Sky News moves into paid online content with planned launch of defence app Sky News is launching a paywalled app specifically for defence and security content in summer 2026 as part of its "premium, video-first" plan

This is interesting: Press Gazette reports Sky News is launching its first paywalled product - a video-first app focused on defence coverage
pressgazette.co.uk/paywalls/sky...

Come for the discussion of Alphaville's strategic role within the FT's portfolio, stay for Lionel Barber repeatedly calling its audience nerds (lovingly)

Axel Springer Receives UK Government Approval for Acquisition of Telegraph Media Group

Axel Springer says it's received approval from DCMS to proceed with its acquisition of The Telegraph.

The deal "remains subject to outstanding regulatory approvals in Ireland and Austria, with completion expected within calendar Q2 2026"

It's my own fault for using ChatGPT as a search tool, but this really made me laugh. "...with an important nuance..." is sublime 🤌

Bonus content: Allbritton really doesn't like programmatic ads.

"I’m not even sure we’re gonna take any programmatic ads over here! They just clutter up sites and they don’t pay very well. It’s just junk, as far as I’m concerned.”

Allbritton described the expense as “significant, but it’s not huge. I did have somebody come up to me going: ‘Oh my God, you’re gonna lose all this money!’ And [I said]: ‘Yeah, I might lose like, a small, single-digit percentage from the proceeds of the sale of Politico.’”

I spoke to Politico co-founder Robert Allbritton about his plans to expand/rebrand his DC newsroom NOTUS in order to occupy the space ceded by The Washington Post. He's bullish on its business prospects.

www.amediaoperator.com/news/robert-...

Google Search is now using AI to replace headlines Let us know if you see more.

this is completely insane: since when is it acceptable for a tech company to rewrite news outlets' headlines without their consent? especially at a time when audiences are sensitive to how stories are framed in headlines? (ie Israel/Palestine, the Trump admin, ICE)

www.theverge.com/tech/896490/...

Mistral CEO: AI companies should pay a content levy in Europe ft.trib.al/PVj0GUo

a red buzzball is seen from ground level next to a bike cart and a tree

a yellow buzzball is seen perched on the ledge of a white wall

a red buzzball is seen from directly above amid tree litter (and actual litter)

a clear buzzball is seen from above nestled amid a sort of rock garden

After a long time saying I would get round to it, a couple of weeks ago I set up an Instagram account dedicated to discarded BuzzBallz. I'm pleased with the result, not least because my friends have taken it up and are now constantly sending me pictures of BuzzBallz www.instagram.com/ballzinnatur...

The moment we start planning the launch of spin-off brand apearoperator.com you will be my first stop

My mysteriously-named new employer also expects me to meet up with five people a week minimum, so if you fancy a coffee or a bev on me* I am always thrilled to meet up!

*my employer

If you know any more about what's going on at The Observer, I'd love to hear from you.

More broadly, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that a) I'm not at Press Gazette anymore but b) I'm still very much on the media beat and please god keep sending me tips

The Observer Opens Voluntary Redundancy Round The Observer has opened a voluntary redundancy round nearly a year after it was acquired by Tortoise Media from The Guardian.

New: The Observer has opened a voluntary redundancy round. It comes nearly a year after the paper transferred from The Guardian's ownership to that of Tortoise Media.

Unlike the last VR round, pre-transfer, this one is also open to staff who were originally at Tortoise.

UK considers FOI clampdown as requests soar Moves to tighten system likely to be met with resistance from campaigners

Make no mistake that any weakening of FOI is an attack on all of our civil liberties, and would be a clear example of democratic backsliding.

It is clear that the government is now seriously considering an attack on your right to know.

www.ft.com/content/2c34...

This sounds incredibly basic but is serious progress, and the result of years of hard campaigning by the Crime Reporters' Association and in particular our chair Rebecca Camber

I hope the new guidelines can give officers the ability and confidence to answer common sense questions on the ground...

Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targets

For years I’ve said if you want a revolution in Britain, make the land registry free to access. Imagine if people’s house price/land holdings came up when you google their name. (I’d be amazed if that’s what the government’s proposing… but you never know.) www.theguardian.com/environment/...

move daylight savings forward to today

continually deluded by the nice weather into believing I should go for post-work drinks and finding my fantasy thwarted by the sun still setting before 6

*while

Time to re-up @bronmaher.bsky.social's dispatch from south London.

the-fence.com/the-tina-tri...

The truth about immigrants and sex crime Corrosive innuendo about asylum seekers is helping no one

My column in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social, on bad data used in bad faith.

FOI-ing the stats myself, I didn't find a great deal of difference in sex offending rates: 5 per 10,000 Afghan men, 7 per 10,000 UK men:

NYT Saw Bumper Digital Ad Growth in Q4—but Bundle, Family Plan Growth Decelerated The New York Times shares plummeted Wednesday morning amid a spike in costs and a slow-down in the growth of its “bundle”…

oh right should probably also promo the actual thing I wrote for my job about this www.amediaoperator.com/news/new-yor...

The proportion of New York Times digital subscribers who don't pay for news site access at all now stands just below 35%. That's good for growing their audience and it's great for diversification - but a NYT Games sub is also a lot less money, and a lot more likely to cancel, than an All Access one.

Two big reasons, IMO:
- Costs *jumped*, in part because of ongoing investment into video and incentives paid to salespeople after a bumper Q4
- They were the wrong kind of new subscribers. Most of them were for products like Games/Cooking/The Athletic, when the NYT really wants people on All Access.

A Google Finance share price graphic showing the NYT's price down 8% versus last night's market close. It was down as low as 17% right at the start of the day.

The NYT added another slab of subscribers last quarter, but the market ain't so thrilled: its share price was down 17% at one point this morning, and is still down around 8% at time of writing.

wonderful banner ad placement

A tweet from Chicago Tribune reporter Olivia Olander: "I'm sitting in on a Tribune editorial board endorsement meeting for the 9th district where a representative for Kat Abughazaleh just read a statement saying the board promoted 'reactionary' ideas and undermines the credibility of the newsroom. The representative then walked out."

👀

shout out to the coop radio dj playing tom's diner (dna mix) on this cold thursday evening..... banger of bangers

big news! if formally enacted this would be binding, and non-compliance on google’s part could result in a fine up to 10% of annual global revenue (or at least, see the gov *attempt* to levy such a fine)