Top News:
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
UMG begins pulling its artists' music from TikTok after negotiations failed; videos featuring UMG-owned songs will be muted, and users can pick a new soundtrack — - Publisher behind Drake and Taylor Swift pushes for better pay — Videos featuring Universal Music-owned songs will be muted
Discussion:
UMG, Reuters, Billboard, The Verge, New York Times, Lefsetz Letter, VIBE.com, Geoffrey Colon on LinkedIn, Tubefilter, New York Daily News, The Hill, Variety, Gizmodo, @simondowens@threads.net, UPROXX, The A.V. Club, @carnage4life@mas.to, Wired, Forbes, Associated Press, CNN, New York Times, TechNode, Digital Music News, Music Business Worldwide, Rolling Stone, Music Ally, Wall Street Journal, Consequence, The Music Network, Polygon, Us Weekly, Deadline, RAIN News, New York Post, WHDH-TV, TikTok, Ars Technica, Axios, The Sun, Engadget, The i Paper, City A.M., The Guardian, The Register, The Messenger, TechCrunch and Financial Times, more at Techmeme »
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Email: The Messenger shuts down, effective immediately, citing economic headwinds; Jimmy Finkelstein launched the outlet in May 2023 and hired about 300 people — By closing less than a year after it launched, The Messenger is now one of the biggest busts in the annals of online news.
Discussion:
Axios, Talking Points Memo, @jimlaporta, The Hill, Politico, Slate, @walsh_eli, @jhoffman, Puck, The Daily Beast, @jhoffman, @maxwelltani, Newser, @madelineanele, Semafor, @jimlaporta, Dawn Kopecki on LinkedIn, @dylanbyers, The Hollywood Reporter, @dceiver, @jayrosen_nyu, @scottnover, Boing Boing, Mike Donoghue on LinkedIn, @dylanbyers, @coryschouten, @sherman4949, @jason_koebler, @jason_koebler, @jason_koebler, @alexsteigrad, @jimvandehei, @ike_saul, @dewalt, @carrasquillo, @benjaminopowers, @weareyourfek, @sarafischer, @rafat, @samleecole, @benmullin, @theinsneider, @jhoffman, @joshuaogundu, @kantrowitz, @klasfeldreports, @byalexazzi, Media Nation, @knibbs, @bcmerchant, @jason_paladino, @lmorello_dc, @scottnover, @iansherr, @jeongpark52, @walsh_eli, @davidmackau, @digiphile, @walsh_eli, @chronotope, @chronotope, @mekosoff, @maxwelltani, @rafat, @stephen_neukam, @clarajeffery, @jeffjarvis, @brucebartlett, @clarajeffery, @asilbwrites, @mediaevan, @mediaevan, @benmullin, @dsamuelsohn, @benmullin, @hanaatameez, @justinbaragona, @bgrueskin, @josephfcox, @cameronwilson, @macwbishop, @cameronwilson, @film_girl, @willsommer, @willsommer, @dylanbyers, @maxwelltani, @maxwelltani, @corbinbolies, @jessicalessin, @jamesrbuk, @jamesrbuk, @mikeisaac, @adambassofmass, @alex, @mattyglesias, @aidnmclaughlin, @thestalwart, @hbottemiller, @mediaevan, @lainnafader, @sarafischer, @taylorbuley, @tim_bays, @sherman4949, @willsommer, @tim_bays, @katie_robertson, @sherman4949, @tim_bays, @brianstelter, Digiday, The Wrap, NBC News, @dansinker@threads.net, @ericmgarcia14@threads.net, @dkiesow@threads.net, Washington Post, Mediaite, Awful Announcing, Shishira Sreenivas on LinkedIn, Saundra Latham on LinkedIn, TechCrunch, Columbia Journalism Review, @malloriesullivan@threads.net, @makenakellyx@threads.net, Politico, Talking Biz News, Boston Herald, @sbhamedy@threads.net, @fredericl@threads.net, Variety, @sorayamcdonald@threads.net, @stuartathompsonnyt …, @noahshachtman@threads.net, New York Post, CNN, Wall Street Journal, The Information, @sokane1@threads.net, @karaswisher@threads.net, @geisler_jill@threads.net, @hermanywong@threads.net, @tomgara@threads.net, @semaforben@threads.net, Hollywood Reporter, @mattbrown.bsky.social, Talking Biz News, The Wrap and Deadline
Jordan Hoffman / New York Magazine:
A Messenger journalist describes his time working for the outlet, where the expensive offices were empty and reporters were instructed to chase trending topics — A text time-stamped 1:19 a.m. early Wednesday read, “I think it's over, man.” It was a Los Angeles-based colleague at The Messenger.
Discussion:
Observer, Defector, @ishaantharoor, @carolynmichelle, @bgrueskin, @asilbwrites, @mattzeitlin, @caroletarrant, @zzzzaaaacccchhh, The Hill and CNBC
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Amazon Q4: ad revenue up 27% YoY to $14.7B, vs. $14.2B est., subscription revenue up 14% YoY to $10.5B, and North America segment sales up 13% YoY to $105.5B — - Amazon reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue on Thursday that sailed past analysts' estimates.
Discussion:
CNN, @ericjhonsa, @lucas_shaw, Amazon and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Disney has reached a preliminary agreement to sell 60% of its Indian media business to Reliance-backed Viacom18 at a $3.9B valuation — Viacom18's purchase of 60% of Disney's India business reunites the company with two executives who built it — Disney has reached a preliminary agreement …
Discussion:
The Streamable, @adityakalra, Media Play News, @bollywoodhq, Livemint, Reuters, MediaNama, The Wrap and TechCrunch
Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter:
Highlights from Netflix's press event: a push for live programming, no planned theatrical releases, licensing content from others won't impact originals, more — A greater push for live programming, no theatrical releases and much more from content chief Bela Bajaria.
Discussion:
@thr, @ryansatin, @meltzersaidwhat, Deadline, Deadline, The Playlist, Variety and POST Wrestling
Jim Edwards / Press Gazette:
Google plans to limit news publishers to tracking users across five of their own websites under its Privacy Sandbox, which is set to replace third-party cookies — Details have emerged of how Google's Privacy Sandbox could strengthen its online monopoly. — Google plans to limit the sharing …
Discussion:
@pressgazette, The Drum, Poynter and The Register, more at Techmeme »
Richard Nieva / Forbes:
YouTube says YouTube Premium and Music have a combined 100M subscribers; CEO Neal Mohan says subscriptions have become a “meaningful part” of YouTube's business — YouTube CEO Neal Mohan told Forbes the subscription services are now a “meaningful part” of the business.
Nqobile Dludla / Reuters:
NBCU and South African pay TV company MultiChoice plan to invest $177M in Showmax, MultiChoice's streamer built on Peacock; NBCU gets a 30% stake in Showmax — South African pay TV company MultiChoice Group (MCGJ.J) and U.S. media conglomerate Comcast's (CMCSA.O) NBCUniversal Media will invest …
Discussion:
Financial Times and Deadline
Lucia Moses / Business Insider:
Companies representing 300 TV stations, including CBS and Gray Television, plan to launch Zeam, a free local news streaming service, an evolution of VUit — Gray Television is teaming up with other TV stations to launch a free, local-news streamer, and running Super Bowl ads starring John Stamos to get the word out.
Discussion:
Lucia Moses on LinkedIn, TVNewsCheck, Media Play News, Radio & Television … and Cord Cutters News
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Todd Boehly-backed music company Gamma, which works with Usher and Snoop Dogg, raised $100M+ led by Alpha Wave Global, sources say at a $400M valuation — - Alpha Wave Global leads round valuing company at $400 million — Former Apple executive Larry Jackson launched company in 2023
Ben Strauss / Washington Post:
Sources: an Arena executive ordered SI to remove a transgender boxing story from a print issue; SI says the story was no longer newsy and will be posted online — The publisher of Sports Illustrated called for the removal of a story about transgender boxing from an upcoming issue of the print magazine …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, @benjstrauss and @jmkliegman
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Primary Wave Music acquires a 50% stake in the Brazilian music company Nas Nuvens, valuing it at ~$100M and highlighting the booming market for Brazilian music — - Primary Wave invests in the Brazilian company Nas Nuvens — Funding round values Nas Nuvens at around $100 million
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide