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AT&T-Discovery deal is more evidence media, telecom don’t mix
AT&T is spinning off its media wing, merging it with Discovery. Following the sale of Verizon Media’s media assets last month it’s evidence that the much sought-for ‘synergy’ between telecoms and media never materialised. This time, the effective write-off of $85bn (plus debt) signals that there’s a sea change coming in how we value media as a commodity. As Gerry Smith writes for Bloomberg:
“It’s the end of an era for so-called vertical integration – owning media and the means to distribute it – and that could ultimately throw the spotlight on Comcast Corp., another major carrier that made a bet on media.”
Owning both the media and distribution was seen, not so long ago, as a bulwark against the creation of third-party platforms. It also creates another media giant – one with holdings in the UK – in this new combined Discovery and Time Warner.
Facebook, German publisher Axel Springer strike global cooperation deal
The last holdout against the partnership between Facebook and German publishers has fallen. Axel Springer, which had previously pushed back against the terms of the deal, has agreed to jump into bed with Facebook. Gosh, who could have foreseen that it was less about principle and more about money?
News publishers continue environmental initiatives
National, regional and local newspapers are continuing a range of initiatives to support climate change and environmental causes. Whether you think it’s a cynical attempt to appeal to younger, more environmentally conscious consumers or not, we should applaud every effort to bring these initiatives to the fore.
Journalism students now need training for ‘vile’ online abuse they will face, study finds
Journalists – especially women and those from Black and Jewish backgrounds, among others – are frequently targeted by trolls online. It’s escalated to the point that trainee journalists should now probably receive training in how to deal with the vitriol they’ll receive. Sad state of affairs.
This content originally appeared in The Media Roundup, a daily newsletter from Media Voices. Subscribe here:
