The EU raises concerns over the independence of Italy's public broadcaster Rai after budget cuts and alleged "intimidation" by Giorgia Meloni's government (Laura Dubois/Financial Times)

Mediagazer: The EU raises concerns over the independence of Italy's public broadcaster Rai after budget cuts and alleged “intimidation” by Giorgia Meloni's government (Laura Dubois/Financial Times)

Top News:

The Verge:

Daniel Ek says Spotify is working on a deluxe Spotify tier, costing around $17 to $18, that has “a lot more control, a lot higher quality across the board”— The saga of Spotify HiFi has many twists and turns. First announced over three years ago, the music service's higher …
Discussion: Billboard, Neowin, TechCrunch, Music Business Worldwide, 9to5Mac, The Media Leader, Digital Trends and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar /
Neowin: Spotify confirms a Deluxe plan with higher audio quality and enhanced controls

Daniel Tencer /
Music Business Worldwide: Daniel Ek talks new Spotify ‘deluxe’ tier, price hikes, the company's relationship with the music business, and more on Q2 earnings call

Ryan Christoffel /
9to5Mac: Spotify in ‘early days’ of hi-fi audio plans that will bring subscription to nearly $20/month

Phil Nickinson /
Digital Trends: ‘A much better version of Spotify’ is coming, CEO says

RELATED:
Bloomberg:

Spotify reports Q2 revenue up 20% YoY to €3.8B, MAUs up 14% YoY to 626M, subscribers up 12% YoY to 246M, above est., and €266M operating income; SPOT jumps 12%+— Spotify Technology SA shares surged to their highest in more than three years on Tuesday after the Swedish audio …

Discussion:
Music Ally, Chris Walton on LinkedIn, The Information, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, @alexweprin, @thetranscript_, @sarafischer, @eldsjal, Spotify, @natetharp@threads.net, @carnage4life@threads.net, Neowin, Benzinga, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, Proactive, The Verge, Tech Xplore, Investor's Business Daily, Axios, Fast Company, Quartz, Billboard, Music Ally, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap, Music Business Worldwide, Variety and Reuters

Discussion:

Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Daniel Ek signals plans for ‘a much better version of Spotify’

Chris Walton /
Chris Walton on LinkedIn: The latest chapter in the Spotify story is a positive one for the business: — subscriber numbers continue to grow, despite price rises …

Julia Hornstein /
The Information: Spotify Reports Record Revenue in Second Quarter

Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: Pretty clear that Spotify is officially the Netflix of the music space. Everyone else is playing catch up. @thetranscript_: Spotify CEO @eldsjal: “We keep on innovating & showing that we aren't just a great product, but increasingly also a great business. We are doing so on a timeline that has exceeded even our own expectations” $SPOT: +15% Pre-Market More details: https://finchat.io/... [image]

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: Big, big quarter for @Spotify — Company posted record gross margin, profit and cash flow for Q2 — Music & pod margins increasing (pod biz soon expected profitable) — Ad biz still growing double digits despite macro slowdown — On track to hit gross margin goal ahead of schedule [image]

Daniel Ek /
@eldsjal: Q2 results are out and it was a strong quarter. Lots of reasons why it's such an exciting time for us. Here's a sneak peek, but I'll share more in a few minutes on our investor call. Congrats to the team and huge thanks to all the Spotify listeners around the world. [video]

Nate Tharp /
@natetharp@threads.net: It is kind of interesting how competing video streaming services have exclusive content libraries but we never got that with music streaming. I can understand why it didn't happen, but in hindsight it's a little surprising that none of the big music houses ever tried to create a competing streaming service.

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@threads.net: Between Spotify and Netflix, streaming services are looking like a winner-takes-all markets. Despite price increases, paying subscribers are up 12% to 246M users. This is 1M more than expected. The company also plans to add a $5 more expensive tier soon.

Anusuya Lahiri /
Benzinga: Spotify's Q2 Earnings: Revenue Grows 20% As Premium Revenue Surge Drives Higher Average Revenue Per User

Emily Jarvie /
Proactive: Spotify set to report profit turnaround for Q2

Jess Weatherbed /
The Verge: Spotify's growth continues its upward crawl.Monthly active users increased by 14 percent year-over-year to 626 million, but 5 million short of Spotify's expectations for the quarter.

Patrick Seitz /
Investor's Business Daily: Streaming Music Giant Spotify Beats Q2 Subscriber, Profit Targets

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Spotify posts record gross margin, profit and cash flow for Q2

Michael Grothaus /
Fast Company: Spotify stock price: SPOT soars ahead of price hikes; streaming giant sees double-digit growth

Rocio Fabbro /
Quartz: Spotify's price hikes didn't stop it from scoring more subscribers — and record profits

Elizabeth Dilts Marshall /
Billboard: Spotify's 7 Million New Subscribers Bumps Revenue Up 20%

Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Spotify posts record quarterly profit... but user growth misses guidance

Caitlin Huston /
The Hollywood Reporter: Spotify Beats Expectations for Paid Subscribers After Price Hikes to Hit 246M

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Spotify Stock Pops On Quarterly Numbers As Music Streamer Adds Premium Subscribers, Lowers Costs

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Spotify Sees Record Profit in Q2 Following Subscription Price Hike and Layoffs

Murray Stassen /
Music Business Worldwide: Spotify subscriber base grew by 7m to 246m in Q2, as streaming company posts ‘record high’ quarterly profit

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Spotify Turns in Record Profit in Q2, Grows Premium Subscribers to 246 Million

The Hollywood Reporter:

YouTube Q2 ad revenue grew 13% YoY to $8.66B, vs. $8.93B est.; Google's subscriptions, platforms, and devices unit that includes YouTube TV had revenue of $9.3B— The Google-owned video platform still saw its ad haul rise by 13 percent compared to last year.

Discussion:
Observer, The Verge, The Register, Alphabet Inc., The Desk, Reuters, Neowin, Quartz, The Wrap, MediaPost, 9to5Google, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, Variety, Next TV and TVNewsCheck, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Richard Speed /
The Register: Microsoft: Our licensing terms do not meaningfully raise cloud rivals' costs

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: YouTube Q2 advertising revenue misses Wall Street estimates

John Callaham /
Neowin: Google parent company Alphabet brought in $84.74 billion in revenues for Q2 2024

Laura Bratton /
Quartz: Google's profits are booming because of AI

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: YouTube Ad Revenue Rises 13% to $8.66 Billion in Q2

Laurie Sullivan /
MediaPost: Alphabet Takes In $64.6B In Q2 Ad Revenue

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: YouTube Posted “Healthy Watch Time Growth” In Q2, Boosting Advertising Returns, Top Alphabet Exec Ruth Porat Says

Todd Spangler /
Variety: YouTube Q2 Ad Revenue Hits $8.66 Billion, up 13%, Short of Wall Street Expectations

Daniel Frankel /
Next TV: YouTube Ad Revenue Up 13% to $8.66 Billion in Q2

The Information:

Internal messages: Meta staff complained about Threads' algorithm limiting political posts, after the For You page was slow to show news of Biden dropping out— Shortly after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election Sunday, an employee at Meta Platforms posted in the company's internal forum …

Discussion:
@georgescriban@threads.net: Threads can't divorce itself from Instagram's content moderation systems fast enough. @theinformation: Meta Employees Debate Merits of Threads' No-Politics Policy Meta staffers are questioning the company's policy of not promoting political content on Threads, as political chatter rises ahead of the election. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... From @SylviaVarnham and @KalleyHuang

Kevin Kruse /
@kevinmkruse@threads.net: Threads deleted this post as hate speech and locked me out of my account for a day. If I just stop posting here for good someday, it's because they've done this again.

Drew Harwell /
@drewharwell@threads.net: Policy going as well as expected https://www.theinformation.com/ ...

Frida Ghitis /
@fridaghitis@threads.net: Biden's weekend earthquake could make Threads reconsider its light-on-politics policy: Threads' head of product Emily Dalton Smith, was dissatisfied with how Biden dropping out news didn't show up in her ‘for you’ page, thanks to the no politics be promoted policy

Katie Harbath /
@katieharbath@threads.net: 👀👀👀 https://www.theinformation.com/ ...

Hadas /
@_hadasgold@threads.net: The Information reports that Threads' head of product Emily Dalton Smith, was dissatisfied with how Biden dropping out news didn't show up in her ‘for you’ page, thanks to the no politics be promoted policy. “It feels broken that a topic overwhelming my following feed doesn't show up at all in [For You],” she said in an internal message. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...

Wall Street Journal:

Former Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter, who backed Nelson Peltz in a failed proxy fight for two Disney board seats, sells his stake of nearly 26M Disney shares— Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, the former Marvel Entertainment executive, who for the last decade and a half has been one of Disney's …

Discussion:
Variety, Gizmodo, New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Reuters

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Marvel Ex-Chairman Ike Perlmutter Reportedly Sold His Entire Disney Stake for Nearly $3 Billion After Unsuccessful Board Fight

Sabina Graves /
Gizmodo: Former Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter Finally Sells Disney Shares

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Ike Perlmutter reportedly dumps entire Disney stake after proxy loss, expects stock to keep plunging

Caitlin Huston /
The Hollywood Reporter: Ike Perlmutter Sells Entire Stake in Disney After Proxy Fight

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Ike Perlmutter Has Sold His Entire Disney Stake

Reuters:

A Moscow court finds Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar guilty in absentia of distributing false information about the Russian army and sentences him to 8.5 years— A court in Moscow said on Tuesday it had found Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar guilty in absentia of knowingly distributing false information …

Discussion:
International Center … and Committee to Protect …

Discussion:

Sharon Moshavi /
International Center for Journalists: Exiled Journalists Provide Vital Reporting to Russian Audiences, Even As Kremlin Cracks Down Committee to Protect Journalists: Russia sentences journalist Mikhail Zygar to 8½ years in absentia on ‘fake’ news charges

RELATED:

Reuters:
The US calls on Russia to free Russian-American RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was jailed last week in what RFE/RL said was “a mockery of justice”

Discussion:
Inter Press Service, @newshour@threads.net, PBS NewsHour, Washington Post, TVNewsCheck, Associated Press, Semafor, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Voice of America, Committee to Protect …, Sky News, CNN, New York Times, Reporters Without Borders, USAGM, BBC, CBS News, European Federation … and The Guardian

Discussion:

Ed Holt /
Inter Press Service: Rights Groups Demand Governments Protect Exiled Journalists, Dissidents @newshour@threads.net: After a trial shrouded in secrecy, Russian-American citizen and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was convicted and sentenced for spreading “falsehoods about the Russian army.” Amna Nawaz spoke with Kurmasheva's husband and daughter. https://www.pbs.org/...

Ivan Nechepurenko /
TVNewsCheck: Russia Sentences Alsu Kurmasheva, American Editor, To A Penal Colony

Dasha Litvinova /
Associated Press: US-Russian journalist convicted in a rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison, court says

Rowan Humphries /
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Tried & Convicted in Russian Court

Committee to Protect Journalists:
US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva sentenced to 6½ years in secret trial

Dylan Donnelly /
Sky News: A Russian court sentences Russian-American RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to six and a half years in prison for spreading “false info” about the Russian army CNN: US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva given 6.5 years in Russian jail in swift and secret trial

Ivan Nechepurenko /
New York Times: Russia Sentences Alsu Kurmasheva, American Editor, to a Penal Colony Reporters Without Borders: RSF outraged by arbitrary sentencing of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Russia

Bladeira /
USAGM: USAGM CEO Condemns Russia's trial & conviction of American Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva

Robert Greenall /
BBC: Russian-US journalist jailed for ‘false information’ CBS News: Russia sentences U.S. dual national journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to prison for reporting amid Ukraine war

Financial Times:

The EU raises concerns over the independence of Italy's public broadcaster Rai after budget cuts and alleged “intimidation” by Giorgia Meloni's government— European Commission raises alarm over independence of public broadcaster Rai after budget cuts and ‘intimidation’

Popular Information:

A look at Sinclair's Rapid Response Team, which produces biased short articles; affiliates must include at least three RRT stories nightly— Eugene Ramirez, the lead anchor of Sinclair's national evening news broadcast, resigned in January over concerns about the accuracy and right-wing bias …

Discussion:
@eugeneramirez, @michaelsocolow, @agt00soul, @sueblueswilson, @jayrosen_nyu, @kali_fissure, @drvolts, @davidfolkenflik, @juddlegum, @thetnholler, TVNewsCheck, The Daily Beast, @kbode@threads.net, @FAIR@mastodon.world, @davinasass@threads.net, @shamrockchickens@threads.net, @realjuddlegum@threads.net, @kiminsley11@threads.net, @KimPerales@toad.social and @emmettoconnell@mas.to

Discussion:

Eugene Ramirez /
@eugeneramirez: This morning I was sent a news story about me. I can only say that I do not contest any of the claims made, and I appreciate the messages of support I have received in response. My integrity is not for sale. Now, let's get to work.

Michael Socolow /
@michaelsocolow: Uri Berliner: I quit @NPR because my journalistic employer is ideological but pretends not to be. Eugene Ramirez: I quit @WeAreSinclair because my journalistic employer is ideological but pretends not to be. Seems a more common complaint upon quitting a media job these days?

Sue Wilson /
@sueblueswilson: @jayrosen_nyu @JuddLegum Interesting point. Perhaps @ABC @CBS @NBCNews @foxnetworks need to establish better guidelines for their Network Affiliates. Perhaps also it is time for local viewers to flex their collective muscles. Here's how: https://www.mediaactioncenter.net/ ...

Jay Rosen /
@jayrosen_nyu: “The lead anchor of Sinclair's national evening news broadcast, resigned in January over concerns about the accuracy and right-wing bias of the content he was required to present...” https://popular.info/... Oustanding work by @JuddLegum I have never been able to establish

Caleigh Fisher /
@kali_fissure: This won't be news to people who monitor media landscape and ecology but it's always good to know who is feeding< you your information. So you can reverse bias it accurately. https://popular.info/...

David Roberts /
@drvolts: Sinclair owns hundreds of local TV stations & produces the local news shows that hundreds of thousands of people see each night. They are centrally producing far-right content & forcing it on local affiliates. Let's talk more about the liberal media. https://popular.info/...

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: A top anchor for Sinclair's national evening news show quit over concerns it slanted hard right - story broken by @JuddLegum & Rebecca Crosby on https://popular.info/. The anchor, Eugene Ramirez, affirms Legum's story in a brief public post & to NPR. https://popular.info/...

Judd Legum /
@juddlegum: 13. Do you know someone who should know the facts about @WeAreSinclair, a news organization that reaches 40% of the US population? It's all right here, with links to sources: https://popular.info/... @thetnholler: UPDATE: “Eugene Ramirez, the lead anchor of Sinclair's national evening news broadcast, resigned in January over concerns about the accuracy and right-wing bias of the content he was required to present on air...” Hey @FOXNashville, care to comment? https://popular.info/... [image]

Kevin Eck /
TVNewsCheck: Scripps Looking For A Director Of Newsroom AI

Josh Fiallo /
The Daily Beast: Top Sinclair Anchor Confirms He Quit Over Station's ‘Right-Wing Propaganda’

Karl Bode /
@kbode@threads.net: TFW you finally realize you are working for a right wing propaganda mill pretending to be a local news broadcaster @FAIR@mastodon.world: “Sinclair's national leadership frequently booked guests from far-right groups, including Moms for Liberty and the Heritage Foundation. When Ramirez challenged the dubious claims made by these guests, he was admonished and instructed not to interrupt them.... Representatives of progressive groups were almost never booked as guests. ” …

Davina Sashkin /
@davinasass@threads.net: Friends don't let friends watch Sinclair-owned stations. If you are in the Austin area, it's the CBS station. Look up your local station here: https://sbgi.net/...

Charlie Pom /
@shamrockchickens@threads.net: We lost 2 of our beloved anchors a couple months after Sinclair bought a local station.

Judd Legum /
@realjuddlegum@threads.net: Eugene Ramirez, the lead anchor of Sinclair's national evening news broadcast, resigned this year over concerns about the accuracy and right-wing bias of the content he was required to present on air, three sources — one current and two former Sinclair employees — told Popular Information.

Kim Insley /
@kiminsley11@threads.net: Good for him. Sinclair shuttered a long-standing local newsroom in my home state and replaced local news with this. An example of a large corporation turning its back on its responsibility with public airwaves.

Kim Perales /
@KimPerales@toad.social: E Ramirez -lead anchor of Sinclair's nat. evening news broadcast, resigned in Jan over concerns about the accuracy & RW bias of the content he was required to present on air. His show, which continues to air with a new host, appears on at least 70 of the 100s of local TV affiliates owned by Sinclair. …

Emmett O'Connell /
@emmettoconnell@mas.to: 'Through July 4, 2024, the (Sinclair Media) RRT has produced 147 stories this year that portray Democrats in a negative light and just 7 stories that portray Democrats positively. Over that same time period, the RRT has produced 57 stories that portray Republicans positively and 22 that portray Republicans negatively. …

The Verge:

Twitch introduces new policy and moderation updates to curb sexual harassment, including making its policy “easier to understand” and adding moderation tools— Twitch has introduced new policy and moderation updates that aim to help curb sexual harassment.

Discussion:
Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

The Hollywood Reporter:

Comcast reports Peacock Q2 revenue up 28% YoY to $1B, and a $348M loss, down from $651M in Q2 2023; paying subs were up 38% YoY to 33M but down from 33.5M in Q1— Comcast and its entertainment unit NBCUniversal report second-quarter results, including the “best year-over-year improvement” …

Discussion:

Andrew Bucholtz /
Awful Announcing: Peacock lost 500,000 subscribers in Q2, increasing focus on Olympics coverage and price hikes

Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts indicated to Wall St today that his company is not interested in buying WBD. “Instead of engaging in a process to buy content companies, we are focused primarily on organic opportunities like the NBA...” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Peacock Sheds 500,000 Subscribers, Comcast Earnings Dragged Down by Revenue Drop at Studios and Parks

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: NBCU Posts Mixed Q2 Results, Peacock Cuts Losses

Martin Peers /
The Information: Peacock's Losses Fall Sharply

James Guttman /
Cord Cutters News: Peacock's Subscriber Decline Amidst Revenue Growth: A Mixed Quarter for NBCUniversal

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Peacock subscriptions slide to 33 million in Q2

David Satin /
The Streamable: Peacock Loses 500,000 Subscribers, But Boosts Revenue and Continues to Narrow Losses

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Peacock Loses 1 Million Q2 Subscribers, Cuts Fiscal Loss Nearly 50%

Jon Lafayette /
Next TV: Comcast Earnings Dip Despite Trimming Losses at Peacock

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Comcast Q2 Revenue Dips On Studio And Theme Park Wobbles; Peacock Sheds 500K Subscribers But Trims Losses And Hits $1B In Revenue

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: Comcast Q2 Upset by Shortfalls at Theme Parks, Movie Studios

RELATED:

Deadline:
Comcast President Mike Cavanagh says NBCUniversal expects an 11-year rights deal with the NBA, starting with the 2025-26 season, will be announced “soon”

Discussion:
Variety, TVNewsCheck, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Sportico, Next TV and The Wrap

Discussion:

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: Comcast Says NBC Has 11-Year Deal in Place With NBA

Jon Lafayette /
TVNewsCheck: Comcast's Mike Cavanagh Expects NBA Deal To Score With Advertising & Subscription Revenue

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Comcast President Touts NBA Rights: Will Put “Weight of Our Entire Company” Behind Deal

Deborah Sophia /
Reuters: Comcast expects to carry 100 NBA games each season in new broadcast rights deal

Anthony Crupi /
Sportico: Comcast Heralds NBA's Return to NBC as TNT Drama Unfolds

Jon Lafayette /
Next TV: Comcast's Mike Cavanagh Expects NBA Deal To Score With Advertising, Subscription Revenue

Bloomberg:
A look at Comcast's bet on the Paris Olympics, which executives hope will greatly elevate Peacock against Netflix and Disney+; Peacock has exclusive US rights

Discussion:
Business Insider, The Streamable, Next TV, Reuters, Slate, @lucas_shaw and IndieWire

Discussion:

David Satin /
The Streamable: Streaming Crosses 40% of All TV Viewing for First Time; Disney+, Max, Others See Big Increases

R. Thomas Umstead /
Next TV: Paris Olympics Coverage Kicks Off With Soccer, Rugby Matches

Harshita Mary Varghese /
Reuters: Comcast beats quarterly profit estimates on strength in streaming, broadband

Alex Kirshner /
Slate: The Most Mockable Streaming Service Has Transformed Itself

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: Peacock was supposed to launch out of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Then Covid happened. This summer, Peacock gets to try again with the 2024 games in Paris. @hgmiller29 and I spoke to folks at Comcast about their plans. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

The Guardian:

BBC reports UK households paying the £169.50 licence fee fell by 500K to 23.9M in 2023/2024; 69% of Britons under 16 consume any BBC content in an average week— Corporation faces stark challenge as it struggles to reach younger audiences who are watching Netflix and YouTube

TechCrunch:

Though the UK's ICO says it's “disappointed” with Google's not deprecating third-party cookies, the regulator has only weakly enforced data protection laws— In a material development that will likely have a big impact on online business models, Google is no longer proposing …

Discussion:

Robert Williams /
Beet.TV: Google's Cookie Plans Have Key Opt-Out Choice for Consumers: InfoSum CEO Lauren Wetzel

Lukasz Olejnik /
@LukaszOlejnik@mastodon.social: My comment in TechCrunch about Google's gambit to offer users a choice to be tracked with third-party cookies. A third way to satisfy regulatora and parts of AdTech? — Welcome to privacy strategy chess. https://techcrunch.com/... [images]

Allison Schiff /
AdExchanger: What Does Google's Plan To Keep Cookies Mean For Its Relationship With Regulators?

Kayleigh Barber /
Digiday: Why Google's cookie deprecation reversal isn't actually a reprieve for publishers @Privacymatters@mastodon.social: @riptari 🔥 “The [@ICOnews] has been infamously weak at standing up to tracking by the ads industry, despite the regulator's public acknowledgement (since 2019) that cookie-based tracking and profiling violates privacy laws.” 👏 (ICO did take the IAB for dinner though) …

Kim Davis /
MarTech: Google's Privacy Sandbox: What you need to know

Dominic Ponsford /
Press Gazette: Google scraps plan to ditch cookies on Chrome

Lena Cohen /
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Why Privacy Badger Opts You Out of Google's “Privacy Sandbox”

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Google backtracks on killing third-party cookies, focuses on user choice

Laurie Sullivan /
MediaPost: Google To Keep Cookies

RELATED:
Digiday: Google says it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies” in Chrome and will instead keep working on “privacy-preserving alternatives” via Privacy Sandbox APIs

Discussion:
Adweek, Beet.TV, Privacy Sandbox, AdExchanger, The Cyber Express, Information Commissioner's …, Search Engine Land, @pedrodias, @levie, Bloomberg, Caitlin Halpert on LinkedIn, Neowin, MarTech, Emil Protalinski on LinkedIn, @cmagovuk, Tech Xplore, @edzitron, @ariellesgarcia, @dalmaer, @ngriffin_uk, @simonw, @vtoubiana, @jdaykin, @aripap, @mattlanza, @jeffjarvis, @sarafischer, Gizmodo, @murakamiwood, @rowan_m, @alextcone, @michaelmiraflor, @chronotope, @keithepetri, @samueljscott, @incloud, @thezedwards, @paperghost, @kendraebarnett, @glenngabe, @ryanbarwick, @lukolejnik, @simoahava, @robinberjon, @lukolejnik, @wolfiechristl, Silicon Republic, @torgo@mastodon.social, Wall Street Journal, Mark McEachran on LinkedIn, The Register, The Information, Financial Times, The Verge, GOV.UK, Search Engine Land, Fast Company, James Rosewell on LinkedIn, Marc Majewski on LinkedIn, Mahesh Narayanan on LinkedIn, @mysk@mastodon.social, Google Help Center, Simo Ahava on LinkedIn, @wchr@mastodon.social, W Media Research, The Drum, Angelina Eng on LinkedIn, CBS News, Matthias Cada on LinkedIn, Engadget, Oliver Klander on LinkedIn, Rio Longacre on LinkedIn, @lauren@mastodon …, 9to5Google, @jaffathecake@mastodon.social, Paul Bannister on LinkedIn, Alex Cone on LinkedIn, The Drum, AdExchanger, Ad Age and @LukaszOlejnik@mastodon.social

Discussion:

Robert Andrews /
Beet.TV: Beyond Hyper-Personalization: Digitas' Nadeau On Finding A Role For Cookies And IDs

Anthony Chavez /
Privacy Sandbox: A new path for Privacy Sandbox on the web Information Commissioner's Office: ICO statement in response to Google announcing it will no longer block third party cookies in Chrome

Pedro Dias /
@pedrodias: Google seems to be losing the “charm” that once “dazzled” so many smaller companies. No wonder, given the frustrations that they've fostered and eroded trust on their users

Aaron Levie /
@levie: Every time I tried to understand how the web was supposed to work after this, I got more confused.

Caitlin Halpert /
Caitlin Halpert on LinkedIn: 🤯 Wow - I never thought I'd see the day - Google says it's no longer deprecating third party cookies in Chrome!!! …

John Callaham /
Neowin: Google does a 180 as it will keep supporting third party cookies in Chrome after all

Emil Protalinski /
Emil Protalinski on LinkedIn: Google wants to have its cookie and eat it too. — After delaying third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome for years, the new timeline is... never. … @cmagovuk: #Google has confirmed a new approach to third-party cookies. Instead of removing them from #Chrome, it will introduce a user-choice prompt. We're considering the impact of this announcement and welcome views until 12 August. Read more: https://www.gov.uk/... [image]

Ed Zitron /
@edzitron: so google just gave up on what was meant to be the big move away from tracking cookies after all. Ah! Nevertheless,

Arielle Garcia /
@ariellesgarcia: Yeah, this. They will effectively kill cookies under the guise of consumer choice, when they're good and ready. This is just a marginally more convincing “privacy” cover.

Dion Almaer /
@dalmaer: Wow. So. Much. Time. “In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and

Nicholas Griffin /
@ngriffin_uk: @jaffathecake Good, their solution was bad overall and was a complete land grab, and, in reality just made ads much, much worse. In the long term, this could have most certainly ended up with Google sneaking in advantages for their own products, with a bunch of lawyers backing them up.

Simon Willison /
@simonw: @jaffathecake I honestly can't decipher that blog post, I would love it if someone could write a translation of that including HTTP-protocol-level examples of what would work / not work and what their proposed alternative path would look like

Vincent Toubiana /
@vtoubiana: Let's call that the “DoNotTrack” setting? https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

Jerry Daykin /
@jdaykin: Cookies might strictly be here to stay in Chrome... but consumers and Safari are still kicking them to the curb in many situations. Quite the switcharoo though 😂 🫣

Ari Paparo /
@aripap: Google has been trying to remove third-party cookies for longer than Biden has been in office, but at least Biden has a back-up plan.

Ari Paparo /
@aripap: My guess is they're going to slowly move from opt out of third-party cookies, to recommending blocking to users, then eventually to opt in only.

Matt Lanza /
@mattlanza: Any plan to eliminate cookies is a terrible business idea. Why on earth would you deprive people of cookies during this time of upheaval? @jeffjarvis: Google kills everything *except* cookies. Publishers and regulators demanded that cookies die ... until they didn't. Google Is Keeping Cookies in Chrome After All https://www.wsj.com/...

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: Ad tech stocks tick up on news that Google pulled the plug on cookie phaseout [image]

Matt Novak /
Gizmodo: Google Won't Kill Third-Party Cookies After All @murakamiwood: #Google has reversed its decision to eliminate #thirdpartycookies, in favour of some bullshit about user choice. #Privacy clearly not as important to them as #surveillance #advertising revenue, as if we didn't know that.

Rowan Merewood /
@rowan_m: We'll update the developer docs soon, but this doesn't change the core implementation work to move away from third-party cookies. The APIs and cookie feature changes you need to make your site more private and more secure are ready *right now* - do it for your users.

Alex Cone /
@alextcone: Today is a big day for the Privacy Sandbox team. https://privacysandbox.com/... We announced that we're proposing a new approach to Sandbox on the web that we believe works for the entire industry (publishers, devs, advertisers, etc.). We plan to prioritize user choice in order to

Michael J. Miraflor /
@michaelmiraflor: What a turn of events. Huge news for everyone that spends digital ad dollars, big brands and small, who care about customer acquisition costs and data fidelity (and privacy) moving forward.

Aram Zucker-Scharff /
@chronotope: Assuming regulators are insane enough to approve this incredibly baffling plan, not a thing that I would say will for-sure happen, it is a mistake to frame this as 3p being “here to stay”. It looks like the proposal is a consent wall for 3p at the browser level. Assume mostly NOs

Keith Petri /
@keithepetri: This is insane because by Google's own accord, they met the CMA requirements: “Early testing from ad tech companies, including Google, has indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to achieve these outcomes. And we expect that overall performance using Privacy

Samuel Scott /
@samueljscott: And your reminder: Attribution is useless. No one buys something because of one ad they saw one time. For years, ad tech companies have brainwashed marketers who should know better that cookie-based attribution means something.

Mike O'Neill /
@incloud: After a decade of regulators failure to enforce #ePrivacy, W3C failure to let #DoNotTrack become a standard, Google finally admits its addiction to surveillance marketing.

Zach Edwards /
@thezedwards: Google's decision not to deprecate 3rd party cookies is further proof they can't be trusted with the responsibilities they have as a global data controller via Chrome. From bait and switches on their competitors to broken privacy promises to regulators. Absolute clown show.⛈️⚖️⛈️

Chris Boyd /
@paperghost: every few months it felt like i had to write yet another blog about how google's cookie sunsetting plan was being pushed back a little bit more but it was definitely happening honest, and now

Kendra Barnett /
@kendraebarnett: BREAKING: @Google scraps years-long plans to eliminate 3rd party cookies on Chrome. They'll remain running for those who don't disable them, but Google plans to debut a new prompt that “elevates user choice.” My story for @TheDrum: https://www.thedrum.com/...

Glenn Gabe /
@glenngabe: Whoa, big reversal -> Google says it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies” in Chrome and will instead keep working on “privacy-preserving alternatives” “In an ‘updated approach’ announced in a blog post today, Google revealed it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies.” [image]

Ryan Barwick /
@ryanbarwick: 🚨NEW: Google says third-party-cookies are here to stay. “Instead of deprecating cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing” https://privacysandbox.com/...

Lukasz Olejnik /
@lukolejnik: So after @ICOnews detailed study and criticism of Privacy Sandbox they're going to assess if retaining third-party cookies is really a better alternative for online privacy? :-) #GDPR. Competition regulator won't accept nothing in place ...

Simo Ahava /
@simoahava: Third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome moved from a perpetual “in two years' time” to an effective “never”.

Robin Berjon /
@robinberjon: Five years ago when the Chrome team announced the Privacy Sandbox, I called a “delaying tactic.” Not getting rid of cookies as the first step was never going to work. Today they announced that they won't be deprecating third-party cookies. That's five years wasted. [image]

Lukasz Olejnik /
@lukolejnik: After four years of attempts, Google is backtracking from plans to phase out third-party cookies? https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

Wolfie Christl /
@wolfiechristl: Third-party cookie are staying in Chrome, I cannot f*cking believe it. Google has been misleading everyone for years, making regulators, policymakers and an entire industry think they will soon go away. Year-long deception at its finest, I take off my hat. https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

Daniel Appelquist /
@torgo@mastodon.social: This is a disappointing (though hardly surprising) climb-down for Google Chrome. However, it reinforces what I've been saying for ages: don't use Chrome. Use a browser that respects your #privacy. There are many Chromium-based options that respect privacy out of the box, such as Brave and Vivaldi. …

Patience Haggin /
Wall Street Journal: Google Is Keeping Cookies in Chrome After All

Mark McEachran /
Mark McEachran on LinkedIn: The cookie lives. — While the outlook maintains some uncertainty now that there will be a new privacy roadmap Chrome, I'm encouraged by the bold move here. …

Thomas Claburn /
The Register: Google's plan to drop third-party cookies in Chrome crumbles

Martin Peers /
The Information: What Verizon's Numbers Mean for Apple

Stephen Morris /
Financial Times: Google abandons plan to remove cookies from Chrome browser

Richard Lawler /
The Verge: Google's plan to turn off third-party cookies in Chrome is dying

Chris Morris /
Fast Company: Google reverses course on privacy, opting to keep targeting cookies in Chrome

James Rosewell /
James Rosewell on LinkedIn: 🚨 Whilst Google's announcement concerning their Privacy Sandbox is a welcome development, it is not yet competition on the merits. …

Marc Majewski /
Marc Majewski on LinkedIn: Prediction arrived - Google (Chrome) will NOT kill third-party cookies! 👈 — A good choice in my opinion, but a final decision after years of uncertainty and endless discussions? …

Mahesh Narayanan /
Mahesh Narayanan on LinkedIn: Privacy Sandbox, as we knew/thought of it, is changing. — Key Takeaway seems to be: 3PC stays 🙂 … @mysk@mastodon.social: Google's blog about introducing a new experience in Chrome that “lets people make an informed choice” regarding browser cookies has one button on its cookie banner. It's labeled “Hide.” — https://privacysandbox.com/... #Privacy — #Google — [image]

Simo Ahava /
Simo Ahava on LinkedIn: Third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome pushed back to “never”. — https://lnkd.in/...

Wolfie Christl /
@wchr@mastodon.social: Third-party cookie are staying in Chrome, I cannot f*cking believe it. I mean, sure I can believe it, but. — Google has been misleading everyone for years, making regulators, policymakers, civil society advocates and an entire industry think third-party cookies will soon go away. …

Kendra Barnett /
The Drum: UK data privacy regulators ‘disappointed’ in Google's decision to keep third-party cookies

Angelina Eng /
Angelina Eng on LinkedIn: 🚨 Big News from Google on Privacy! 🚨 — Google is shifting its approach to online privacy by prioritizing user control …

Matthias Cada /
Matthias Cada on LinkedIn: That's a news to all #cookieless fans - — Chrome keeps the #3Pcookie and we all think, what the...? One could think, why all these efforts?!? …

Pranav Dixit /
Engadget: Google isn't killing third-party cookies in Chrome after all

Oliver Klander /
Oliver Klander on LinkedIn: Ooooo... Be honest... we saw it coming. — “After years of uncertainty, Google says it won't be ‘deprecating third-party cookies’ in Chrome.” …

Rio Longacre /
Rio Longacre on LinkedIn: Rug pull of the century by our friends at Google: 3P cookies will NOT be deprecated next year as planned. …

Lauren Weinstein /
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org: After years of work, #Google decides NOT to abandon third-party cookies. — My take on this is that the regulatory issues surrounding the replacement (Privacy Sandbox) and the technical challenges of actually eliminating third-party cookies everywhere without breaking significant parts of the Web, have just been too much. …

Jake Archibald /
@jaffathecake@mastodon.social: Chrome's dropping their plans to fully deprecate third party cookies. https://privacysandbox.com/...

Paul Bannister /
Paul Bannister on LinkedIn: Huge news from Google today that they won't be deprecating 3PC, or at least not without users deciding when they want to do it themselves. …

Alex Cone /
Alex Cone on LinkedIn: Today is a big day for the Privacy Sandbox team. https://lnkd.in/... We announced that we're proposing a new approach to Sandbox on the web …

Allison Schiff /
AdExchanger: Google Says It Won't Deprecate Cookies In Chrome After All (?!)

Press Gazette:

A look at The Guardian's recipes app Feast, which costs £2.99/month and has reached 100K+ downloads since April 2024, and how its bundling differs from the NYT— The Guardian says its new recipes app Feast has achieved more than 100,000 downloads since it soft-launched in April.

City A.M.:

LADbible owner LBG Media reports H1 2024 revenue up 55% YoY to £42.3M, adjusted earnings up 240% YoY to £10.2M, and a global audience of 493M; LBG jumps 11%+— Shares in LBG Media soared 12 per cent after the company behind popular entertainment channel LAD Bible posted strong revenue …

Discussion:
LBG Media

Variety:

BBC reports BBC Commercial revenue of £1.9B in 2023/24, down from £2.1B in 2022/23, and 3.8M BritBox International subscribers, with a 25% annual growth rate— BBC Commercial, the revenue-generating arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, has revealed a dip in sales and earnings for the 2023/24 fiscal year.

Discussion:
Deadline, Broadcast, BBC, WORLD SCREEN, Broadband TV News, The Hollywood Reporter and

Discussion:

Max Goldbart /
Deadline: BritBox International Boss Speaks For First Time Since $330M BBC Studios-ITV Deal; Says Best-Of-British Streamer Feels No “Creative Pressure” From Its New Majority Owner

Mansha Daswani /
WORLD SCREEN: BBC Studios Hails Record Content Investments

Julian Clover /
Broadband TV News: BBC Studios investing record amounts in new content

Georg Szalai /
The Hollywood Reporter: BBC Commercial CEO on ‘Bluey,’ ‘Baby Reindeer,’ Record Emmy Noms Haul and Hollywood Cuts

Georg Szalai /
The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Bluey’ Merch Sales Rise, But BBC Commercial Profit Drops on Investments, Post-Peak TV Cuts

RELATED:

Deadline:
BBC plans to lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 and reports a £263M operating deficit in 2023/24, up from £193M in 2022/23, projected to be £492M in 2024/25

Discussion:

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: BBC to issue 500 pink slips as deficit projected to grow

Casey Cooper-Fiske /
London Evening Standard: BBC to cut 500 jobs as it attempts to save £200m for ‘transformation’

Daniel Thomas /
Financial Times: BBC plans 500 job cuts in push for more cost savings

Rachel Hagan /
The Independent: Tim Davie says sorry over Strictly scandal but insists show must go on

Naman Ramachandran /
Variety: BBC to Cut 500 Jobs as Financial Deficit Grows

Charlotte Tobitt /
Press Gazette: BBC to cut 500 more jobs as revenue falls 6% to £5.4bn

Lily Ford /
The Hollywood Reporter: BBC to Lay Off 500 Staff by 2026 as Annual Report Targets “Leaner, More Agile” Broadcaster

Press Gazette:
Huw Edwards tops the list of BBC's highest paid journalists for 2023/24 despite being off-air since July 2023; 46 BBC journalists earned above £178K

Discussion:
LBC, Metro.co.uk, Sky News, The Mirror, The i Paper, The Mirror, Daily Mail, Telegraph, The Times, Daily Express, GB News, The Independent, London Evening Standard, The Sun and Deadline

Discussion:

Sabrina Barr /
Metro.co.uk: BBC defends Huw Edwards' salary increase despite resignation over a year ago

Gemma Peplow /
Sky News: BBC reveals highest-paid stars - including former newsreader Huw Edwards despite being off-air

Zara Woodcock /
The Mirror: BBC salary list in full - who got a pay rise and who took a cut this year

Mark Jefferies /
The Mirror: BBC under fire for Huw Edwards £40,000 pay rise and huge salary despite not being on screen

Adam Sherwin /
The i Paper: Huw Edwards was highest-paid BBC newsreader despite only three months on air Daily Mail: BBC's top earners revealed: Huw Edwards was third highest paid star on £479,999 after 9 per cent pay rise despite nine months off air following sex pics scandal …

Leah Stanfield /
Daily Express: Huw Edwards six-figure salary despite being off-air sparks fury with ‘rip off’ complaint

Olivia Gantzer /
GB News: Huw Edwards pay rise defended by BBC boss amid outrage to £40k increase: ‘Ripping off licence fee payers!’

Chris Blackhurst /
The Independent: Give Gary Lineker a break and end the annual BBC salary horror show

Rachel Hagan /
The Independent: Huw Edwards third highest-paid BBC journalist after £40,000 pay rise despite being off air

Robert Dex /
London Evening Standard: BBC's highest earners revealed: Gary Lineker nets £1.3million as Huw Edwards paid £475,000 before resignation

Jamie Phillips /