Media Insider: Univision Acquires Televisa Media Assets, Reuters Names Editor-in-Chief, NYT Tech Workers Form Union
Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media news stories from the week.
BLOOMBERG | ANDREA NAVARRO
Televisa Surges After Forging $4.8 Billion Univision Deal
Grupo Televisa SAB has agreed to sell its content and media assets to Univision Holdings Inc. in a $4.8 billion deal. Televisa will receive $3 billion in cash and $1.5 billion in Univision stock and remain the largest shareholder in the new Televisa-Univision. The companies aim to expand streaming-video services in Spanish-speaking markets through Univision’s recently launched streaming service called PrendeTV. Televisa’s co-chief executive officer, Alfonso de Angoitia, said, “We’ll have an unmatched reach across Spanish-language consumers around the world. This represents a tremendous market opportunity to accelerate growth, build on our leadership position in the U.S. and Mexico, and expand our global reach like no media or streaming company has ever done.” The transaction is expected to be completed this year, pending regulatory approval in the U.S. and Mexico.
Read next: Vox Media aims to expand its growing audio business with the acquisition of Cafe Studios Inc.
REUTERS STAFF
Reuters names Alessandra Galloni as its next editor-in-chief
This week, Reuters News announced Alessandra Galloni as its next editor-in-chief. Galloni, a native of Rome, will be the first woman to lead the news agency in its 170-year history. Galloni started her career working at Reuters’ Italian-language news service. She then moved on to specialize in economics and business coverage at The Wall Street Journal for 13 years. In 2013, she returned to Reuters as the editor of its Southern Europe bureau and was promoted to global managing editor shortly after. Galloni will take the helm from Stephen J. Adler, who led Reuters for a decade before announcing his retirement this year, on April 19th.
Related: Reuters dives into the digital subscription business by putting its website behind a paywall.
THE NEW YORK TIMES | KATIE ROBERTSON
New York Times tech workers form a union.
On Tuesday, tech workers at The New York Times announced that they had formed a union. The union, made up of more than 650 software engineers, designers, data analysts, and product managers, will be represented by the NewsGuild of New York. The tech workers would like to discuss pay equity, health care costs, job security, career advancement, and improving diversity and inclusion in the department. A spokeswoman for The New York Times Company said in a statement, “At The New York Times, we have a long history of positive and productive relationships with unions, and we respect the right of all employees to decide whether or not joining a union is right for them. We will take time to review this request and discuss it soon with representatives of the NewsGuild.”
More from NYT: Vanity Fair veteran helps build a digital publication that would offer writers a share of subscription revenue.
DIGIDAY | SARA GUAGLIONE
Los Angeles Times enters crowded daily news podcast market with a West Coast twist
The Los Angeles Times announced it will launch a daily news podcast called “The Times: Daily News from the L.A. Times.” The first 25- to 30-minute episode will debut May 3 with L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano as the host. “The Times” will feature conversations with reporters from the newsroom, reported pieces from the field, and interviews with newsmakers. The L.A. Times is aware it is entering into a crowded market, but it believes “The Times” will offer a West Coast perspective that listeners do not get from other daily news podcasts. The podcast will focus on news trends that emerge from California such as issues related to climate, immigration, and the rising influence of Asia and the Pacific and Central and South America. The podcast will also cover culture and entertainment.
ICYMI: Time Magazine partners with Grayscale on a cryptocurrency video series.
TECHCRUNCH | SARAH PEREZ
TikTok funds first episodic public health series ‘VIRAL’ from NowThis
TikTok announced it has funded and co-produced NowThis’ new public health series, VIRAL. The series is hosted by infectious disease clinical researcher Laurel Bristow and features public health experts who break down COVID facts in easy-to-understand language. The series also includes an interactive segment where the audience will be able to engage in a live Q&A session. Five, 45-minute episodes are being produced and will be released each Thursday starting this week. Robbie Levin, manager of Media Partnerships at TikTok, stated, “As the pandemic continues to evolve, we think it’s important to provide our community an outlet to dispel misinformation and communicate with public health experts in real time.”
Read next: Biden Administration Still Weighing TikTok And WeChat Bans.
Subscribe to Beyond Bylines to get media trends, journalist interviews, blogger profiles, and more sent right to your inbox.
Erin Wade is a Senior Customer Content Specialist with PR Newswire. She is also an animal lover and aspiring world traveler. Tune into her insights as a social curator at @TotalCSR.
