Top News:
Lorraine Mirabella / Baltimore Sun:
David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair, acquires Baltimore Sun Media from Alden, which bought the outlet in May 2021; Sinclair wasn't involved in the deal — The Baltimore Sun, the largest newspaper in Maryland, has been acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Poynter, @aodespair, Axios, Hollywood Reporter, Newser, @jeffjarvis, Zuri Berry on LinkedIn, @sarafischer, The Baltimore Banner, @skamidi, @ckrewson, @margotsusca, @baltimorebrew, Next TV, @bencjacobs, @nicolefcarr, The Desk, @farhip, @joelmathis.bsky.social, @flglmn, WBFF-TV, The Hill, @torreysnowwbal, @healthcarerenew, @jbflint, @clarajeffery, @scottshanenyt, @benmullin, @farhip, @samjmintz, @bgrueskin, Amy L. Kovac-Ashley on LinkedIn, @sarafischer, @2021_willitend, @bgrueskin, @youngjeopardy, @farhip, @jbflint, @thepacketrat, Talking Biz News, @brianstelter, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap and Cord Cutters News
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
News outlets calling Trump as the winner of the Iowa caucuses early infuriates his Republican rivals and prompts new hand-wringing about the media and elections — No votes had been cast at some locations when The Associated Press and TV networks projected Donald Trump as the winner, half an hour after the caucuses began.
Discussion:
@andrewromeo33, The Messenger, CNN, @tightoff, Salon, Washington Examiner, The Messenger, Axios, Washington Post, @michaelscherer, Columbia Journalism Review, @mattwolking, @michaelscherer, @grynbaum, @conrad_aml, Newsweek, @sonofhas, @daveweigel, Breitbart, Heavy.com, The Hill, Slate, Associated Press, Mediaite and Business Insider
RELATED:
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
Worcester, MA-based The 016 says the news-oriented social network with no algorithmic feed had 17M email opens and 13M click-throughs over the past five years — Congratulations to Mark Henderson, a Worcester media entrepreneur who's celebrating the fifth anniversary of The 016 …
Discussion:
The 016, @henderson_mark and @dankennedy_nu@journa.host
OpenAI:
OpenAI shares its plans ahead of 2024 elections, including image provenance tools and not letting users make tools for impersonation or political campaigning — We're working to prevent abuse, provide transparency on AI-generated content, and improve access to accurate voting information. — Authors
Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter:
WBD's HBO and Max won 31 awards at the 75th Emmy Awards, while Netflix won 22, FX 16, Apple TV+ 10, Disney+ nine, Amazon Prime Video six, and NBC five — This year, the conglomerate did not designate if a show was made for HBO proper or its streamer, Max, instead grouping its nominations under …
Discussion:
Forbes, Billboard, @pucknews, @royprice, MacRumors, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, Variety, New York Times, @ballmatthew, New York Times, The Wrap, GoldDerby, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, The Ringer, Deadline and The Playlist
Benoit Berthelot / Bloomberg:
Netflix tests a joint subscription plan with French retailer Carrefour in a pilot project in Bordeaux and Rouen, to win more customers to its cheapest ad tier — - French retailer will offer a joint subscription with Netflix — Carrefour customers in Bordeaux, Rouen offered €5.99 plan
Discussion:
Ad Age, Seeking Alpha, ESM Magazine and Broadband TV News
Samuel Agini / Financial Times:
Sources: UK-based TV producer Box to Box raised ~£30M from NY-based Bruin Capital to help fund its expansion; Bruin is taking a minority stake in Box to Box — UK's Box to Box Films agrees fundraising with Bruin Capital as demand grows for sports documentaries
Discussion:
Barrett Media, Jon Stubbings on LinkedIn, George Pyne on LinkedIn, Deadline, Sportico and The Hollywood Reporter
Chloe Mac Donnell / The Guardian:
A look at the surge of fashion content on Substack, as veteran fashion editors, stylists, and other newsletter writers give shopping recommendations — We used to look to magazines, store assistants and bloggers to help us decide what to buy. Now the publishing site has become the go-to spot for style advice
Discussion:
@simondowens@threads.net
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple details select streaming and sports apps available on Vision Pro at launch, including Disney+, ESPN, MLB, PGA, Max, and TikTok; some will have 3D movies — Apple today listed some streaming, video, and sports apps that will be available on the Vision Pro when the headset launches on February 2 …
Damilare Dosunmu / Rest of World:
How Spotify's on-the-ground work in Nigeria, like hiring local staff, contributed to the success of Afrobeats, which grew 550% on Spotify between 2017 and 2022 — The Swedish music giant is pushing to make Africa's biggest sound the world's favorite sound. — • LAGOS, NIGERIA
Discussion:
MIT Technology Review, more at Techmeme »
David Segal / New York Times:
A look at music streaming fraud, including bot farms and pirates relabeling musicians' work to steal revenue; Beatdapp estimates fraud costs musicians $2B/year — Bad Dog, a group from D.C., was forced to take a crash course in streaming fraud, a shadowy realm that costs musicians $2 billion a year.
Discussion:
@klonick, @soupsranjan, @surrealist888, @zernerlaw, @orinkerr, @pogue and Breakfast At Ralf's, more at Techmeme »
Clare Malone / New Yorker:
How Clarissa Ward, the first Western reporter to enter Gaza without an IDF escort since October 7, highlights Arab suffering as she faces pro-Israel bias claims — Clarissa Ward, the first Western reporter to enter Gaza without an I.D.F. escort since October 7th, has faced accusations …
Discussion:
The Times of Israel and @lconecnn