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.
Discussion:
Engadget, The Information, Crikey, @lawrenceabrams, @brianmfloyd, @nkulw, @jason_koebler, @jessicalessin, @jason_koebler, @isaiah_bb, @emilymbender@dair …, @vahn16, Gizmodo, Emil Protalinski on LinkedIn, @emilymbender, @lmatsakis, @martyswant, @bkoo and @telefontelaviv, more at Techmeme »
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
The LA Times Guild calls for a one-day walkout on January 19 to protest planned cuts; sources: layoffs may affect at least 100 people, or ~20% of the newsroom — Los Angeles Times newsroom guild leaders called for a one-day walkout — Friday to protest planned cuts to offset steep financial losses …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, CNN, The Wrap, @joshpcain, @corbinbolies, The Hollywood Reporter, @angiejaime, @amyalexca.bsky.social, @jeremymbarr, The Wrap, @imleor.bsky.social, @cassiermartin, @benmullin, @benmullin, @pkafka, @nafeesasyeed, @parismarx, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, @aritbenie, The Hollywood Reporter, @gabemschneider, @craigwelch@threads.net, @bcmerchant, @jessicamartinez, @eedugdale, @gerrickkennedy, @evanrodge@threads.net, The Daily Beast, @davidfolkenflik, @cmonstah, @awprokop and Deadline
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.
Marc Hogan / Rolling Stone:
As Condé Nast merges Pitchfork with GQ, a longtime Pitchfork staffer reflects on the publication's evolution and its impact on music journalism and his own life — As the hugely influential music site is being “folded into GQ,” a longtime staffer looks back on what P4K meant and how working there changed his life
Discussion:
The Honest Broker, @michaelbarthel, @ganserband, @d_felsenthal, @noahshachtman, @future_of_music, @marchogan, BBC, The Guardian, CMU, Digital Journal, Washington Post, HuffPost, Boing Boing, Consequence, The Verge, New York Daily News, New York Times, Billboard, The Daily Beast, Variety, UPROXX, The Wrap, Digital Music News and The Hollywood Reporter
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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:
Sports Business Journal, Awful Announcing, @jeffgreco.com, The Desk, @wiretaup, Barrett Media, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable
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.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter
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, Tech Labari, @joeyakan, @i_am_gwingy, TechCabal and @eboigbeanita
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, Deadline, TechStartups, Cointelegraph, The Messenger, The Wrap, Anirban Sen on LinkedIn, TechCrunch, The Information, CoinGape, New York Post, Quartz and CityAM, more at Techmeme »
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
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
Emilia David / The Verge:
TikTok is testing AI Song, a tool powered by the LLM Bloom that generates songs from text prompts and allows users to toggle the song's genre — TikTok has launched many songs that have gone viral over the years, but now it's testing a feature that lets more people exercise their songwriting skills... with some help from AI.
Discussion:
MediaPost, 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 …, @repkiley, @digiphile, The US Congress and @freedomofpress
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