Mediagazer: The Jeff Bezos who bought WaPo in 2013 is not the same one allowing its destruction now, and he has ended the myth that a tech billionaire could save journalism (Tina Brown/FRESH HELL Tina Brown's Diary)

Tina Brown / FRESH HELL Tina Brown's Diary:

The Jeff Bezos who bought WaPo in 2013 is not the same one allowing its destruction now, and he has ended the myth that a tech billionaire could save journalism — The whole debacle of the Washington Post brand hara-kiri last week dispatched the myth that a tech billionaire could save serious journalism.

Discussion: Anup Kaphle on LinkedIn, @tinabrownlm, Washington Examiner, @Brad_Rosenheim …, @kristin-wilson.bsky.social, @postguild, @anarchoterran.bsky.social, @sallyjenki and @paulasz24.bsky.social

The Washington Post's February 10 print edition featured two full pages of AP stories in the A section and a total of eight stories from the wire service — An entire page of wire stories in @murraymatt's @washingtonpost today, three of eight AP stories in the A section. [image]

Discussion: @arik.org and @adamliptak

Michael Savage / The Guardian:

Tim Davie says the UK Foreign Office's deal with the BBC World Service ends in seven weeks; the office contributed £137M to the service's £400M funding in 2025 — As trust in Russia and China's state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service

Discussion: Advanced Television, @andrewrait.bsky.social, @davidhendy.bsky.social, @michaelsavage.bsky.social and @writesbright.bsky.social

Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:

Paramount sweetens its WBD bid with a “ticking fee” worth ~$650M/quarter if the deal isn't closed by year-end and offers to fund WBD's $2.8B Netflix breakup fee — Paramount Skydance said Tuesday it has sweetened its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, adding a so-called “ticking fee” …

The Information:

Sources: Amazon is planning a marketplace where publishers can sell content to companies offering AI products; Microsoft has rolled out a similar service — Amazon has indicated to publishing industry executives that it is planning to launch a marketplace where publishers can sell their content …

Discussion: Reuters, Catherine Perloff on LinkedIn, PYMNTS.com, Fortune, Blockonomi, BMI, @pressgazette.co.uk, Publishers Weekly, WinBuzzer, The Stack and Crypto Briefing

New York Times:

In opening statements in a social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, YouTube argues it is an entertainment service like Netflix rather than a social network — The app said in opening statements that it was more of an entertainment platform. The lawsuit claims social media companies design products that cause personal injury.

Discussion: Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, @dannygroner.bsky.social, @johnkerrison.me, @caseynewton.bsky.social, Sky News, Washington Examiner, Tech in Asia, BBC, The Indian Express, UPI, City A.M., CNN and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

TMZ.com:

Sources: Britney Spears sold her music catalog and other rights to Primary Wave, in a deal estimated to be “in the ballpark” of $200M — BRITNEY SPEARS I SOLD A PIECE OF ME ... AND THE WHOLE DAMN CATALOG!!! … Britney Spears just signed a massive new music deal …

Discussion: Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter and Just Jared

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:

The European Publishers Council files an EU antitrust complaint against Google over AI Overviews, for “using its market power” to take content without consent — Alphabet (GOOGL.O) unit Google was hit with an EU antitrust complaint by the European Publishers Council on Tuesday …

Discussion: Irish Examiner and WinBuzzer

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:

Spotify reports Q4 revenue up 13% YoY to €4.5B, MAUs up 11% to 751M, above estimates, and Premium users up 10% to 290M; SPOT closes up 14.75% — Spotify Technology SA, the Swedish music streaming giant, signed up significantly more users than analysts expected, setting a corporate record for most users added in a single quarter.

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

UK's Reach plans to close two of its three remaining printing plants to focus on digital, even as £194.1M out of its H1 2025 revenue of £256M came from print — Glasgow and Watford sites to close and outsource most of their work. — Reach has proposed to close two of its three remaining print sites across the UK.

Discussion: HoldtheFrontPage and thenational.scot

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Candle Media sells a majority stake in ATTN: back to ATTN:'s founders and others; the digital media company was valued at $150M when Candle bought it in 2022 — - It also signals a strategy shift for Candle Media. — When Candle Media was created, it aimed to eventually take its house …

Discussion: The Wrap and Matthew Segal on LinkedIn

Kyle Tharp / @kylewilsontharp:

Turning Point USA added 900K followers on YouTube between February 2 and February 9, the day after it hosted an “alternate” Super Bowl halftime show — 📈 FYI, about that half-time show... Turning Point USA has added nearly 1 million new YouTube subscribers in the past *week*, far more than any other political channel on the platform. [image]

Discussion: Media Play News and The Wrap