Vox Media Alum’s Income Skyrockets from New Newsletter
New York Times: Andrew Sullivan, the controversial former New York magazine columnist, says his income has risen from less than $200,000 to around $500,000 as the result of his move to newsletter publishing. Sullivan is charging his fans to read his column through the...
Apple’s New Privacy Controls Stir Up Ad Worries for Media
Wall Street Journal: Privacy changes in Apple's new operating system are sending ripples through the digital publishing world, with outlets that rely heavily on advertising bracing for a sizable drop in revenue from iPhone users. "When every publisher is fighting for...
Microsoft Teams Up with Walmart in Bid to Acquire TikTok
CNBC: Walmart says that it's teaming up with Microsoft in a bid for TikTok. The retail giant confirmed that it's interested in buying the popular short-form video application. With Walmart's confirmation, it joins several others trying to acquire the tech company,...
Facebook Lets Advertisers Target Mainland China Amid Ban
Bloomberg: Facebook is allowing advertisers to target users in mainland China, despite a ban on the company's social networks there that prohibits citizens from accessing the apps. Facebook has long said it works with Chinese advertisers to reach users only outside...
Netflix Reveals Plan to Pursue Talent Contests, Game Shows
Deadline: Netflix is aggressively searching for its own large-scale talent competition and a big-ticket game show as it moves into its next phase of non-scripted originals. The streamer's execs lifted the lid on their plans in a panel session at the Edinburgh...
Activision, Nintendo See Video-Game Boom During Pandemic
Bloomberg Businessweek: The pandemic is sending Hollywood into a tailspin. And video game makers? They're thriving. People stuck at home for months picked up controllers and consoles to ease the lockdown blues by stealing cars, hunting zombies, and planting trees in...
Spotify Loses First Podcasting Star After Failing to Ink Deal
Bloomberg: Spotify is losing Joe Budden, one of its most popular podcast hosts, after failing to come to terms on a new deal. Spotify said it offered Budden a significant raise that reflected his market value. Budden was Spotify's first original hit in podcasting, and...
Comcast’s NBC Signs Big Sports Betting Deal with PointsBet
Sportico: NBC Sports is entering a five-year partnership with PointsBet worth almost $500 million, including a small equity stake in the gambling operator. PointsBet will be the official sports betting partner across NBCUniversal sports assets, including its regional...
Fox Corp’s Murdoch Isn’t Put on Hold at Trump White House
New York Times: Certain allies of President Trump have instant access. When the Fox media mogul Rupert Murdoch once called while Trump was on the phone. Trump "erupted like Mount St. Helens," the president's former assistant recalls. "Never put Rupert Murdoch on...
Disney Chief Speaks Against CDC Changes to Covid Testing
WDWNT: Bob Iger is expressing his frustration with a recent guideline change from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calling it "horrifying." The CDC shocked many by reversing course on Covid-19 testing, claiming that people may not need to be tested if...
ViacomCBS Comedy Host Taunts Trump with Newspaper Ad
The Hill: Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" taunted President Trump with a full-page ad in several US newspapers for a mock law firm looking to represent a "soon-to-be ex-president." The ad was published ahead of the Republican National Convention's final...
Fox Corp News Host Faces Backlash Over Vigilante Remarks
Los Angeles Times: Fox News host Tucker Carlson is under fire again, this time for incendiary comments he made that attempted to rationalize the actions of the 17-year-old man who allegedly killed two protesters. “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles...
Nexstar Media Ready for National Newscast on WGN America
Broadcasting & Cable: After weeks of rehearsals, Nexstar Media's new national newscast on WGN America is just about ready to go. The crew is making last-minute adjustments to some of the graphics and fine-tuning the way they’ll communicate with more than 100 "News...
News Corp Eyes Education for Wall Street Journal Newsletter
Digiday: As publishers look for pockets of audience engagement wherever they can find them, limited-run educational newsletters are a gambit gaining some traction. The Wall Street Journal launched its first free, course-style newsletter, the Six-Week Money Challenge,...
Gannett, Hearst Join Media Offering Their Video on Flipboard
TechCrunch: News app Flipboard is further expanding into video with Flipboard TV. The company's curated video service will offer users access to video from hundreds of publishers, including Dow Jones, Bonnier, Hearst, Gannett, Vice Media, Penske Media, Group Nine...
Conde Nast Taps New Bon Appétit Editor After Diversity Flap
USA Today: Conde Nast is hiring an editor-in-chief for Bon Appétit following backlash the food magazine experienced over diversity issues. Dawn Davis, who has served as vice president and publisher for Simon and Schuster's 37 Ink, will take over the role starting...
Hearst’s Elle Introduces Franchise on ‘State of Black Beauty’
Fashionista: Elle.com is introducing the inaugural installment of The State of Black Beauty, a franchise the publication describes as "an ongoing exploration of — and destination for — beauty at the intersection of Black culture." Tracee Ellis Ross is highlighted in...
Conde Nast Plans New Dedicated Gaming Coverage at Wired
Ad Exchanger: Wired is taking a surge in engagement and subscriptions from gaming content as a sign. In October, Wired will expand its gaming coverage with the launch of a dedicated new sub-vertical focused on everything from game reviews and service content to...
TikTok CEO Quits After Trump Threatens Ban of Video App
Financial Times: Kevin Mayer has resigned from TikTok just months after becoming CEO of the Chinese video app accused by the Trump administration of threatening national security. "The role I signed up for ... will be very different," says the former Disney...
Netflix Chosen by Fans as the Streamer to Keep After Covid
Reuters: Piper Sandler analyst Yung Kim published a survey that found most US Netflix subscribers were willing to accept a price increase. The survey also found that more subscribers planned to keep Netflix than other video streaming services after the Covid-19 crisis...
Apple Plans Augmented Reality for Streaming Video Service
Bloomberg: Apple plans to add augmented reality content to its Apple TV+ streaming video service. Elements of a TV show, like characters or objects, could be displayed on a viewer’s phone or tablet and integrated into the surrounding...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Tests Fan Appetite for Movie Theaters
Reuters: The hopes of Hollywood are riding on the opening of "Tenet" as the Christopher Nolan spy thriller tests the appetite of movie fans to return to movie theaters and rescue an industry hammered by the Covid-19...
ViacomCBS Pads CBS Fall Schedule with Streaming Series
Engadget: With most productions on hold thanks to quarantine, networks are starving for original content to fill out their fall lineups. In the case of CBS this means dipping into the well of anything that may have finished shooting before lockdown...
Comcast to Probe Former NBC Chief’s Affair with Actress
Fox Business: NBCUniversal is launching an investigation into Charlotte Kirk's relationship with now-former exec Ron Meyer, who admitted to an extramarital affair with the actress. Meyer, a longtime NBC exec, left the company earlier this...
Disney Inks Deal to Help Brands Reach Diverse Consumers
Fast Company: Disney is announcing a multiyear partnership with agency Translation to work with brand marketers across all the company's media properties like ABC, Hulu and National...
Facebook: Apple Privacy Changes Will Muck Up Online Ads
Associated Press: Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices. Apple will soon require apps to ask users for permission to collect data on what devices they are using and to let ads follow them around on the...
Amazon CEO Becomes World’s First-Ever $200 Billion Man
New York Post: The world's richest man is now also the world's first $200 billionaire. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos broke the wealth barrier on Wednesday as shares of his online shopping behemoth continued to surge on skyrocketing demand for online...
Twitter CEO Disses Facebook, Zuckerberg in New Interview
Business Insider: Jack Dorsey has never been Facebook's biggest fan, and it appears that the Twitter CEO still doesn't care for the social network or its CEO. "I don't really use Instagram," Dorsey says. "I don't use a lot of Facebook...
iHeartMedia Plans Podcasts with Sportscaster Dan Patrick
Awful Announcing: As "The Dan Patrick Show" begins its exclusive run on NBC’s Peacock, the broadcaster is looking to increase his footprint in on-demand audio. Patrick is partnering with iHeartMedia to create The Dan Patrick Podcast...
Meredith Reveals Hosts for New People Magazine TV Show
Deadline: Kay Adams and Lawrence K. Jackson will serve as co-hosts for People magazine's new television series "People (the Show!)." The daily, syndicated half-hour TV show from Meredith is based off content from the popular...