Top News:
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Universal says it is shifting to five weekends of exclusive theatrical runs, up from three, and will move to a minimum of seven weekends in January 2027 — Theaters will get a minimum of five weekends of exclusive play and then, starting next year, seven. A pandemic-era policy was guaranteeing only three.
Kayla Cobb / The Wrap:
Disney+ is rolling out Verts, its new short-form video feed, to US users on its mobile app, featuring clips from movies and TV shows on Disney+ — Users will be able to swipe through a stream of scenes from movies and shows on Disney+ — Disney's experiment with vertical video begins this week.
Arushi Jacob / Variety:
UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report finds that films with casts that are 41%-50% BIPOC achieved the highest median global and domestic box office receipts in 2025 — Increasingly diverse audiences across the United States also prefer diverse content in theatrical film releases …
Discussion:
Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Social Sciences and @nelsoncarvajal.com
Michael Savage / The Guardian:
Sources: Matt Brittin, who formerly led Google in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for a decade, is close to being named director general of the BBC — Appointment of Matt Brittin as director general would be latest sign of big tech's power in media world
Discussion:
Telegraph
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Substack launches the Substack Recording Studio, letting creators prerecord videos with up to two guests, share screens, and auto-generate clips and thumbnails — Publishing platform Substack is continuing to invest in video content as it launches the Substack Recording Studio …
Discussion:
On Substack
Erik Wemple / New York Times:
In NYT v. DOD, the Pentagon argued that a box on WaPo's website asking for tips about the military crossed the line into “solicitation” not protected by 1A — When lawyers for The New York Times and the Pentagon gathered in a federal courthouse last week to debate the department's …
Discussion:
@jameeljaffer.bsky.social and Media Nation
Kendra Barnett / Adweek:
NewsGuard launches an AI content farm detection tool in partnership with Pangram Labs, which says it's seeing 300 to 500 of these sites emerge each month — Plus, a plug-in with The Trade Desk may help advertisers avoid showing up next to AI-generated news content
Steve McClellan / MediaPost:
Publicis acquires content intelligence firm AdgeAi, to identify the most effective creative elements of ad campaigns and to improve content strategy and ROI — While agencies and marketers have gone to great lengths to optimize media expenditures, Publicis Groupe is doubling …
Discussion:
Adweek, PRWeek, MarketScreener, The Drum, campaignlive.com and PR Week UK
Cameron Baker / Bloomberg Law:
The Teamsters union formally asks the DOJ's antitrust division to block Paramount's acquisition of WBD, saying the merger threatens nearly 15,000 union jobs — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters urged the Department of Justice to block the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery …
Discussion:
Morningstar
Nicole Meir / The Associated Press:
The AP Fund for Journalism doubles the size of its local news program to 100 members, who can now share some of their content via the AP's distribution network — AP Fund for Journalism (APFJ) today announced 50 additional news organizations are joining its landmark local news program …
Discussion:
Joseph Jaafari on LinkedIn
Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline:
Incoming Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro appoints Paul Roeder, a 25-year Disney veteran, as senior EVP and chief communications officer, effective March 19 — One of the first big staff changes that incoming Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro is making is upping 25-year vet and Disney EVP of Communications …
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Dow Jones Newswires, The Walt Disney Company and WKZO
Scott Roxborough / The Hollywood Reporter:
RTL reports 2025 revenue down 3.8% YoY to €6.02B, adjusted EBITDA of €661M, paying streaming subscribers up 19% to 8.1M, and streaming revenue up 26% to €509M — RTL says its streaming platform RTL+, which now boasts more than 8 million subscribers, will cross into profitability later this year.
Discussion:
Variety, Advanced Television, Deadline, Broadband TV News and Telecompaper
Managing Ed. - AUS and NZ, Sydney — 
Sports Editor, MD — 
Newsletter Editor, London — 
Reporter - Trust in Science — 
Pharma Reporter, NY — 
Associate Editor, WI — 
Editor-in-Chief, WA — 
Metro Editor, OR — 
Business Reporter, IA — 
Editor-Writer - Wellness, NY/GA/DC — 
Managing Editor - Arizona — 
Head of Content, NY — 
Sr. Writer & Press Mgr., Remote — 
Lifestyle Editor - M/F, Paris — 
Social Media Editor, NY — 
Managing Editor, OK — 
Head of Editorial - Euro Finance — 
Correspondent - AI & Emerging Tech, NY — 
Indigenous Affairs Reporter, CA — 
Editor-in-Chief, FL — 
Features & Enterprise Editor, NY — 
Executive Editor, Remote — 
WH Enterprise Reporter, DC — 
Defined Contributions Reporter, NY — 
North Coast Contributing Editor, CA — 
Money Editor - CNBC Make It, NJ — 
Executive Director, MN — 
Executive Editor, AZ — 
Bureau Chief - US, DC — 
Investigative Reporter, TX — 
Associate Legal News Editor, OH — 
Editor, AZ — 
Night & Weekend Newswriter, Remote — 
Live Blog Editor, CA — 
