FACEBOOK'S INTERNET DRONES?: Zuckerberg has said publicly his goal is to provide Internet access to more than 4 billion people who lack it. One possibility: using solar-powered drones and laser technology to beam Internet signals to isolated areas. To get that idea off the ground, it would need FCC approval, a source said. Facebook early last year hired former FCC Chair Kevin Martin to manage its global access policy. The new hire would be someone “who will do the actual work” of getting FCC licenses, the source said.
VICELAND ENTERING UK: Less than two weeks after launching its Viceland channel in the U.S. with A+E Networks, Vice Media has begun its rollout of Viceland channels around the world. Vice and Sky have announced a distribution deal that would make the channel available in September on Sky’s three platforms in the U.K. and Ireland. The channel marks the first of 10 to 15 international channels that Vice plans to launch in the 12 to 18 months.
VANITY FAIR'S GRAYDON CARTER LOSES PUNCH: Punch Hutton was one of four deputy editors on VF’s masthead. Her departure comes as there is a move at Condé Nast to cut costs on the print side in order to make way for a more vibrant digital infrastructure, which includes Web-savvy editors. A VF spokeswoman insisted Hutton’s departure is not related to cost-cutting and said Hutton will be replaced.
TWITTER/SQUARE CEO JACK DORSEY ON MANAGING 18 HOUR WORK DAYS AT TWO COMPANIES: Dorsey said that he spends four hours every Monday at each company, meeting both leadership teams to make sure everything is under control. He said that most of his work is focused on reviewing the product teams and recruiting, which means that he may be doing less day-to-day operational work. He also has follow-up meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays to check up on their weekly progress, he said.
TWITTER MOMENTS NOW ALLOWS LINKS TO OUTSIDE SOURCES: You can tap a link to a news article, blog, recipe, and more — directly from a Moment. When you’re done browsing, simply click out and jump back into the Moment where you’ve left off. People can now dive deeper into publisher content found in Moments, and publishers can continue telling their stories on their own websites, all while also accessing Twitter’s global audience. This expands possibilities for storytelling on Twitter, while providing more context for people.
TIME INC BUDDIES UP WITH STYLEHAUL TO EXPAND ITS MILLENNIAL REACH YET AGAIN: Time Inc. and global creative network StyleHaul have announced a multiyear partnership. The joint effort combines Time Inc.’s content with the access and scale of StyleHaul’s Millennial influencer network. The deal was reached as Time Inc. continues to target Millennial audiences, mainly through acquisitions and the launching of new brands.
TURNER SPORTS AND SNAPCHAT ENTER LIVE STORIES DEAL: Turner Sports has signed a two-year deal with Snapchat to create “Live Stories” surrounding sporting events like March Madness basketball, college baseball and professional golf, becoming the latest media company to team up with the disappearing-messages service. Snapchat will feature 14 Live Stories throughout the March Madness tournament, which will air on Turner properties as well as on CBS. The Snapchat stories will collect videos and photos from fans at the games as well as behind-the-scenes content created by Turner’s social media team. Snapchat and Turner will work together to sell advertising within those stories and share in the revenue.
YOUTUBE FOUNDER STEVEN CHEN LAUNCHES NOM, A VIDEO SERVICE FOR HARDCORE FOODIES: Want to embrace your inner Rachel Ray? Nom, a new video service by YouTube co-founder Steve Chen will give you the chance. Chen and Nom CEO Vijay Karunamurthy have co-founded and built a new live video streaming site with the initial goal of letting people show off their food prep skills. “We noticed that the most popular videos at YouTube showed people making things.”
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