intelligencer, Business Insider, James Hirst on LinkedIn, The Daily Beast and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

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More News:

Bloomberg:
Sources: Universal Music Group plans to cut hundreds of jobs in Q1 2024, as revenue growth slows; in 2022, the company had about 10K employees

Discussion: Variety, @lucas_shaw, Los Angeles Times, Caroline Hyde on LinkedIn, Billboard and Reuters

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
CNN, Fox, and MSNBC carried Trump's conference after his NY fraud trial live, a reminder of his media advantage and readiness to exploit his trials

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, Adweek, Mediaite, Reuters, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill and Forbes

Neha Gupta / WAN-IFRA:
Project Oasis, a research initiative focusing on European digital-native media outlets, finds those with sales staff average 6x more revenue than those without

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Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
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Discussion: @jon_allsop, Bloomberg, Fox News, American Press Institute and New York Times

Earlier Picks:

Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Sources: Cheddar News is hanging on by a thin thread, with no more than a half-dozen or so editorial staffers, down from a couple dozen in December 2023

Discussion: @ronakkallianpur@threads.net, @mark.cianca@threads.net, @oliverdarcy@threads.net and Talking Biz News

John Koblin / New York Times:
Peacock will become the first streamer to exclusively show an NFL playoff game, which cost NBCU $100M+, on January 13; the game airs free in KC and Miami

Discussion: The Streamable, Slate, Rolling Stone, Washington Post, @davidclinchnews, CBS News, Associated Press, @pkafka, Mashable, @pkafka, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, Awful Announcing, Deadspin, @onikuno, The Ringer and WKYC-TV

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Sources: Pixar may lay off up to 20% of its workforce; Pixar says that number is too high and that the layoffs are not imminent, but will occur later in 2024

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Deseret News, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, New York Post, @karlamon9, @animated_antic, Reuters, @brianpshea, @carnage4life@mas.to and Eric Calderon on LinkedIn

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Internal memo: Audible is laying off about 5% of its employees, or just over 100 staffers; a source says the layoffs do not affect Audible's content teams

Discussion: Fast Company, MediaPost, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, Associated Press, Business Insider, TechCrunch, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, Digital Music News, Engadget and Music Ally

From Techmeme:

Meta:
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Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media:
In backing Trump, effective accelerationists like Musk and Andreessen got a “Decel-in-Chief”, who instigated a brain drain and tariffs that hurt tech companies

Makena Kelly / Wired:
Sources: DOGE is hosting a “hackathon” in Washington DC next week to build a “mega API” for accessing all IRS data, with Palantir as a possible partner

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