Mediagazer: Apple says Spotify was the “primary advocate” and “biggest beneficiary” of the EU's ruling, Spotify pays Apple nothing, and that “free isn't enough for Spotify” (Apple)

9:55 AM ET, March 5, 2024

Top News:

Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:

The EU Commission fines Apple €1.8B for stifling competition from rival music streaming services, the EU's third-largest antitrust fine; Apple plans to appeal — iPhone maker hit by first-ever Brussels fine as competition watchdogs step up scrutiny of Big Tech

Apple:

Apple says Spotify was the “primary advocate” and “biggest beneficiary” of the EU's ruling, Spotify pays Apple nothing, and that “free isn't enough for Spotify” — CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Today, the European Commission announced a decision claiming the App Store …

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:

Filing: GB News owner All Perspectives has been forced to provide a further £41M in funding to cover operating costs, and is now owed £83.8M by GB News — Vehicle backed by hedge fund tycoon Paul Marshall steps in as right-leaning broadcaster increases number of staff

Discussion: Advanced Television and Broadband TV News

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
GB News reports year to May 2023 revenue up 80% YoY to £6.7M, losses up 38% YoY to £42.4M, for £76M in losses since 2021, and 295 staff, up from 175 in May 2022

Discussion: Mediaite, @rasmus_kleis, Nick Manning on LinkedIn, @carolvorders, @otto_english, @seaninsound and @jamesrbuk

Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:

Warner Bros. Discovery plans to start cracking down on Max password sharing later this year with a wider rollout in 2025, joining rivals Netflix and Disney+ — The streamer's paid sharing initiative will launch later this year, with a broader rollout in 2025

Discussion: Cord Cutters News, @culturecrave, Yahoo Finance, @thestreamable, Media Play News, @lucas_shaw, NewscastStudio, Next TV, @iamadequate_, The Streamable, BGR and 9to5Mac

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
While HBO hit streaming DTC profitability under David Zaslav, via licensing to Netflix, slashing marketing, layoffs, and more, WBD's stock is down 25%+ YTD

Discussion: Appleosophy, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @jalefkowit@octodon.social, @masasoncap, @lucas_shaw, @tvgrimreaper and Fox Business

Laura Wagner / Washington Post:

The NewsGuild of New York accuses the NYT of targeting staff with Middle Eastern or North African backgrounds in a investigation into October 7 coverage leaks — In a letter to the publisher, a union leader said the leak probe has singled out employees ‘for their national origin, ethnicity and race’

Discussion: @maxwelltani, Semafor, American Crisis, @yehyabrown, @jeremymbarr, @willsommer, @nickatnews, @john_hudson, Media Nation, HuffPost, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @estelle@techhub.social, Vanity Fair and The Wrap

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch says the Fox, Disney, and WBD sports streaming joint venture is anticipating signing up 5M customers in the first five years — The 5 million mark will be where the JV “settles after five years,” Murdoch said, speaking Monday at the 2024 Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco.

Discussion: Deadline, Poynter, @jbflint, New York Post, Sports Media Watch, Sportico, @jbflint, Business Insider, @sherman4949, The Streamable, The Desk, Reuters, The Wrap, Awful Announcing, Media Play News and Bloomberg

Jesse Whittock / Deadline:

Source: Amazon Prime Video plans to lay off less than 5% of its staff across its European offices, as part of a restructure impacting Europe, MENA, and Africa — EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video is today beginning job consultations with staff in Europe, we hear. — It's understood a figure of less …

Discussion: The Desk

Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:

Authors Equity, a US book publisher from former Penguin Random House and Macmillan executives, launches with plans to give authors the “lion's share” of profits — Authors Equity is tiny but has big industry names behind it. Its founders hope their profit-sharing approach and experience will entice authors.

Discussion: Publishing Perspectives, Wall Street Journal and The Bookseller

Max Goldbart / Deadline:

Ofcom has “significant concerns about GB News' editorial control of its live output” after finding GB News in breach over Laurence Fox's misogynistic comments — Ofcom has said it has “significant concerns about GB News' editorial control of its live output” …

Discussion: Byline Times, Ofcom, Variety, @alistaircoleman, @parody_pm, @drmatthewsweet, Financial Times, Mediaite, Guido Fawkes, HuffPost, The Guardian, Broadband TV News, Advanced Television and Press Gazette

PA Media:

TalkTV plans to close down its linear TV channel in early summer 2024 and go online only, weeks after Piers Morgan left his daily show on the channel — Move announced by News UK venture comes weeks after Piers Morgan left his daily show on channel — TalkTV will be taken off air …

Discussion: The Desk, The Media Leader, Deadline, The i Paper, Telegraph, @mediaguido, @mediaguido, @scottygb, Guido Fawkes and TVBEurope

Jane Elizabeth / Nieman Lab:

A look at the Chicago Public Media merger with Chicago Sun-Times two years later: newsroom and staff compensation grew, Sun-Times dropped paywall, and more — After a $61 million acquisition by public media, Chicago-Sun Times readers get free content and the newsroom has grown.

Discussion: American Press Institute, Holly Edgell on LinkedIn and @philmeyer@newsie.social

Bloomberg:

Vivendi's Canal+ increases its bid for South Africa's MultiChoice by almost a fifth, valuing MultiChoice's shares at $2.9B, and enters exclusive takeover talks — - Vivendi's Canal+ is working with JPMorgan, Bank of America — Vivendi says its committed to JSE listing, transformation

Discussion: Deadline, Broadband TV News and TVBEurope

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:55 AM ET, March 5, 2024.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — Reuters

Energy Markets Reporter, London — WSJ

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Editor, MA — Nieman Reports

Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — Toronto Star

Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — Newcomer

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

News Reporter, MA — Berkshire Eagle

Multimedia Journalist, PA — Observer-Reporter

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

Senior Media Editor — Digiday

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — CT Mirror

Coordinating Editor, OR — OPB

Staff Reporter, CA — Daily Kos

Data Editor, NY — ProPublica

Editor-in-Chief, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Reach reports FY 2023 revenue down 5% YoY to £568.6M, pre-tax profit down 45% YoY to £36.7M, and digital page views down 24% YoY due to Meta's 2023 news rules

Discussion: Press Gazette, The Media Leader and Reach plc

Clara Aberneithie / Press Gazette:
An interview with ITN CEO Rachel Corp, who says the news cycle has become “absolutely relentless”, taking a toll on the mental health of journalists

Financial Times:
Microsoft files a motion to dismiss the NYT's copyright lawsuit, accusing the NYT of “doomsday futurology” for predicting ChatGPT could ruin the news business

Discussion: @carnage4life@mas.to, @asilbwrites, CoinGeek, @crumbler@threads.net, US Southern District of New York, CPO Magazine and New York Times, more at Techmeme »

Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
Report for America, the nonprofit that placed 600+ reporters in newsrooms since its 2017 launch, is “phasing out” partnerships with hedge fund-owned outlets

Discussion: Washington Post, journal-isms.com and @ernie.tedium.co

Marty Swant / Digiday:
NewsGuard adds AI-assisted tools for early detection of election-related misinformation, with exclusion lists for advertisers that want to avoid such misinfo

Discussion: NewsGuard, @martyswant and Journalism.co.uk

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
An interview with Mehdi Hasan about his new media company Zeteo, which he says has gained “thousands more” paid subscribers than expected in its first week

Discussion: @matt_walsh, @ernie.tedium.co and Zeteo

K.J. Yossman / Variety:
Internal memo: incoming BBC Chair Samir Shah says safeguarding the BBC's independence and the corporation's finances are his top priorities

Discussion: @raypride, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Advanced Television

Earlier Picks:

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
Semafor launches a Global Election Hub; Ben Smith says the hub will feel like what Twitter “used to do well” as readers look for “human editorial judgment”

Discussion: @pressgazette, @semaforben, Semafor and Semafor

ESPN:
Chris Mortensen, an award-winning journalist who reported on the NFL for ESPN since 1991, died on March 3 at age 72; Mortensen was diagnosed with cancer in 2016

Marah Eakin / Wired:
A profile of Lanny Smoot, Disney's first and only research fellow who holds 100+ patents and has built an omnidirectional HoloTile Floor to let users walk in VR

Discussion: @vishalmisra, @waterslicer and Rupert Young on LinkedIn

Ax Sharma / BleepingComputer:
An India-based content farm impersonates 60+ major media outlets, including the BBC and CNN, reposting articles and selling advertorial slots for press releases

Discussion: Ax Sharma on LinkedIn and @BleepingComputer …

Reece Rogers / Wired:
As music from Universal Music Group artists disappears from TikTok, creators turn to royalty-free, almost-contextless sound clips

Discussion: @wired, @wiredculture and @crowslabyrinth@threads.net

Tyler Pager / Washington Post:
A look at Joe Biden's media diet, which includes MSNBC's Morning Joe, CNN, Fox News, the Financial Times, the Apple News app, and the rare book for leisure

Discussion: New Yorker, The Hill, @alexthomp, @alexthomp, @alexthomp, @alexthomp, @washingtonpost, @philipwegmann, @spiegelpeter and @tylerpager

From Techmeme:

Gavin Anderegg / anderegg.ca:
Bluesky is working to become fully decentralized but it could take years amid financial concerns as it makes money only by selling domains for usernames

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: T-Mobile's network was among the systems hacked by the China-linked Salt Typhoon group, and some foreign telecommunications firms were also compromised

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: ByteDance is valuing itself at about $300B as part of a recent buyback offer, one of its highest valuations ever

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page