Top News:
Samantha Masunaga / Los Angeles Times:
Disney says the standalone ESPN app it plans to launch in 2025 will be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers — Walt Disney Co. is betting big on ESPN as the Burbank entertainment company bolsters its streaming options and charts its future. — The company said Wednesday …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, SportsPro, The Desk, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Bob Iger says “succession is the board's No. 1 priority” and that the search committee met seven times in 2023; Iger's contract extension runs through 2026 — A day after Disney declared victory over activist investor Nelson Peltz, CEO Bob Iger said the board is proceeding with …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Wrap, Poynter, Fortune and Los Angeles Times
CNBC:
Disney prevails in the proxy fight with Nelson Peltz's Trian Partners as shareholders vote to reelect its full board, a stamp of approval for Bob Iger's efforts — (L to R) Chief executive officer and chairman of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger and Mickey Mouse look on before ringing …
Discussion:
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Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal:
Forbes ran an alternate version of its website for years with reformatted articles, promoted on Taboola and others, to maximize ads intended for Forbes.com — Slideshows on parallel site—which Forbes shut down Tuesday—were loaded with ads and promoted through clickbait-style paid links
Discussion:
The Wrap, Talking Biz News, @tm_brown, @redphase, @chronotope, @chrismohney, Dr. Augustine Fou on LinkedIn, @samro, Jay Friedman on LinkedIn and @asharma
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
US rock band Kiss sells rights to its music, name, image, and likeness to Swedish entertainment company Pophouse to create a live show, a source says for ~$300M — Sale to Swedish entertainment group Pophouse set to 'fulfil the band's vision to become immortal'
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
X rolls out support for posting Community Notes in India ahead of the 2024 general elections and says the program now has contributors in 69 countries — Weeks before the national elections in India, Elon Musk-owned X said it is rolling out support for posting Community Notes — the company's crowd-sourced fact-checking program.
Discussion:
@communitynotes, Livemint, @elonmusk, Inc42 Media and @kcoleman, more at Techmeme »
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Amrita Khalid / The Verge:
X adds blue checks to some accounts, including journalists, as part of its plan to give free Premium status to those with 2,500+ “verified subscriber followers”
Discussion:
The Desk, Washington Post, Axios, @jason_kint, @mattbinder, 9to5Mac, @inafried, @angie_rasmussen, @carnage4life@mas.to, @natesilver538, @willoremus, @johnonolan, @seungminkim, Engadget, @sethabramson, @holy_schnitt, @aodespair, @alexeheath, @inafried, @evacide, @jason_kint, @brandyzadrozny, @harrymccracken, @monaeltahawy, @radleybalko, @jason_kint, @sarahspain, @mattdpearce, @timnitgebru, @alexrkonrad, @tomwellborn3@threads.net, Deadline, Raw Story, @pilgrimaltsburg.bsky.social, Rolling Stone, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, @radiofreetom.bsky.social and @w7voa@journa.host, more at Techmeme »
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Shari Redstone, Paramount Global's controlling shareholder through National Amusements, reaches a tentative deal to sell her stake to Skydance Media — - Redstone is the controlling shareholder of Paramount — Ellison's Skydance has partnered with Paramount on films
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New York Times:
Sources: Apollo Global Management told Paramount over last weekend that Apollo was interested in acquiring the full company for $26B+; Paramount did not engage
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline, Cord Cutters News and The Wrap
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Paramount's board and Skydance Media agree to exclusive merger discussions, and Paramount will pause talks with other bidders; PARA rises ~15%
Discussion:
The Desk, Awful Announcing, @variety, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Next TV, The Streamable and Variety
Reuters:
Sources: Alphabet is considering an offer for HubSpot, an online marketing software company with a $35B market value, which would be its largest acquisition yet — Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) has been talking to its advisers about the possibility of making an offer for HubSpot (HUBS.N) …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Bloomberg and MarTech, more at Techmeme »
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Memos: Jonathan Greenberger is departing ABC News, where he has been bureau chief in Washington, DC, to become executive vice president of Politico — Jonathan Greenberger is departing ABC News, where he has been Washington, D.C. bureau chief, for a new job as executive vice president of Politico.
Discussion:
Politico
Andrea Grimes / Home With The Armadillo:
Substack's new emphasis on followers, not subscriptions, and its opaque steps to migrate paid subscriptions off the platform make leaving harder for writers — And it'll be worse this time around! — The writing life, which has never exactly been a picnic for independent journalists and freelancers …
ProPublica:
ProPublica creates a dedicated newsroom team to sustain future investigative projects of current and prior Local Reporting Network partners — ProPublica announced on Wednesday a commitment to publishing accountability journalism in every state over the next five years.
Discussion:
@charlesornstein and @charlesornstein
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
GB News hires Steven Edginton as its first US-based correspondent, part of its plan to expand to the US, after launching a GBN America section in 2023 — Steven Edginton, a former Brexit Party staffer, joins the broadcaster from The Daily Telegraph. — GB News has hired its first correspondent based …
Discussion:
Mediaite and @stevenedginton
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Fox and AEG announce a week-long post-season college basketball tournament starting on March 31, 2025, as media companies devise sports events they control — Does the sports world have room for April Action after weeks of March Madness? — Fox aims to answer the question in 2025 …
Devin Leonard / Bloomberg:
A look at the success of Bluey, an Australian animated TV show for kids that is estimated to be worth $2B and whose future is uncertain as the third season ends — The Australian children's show auteur Joe Brumm is at a crossroads: Keep growing, or end one of the best runs on TV.
Discussion:
@bradstone, @business, @derekeb, @daniellesacks and @timsteno
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