Morning Media Newsfeed: Olympics Ratings Down | So Long, Facebook Email

[emailonly]{{{ sbox300x250 }}}[/emailonly] Click here to receive Mediabistro's Morning Media Newsfeed via email. NBC Averages 21.4 Million Viewers for Sochi Olympics, Down From Vancouver (Variety) While NBC and Nielsen are expected to release more detailed ratings information Tuesday, preliminary estimates show the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics averaging a strong 21.4 million viewers in primetime. While down 12 percent from the 24.4 million who watched on average during the more time zone-friendly Vancouver Games of 2010, it’s up 6 percent from the 20.2 million average for the last European Winter Games in Torino in 2006. The Associated Press The games are increasingly shutting off competition: 15 rivals' programs, including Grey's Anatomy, American Idol and Dancing With The Stars, had higher ratings while competing against the Olympics in 2006, Nielsen said. Four years ago, three programs (all American Idol) beat the games. This year there were none. NYT The Olympics also enriched NBC’s cable sports network, NBCSN, more than doubling the audience that watched the London Games to a daily average of 1.6 million, and boosting by nearly 1,800 percent the viewership that the network reaped in the four weeks leading to the Sochi Olympics. More important, live streaming of all Sochi’s events on desktops, smartphones and tablets became further ingrained among sports fans. Altogether, there were 61.8 million unique users streaming Sochi video from nbcolympics.com and by using apps like Live Extra, a figure that was up 29 percent from Vancouver. Deadline Hollywood The Closing Ceremony is now long over, the final numbers are in and NBC has hit a record -- and not one they want. Sunday night’s 8:33 p.m. - 10:36 p.m. broadcast received an 8.7/13 household rating with 15.1 million viewers. That is the lowest household rating for a Winter Olympic Games Closing Ceremony ever -- dipping just below previous record holder of Torino in 2006. Facebook to Close Unpopular Email Service (Inside Facebook) Facebook is doing away with its email service, the company announced Monday. Previously, the company had controversially listed an "@facebook.com" email address as a Facebook user’s default email address. Emails sent to that address would go to the user’s message box. Mashable Facebook cited low user numbers as the cause for the cut. Any Facebook.com email will now be rerouted to the email address the user gave to Facebook when signing up. AllFacebook To alleviate unwanted correspondence, users will have the option to turn forwarding off, according to a Facebook spokesperson. Re/code Facebook launched its email address idea in 2010, back when it was Mark Zuckerberg’s conception of the "modern messaging system." As it was first conceived, Facebook Messages subsumed email, text messages and chat on Facebook -- all of those communications would be threaded into one single communication strand, dubbed Facebook Messenger. But as it turns out, people seemed to be sidestepping the idea of email via Facebook entirely, and as a result, the company will emphasize mobile messages in the future. Tamron Hall Joins Today Show as Co-Host (New York Daily News) NBC News' Tamron Hall has joined Today as an official co-host for the morning show. Hall's new gig was announced on the telecast Monday morning. She will join Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist for morning show's 9 a.m. hour. Today / All Day Hall, 43, has filled in regularly on the show, reading the news, covering special events like the Golden Globes and spotlighting buzzy social media trends in Today’s digital studio, the Orange Room. TVNewser Hall’s new deal gives her an expanded role on Today while she continues to anchor her MSNBC show, NewsNation With Tamron Hall, which moved to 11 a.m. ET Monday. The Washington Post / AP Hall joined MSNBC in 2007. She is also the host of Investigation Discovery’s Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall and TLC’s Sister Wives. [emailonly]{{{ jodslot01 }}}[/emailonly] Inside Amtrak's Plan to Give Free Rides to Writers (The Wire) Amtrak has begun offering "writers’ residencies" -- long round-trip rides aboard Amtrak trains dedicated solely for the purpose of writing. After New York City-based writer Jessica Gross took the first "test-run" residency, traveling from NYC to Chicago and back, Amtrak confirmed that it is indeed planning to turn the writers' residencies into an established, long-term program, sending writers on trains throughout its network of routes. GalleyCat The idea came from Twitter. Inspired by an interview that discussed writing on trains, writers Zach Seward and Gross tweeted their desires for a writers in residency program on Amtrak. Amtrak responded to the tweet and offered Gross the chance to test drive the idea. PRNewser Julia Quinn, Amtrak’s social media director, explained that while the details are still being worked out, the "idea dreamed up by Amtrak fans and customers" has experienced high demand and a positive response. While there’s really no way to apply yet, writers and Amtrak are currently reaching out to each other on Twitter and going from there. Aereo Announces Austin Launch Date (TVSpy) Less than a week after a federal judge granted broadcasters a preliminary injunction against Aereo ruling that the service violated broadcasters' copyrights, the company has announced plans to expand to the Austin DMA. CNET The online TV startup that streams over-the-air broadcasts via tiny, individual antennas, said Monday it will launch in Austin on March 3. This follows its rollout in San Antonio last week and an expansion to Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston last year. USA Today The company has spent two years fending off lawsuits from television broadcasters in a legal feud that looks to have wide implications. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case in April, and the National Football League, Time Warner Inc. and the AFL-CIO have all filed amicus briefs on behalf of the broadcasters, while Internet advocacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have filled out the other side of the courtroom. Samsung Unveils Latest Galaxy Phone (WSJ) Samsung Electronics Co., eager to maintain its lead in global mobile-phone sales, on Monday unveiled an updated flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, that reflects a deliberate attempt to eschew flashy, but little-used, new features -- and to keep the price competitive. Mashable At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the company launched three wearable devices -- Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit -- as well as the Galaxy S5. Reuters The phone, which will be available in April, has a slightly bigger screen than its predecessor, at 5.1 inches compared with 5 inches, improved camera technology and better protection against water and dust, Samsung said. CBS News Like its competitor the iPhone 5s, the Galaxy S5 has a built-in sensor that will allow users to unlock their phones with a fingerprint scan. The device is water-resistant, and the screen itself adapts to changing external conditions and gives users an option to dim it to avoid disturbing others nearby. [emailonly]{{{ sbox01 }}}[/emailonly] Fox Eyes DreamWorks' Stacey Snider for Top Creative Job (THR) DreamWorks co-chairman and CEO Stacey Snider has emerged as the frontrunner for a top creative job at the Fox film studio, according to informed sources. Snider is said to have met recently with both studio chief Jim Gianopulos and 21st Century Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch. Sources say Gianopulos would have final say on the hire, but he has been known to be looking for a high-level executive since former co-chairman Tom Rothman was dismissed in September 2012. Verizon CEO: We Expect A Deal With Netflix (CNBC) Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam said Monday that he expects to reach an agreement with Netflix that would require the online video service to pay for bandwidth loads from streaming content. McAdam's comments come a day after a rival in the cable industry, Comcast, announced an agreement with Netflix that would allow for faster video streaming speeds. Reuters AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said in a statement on Monday that the company was also "in discussions with Netflix" to "establish a more direct connection between our networks." Asked about discussions with Verizon or other providers, Netflix spokesman Joris Evers said, "we talk to all major ISPs all the time to make sure Netflix users get the best possible experience." Seth Meyers Kicks Off Late Night Gig With Amy Poehler, Joe Biden (Reuters) Seth Meyers stepped into his new role as host of NBC's Late Night talk show on Monday, welcoming comedian Amy Poehler and Vice President Joe Biden. Meyers launched his Late Night venture with a nod to the show's previous host, appearing to write a thank you note to Jimmy Fallon for moving to his Manhattan-based Tonight Show gig, which debuted a week ago. The Associated Press So far, NBC's late-night changes are paying off. Riding the crest of the network's Olympics coverage, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was seen by an average of 8.5 million viewers in its first week, the biggest Tonight audience in decades. [emailonly]{{{ sbox02 }}}[/emailonly] Ronan Farrow, Joy Reid Join MSNBC Lineup (TVNewser) MSNBC’s new daytime lineup took effect Monday, including the introduction of Ronan Farrow Daily at 1 p.m. ET. Former defense secretary Bill Cohen and former Obama senior adviser and current MSNBC contributor David Axelrod were Farrow’s first guests. Following Farrow at 2 p.m. ET was Joy Reid, host of The Reid Report. Reid began with domestic politics and the annual National Governors Association conference in D.C., inviting former Florida governor Charlie Crist and former Republican Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as her first guests. News on News Prior to joining MSNBC, Farrow was a foreign policy official in the first Obama administration. Joy Reid has been the managing editor of theGrio.com and an MSNBC contributor since July 2011. Vook Has Acquired Booklr (GalleyCat) Digital publishing platform company Vook has acquired Booklr, a company dedicated to providing data and analytics for publishers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Booklr’s toolset will become available to Vook clients, bringing authors and publishers that use Vook access to market intelligence products that give insights on sales, pricing and ratings, for example. Publishers Weekly Booklr was founded in 2010 by Jesse Solomon and Josh Brody, who will also become Vook’s chief operating officer in addition to joining the Vook board of directors. Booklr supplies data to a variety of publishers, including Random House. Atlanta Radio Show Pranks Media With Bieber Move Protest (CNN) Amid rumors that pop star Justin Bieber was considering a move to Atlanta, the Regular Guys, a morning show on Atlanta radio station Rock 100.5, put together a fake neighborhood group and convinced the media that the newly formed Buckhead Neighborhood Coalition wanted no part of Bieber setting up his new digs in the midst of their old-money mansions. Poynter / MediaWire CNN, Gawker and The Atlanta Journal Constitution were among more than 20 media outlets who fell for the radio station’s hoax, running stories about the fake protest. [emailonly]{{{ sbox03 }}}[/emailonly] Staten Island Teen Arrested for Posting Threatening Tweets to James Dolan (New York Daily News) Johnny Giamella -- the son of a New York City cop -- threatened the life of James Dolan, the owner of Cablevision, Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, in several posts to his Twitter account, police said. “James Dolan, it’s officially time to die,” Giamella, 19, allegedly tweeted. That was followed by the tweet, “Death to James Dolan,” police said. FishbowlNY Giamella also posted one picture of himself pointing a gun at the camera and another of himself naked, with only a gun covering his groin. Josh Barro to Join The New York Times (Politico / Dylan Byers on Media) Josh Barro, the outgoing Business Insider political editor, is joining The New York Times to take part in David Leonhardt's new policy venture, sources familiar with his plans told Politico on Monday. Barro, a former Bloomberg View blogger who writes frequently about economic policy, joined Business Insider in May 2013 and has since become a fixture on MSNBC's daytime programming. He announced his departure from BI on Monday but declined to share details about his next move. Thomas Middelhoff to Leave New York Times Company's Board (FishbowlNY) Thomas Middelhoff, the former head of German media giant Bertelsmann, is stepping down from his spot on The New York Times Company’s board. Middelhoff has been on the board since 2003. "Thomas has served with great distinction as an outstanding director of The New York Times Company for over a decade," said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of the Times Company and publisher of the Times, in a statement. Mediabistro Blogs TVNewser With Piers Morgan Out, Could Larry King Come Back to CNN? TVSpy Bill Berra Named News Director at WFLA Lost Remote MSNBC Going ‘Deep Web’ With Vocativ Partnership FishbowlDC Angie Goff and Alison Starling’s Youngest Celebrated at Sip & See FishbowlNY Here Are All the Media People Alec Baldwin Bashed in his New York Piece SocialTimes Scientists Develop Social Media Lie Detector AllFacebook Facebook Begins Moving into New NYC Office AllTwitter Millennials Prefer YouTube to Facebook, Instagram to Twitter AppNewser Facebook Bringing Online Courses to Rwanda With Affordable Smartphones GalleyCat Amtrak is Offering Writer’s Residency on Trains PRNewser To Handle the Visual Social Content Vortex, Brands Seek Balance AgencySpy Draftcb Chicago Lets Pets Speak for the Shelter Pet Project MediaJobsDaily New Research Says Playing on Smartphones At Work is Beneficial UnBeige Your 2014 AIGA Medalists: Chip Kidd, Louise Fili and More Advertise on Our Blog Network Mediabistro Chats CNN is ending Piers Morgan's show. Who would you like to see replace him? evelinav Bill Maher @billmaher ubinam_rosarium @charlierose that's who Writer1113 Martin Bashir @MartinBashir Art Feenan Jon Stewart... Anthony Palmer I actually think Michael Smerconish would be an EXCELLENT choice, but I doubt he has enough pull with the executives as a new hire. Follow Mediabistro on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

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Morning Media Newsfeed: Olympics Ratings Down | So Long, Facebook Email | Tamron Hall Joins Today

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