Top News:
Yasmin Khorram / Politico:
Sources: Netflix's Ted Sarandos plans to attend White House meetings Thursday, amid the WBD bid battle and after Trump's demand that Netflix fire Susan Rice — The Warner Bros. board of directors said on Tuesday that no final decision has been made. If Paramount gets the nod …
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Rob Golum / Bloomberg:
A group of 11 state AGs, led by two Republicans, send a letter to the DOJ opposing Netflix's proposed acquisition of WBD, saying it will harm consumers — State attorneys general led by two Republicans are raising concerns about the proposed takeover of the Warner Bros. studios by Netflix Inc., saying it will harm consumers.
Discussion:
Deadline, Alaska Department of Law, Newsmax, ago.nebraska.gov, The A.V. Club, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, The Wrap, @lucas_shaw, Office of the Attorney General, Nebraska and Montana, @cgasparino, Washington Examiner, mxdwn Television, Gizmodo, Wrestling Inc., Screen, Media Play News, Motley Fool and Forbes
Lauren Hirsch / New York Times:
WBD says Paramount's new $31-a-share offer could lead to a better deal than Netflix's, potentially triggering a four-day period for Netflix to revise its bid
WBD says Paramount's new $31-a-share offer could lead to a better deal than Netflix's, potentially triggering a four-day period for Netflix to revise its bid
Discussion:
Adweek, @lindseygrahamsc, CNN, Variety, Deadline, Gamereactor UK, UPI, The Hollywood Reporter, Newsmax, The Hill, Los Angeles Business Journal, Wall Street Journal, @laurenshirsch, The Ankler, The Daily Upside, Instapundit, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., New York Post, The A.V. Club, Awful Announcing, The Movie Blog, Screen, World of Reel, NBC News, Screen Rant, Bloomberg, Axios, New York Sun, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Nexstar lays off on-air staffers at LA's KTLA and New York's WPIX, after similar cuts at WGN in Chicago, as the company pursues a merger with Tegna — Nexstar Media Group has issued layoff notices to around a dozen on-air workers at television stations in the country's two biggest TV markets.
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Paramount reports Q4 revenue of $8.15B, a net loss of $573M, and DTC revenue up 10% YoY to $2.213B; Paramount+ subs reach 78.9M, up 4% — But the David Ellison-led media giant posted an overall loss of $573 million in its fourth quarter — Paramount+'s revenue grew 17% to $1.84 billion …
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Edison Research's Share of Ear survey: podcasts have overtaken talk radio for the first time in the US, capturing 40% listening time vs. 39% for radio — Podcasts have officially overtaken AM/FM talk radio as the more popular medium for spoken-word audio in the United States, according to Edison Research's Share of Ear survey.
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Kalshi says it has suspended an editor for MrBeast and a former GOP California gubernatorial candidate for insider trading, its first public enforcement action — An editor who works for YouTube's biggest creator, MrBeast, has been suspended from the prediction market platform Kalshi …
Discussion:
Axios, The Wrap, The Information, Tubefilter, @onthemedia.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, TechCrunch, Inc.com, The Atlantic, CBS News, Gizmodo, New York Sun, Bloomberg, Benzinga, CoinDesk, Engadget, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, @bobbyallyn.bsky.social, @knibbs.bsky.social, @kalshi, cftc.gov, Wired, The Block, @csfrayer.bsky.social, NewsNation, @carnage4life@mas.to, @smtuffy.bsky.social, Aftermath, CoinGape, Newser, Front Office Sports, @passantino.bsky.social, Kalshi, Decrypt, @shadow.hedgie.social, Futurism, The Verge, Forbes, Dave Lee, Just Jared and Politico, more at Techmeme »
Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:
At Semafor's media summit, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said too much of the national news media is “drastically out of touch with where the American people are” — The FCC chairman speaks at Semafor's “Restoring Trust in Media” summit in Washington, D.C.
Discussion:
@citizenstx.bsky.social, @ernie.tedium.co, @weareyourfek, @weareyourfek, @weareyourfek, @smithinamerica and @weareyourfek
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
The Tampa Bay Times starts monthly “article clubs” for news stories, to discuss the substance of a chosen story and look at the reporting process — The idea is not just to discuss a story's substance, but to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at the reporting process …
Discussion:
@niemanlab.org and @pacoseoaneperez
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Some Iranian dissidents say USAGM has systematically censored mentions of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, Iran's best-known dissident, from VOA broadcasts — The U.S. government broadcaster, overseen by Kari Lake, hardly mentions the name of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's deposed shah.
Discussion:
@newsguy.bsky.social, @savevoa.bsky.social, @liamjscott, @scottnover and Politico
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Broadcaster Sinclair reports Q4 revenue of $836M, down 17% YoY, and net income down 38% YoY to $109M, core advertising revenue up 14% to $354M — Television broadcaster Sinclair, Inc. reported sharply lower fourth quarter and full-year earnings this week, as the broadcast television owner lapped …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Canadian Press and Sinclair
George Winslow / TV Tech:
The FCC seeks comments on how sports rights changes are affecting consumers as more events move to streaming platforms; initial comment deadline is March 27 — The Media Bureau is seeking comments on such issues as the shift of rights away from free-to-air broadcasts
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Bostopia's Evan George on his TikTok and Instagram videos under @bostopianews, summarizing Boston local news while offering his own opinions — “You don't need to pretend to [to be neutral] or be worried about [what people think]. Because now it just sounds like you're hiding things …
Discussion:
@niemanlab.org
