Mediagazer: Neal Mohan says YouTube Originals didn't work because YouTube wasn't “good at picking content” and so the company decided to focus on building creator tools (Todd Spangler/Variety)

11:30 AM ET, March 6, 2025

Top News:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Financial Times CEO John Ridding plans to step down on July 1 after 19 years, and will take an honorary FT chair title; the FT will now find a replacement — Financial Times CEO John Ridding is stepping down in June after leading the newspaper group for almost 20 years.

Discussion: Nikkei Asia, Talking Biz News, @ft, @pressgazette, Financial Times and Dominic Ponsford on LinkedIn

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

Memo: MSNBC hires WABC-TV VP and News Director Scott Matthews to serve as head of newsgathering, and plans to hire 100 journalists as part of its news operation — The network, which recently overhauled its programming lineup, is bringing on Scott Matthews as head of newsgathering. — Just now

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Barrett Media and @jeremymbarr

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Neal Mohan says YouTube Originals didn't work because YouTube wasn't “good at picking content” and so the company decided to focus on building creator tools — YouTube has tried its hand at funding original content more than once — with disappointing results.

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann says Netflix plans to spend ~$18B in cash on content in 2025, up nearly 11% YoY, and the amount is “not anywhere near a ceiling” — Netflix expects to spend in the neighborhood of $18 billion in cash on content in 2025 — and it sees plenty of runway …

Discussion: The Streamable, @tylerbishop, @tvgrimreaper, Deadline, The Wrap and Media Play News

Naman Ramachandran / Variety:

ITV reports FY 2024 revenue down 3% YoY to $5.34B, Studios revenue down 6% YoY to $2.63B, digital ad revenue up 15% YoY, and its efficiency program saved $77.5M — The U.K.'s ITV revealed strong profit growth in its full-year results for 2024, despite facing challenges from the U.S. actors …

Discussion: WORLD SCREEN, Reuters, Variety, The Media Leader, The Hollywood Reporter, ITV Plc, The Standard, MorningstarUK, Deadline and Shares Magazine

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Netflix plans to host its second live boxing special on July 11 at Madison Square Garden with a rematch of Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano — The all-women's boxing card will be held at Madison Square Garden July 11, and will stream live on Netflix. — Netflix is back in business …

Discussion: The Streamable, Advanced Television, Variety, Streaming Better, Winnipeg Free Press, ESPN, New York Times, Deadline, Just Jared, Bleacher Report, @netflix, @serranosisters, EVOKE, RTÉ and The Verge

Chris Welch / The Verge:

All Elite Wrestling and Amazon Prime Video announce a new multi-year agreement to offer AEW's pay-per-view events in the US, Canada, and the UK on Prime Video — The new pay-per-view streaming partnership kicks off this weekend with AEW Revolution, which costs $49.99.

Discussion: The Streamable, All Elite Wrestling, TVNewsCheck, Sports Illustrated, Slam Wrestling, @jonalba, Wrestlezone, Cageside Seats, Variety, Awful Announcing, Barrett Media and Advanced Television

Andrew Cohen / Awful Announcing:

Gannett posts job listings for an AI sports editor and AI-assisted sports reporter; after flubs in 2023, it paused using LedeAI for high school sports stories — Gannett plans to hire an “AI Sports Editor” and “AI-Assisted Sports Reporter” as America's largest newspaper chain doubles-down on artificial intelligence in its newsrooms.

Discussion: @danrshafer, @aaronnagler, @andrew_cohen0, @joshua_newman and @michaelsocolow

Ray Schultz / MediaPost:
Gannett unionized employees and management have reached tentative contract deals at six newspapers in New Jersey and New York after threatened walkouts

Discussion: NewsGuild of New York and New Jersey Globe

The Wrap:

Sources: LAT's Hector Becerra faced an HR probe in 2022 over alleged “insulting” behavior, including bullying; LAT says it has “been addressed and resolved” — The paper's De Los editor Paloma Esquivel resigned last week, accusing HR of dismissing her complaints against Becerra

Discussion: @sharonwaxman, @sharonwaxman, @sharonwaxman and @gstarr.bsky.social

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Washington Post Media Reporter Will Sommer joins The Bulwark, where he will be publishing a twice-a-week newsletter on “the forces driving today's far-right” — On a recent episode of the “Hard Fork” podcast, reporter Casey Newton said “you talk to folks who live in San Francisco …

Discussion: @timodc, @brianstelter and @willsommer

Mandy Dalugdug / Music Business Worldwide:

Lyric rights licensing company LyricFind sues Musixmatch and its owner TPG Growth, alleging antitrust violations that threaten competition across the industry — LyricFind has lodged an antitrust lawsuit against lyrics provider Musixmatch and its private equity owner TPG Growth.

Discussion: LyricFind, Bloomberg Law, MLex, @lyricfind, Digital Music News and Music Ally

Gordon Smith / Journalism.co.uk:

How the Financial Times is using online polls to engage readers and grow subscriptions; polls in FT newsletters regularly record engagement rates above 75% — The newspaper has a loyal, well-informed readership keen to share their opinions. Polls in its newsletters record engagement over 75 per cent

Mark Stenberg / Adweek:

Politico unveils an AI tool that lets Politico Pro subscribers generate detailed policy reports using data from Politico's reporting and analysis — In February, the White House announced plans to cancel $8 million of Politico Pro subscriptions — Political news publisher Politico unveiled …

Discussion: Gabriel Brotman on LinkedIn, Politico and Jane Friedman

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Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
UK journalist Graham Johnson estimates he cost News UK £500M through his testimony, books, and legal research since his phone hacking conviction in 2014

Forbes:
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Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
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Variety:
Variety.com names Zack Sharf as managing editor; Sharf joined Variety in January 2022 as digital news director after seven years at IndieWire

Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Tom Llamas will succeed Lester Holt as anchor of NBC Nightly News after Holt signs off in early summer

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Ian Carlos Campbell / Engadget:
Amazon announces an “AI-aided dubbing” pilot program on Prime Video, starting with dubbing in English and Latin American Spanish on 12 movies and series

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Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:
WSJ journalists laid off amid consolidation of tech and media teams include Alexa Corse, Tom Dotan, Asa Fitch, Ben Fritz, Miles Kruppa, and Aaron Tilley

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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Sesame Workshop cuts staff as it continues to look for a TV or streaming outlet for Sesame Street; production of the series' 56th season resumes next month

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Variety:
A look at Neon's unconventional strategy to win an Oscar for Anora, including merchandise like branded thongs and spending $18M, a fraction of its rivals

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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany on co-hosting MSNBC's The Weekend beginning in April, the channel's transition period, and more

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From Techmeme:

CNBC:
Circle files for a US IPO, with plans to list on the NYSE under CRCL; Circle, which issues the USDC stablecoin, is reportedly seeking a $4B to $5B valuation

John Hudson / Washington Post:
Sources: White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and other NSC members have conducted government affairs over personal Gmail accounts

Reuters:
Sources: Arm decided not to pursue a deal after recently seeking to acquire Alphawave, a UK-listed supplier of semiconductor IP that is exploring a sale

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