Top News:

Spotify reports Q4 revenue up 16% YoY to €4.2B, MAUs up 12% YoY to 675M, subscribers up 11% YoY to 263M, and €1.14B in 2024 net income, vs. a €532M loss in 2023 — Price increases, cost discipline help audio-streaming giant pivot from heavy spending on growth to sustained profits
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Variety, Spotify, Bloomberg, The Wrap, Billboard, Reuters, Fast Company, Axios, CNBC, @sarafischer, @adrianweckler, @gaurib_, @richlightshed, LightShed Partners, Deadline, Business Standard, The Verge, RTÉ, Seeking Alpha, Music Ally, The Independent, @eldsjal, @thetranscript_, 9to5Mac, @thetranscript_, Telecompaper, Irish Independent, Music Business Worldwide, @spotifynews, Spotify Technology S.A. and Yahoo Finance, more at Techmeme »

Fox Corp reports Q2 revenue up 20% YoY to $5.08B, vs. $4.82B est., ad revenue up 21% to $2.4B, driven by political ads, sports, and news, and a $388M net income — The company posted earnings per share of 81 cents and revenue of $5.08 billion in its fiscal second quarter, which ended December 31.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, Variety, @tvgrimreaper, @noahziegler, @jbflint, @jbflint, Fox Corporation, Investing.com, WORLD SCREEN and Associated Press
RELATED:

Fox plans to launch a subscription-based streaming service by year-end that will be priced “relatively low” and target those who don't pay for traditional TV — Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch says the SVOD will be priced “relatively low” and target viewers who do not pay for traditional TV
Discussion:
Variety, Australian Financial Review, Awful Announcing, Sportico, Wall Street Journal, Adweek, CNBC, NBC News, Yahoo Finance, Pocket-lint, Sports Media Watch, @tvgrimreaper, @tvgrimreaper, @tvgrimreaper, Streaming Better, Cord Cutters News, Deadline, @by_nathanbrown, @jbflint, @benmillermke and @jbflint
Max Tani / @maxwelltani:
Memo: the Los Angeles Times is offering a voluntary buyout program to all employees who have worked at the paper for at least two years — In an email to staff shared with me, the LA Times says it's offering voluntary buyouts to all staff who have been there for more than two years. [image]
Discussion:
Poynter, @1amorey, @nicksologist, @tatecurtis, @davidfolkenflik, @karyncaplan, @blowryontv, @bymeg, @byalexhalverson, @cmarinucci, @alexckaufman, @hearinladotcom, @dilanesper, @jonfranks, @genepark, @charlesornstein, @esotouric, The Wrap, @lainaminute, @kateoharewrites, @mirandacgreen, @sahrasulaiman and @saba_h

TED head Chris Anderson announces his intention to step down after 25 years and hand over TED to whoever presents the best idea for its future — In an exclusive interview with WIRED, the British entrepreneur shares why it's time to move on from TED. — For 25 years, Chris Anderson …
Discussion:
TED Conferences, @tedtalks, @johnmsweeney, @stevenlevy, @tedchris and TED Blog

Nielsen: the 67th annual Grammys drew 15.4 viewers, down 9% YoY and ending a three-year growth streak; the show aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ — The awards show drew 15.4 million people this year, down from nearly 17 million last year. — Viewership for the Grammys slipped …
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter and @lucas_shaw

The NMPA plans to issue 2,500 takedown notices to Spotify for podcast episodes that allegedly contain “unlicensed musical works” from 19 NMPA member publishers — The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) announced on Tuesday (Feb. 4) that it would issue takedown notices …
Discussion:
Variety, Music Week, MusicRow.com and Music Business Worldwide

Publics reports FY 2024 net revenue of €13.97B, representing 5.8% organic growth vs. its 5.5% guidance, and expects organic growth of 4% to 5% in 2025 — Publicis (PUBP.PA), the world's largest advertising group by market capitalization, announced on Tuesday it expects organic growth …
Discussion:
AdNews News, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, PRWeek, Adweek, Adweek, @publicisgroupe, RTTNews, More About Advertising, Bloomberg, Financial Times, GlobeNewswire News Room, Ad Age and The Drum

The Sun launches The Sun Club, a £1.99-per-month paywall for access to some premium online content, including columnists like Jeremy Clarkson, and other perks — The Sun has launched a limited paywall charging £1.99 per month for access to some premium online content.
Discussion:
The Guardian and The Sun

WBD names long-time executives Ryan Gould and Robert Voltaggio as co-presidents of US advertising sales, succeeding Jon Steinlauf effective immediately — Ryan Gould and Robert Voltaggio, two senior sales executives who have worked at the media conglomerate for more than a decade …
Discussion:
The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, Ad Age, Media Play News, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

In a letter to CBS Monday, Sony says it is taking over worldwide distribution of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! on February 10; CBS plans a restraining order — In a letter to CBS Monday, Sony said it has assumed those duties for shows scheduled to start airing the week of Feb. 10.

AMC Networks unveils AMCN Outcomes, an ad-tech tool that will connect viewership of its linear and streaming programming to consumer purchasing decisions — ‘AMCN Outcomes’ aims to connect viewership to specific consumer outcomes, in what it says is a first to market offering.