Top News:
The Information:
Sources: Meta is reducing payments to news outlets that fact-check potential WhatsApp misinformation, including on elections, and has cut CrowdTangle funding — Meta Platforms is reducing payments to news organizations that fact-check potential misinformation on WhatsApp, including around elections …
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Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Meta struggles to precisely define what political content is, offering only a vague statement, after saying Threads would not amplify political content — What constitutes “political” content? — It's an important question that Meta has conspicuously left unanswered …
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Meta plans to start charging a 30% fee for boosting Facebook and Instagram posts on iOS later in February, after Apple extended its 30% cut to boosting in 2022 — Meta said Thursday that it will start charging a 30 percent fee when advertisers pay to boost the visibility of their posts in Facebook's and Instagram's iOS apps.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Reuters, The Information, Engadget, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Sources: The Independent is in talks to assume control of BuzzFeed in the UK and Ireland under a licensing deal for its brands, including HuffPost — British media group to take charge of local operations of start-up once seen as future of the industry — The Independent, the British media group …
Discussion:
The Information
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
YouTube adds the ability for users to incorporate, or “remix”, a music video in their Shorts, weeks after UMG pulled its song catalog from TikTok — YouTube is introducing the ability for users to incorporate or “remix” a music video in their short-form videos, called Shorts, as the company continues to challenge TikTok.
Discussion:
YouTube Official Blog and UPI, more at Techmeme »
Anne Steele / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Rod Stewart sold his music and publishing catalog for ~$100M to Iconic Artists Group, which says it has raised $1B+ for future catalog investments — Investors pour billions of dollars into companies pursuing music-rights deals — Rod Stewart, the star behind such hits as …
Discussion:
Variety, Forbes, Deadline, Music Week and Music Business Worldwide
Ben Mullin / @benmullin:
A memo to Intercept staff says EIC Roger Hodge is leaving and the outlet is laying off 15 people and cutting salaries for the leadership team — Scoop: @theintercept is cutting 15 positions, and EIC Roger Hodge is departing [image]
Discussion:
@themaxburns, @willyblackmore, @danackerman and NPR
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Senegalese police attacked, harassed, and tear gassed or detained over 25 journalists reporting on February 9 protests over the delayed presidential election — Senegalese authorities must identify and hold accountable police officers who attacked, harassed, and tear gassed or detained …
Jonathan Heawood / The Guardian:
A look at new local UK newsrooms, like Manchester's The Mill, Glasgow's The Ferret, and The Bristol Cable, which are taking over as legacy local media declines — On tiny budgets, indie publishers from Manchester to Bristol are doing amazing things. The government must unlock their potential
Discussion:
Johny Cassidy on LinkedIn, Jonathan Heawood on LinkedIn and Media Voices
Sahil Patel / The Information:
Sources: Vox Media's and Bustle Digital Group's revenue each fell ~15% YoY due to weaker ad sales; both have seen a 10% rise in ad sales so far in 2024 — Advertising is no country for small digital media firms. — Vox Media, the privately held firm that owns outlets such as New York magazine …
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Four owners of independent media talk about why they went independent, the boom-and-bust cycle of media funding, sustainability, co-op ownership, and more — “Blogging is the media. Blogging won.” — It's been a rough start to the new year for the news industry, between layoffs …
Discussion:
@hanaatameez and @mathewi
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
TelevisaUnivision reports Q4 revenue fell 7% YoY to $1.36B and adjusted OIBDA fell 7% YoY to $468.1M; streamer ViX had 7M+ subscribers at the end of 2023 — About 2024, the Spanish-language media giant's CEO Wade Davis says, “we are poised to capture a massive U.S. political opportunity …
Discussion:
Variety, Footwear News and WORLD SCREEN
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