Mediagazer: An AI-generated TikTok parody of reality series Love Island, called Fruit Love Island, averaged 10M+ views across its first 21 episodes after debuting last week (Isabelle Bousquette/Wall Street Journal)

Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:

CBS News expands its investigative unit by hiring former Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Gilbert and Free Press reporter Gabe Kaminsky — Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Gilbert and Gabe Kaminsky will join the investigative unit, along with three CBS News producers

Discussion: Deadline, @nkulw, @cbsnewspress, @cbsnewspress, @gekaminsky and @cbsnewspress

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Peter Alexander, who worked as NBC News' chief White House correspondent and co-anchor of the Saturday edition of Today show, leaves to join MS Now — Peter Alexander, one of the hardest working TV-news correspondents in the sector, will leave his longtime home at NBC News …

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Politico names Jonathan Greenberger as its editor-in-chief, effective May 1, succeeding co-founder John Harris; Greenberger joined Politico as EVP in 2024 — Publisher names executive Jonathan Greenberger to succeed co-founder and longtime Editor in Chief John Harris

Discussion: Politico, PR Daily, @greenbergerj, New York Times, The Wrap, Mediaite, Deadline and Semafor, more at Techmeme »

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:

Ampere Analysis: global streaming subscription revenue grew 14% YoY in 2025 to $157.1B, up from $63B in 2020; including ad revenue, streaming revenue hit $177B — Price increases have helped as major players are looking toward “extracting greater value from existing audiences,” an Ampere Analysis survey finds.

Discussion: Semafor, MediaPost, The Wrap, The Streamable, Deadline, Media Play News, Broadband TV News and Advanced Television

Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:

The NBC News-Joanna Stern deal offers a new model for independent journalists to grow audiences via institutional support while retaining editorial independence — Tech journalist Joanna Stern's partnership with NBC News points to a new model of editorial independence with institutional support

Discussion: Simon Owens's Media Newsletter

CNN:

The Israeli military says it suspended operational activities of a reserve battalion involved in detaining and assaulting a CNN team in the West Bank last week — The Israeli military's top general suspended all operational activities of a reserve battalion involved in the detention and assault …

Discussion: Fox News, @jdiamond1, Military and Veteran …, New York Times, The Hill, @tvietor08, Winnipeg Free Press, @treyyingst, @bricsinfo, @infinite_jaz, @princesleeper, @infinite_jaz, The Times of Israel, The Wrap, Agence France-Presse, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Max Tani / Semafor:

Sources: Beehiiv plans to launch a podcasting program in the coming days and is privately courting podcasters on Substack and elsewhere as founding members — The News — Newsletter and creator startup Beehiiv is making a push into podcasting, and wants to peel off talent from Substack and Patreon.

Discussion: @dannygroner.bsky.social and Mark It Down Bible Substack

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: some Disney executives learned about Sora's shutdown less than an hour before OpenAI's announcement; Disney was in talks about company-wide ChatGPT use — When Sam Altman arrived in Los Angeles to attend Vanity Fair's Oscar afterparty earlier this month, his company was just weeks away …

Discussion: Breitbart, PCMag, @carnage4life@mas.to, Hello China Tech, Tech in Asia, @philipmai.com, Digital Trends, TechCrunch, @carnage4life.bsky.social, Silicon Canals, @andrewcurran_, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, 9to5Mac, The Decoder and iDrop News, more at Techmeme »

Brendan Ruberry / Semafor:

How the New York Post's “runners”, who conduct boots-on-the-ground reporting across the city, are the backbone of its reporting, and may defy AI-driven cuts — Know More — Brendan's View — Notable — Early St. Patrick's Day morning, Reuven Fenton and I learned we'd be on pothole duty for the day.

Discussion: Samantha Tomaszewski on LinkedIn, @natsfert, @marisa_schultz and @juliakmarsh

Brent Lang / Variety:

Amazon MGM's Project Hail Mary becomes its highest-grossing film ever, crossing $300M globally, including $54.1M just this weekend; the movie cost $200M to make — “Project Hail Mary” is officially Amazon MGM's highest-grossing film ever. — The space odyssey has grossed $300.8 million globally …

Discussion: Engadget, Forbes, TechCrunch, WTOP News, Winnipeg Free Press, The Wrap, Just Jared and World of Reel, more at Techmeme »

Max Tani / Semafor:

Sources: Mathias Döpfner met with UK politicians earlier this month, organized by global advisory PR firm FGS, as Axel Springer seeks to acquire the Telegraph — The Scoop — A successful media pressure campaign from the right torpedoed Jeff Zucker's attempt to buy the Telegraph.

Discussion: Byline Times

Isabelle Bousquette / Wall Street Journal:

An AI-generated TikTok parody of reality series Love Island, called Fruit Love Island, averaged 10M+ views across its first 21 episodes after debuting last week — ‘Fruit Love Island’ averages over 10 million views for each of its episodes — A new viral dating show featuring sexy …

Discussion: Ad Age, Music Ally, Know Your Meme, Gizmodo, The Decoder and BBC