Axios Acquires City-News Startup in North Carolina
New York Times: Axios, which plans to expand into local markets, has agreed to buy the local news startup Charlotte Agenda for close to $5 million. Axios plans to have sites in four other cities: Tampa, Denver, Minneapolis and Des Moines. "There is an audience — and...
Google, Facebook in ‘Secret Illegal Pact’ Over Ads
Politico: Google and Facebook, the No. 1 and No. 2 players in online advertising, made a secret illegal pact in 2018 to divide up the market for ads on websites and apps, according to an antitrust suit filed Wednesday against the search giant. The two companies were...
Apple Under Fire in Newspaper Ads from Facebook
Bloomberg: Facebook lashed out at Apple in a series of full-page newspaper ads, claiming the iPhone maker's coming mobile software changes around data gathering and targeted advertising are bad for small businesses. The ads ran Wednesday in the New York Times, Wall...
Facebook Reverts to Downplaying Mainstream News
New York Times: Facebook confirmed that it has in the past few days rolled back a change that lifted news from authoritative outlets over hyperpartisan sources after November's election, signaling a return to normalcy for the social network. The change had resulted in...
Netflix Names Zimbabwean Telecom Chief to Board
Bloomberg: Netflix appointed Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa to its board, adding the company's first African director as it looks to new markets for future growth. Masiyiwa is the founder and executive chairman of Econet Global, a telecommunications company...
Disney Chief on List for Ambassador Post for Biden
Hollywood Reporter: Bob Iger might have a future in public service after all. The Disney executive chairman, who once toyed with the idea of a 2020 presidential run, is said to be at the top of President-elect Joe Biden's wish list for a key ambassador post, namely...
Fox Corp Re-Ups Laura Ingraham for News Channel
USA Today: Laura Ingraham has renewed her contract and signed a multi-year deal with Fox News to continue as the host of "The Ingraham Angle." "With so many challenges facing Americans, I am more determined than ever to deliver the incisive, pull-no-punches analysis...
AT&T-Warner Film Strategy Brings ‘Lasting Damage’
Deadline: The move by WarnerMedia to drop its 2021 film slate on HBO Max could do lasting damage to the industry, according to Bill Mechanic, an Oscars producer and former Fox entertainment chief. "Let's be clear here: It has nothing to do with the fans.It has to do...
Disney Pulls the Plug on ‘Lizzie’ Streaming Revival
Variety: The planned revival of "Lizzie McGuire" is officially dead at Disney Plus. Series star Hilary Duff made the announcement on Instagram. Production ground to a halt earlier in the year when "Lizzie McGuire" creator and revival showrunner Terri Minsky was...
Fox Corp Preps TV Game Show Built Around Pepsi
Adweek: After successfully launching shows around Shazam and Lego, Fox is teaming up with yet another brand for a new series: Wild Cherry Pepsi. Fox and Pepsi have created "Cherries Wild," a pop culture trivia game show in which contestants compete for a $250,000...
AT&T Reaches Deal to Bring New Streamer to Roku
USA Today: Just ahead of the debut of next week's "Wonder Woman 1984" on HBO Max, parent company WarnerMedia said it reached a deal to bring the streaming service's app to Roku's popular video devices. Roku devices are the favorite choice for consumers to stream net...
BBC Studios Plans Streaming Video Channel for US
World Screen: BBC Studios is set to launch a new, ad-free subscription streaming channel, BBC Select, in early 2021 on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app. Set for the US and Canada, BBC Select will offer a range of programs from the UK covering culture,...
Report: US Streaming Viewers Use Seven Services
World Screen: The average US streaming consumer is now using seven services to access content, up from five in April 2020, according to the NPD Group's new TV Switching Study. "Viewers are increasing the number of streaming services they use, as they seek to find...
Spotify in Deal to Stream NPR Podcasts Worldwide
Variety: Spotify entered a pact with NPR to distribute 26 podcasts outside the US. A few NPR shows that are available on Spotify US aren't part of the international-distribution pact, including most notably "Fresh Air," hosted by Terry Gross. NPR's podcast catalog is...
Twitter to Remove Misinformation on Covid Vaccines
CNBC: Twitter announced that it will moderate and in some cases remove harmful misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, which began to be administered in the US this week. Specifically, Twitter said it will take action on false claims that suggest immunizations and...
Conde Nast Raises Questions Amid Global Overhaul
Business of Fashion: Conde Nast's US-centred shift raises questions about how the publisher plans to produce relevant coverage in local markets where trends and politics shift widely. It's a challenge for the publisher; creating content that resonates more with...
Meredith Brings Back Subscriptions for Rachael Ray
MediaPost: Meredith is bringing back home delivery and an annual subscription model to Rachael Ray In Season magazine. Doug Olson, president of Meredith Magazines, said the changes are based on Rachael Ray In Season's audiences' "positive response to the newsstand...
New York Times Writer Exits After Drama with Model
New York Post: Alison Roman announced she will not return to the New York Times after taking a break from the gig following her controversial comments on Chrissy Teigen. "Feels like a good time to formally mention I won't be returning to NYT Cooking," the former...
Tribune Staffers Fear Newsrooms Won’t Ever Return
AFP: Tribune Publishing has acknowledged it is re-evaluating its real estate needs as it struggles with a difficult environment. But many journalists say the loss of the newsroom has changed the nature of their work and worry that newspapers may not re-establish...
Facebook CEO Rejects Critics in Year-End Remarks
Reuters: Facebook's top executives sought to rally employees around business priorities at a year-end meeting, playing down criticism faced this year of the company's record on false and violent speech. "We have to recognize that there are people who believe their...
Netflix is Asked by US Senator to Offer Free Service
Fox Business: Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, has proposed a new idea aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus: free video streaming. In a letter addressed to the heads of the leading streaming services, King asked that all streamers "temporarily remove any cost...
Disney is Forecast to Catch Up with Netflix by 2022
New York Post: Move over Netflix — Disney will catch up with you by 2022. That's according to a new report from eMarketer, which said that Disney's year-old streaming service, Disney+, is on pace to have a market share on par with Netflix in just two years. Disney's...
ViacomCBS Studio Gets Buzz from Tom Cruise Rant
Sun: A furious Tom Cruise tore into workers who broke Covid rules on the set of the latest "Mission: Impossible" film, screaming: "If I see you doing it again, you're f***ing gone." The Hollywood star has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enforce tight...
Hollywood is Rife with Harassment Despite #MeToo
Reuters: Three years after the #MeToo scandal roiled Hollywood, causing dozens of powerful men to lose their jobs, two-thirds of women who took part in a survey of the entertainment business report continuing incidences of sexual harassment. The survey was by the...
Comcast to Face Challenges with Future of MSNBC
Vanity Fair: MSNBC, whose liberal prime-time hosts assailed Donald Trump on a nightly basis, will have to shift gears as he exits the White House. "Nobody will need MSNBC the way they needed it the last four years. Our viewers think that when there's breaking news,...
Spotify inks Deals for Podcasts with Harry, Meghan
USA Today: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are officially podcasters, thanks to their production company's new partnership with Spotify. "What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another...
Twitter is Rumored to Mull Acquisition of Substack
Financial Times: Newsletters are expected to continue to gain traction. The more attention they get, the more big names the format will attract. Big Tech may come sniffing. There are already rumors that Twitter is interested in making a bid for Substack. Like podcasts...
WPP, Publicis Predict Ad Market Rebound in 2021
Forbes: Prominent global advertising agencies released their ad spending forecast for 2021 and an update on their estimates for 2020. There are a few common trends among the forecasts globally and in the US. For example, digital media ad spending will continue to grow...
News Corp CEO: We Helped Save Journalists’ Jobs
Press Gazette: Journalists are no longer an "endangered species," thanks to payment negotiations with Google and Facebook, according to the boss of News Corp. Robert Thomson believes there is now "a realistic prospect of more digital sites being more...
Gannett, Vox Receive Diversity Grants from Google
WWD: As part of its "innovation challenge" this year, the Google News Initiative asked newsrooms to apply with their ideas for closing the gaps in news coverage, which often leaves out the perspectives of different groups of people. Among projects selected by the...