Online and Digital Media News In Brief – YouTube greenlights thriller from eOne, TSN launches ‘Digital Sportscentre’

The United Kingdom’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Committee convened a special hearing on fake news and Facebook’s involvement in elections meddling Nov. 27 that included lawmakers from nine countries, including Canada. They weren’t impressed that the seat to have been occupied by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg remained vacant. NDP MP Charlie Angus told the CEO’s proxy Richard Allan, VP of Policy Solutions, that Zuckerberg’s absence “speaks volumes, particularly since this has been a subject of investigation on if Facebook apps have upended one of the most important votes in British history. Does Mr. Zuckerberg think parliamentarians are not willing to push back?”

YouTube has greenlit the pilot for noir thriller Dark Cargo (10×60), a serialized drama from Entertainment One, Toronto’s Counterfeit Pictures and SEVEN24 Films. The project, which will be considered for YouTube Premium, is written by Adam and Max Reid (Sneaky Pete, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Billable Hours) and will be executive produced by Ben Stiller and Nicky Weinstock’s Red Hour Productions.

TSN has launched DIGITAL SPORTSCENTRE, a fast-paced take on sports news available via TSN’s official Instagram Story. Featuring highlights and trending stories, DIGITAL SPORTSCENTRE is shared daily, at 3 p.m. ET. The social-focused show is hosted and driven by Saskatoon native Marissa Roberto, whose background is in Esports.

Kerry Diotte, the Conservative MP for Edmonton-Griesbach, is suing University of Alberta online publication The Gateway over two articles he claims were defamatory. A Nov. 3 article criticized student union president Reed Larsen for posting a photo of himself and Diotte online, stating that the former city councillor and Edmonton Sun columnist “has a history of making racist remarks” and claiming he supported Faith Goldy in her recent Toronto mayoral bid. An editorial posted two days later contained similar comments. While The Gateway issued a retraction and apology on Nov. 15, Diotte has filed a $150,000 statement of claim against The Gateway Student Journalism Society saying the articles have injured his “personal credit, character and reputation as a citizen.” Diotte’s legal counsel is former Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis.

CBC Comedy will no longer publish articles, but will continue to host video content. The move comes following criticism that the site’s content had lost its edge, including an opinion piece in Maclean’s earlier this fall entitled: Why CBC Comedy has grown stale – and that’s no laughing matter. Two positions were reportedly affected by the move.

Paypal Canada research reveals Canadian mobile users are now spending an average of $2,500 annually using apps for everyday tasks from travel to food and grocery delivery. The study, conducted through the Legerweb panel this summer, reveals half of Canadians rely on an average of three on-demand apps. The study found more Canadians are incorporating mobile on-demand apps into their daily routines to streamline daily chores and tasks with one in five using mobile apps for their laundry and dry-cleaning (22 per cent), beauty services (21 per cent), and grocery delivery (19 per cent). Food and beverage apps continue to drive usage with 70 per cent of Canadians ordering their morning coffee or breakfast on the go. Nearly two out of three Canadians are using mobile apps like UberEats and Foodora for food and meal delivery (63 per cent). Read more here.

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