Top News:
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify reports Q1 revenue up 20% YoY to €3.6B, MAUs up 19% YoY to 615M, below 617.9M est., subscribers up 14% YoY to 239M, and a €168M operating income — - Subscribers to paid Spotify tiers grew 14% to 239 million — Audio-streaming firm swings to profit in first quarter
Discussion:
Billboard, Fast Company, The Wrap, Variety, Spotify, Reuters, Fortune, The Information, @xpangler, @mukund, @lucas_shaw, Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Agence France-Presse, @eldsjal, @thetranscript_, Music Business Worldwide, @spotifynews, Music Ally and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Puck hires veteran journalist and TV commentator John Heilemann as its chief political columnist and partner, as the outlet expands its presence in Washington — - The company, which will host its first event for the White House Correspondents' Dinner this week, has built out a broader slate …
Discussion:
The Hill, @eriqgardner, @jeffjarvis and @pucknews
Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:
PEN America cancels its 2024 literary awards ceremony, set for April 29, after months of protests over the organization's response to the war in Gaza — The event had been set for April 29, but weeks of escalating criticism of the organization's response to the war had led nearly half of the prize nominees to withdraw.
Discussion:
Why Evolution Is True, Deadline, The Bookseller, The Daily Beast, CBS News, PEN America, Los Angeles Times and Publishers Weekly
Kate Lyons / The Guardian:
Australia's ABC South Asia correspondent Avani Dias says India refused her a standard visa renewal, after issuing a takedown notice to YouTube for her stories — Despite eventual visa backflip by authorities, ABC's south-Asia correspondent Avani Dias left after being made to ‘feel so uncomfortable’
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Independent, Hindustan Times, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, The Wire, The Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express, @free_thinker, @ptrmadurai, @emilyzfeng, @behlihyi, @parthpunter, @cathedavison, @avanidias, @adityamenon22, @derekobrienmp, @opindia_com, @avanidias, @baxiabhishek and @johnreedwrites
Adam B. Vary / Variety:
The Blair Witch Project cast requests retroactive residuals and “meaningful consultation” on future projects, after Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced a reboot — The directors and producers of the groundbreaking 1999 horror film release a separate statement in support …
Discussion:
Joshua Leonard, @themythtraveler, @asap17, The Guardian, IGN, The Independent, The Independent, @rickbur1n, @mothrasattorney, @nash076, @drewmcweeny, @newbyrichard3, @discussingfilm, ComingSoon.net, Deadline, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Joshua Leonard, Vanity Fair, Inverse, The Wrap, Screen Rant, Joshua Leonard, Joshua Leonard, People, SlashFilm and Bloody Disgusting!
Tariq Panja / New York Times:
Sources: FIFA is close to giving Apple the global rights for its 2025 World Cup-style soccer competition in the US, likely for ~25% of FIFA's first $4B estimate — The agreement would give the tech company worldwide rights for a monthlong World Cup-style competition between top teams set to take place next year.
Washington Post:
Analysis: the 25 most-cited US news organizations lost 75% of their Facebook user engagement and 58% of their Instagram interactions between Q1 2022 and Q1 2024 — Waves of layoffs and policy shifts are forcing campaigns to change tactics, potentially transforming the 2024 election
Discussion:
@blackamazon, @mishasal22, @rpark1013, @csmap_nyu and @beneltham
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
In its first open call for funding, Press Forward announces support, over two years, of $100,000 each for 100+ newsrooms focused on underserved audiences — It includes $100,000 each in general operating support for more than 100 newsrooms — We now know the focus for the first open call …
Discussion:
Press Forward, @frankwords, @travisfain, @mattdpearce, @kristenhare and Radio & Television …
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Memo: Aaron LaBerge, the CTO of Disney Entertainment and ESPN, will leave the company after June for personal reasons, to become the CTO of Penn Entertainment — The Walt Disney company logo is displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on Dec. 1, 2023.
Discussion:
@sherman4949, Los Angeles Times, Tv Technology, The Hill, Deadline, The Desk, The Wrap, Variety, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter and Awful Announcing
New York Times:
The American Sunlight Project, led by ex-US DHS exec Nina Jankowicz, launches to fight a “campaign by conservatives” to undermine disinformation researchers — The group intends to fight what its leader, Nina Jankowicz, and others have described as a coordinated campaign …
Discussion:
@researchbuzz@researchbuzz …, @heidireports and @makkhorn@c.im
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
Four top editors from Texas, California, and Canada talk about the challenges of running a metro newspaper in the digital era, keeping readers engaged, and more — “People will pay you to make their lives easier, even when it comes to telling them which burrito to eat.”
Discussion:
Media Voices
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Newsletter service Ghost says it plans to add ActivityPub support in 2024; rival service Buttondown also plans ActivityPub support — Interoperable social media is having a real moment — Open platforms keep gaining support out there — newsletter platform Ghost just published what amounts …
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