Top News:
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Q&A with LightShed Partners' Rich Greenfield on Paramount's WBD deal, the need to ramp up content production, media as a trophy asset, streaming tech, and more — Today on Decoder, let's talk about the big Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. — This deal could reshape all of media and entertainment if and when it closes.
Discussion:
Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn
RELATED:
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
In a letter to two US Congress members on the Paramount-WBD deal, David Ellison supported a federal film tax incentive, inducements for US production, and more — In a letter to Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman, the Paramount and soon-to-be Warner Bros. studio chief argued …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Washington Examiner and Variety
Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:
IFPI: global recorded music revenues hit $31.7B in 2025, up 6.4% YoY, total streaming revenue surpassed $22B, and users of paid music subscriptions reached 837M — Figures released today (March 18) in IFPI's Global Music Report 2026 show that global recorded music revenues grew by 6.4% YoY
Discussion:
BBC, Billboard, Ricardo Castanheira on LinkedIn, Music Ally, The A.V. Club and Variety
David Shepardson / Reuters:
Eight US states, including CA, CO, and NY, sue to block Nexstar's proposed $3.54B merger with Tegna on antitrust grounds; DirecTV files a separate suit — A group of eight states filed suit late on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California, to block Nexstar's (NXST.O) …
Discussion:
CNN, The Wrap, CNN, Wall Street Journal, US District Court, Eastern District of California, TV Tech, State of California, Cord Cutters News, All Rise News, WVEC, Bloomberg Law, Yahoo Finance, Blockonomi, Radio & Television …, Associated Press, The Hill, NBC News, The Hollywood Reporter, TheDesk.net, Free Press Action Fund Feed, @ddayen.bsky.social, @nateraymond.bsky.social, @notaaroncraig.bsky.social, WXIA-TV, Bloomberg, @davidshepardson, @agrobbonta, Fingerlakes1.com, Barrett Media, Deadline and Reuters
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic:
Q&A with Emanuel Fabian, who says he faced death threats from Polymarket bettors over his reporting on a missile strike in Israel, making him doubt what he saw — A disturbing new low in the Polymarket era — On March 10, the journalist Emanuel Fabian reported on a missile that had been launched from Iran.
Rachel McDevitt / 90.5 WESA:
Pittsburgh City Paper, closed by Block Communications three months ago, is reviving under a new nonprofit, LocalMatters, with Lenfest Institute backing — Nearly three months after Pittsburgh City Paper announced it was shutting down, the alt-weekly is rising from the dead, thanks to new ownership.
Discussion:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Business Journal and Axios
Shubham Bose:
An analysis of a NYT article load finds 422 network requests totaling 49MB, triggering a sprawling programmatic ad auction, an example of “hostile architecture” — If active distraction of readers of your own website was an Olympic Sport, news publications would top the charts every time.
Jacob Feldman / Sportico:
EverPass says it will be the exclusive commercial option for the NFL Sunday Ticket package for the upcoming season, after sharing rights with DirecTV since 2023 — The streaming revolution is coming to the sports bar. In an email to customers, EverPass Media said it would become …
Discussion:
Sports Media Watch, The Streamable and Cord Cutters News
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Hezbollah-tied Al-Manar TV says Mohammad Sherri, head of its political programs, was killed when an Israeli strike hit a Beirut residential building Wednesday — The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the killing of Mohamed Sherri, a journalist with Hezbollah-affiliated …
Ashley Harrell / SFGATE:
National Park Service staff say the Interior Department's public affairs office has blacklisted SFGATE after its critical coverage of new Park Service policies — The move follows critical coverage of new Park Service policies — Over the past month, SFGATE's national parks bureau …
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Tubi partners with TikTok to launch the Creatorverse Incubator, giving creators support like promotions and potential funding to make Tubi originals — In a move to appeal to its younger viewers, the Fox-owned streaming service Tubi has launched its “Creatorverse Incubator” in partnership with TikTok.
Sarah Young / Reuters:
The UK government pledges £11M per year for the next three years for the BBC World Service, up 8% YoY; the Foreign Office provides ~30% of World Service funding — Britain said on Thursday it would increase funding for the BBC World Service over the next three years …
Discussion:
BBC, The Guardian and Financial Times
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro details priorities in a staff memo: maintaining creative excellence, leveraging technology, and operating as “One Disney” to align teams — The entertainment giant's new chief says “great storytelling” and “creative excellence” will remain the company's north star
RELATED:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney CEO Bob Iger officially passes the torch to incoming CEO Josh D'Amaro, who says Disney+ will evolve “to become the digital centerpiece of our company”
Disney CEO Bob Iger officially passes the torch to incoming CEO Josh D'Amaro, who says Disney+ will evolve “to become the digital centerpiece of our company”
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Hollywood Reporter, Kidscreen, Benzinga, The Daily Upside, @disney, Page Six, Florida Politics, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, C21Media, WPXI-TV, The Walt Disney Company, IndieWire, Fortune, Deadline, The Wrap, Business Insider, CBS News, Media Play News, Yahoo Finance, Pulse 2.0, CNBC, International Business Times, Reuters and Bloomberg
