Top News:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Memo: Sony Pictures Entertainment promotes Global Television Studios and Corporate Development chairman Ravi Ahuja to president and COO, effective April 1 — The TV chief, who will take on the expanded role effective April 1, will continue to report to chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra
Discussion:
Deadline and Hollywood Reporter
Sara Fischer / Axios:
An interview with LinkedIn EIC Dan Roth on investing in journalism and news, work with over 400 news publishers globally, launching a podcast network, and more — - Unlike Facebook and X, traffic referrals to news publishers have increased slightly from LinkedIn over the past three years, per Similarweb.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
WBD plans to shut down Rooster Teeth after failing sell the unprofitable fandom, gaming, and comedy entertainment unit, resulting in layoffs of ~150 employees — Warner Bros. Discovery in talks to sell shows like ‘RWBY,’ ‘Red vs. Blue’ and ‘Gen:Lock’ and will shop the Roost podcast network
Will Sommer / Washington Post:
Road & Track magazine quietly pulls a piece by socialist writer Kate Wagner covering an F1 race in Austin in a trip funded by UK petrochemicals company INEOS — Editors for Road & Track aren't saying why they yanked Kate Wagner's story from the website shortly after it published
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CNBC expands its Make It personal finance brand with new ventures like a weekly TV series and online classes, and says Make It is its largest vertical — A ‘Make It’-branded TV series and an online course are among the projects in the works. — CNBC is expanding its presence …
Discussion:
Kamelia Angelova on LinkedIn and Jessica Leibowitz on LinkedIn
Cormac Pearson / The Independent:
More than 100 MPs back an amendment to the UK's Digital Markets Bill requiring parliament's approval before UK news outlets can be bought by foreign governments — The amendment would require parliament's approval before UK news media organisations could be purchased by a foreign government
Discussion:
@robertjenrick, @pressgazette and @tinastowell
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Tidal plans to combine its HiFi and HiFi Plus plans into a single $10.99/month “Tidal” plan, below HiFi Plus' $19.99/month; students will still pay $4.99/month — Tidal seems to have decided that there just aren't enough people willing to pay upward of $20 per month for the highest-possible audio fidelity.
Discussion:
Music Ally, Music Business Worldwide, Engadget, CMU, TIDAL and Billboard
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell plans to spend “tens of millions” of pounds to find the next global hit like Bluey; BBC Studio raised its debt facility to £600M — Commercial arm of broadcaster will ‘really go out to the market’ to develop new shows
Discussion:
Deadline, @danielthomasldn and Advanced Television
Todd Spangler / Variety:
At a tech and media conference, Bob Iger says Disney is working to catch up with Netflix's tech capability and downplays the effects of activist investors — CEO says Nelson Peltz's activist investor proxy fight ‘designed to distract us’; reveals studio has ‘killed a few’ movie projects
Discussion:
The Streamable, Screen Rant, Quartz, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Media Play News, Broadband TV News, Business Insider, @xpangler, Next TV, The Wrap, Deadline and TVBEurope
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Dish-owned streamer Sling TV launches a gaming platform called Arcade, free for Sling TV and Sling Freestream customers on Amazon Fire TV and Android TV — DISH-owned streaming service Sling TV announced today the launch of its new gaming platform called “Arcade,” featuring classic arcade games like Tetris …
Discussion:
The Desk, SLING TV and Cord Cutters News
Bloomberg:
Sources: Paramount Global is in discussions to sell its minority stake in Viacom18 in India to Reliance — - Reliance, Disney agreed to merge India media units last month — Global giants have struggled to grow in India in recent years — Paramount Global is in discussions to sell …
Discussion:
Media Play News and @lucas_shaw
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
The UK announces an extended indie movie tax credit for films that have budgets between £1M and £15M, along with business rates relief for big studios — The UK government is to introduce an extended indie movie tax credit for films that have budgets between £1M and £15M …
Discussion:
Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and WORLD SCREEN