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:
SportsPro, Hollywood Reporter, 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
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
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, Dr. Augustine Fou on LinkedIn, @chrismohney, @redphase, @chronotope, @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'
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, Barron's Online, CRN, CNBC, Benzinga, Irish Examiner, Reuters, @carnage4life, @drewvolpe, @kevin_indig, @economyapp, Finbold, Kiplinger.com, Silicon UK, @bdsams@threads.net, MSPoweruser, @pkafka@threads.net, @drnovac, @andreasklinger, @bigbullcap, @pitdesi, @jackivaughan, @trace_cohen, @thekenyeung, @mikeisaac, @reuters, Search Engine Land, Bloomberg, MarTech and Slashdot, more at Techmeme »
Melissa Evans / Long Beach Post:
The Long Beach Post CEO says the outlet has been the target of lies and sabotage from some former and current staff amid layoffs, a union campaign, and a strike — Over the last two weeks, the Long Beach Post has been the target of relentless lies and sabotage.
Discussion:
@lbmguild, @jasonruiz_lb, @mattdpearce, @mattdpearce, @longbeachpost and @mattdpearce
Financial Times:
Since Poland rid state broadcaster TVP of its right-wing staff, viewership has plummeted, while ratings for right-wing news channel TV Republika have shot up — Viewers switch from state broadcaster TVP to conservative Republika as it mimics the US right-wing channel
Discussion:
Raphael Minder on LinkedIn and @raphaelminder
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:
Steve Myers on LinkedIn, @charlesornstein and @charlesornstein
Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media:
Google Books is indexing low quality, AI-generated books, which may impact Google Ngram viewer, an important tool used by researchers to track language use — Google said it will continue to evaluate its approach “as the world of book publishing evolves.”
Discussion:
@josephfcox, @carnage4life and @jason_koebler, more at Techmeme »
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
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, @elonmusk, @kcoleman, Inc42 Media and Livemint, 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, NBC News, @jasonabbruzzese, Caroline Giegerich on LinkedIn, 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, Rolling Stone, @tomwellborn3@threads.net, Deadline, Raw Story, @pilgrimaltsburg.bsky.social, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, @radiofreetom.bsky.social and @w7voa@journa.host, 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 …
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 …
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
Discussion:
Quartz, Awful Announcing, The Desk, @lucas_shaw, Broadband TV News, Financial Times, Reuters, Advanced Television, Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn, The Information, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Media Play News, MediaPost, New York Post, Next TV, The Streamable, The Hill, New York Times and Wall Street Journal
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