LinkedIn and Pinterest are testing programs that let publishers sell ads on their videos and pages, respectively, in exchange for a cut of the resulting revenue (Sahil Patel/The Information)

Mediagazer: LinkedIn and Pinterest are testing programs that let publishers sell ads on their videos and pages, respectively, in exchange for a cut of the resulting revenue (Sahil Patel/The Information)

Top News:

Wall Street Journal:

Podcasting is becoming an industry of megastars with huge deals and the biggest audiences; Edison: the top 25 podcasts reach nearly 50% of US weekly listeners— The top shows are adding video, merchandise and live tours and signing megadeals with Spotify, Sirius and Amazon.
Discussion: 9to5Mac, @robenfarzad, @samro, @joshthomastn, @davidharsanyi, @ckwitt3 and @wsj, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Roben Farzad /
@robenfarzad: “Nearly 100 million Americans 12 and older listen to #podcasts every week...Podcast #advertising revenue is projected to grow 12% to $2+ billion this year and hit nearly $2.6 billion by 2026.” 📌 [still seems small vs other advertising] https://www.wsj.com/... #audio #media

Sam Ro /
@samro: there are ~450,000 active U.S. podcasts, WSJ reports https://www.wsj.com/... [image]

Josh Thomas /
@joshthomastn: Fascinating article about podcasts in the @WSJ. There are 450,000 podcasts and 25 have 50% of all listeners. Also 449,000 have essentially zero audience. It's just talking into the void. https://www.wsj.com/... [image]

David Harsanyi /
@davidharsanyi: I don't think this piece is surprising. One could probably make the same claim about books, movies, and music.

Conor Witt /
@ckwitt3: @itsurboyevan Fat tail dynamics across every category of creator verticals...a few blockbuster podcasts make all the money “There are ~450k active podcasts that published recent episodes. But the top 25 podcasts reach nearly half of U.S. weekly listeners” https://www.wsj.com/... [image] @wsj: Podcasting is turning into an industry of megastars who command the most money and the biggest audiences. But the top 25 podcasts reach nearly half of U.S. weekly listeners, according to Edison Research. https://www.wsj.com/... https://www.wsj.com/...

Bloomberg:

Thelma, Longlegs, and Civil War are some of at least a half a dozen independent films to break out at the box office in 2024, a much needed boost for the sector— The decline of the independent film business has been a major concern among Hollywood producers and executives in recent years.

Discussion:
@lucas_shaw and Dexerto

Discussion:

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: In honor of the biggest blockbuster of the year, I wrote about the resurgence of independent film — the who, what and why — for this week's newsletter. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Daisy Phillipson /
Dexerto: Longlegs just beat record held by one of the greatest movies of all time

London Evening Standard:

Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards is charged with three counts of making indecent images of children; Edwards resigned from the BBC in April 2024— The former BBC newsreader has not appeared in public since allegations about his personal life were made in The Sun

Discussion:
CNN, Press Gazette, The Guardian, Reuters, Variety, CBS News, Sky News, @jake_kanter, @jamesrbuk, PinkNews, The Hollywood Reporter, The Mirror and Deadline

Discussion:

Haroon Siddique /
The Guardian: Huw Edwards charged with making indecent images of children

Michael Holden /
Reuters: Ex-BBC news presenter Huw Edwards charged with indecent child picture crimes

K.J. Yossman /
Variety: Former BBC Presenter Huw Edwards Charged With ‘Making Indecent Images of Children,’ Police Say

Tom Gillespie /
Sky News: Huw Edwards charged with making indecent images of children

Jake Kanter /
@jake_kanter: Extraordinary 18 months or so for Huw Edwards. From the absolute peak of his powers to a court date on charges of making indecent images of children. [image]

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: Bizarre picture selection from the BBC for the news that Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children - makes it look uncomfortably like he's presenting the news himself. [image]

Charlie Duncan /
PinkNews: Ex-BBC presenter Huw Edwards charged with making indecent images of children

Scott Roxborough /
The Hollywood Reporter: Former BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Charged With Making Indecent Images of Children The Mirror: Ex BBC star Huw Edwards charged over indecent images of children ‘shared on WhatsApp’ and will appear in court

Max Goldbart /
Deadline: Huw Edwards Charged Over Indecent Images Of Children

Deadline:

Nielsen and Adobe Analytics: the Paris Olympics opening ceremony drew 28.6M viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 60%+ from Tokyo, plus 666K on Telemundo Deportes— Good news for NBCUniversal: The Paris Olympics are off to a great start with a big win out of Friday's Opening Ceremony.

Discussion:
The Media Leader, Outsports, The Hollywood Reporter, ComingSoon.net, NBCSports.com, Axios, TVNewsCheck, Sports Media Watch, Forbes, New York Times, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Sportico, TVLine, The Desk, The Wrap, Variety and Reuters

Discussion:

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: NBCUniversal strikes gold with Paris Opening Ceremony

Jon Holmes /
Outsports: Olympics Opening Ceremony director says ‘Last Supper’ wasn't inspiration, amid anti-LGBTQ backlash

Rick Porter /
The Hollywood Reporter: TV Ratings: Olympics Opening Ceremony Draws Biggest Audience Since 2012

Apoorv Rastogi /
ComingSoon.net: Why Did the Paris Olympics' Organizers Apologize? Explained NBCSports.com: THE OLYMPICS ARE BACK! PARIS OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY ON NBC AND PEACOCK IS MOST WATCHED SINCE 2012, WITH 28.6 MILLION VIEWERS

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Paris Olympics opening ceremony watched by nearly 29M

Richard Deitsch /
New York Times: Olympic opening ceremony draws total audience of 28.6 million viewers, most since 2012

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Delivers Nearly 29 Million Viewers — Grade It!

Loree Seitz /
The Wrap: Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony Hits 28.6 Million Viewers Across NBC, Peacock - 60% More Than Tokyo

William Earl /
Variety: Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Delivers 28.6 Million Viewers for NBCUniversal, Most Watched for Summer Games Since 2012

The Information:

LinkedIn and Pinterest are testing programs that let publishers sell ads on their videos and pages, respectively, in exchange for a cut of the resulting revenue— Social media platforms such as Pinterest, TikTok and LinkedIn are trying a new tack to gain a bigger share of digital advertising …

Discussion:
The Media Leader, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Jack Benjamin /
The Media Leader: OpenAI seeks to reassure publishers over SearchGPT

Reuters:

Russia's state-run news agency TASS says the Olympic organizing committee revoked the accreditations of four of its journalists in Paris— Russia's state-run TASS news agency said the Olympic organising committee revoked accreditations for four of its journalists in Paris on Sunday …

Discussion:
The Desk and The Moscow Times

Puck:

Sources: several Nikkei boardmembers push for consideration of a sale of the Financial Times as they have grown impatient with its economic performance— But first... 🗞️ Will the Financial Times head to the block?: Might the FT, the august salmon-hued internationalist business broadsheet, eventually hit the market?

Discussion:
Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Is the Financial Times headed for a sale?

Semafor:

A look at Kamala Harris' efforts since early 2022 to improve her relationship with the national media, increasing the cadence of her interactions with reporters— The News — Kamala Harris has spent her last two years as vice president repairing a difficult relationship with the national media …

Discussion:
@semaforben and HuffPost

Poynter:

A few newspaper companies, including Lee and Alden's MediaNews Group, are offering ad-free premium subscription tiers as privacy concerns grow— It's not a new idea, but more publishers are offering it. Audiences, wary of privacy issues and primed by streaming, may be coming around.

Radio & Television Business Report:

BIA Advisory Services: 2024 US local media ad spending is expected to rise 9.5% YoY to $173.7B, with the gap between traditional and digital media spend closing— In October, BIA Advisory Services' initial forecast for 2024 had local advertising revenues hitting $175.6 billion.

Discussion:
Aspire, The Desk, Barrett Media and Inside Radio

Discussion:

New York Times:

Sources detail how Elon Musk undermined CEO Linda Yaccarino's efforts to repair X's business over the past year; X's US revenue fell 53% YoY to $114M in Q2— Linda Yaccarino, the C.E.O. of X, has worked hard to bring back advertisers and fix the platform's business.

Discussion:
The Verge, The Guardian, @alexandregiess@threads.net, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @goldman@threads.net, @lessin@threads.net, @rmac18, @documentingmeta@threads.net, @lindayax, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @pkafka@threads.net, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @tvmojoe, @lessin@threads.net, Awful Announcing, @carnage4life@mas.to, @so_treu, @reddirtsport, @ron_fournier, @jeffjarvis, @hay_banda, @amydiehl@mstdn.social, @elistuy@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @moskov@threads.net, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @hunterwalk@threads.net, @cachiporra.bsky.social, @nonlinear@social.praxis.nyc and @self.agency

Discussion:

Alex Giess /
@alexandregiess@threads.net: The Ivanka PR strategy

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: And X simply doesn't want to. Remember - labels are “censorship”. Fact-checking is “censorship”. Downranking. Etc. Everyrhing is “censorship”. Community Notes, another context-adding option, have been proposed on this particularly manipulated media content, but aren't being added (a small army fights labeling Elon's posts.) …

Jason Goldman /
@goldman@threads.net: And if approx 2500 people in media stopped using it, the remaining value would evaporate as well.

Sam Lessin /
@lessin@threads.net: of course... what it looks like to me is the telltale signs of very sophisticated cooperation / not run of the mill ... but that what i would expect from her, ari, etc. I think she really has failed hard in the role, but if there is one thing i would be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on it would be managing an article like this around her personal reputation ...

Ryan Mac /
@rmac18: After Musk embraced the Great Replacement theory, Media Matters released a report showing Nazi content next to X ads. It led major co's to pause ads. The following weekend happened to be Linda Yaccarino's daughter's wedding. We heard internal audio in which Yaccarino suggested [image]

Ryan Mac /
@rmac18: Key X business figures in here: -Musk and Yaccarino say advertisers are returning or reactivating, but never give sales numbers. We obtained internal figures showing US Q2 sales was $114m, down 53%(!!!) yoy. -As Musk gets more political, X plans on making $8m from political ads @documentingmeta@threads.net: Watching Elon do a speedrun of all the things that haven't worked in social media over the past 2 decades, has been fascinating. He simply can't comprehend that people aren't rockets and you can't just make it work

Linda Yaccarino /
@lindayax: So much debate on so many important topics today. 🔥

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: Did you see that FT piece last week suggesting Nick P was going to get her job?

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka@threads.net: It's a good piece. The thing about guessing about sourcing and motivation is that often you will be right but you can also be wrong a lot. I don't see any of the telltale signs about the subject cooperating in the background. But I have no idea.

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: Deepfake audio content of politicians is political speech and is largely unregulatable. Anyone now has the ability to create it. Soon, everyone will be. The barrier now is distribution. Social media platforms' manipulated media policies are supposed to add context — labels, in most cases. … @tvmojoe: From widely respected head of advertising for NBCUniversal to radical extremist figurehead CEO of a far right propaganda arm. Everything Trump touches...

Sam Lessin /
@lessin@threads.net: This story is fascinating from a meta-narrative perspective ... if not planted, linda clearly cooperated at a minimum - shaping it to be “i am good elon is the problem” against the backdrop of “I is deeply loyal to elon...”- quite a needle to thread!

Andrew Bucholtz /
Awful Announcing: X saw 53 percent Q2 revenue decline while friends ‘have begged’ CEO Linda Yaccarino to quit

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@mas.to: Twitter's US revenue has dropped -83% from $661M in Q2 of 2022 to $114M in Q2 of 2024. — Every attempt Linda Yaccarino has come up with to generate revenue has been scuttled by impulsive behavior from Elon Musk. It's the greatest destruction of value in tech this decade. … @jeffjarvis: Just like writing puff pieces about Usha Vance and Melania Trump: Horrid men and the women who support them. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Elon? https://www.nytimes.com/... @hay_banda: LOL, so much for “free speech”🙄. A “free-speech absolutist” as long as the free speech isn't directed at him and doesn't require him to answer uncomfortable questions. Effing lily-livered hypocritical man baby. Plus a fascist in bed with war criminals. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Amy Diehl, Ph.D. /
@amydiehl@mstdn.social: Elon is a problem. But notice the framing of this headline, picture and article. Assigning responsibility for fixing him to a woman, his workplace subordinate. — https://www.nytimes.com/...

Ethan Illfelder /
@elistuy@threads.net: NYT says X US revenue fell 53% YoY in their Q2 to $114M. This is down from $661M, dropping 83% from 2Q22- the last report before Elon took Twitter private. 💸 https://www.nytimes.com/...

Casey Newton /
@crumbler@threads.net: Linda Yaccarino torched her reputation so she could be “CEO” of a company whose revenues declined 53 percent year over year. A down side of a career spent sucking up to power is that power doesn't care about your problems, and will happily spit you out when the time comes

Dustin Moskovitz /
@moskov@threads.net: Just last week someone said “Twitter proved you can cut 80% of staff and it's fine” and I responded “but they also lost 80% of revenue”. The next turn in the conversation is usually to insist the two facts have nothing to do with each other and I think that radically misunderstands the *business* purpose of trust and safety, among other things.

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: “The mark of a good C.E.O. is not how many punches you can throw, but how many you can take. She is the Muhammad Ali of C.E.O.s,” said Ari Emanuel, the chief executive of the entertainment agency Endeavor, which is an investor in X. Except those punches usually come from, you know, your competitors — not members of your own exec team. … @hunterwalk@threads.net: “After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, for instance, Ms. Yaccarino told several major advertisers that she and X would work to fight antisemitism. The next month, Mr. Musk approvingly replied to an antisemitic theory on the site.” after some point, you're not a victim, you're complicit @cachiporra.bsky.social: In case you need the nuts and bolts timeline of how Linda Yaccarino became a lead roach in Trump's media operations, here it is. Stop defending her. — cw: The New York Times [embedded post] @nonlinear@social.praxis.nyc: @Mediagazer oh well, she was a figurehead and she knew it. dude would brainstorm new rules on mic, and she'd only know when journalists told her. — there's no way she didn't know that. I hope she got her coins, because she traded for her reputation.

Variety:

WGA West: TV and film writer earnings fell ~32% to $1.29B in 2023, the lowest level since the 2007-08 strike, and employment fell 19.5% to 5,501 working writers— TV and film writer earnings fell $603 million last year, or about 32%, as the end of “Peak TV” coincided with a 148-day strike by the Writers of Guild of America.

Discussion:
Writers Guild America West, WGA Contract 2023, The Wrap and Deadline

Discussion:
WGA Contract 2023: What We Won — We set out in this negotiation to address critical issues across our membership …