Billboard reports: “Consolidation is having a significant negative effect on the diversity of viewpoints and voices heard on AM/FM radio, according to a report submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that argues against further deregulation of radio station ownership.”
The Verge reports: “Walmart is reportedly planning to bring at least six new original programs to its Vudu platform in the next year. A report from Bloomberg claims that the lineup will be comprised of family-friendly content, including a reboot of the 1983 film Mr. Mom that’s set for a June 2019 debut. It’s also reportedly chasing deals for a science fiction show and a procedural crime drama like CSI.”
TechCrunch reports: “Apple is defending its removal of certain parental control apps from the iOS App Store in a new statement. The company has come under fire for its removal of certain apps that were pitched as tools giving parents more control over their children’s screen-time, but that Apple said relied on technology that was too invasive for private use.”
Variety reports: “For Viacom, the future of television has an increasingly online sheen. The media conglomerate is bringing a slew of content from its flagship cable networks to Viacom-owned Pluto TV — launching 14 channels on the free, ad-supported internet-streaming platform starting May 1 — and outlined its newest slate of original digital programming.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “A new study has shown that a virtual reality game designed to identify those genetically at higher risk of Alzheimer’s is producing significant and valuable data.”
The Verge reports: “On Monday, Facebook announced a new set of research projects that will look into social media’s impact on democracy. The projects will give more than 60 academics access to “privacy-protected Facebook data” to help conduct research into a range of topics, including the impact of IRA-trolling on Germany’s 2017 election and the spread of fake news during the Chilean elections in the same year.”
VentureBeat reports: “Spotify has confirmed that it paid $56 million to acquire Parcast, the story-based podcasting studio it snapped up last month. The music-streaming giant revealed the figure in its Q1 2019 financials, when it passed 100 million paying users for the first time as its revenue climbed 33%.”
VentureBeat reports: “Intelligence and ephemeral social are two of the biggest drivers of evolving ad spend, according to a Q1 digital advertising benchmark report this week from Marin Software. Unsurprisingly, the intelligence piece comes from Google, and the social comes from Facebook.”
The Verge reports: “Slack plans to go public. The company behind the popular workplace chat app filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, revealing plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SK.” In an unusual move, the public offering won’t raise money for Slack; it’ll just allow existing shareholders to begin selling their stock.”
Variety reports: “Magic Leap inked a deal with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, which will be the exclusive telecom partner of Magic Leap in Japan. Under the partnership, NTT DoCoMo is investing $280 million in the augmented-reality computing company.”
