Top News:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Filing: Apple details new US App Store rules letting devs link to external payments, says apps in its Video Partner and News Partner program are not eligible — Apple this week updated its App Store rules to comply with a court order after the Supreme Court declined to hear …
Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
Google News is boosting sites that use AI to rip off other outlets and churn out content; Google says News doesn't focus on whether articles are by humans or AI — Google News is boosting sites that rip-off other outlets by using AI to rapidly churn out content, 404 Media has found.
Bloomberg:
YouTube and, according to a source, Spotify are not planning to launch a native Apple Vision Pro app or to allow their iPad app to run on the platform — - Users of those services will be steered toward the web — Searches indicate apps from Meta may also be unavailable
RELATED:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Netflix is not planning to launch a native Apple Vision Pro app or support its iPad app on the AR/VR platform, and says users can watch Netflix in the browser
Netflix is not planning to launch a native Apple Vision Pro app or support its iPad app on the AR/VR platform, and says users can watch Netflix in the browser
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Engadget, The Streamable, @weirdwriter@tweesecake.social, @film_girl@mastodon.social, AppleInsider News, Digital Trends, @dancow, The Verge, @mysk_co, @apollozac, @tomwarren, @markgurman, Benzinga, The Information, @carnage4life@threads.net, BGR, @ipedro@threads.net, 9to5Mac, @marcslove@threads.net, @parkerortolani@threads.net and MacRumors
New York Times:
A look at the struggles of billionaire-owned Time, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, all of which, sources say, lost millions of dollars in 2023 — Time magazine, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times — owned by Marc Benioff, Jeff Bezos, and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong — are still losing money.
Reuters:
Sources: Reddit has drawn up plans for an IPO in March 2024, with a public filing in late February, the first major social media IPO since Pinterest's in 2019 — Social media platform Reddit has drawn up detailed plans to launch its initial public offering (IPO) in March …
Discussion:
Mumbrella, TechCrunch, Deadline, Quartz, The Information, New York Post, The Messenger, TechStartups, Cointelegraph, The Wrap, Anirban Sen on LinkedIn, CoinGape and CityAM, more at Techmeme »
Gillian Brassil / Sacramento Bee:
The US House of Representatives passes the PRESS Act, protecting reporters from being compelled by the government to disclose their sources and information — The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to strengthen journalists' protection of confidential sources from federal investigation.
Discussion:
Freedom of the Press …, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fox News and The Messenger
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Warner Bros. Discovery rebrands its US Sports division as TNT Sports, which has rights to the NBA, NHL, MLB, and March Madness basketball — Warner Bros. Discovery has rebranded its U.S. sports division, which has rights to the NBA, NHL, and MLB, as well as March Madness basketball.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, The Desk, Sports Business Journal, @jeffgreco.com, @wiretaup, Barrett Media, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable
Natalie Korach / The Wrap:
The LA Times Guild calls an emergency meeting after being told that the newspaper intends to “imminently execute another major round of layoffs” — The newspaper intends to “imminently execute another major round of layoffs,” according to the bargaining committee
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Luminate: US program premieres dropped 21% YoY to 1,784 in 2023, the lowest level since at least 2018; US theatrical-wide film releases were up 41% YoY — Premieres of new and returning TV shows fell sharply last year while the number of movies getting a theatrical wide release went way up.
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Sources: Twitch didn't renew partnerships with Rolling Stone, Complex, and Vice in 2023; the publishers were paid between $1M and $5M for exclusive content — Publishers were paid between $1 million and $5 million to cover costs in exchange for exclusive content
Discussion:
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn, @zachbussey and @zachbussey
K.J. Yossman / Variety:
Email: Amazon Prime Video is restructuring its European teams to focus on regional content, and cuts local content and staff in Africa and the Middle East — Amazon Prime Video is restructuring its international business to focus on European originals. The re-org includes cutting content and staff in Africa and the Middle East.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Techpoint Africa, @joeyakan, @eboigbeanita, @i_am_gwingy, Tech Labari and TechCabal
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Some video podcasts are using AI-generated product placements from a company called Rembrand to supplement their typical host-read ads — A startup backed by United Talent Agency and L'Oreal is aiming to give podcasters a new line of revenue — Hello and welcome back to Soundbite.
Discussion:
@ashleycarman@threads.net and @ashleycarman@threads.net