Top News:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Filings: Roku reveals a breach that compromised 15K+ accounts between December 2023 and February 2024 and tells users hackers didn't get sensitive personal info — Hackers gained access through login credentials obtained by third-party sources and in some cases tried to buy streaming subscriptions
Discussion:
BleepingComputer, Roku, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, The Desk, Business Insider, PCMag, Android Authority, The Streamable, BGR, UPROXX, Variety and Next TV
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The Associated Press plans to launch AP Buyline, a product recommendations site powered by Taboola, on March 18, part of plans to attract more consumer revenue — - The company, which has historically made most of its money from licensing its content to other media organizations …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Apollo Global Management has reached out in recent days to a special committee formed by Paramount Global about a possible takeover or asset purchase — - That rival group, which includes private equity firms KKR and RedBird Capital Partners, is evaluating an all-cash bid for Paramount's parent …
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News, The Streamable, @jyarow, @tvgrimreaper and The Wrap
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
In a video, Disney warns shareholders that adding Nelson Peltz and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo to the company's board would be “disruptive and destructive” — Walt Disney Co. is stepping up its campaign against activist investor Nelson Peltz, warning shareholders in a new video that it would be …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Warner Bros. Discovery renews its multiyear agreement with movie distributor GKids to extend Max's exclusive US streaming rights for Studio Ghibli films — Hayao Miyazaki's “The Boy and the Heron,” which just won the Oscar for feature animated film, is streaming to Max in the U.S.
Discussion:
Media Play News, The Streamable, The Hollywood Reporter, Polygon, UPI, Consequence, Deadline, The Wrap and UPROXX
New York Times:
Puck, Semafor, and other news startups are finding success with a mix of revenue sources, as opposed to predecessors like Vice, which relied on investor money — A handful of digital start-ups are finding success — so far, at least — by learning lessons from their troubled predecessors.
Kayla Cobb / The Wrap:
Tubi report: 62% of people surveyed said they prefer ad-supported streaming over paid, 74% of Gen Z and millennials said they prefer originals to remakes — Additionally, 71% of younger people say they want to see more content from independent and smaller creators
Becky Lucas / The Hollywood Reporter:
Ireland attracts film producers by offering experienced crews, versatile locations, and tax incentives letting producers claim back 32% of spending up to $134M — Whether it's last year's Oscar champ ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ the Apple TV+ hit ‘Bad Sisters’ or this year's Berlinale opener 'Small Things …
Zach Seward:
SXSW talk: Zach Seward, NYT's editorial director of AI initiatives, catalogs some of journalism's best and worst uses of machine learning and generative AI — My talk at SXSW 2024 — I just gave this talk at SXSW. It was my first public presentation since starting my new job at The New York Times.
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Prisa Media, owner of El País, El HuffPost, 1,200 radio stations, and more, launches VerificAudio, which helps journalists identify deepfake audio in Spanish — Journalists can now identify Spanish-language deepfake audio using a new tool called VerificAudio launched Tuesday, according to an announcement from Prisa Media.
Discussion:
@niemanlab and @hanaatameez
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
A profile of Donna Langley, NBCUniversal's chief content officer and studios chairwoman, who has led Universal to creative dominance and commercial supremacy — Under Donna Langley's leadership, Universal has managed the rare feat of achieving creative dominance and commercial supremacy at the same time.
Discussion:
@thehofstatter, IndieWire, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Dan Wakeford, former editor-in-chief of The Messenger and People, is named editor-in-chief of Us Weekly — ‘PROVEN TRACK RECORD’ — Dan Wakeford, the editor-in-chief of defunct “centrist” news site The Messenger, has landed a new job: Top editor of Us Weekly.
Discussion:
PR Newswire, Press Gazette and New York Post
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
Saga Communications, which owns radio stations in 27 markets, is planning to launch local news sites in 18 of them by the end of Q2 — This one comes in via former WBZ Radio (AM 1030) news director Peter Casey, who's now a communications consultant and part of the team at the local startup Winchester News.
Discussion:
Inside Radio and @margotsusca