Disney Slashes Bundle Price 62% to Drive Q1 Growth
Disney is looking to crank up its streaming subscriber numbers for the first quarter of 2026 — introducing a 62% price discount on the ad-supported Disney+/Hulu bundle for a three-month period https://t.co/ThNJ10Kpe2 via @variety
Wuthering Heights Earns $200M, Modest Profit for Warner
Wuthering Heights just hit $200 million at the worldwide box office. A good number for a period drama, but the movie cost Warners about $85 million, so still not a big moneymaker for the studio.
Merger News Drives Entertainment Earnings Conversation
What’s News in Earnings: Merger News Dominates the Entertainment Business -- @benfritz and I discuss quarterly results and challenges ahead. https://t.co/sZopc3Z4Bf
Gen‑AI Video Tools Should Prioritize Quality over Speed
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix's chief product & technology officer, said most gen-AI video platforms don’t operate from a filmmaker's perspective. She said InterPositive's tools are designed to help produce higher-quality content — not make it faster or cheaper https://t.co/w8xyM2pXhz
Netflix Shares InterPositive AI with Partners, Not Public
Netflix will offer access to InterPositive’s AI-powered tech to its creative partners and does not have plans to sell it commercially in the marketplace https://t.co/w8xyM2pXhz via @variety
TNT Secures Exclusive U.S. FIBA Rights Amid Merger Uncertainty
This is exactly the type of deal I discuss in today's newsletter ... will a Paramount/WBD merged company do these smaller sports rights deals anymore? The calculus will definitely change for TNT ... https://t.co/DvKzUkqcDr
Paramount CEO Pledges Unwavering Focus on Truth and Trust
When asks about plans for CNN, Paramount CEO David Ellison tells CNBC that we want to be in the truth business, we want to be in the trust business and that’s not going to change.
Hollywood Execs Prioritize Cost Cuts over Creative Talent
After Hollywood turned on David Zaslav for being too much of a bean counter/financier, I’m sure The Town will appreciate David Ellison’s answer to being asked how many layoffs are coming w/ merging w/ WBD: “We absolutely need to rationalize the...
CBS Morning Show Embraces Soft Segments After Years of Resistance
CBS' morning show has for years taken pride in its resistance to the softer side of AM news, like cooking segments and lifestyle reporting. But now the program is poised to reverse its stance.... https://t.co/b2KevEZz2g via @variety
CBS This Morning Shifts to Lifestyle, EP Shawna Thomas Departs
More shake-ups at 'CBS This Morning,' where EP Shawna Thomas will leave as the program gets set to pursue some of the lifestyle and soft-news content it previously avoided.... https://t.co/b2KevEZz2g via @variety
Merger Threats Undermine TNT Sports Strategy and Leadership
This week’s CNBC Sport newsletter is out: *Why TNT Sports’ strategy no longer makes sense if WBD & Paramount come together *Jeff Shell’s future up in the air *There will be no David Ellison/David Zaslav “men in blazers” photo on the...
CBS Postpones JD Vance Town Hall Indefinitely
New: The CBS News town hall with @JDVance, which had been slated to air on March 14, has been postponed indefinitely.
TikTok's 2026 Discover List Spotlights 50 Emerging Creators
TikTok revealed its Discover List 2026, highlighting 50 creators to watch across categories like Educators, Foodies, Icons, Innovators, and Originators. The list acts as both a cultural barometer and a pre-vetted talent pipeline for brands looking to partner with emerging...
Netflix Gains $2.8B After Dropping Warner Deal
Netflix, After Walking Away From Warner Bros. Deal, Will ‘Move Forward’ With ‘$2.8 Billion in Our Pocket That We Didn’t Have a Few Weeks Ago,’ CFO Says https://t.co/ztTl2wiPxD via @variety
Netflix CFO Dismisses Full-Season NFL Rights, Eyes Warner
Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann throws some cold water on idea of wanting full season rights to a sport such as NFL. Of course they also said not interested in big deals before going after Warner so....
Netflix CFO Declares Company Pro‑human Amid AI Push
"We're also pro-human." - Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann at Morgan Stanley conference while talking about importance of AI.
Netflix CFO Confident Regulatory Approval for Warner Acquisition
"We had high confidence" of getting through regulatory, says Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann on pursuit of Warner's studios and streaming operations.
Netflix CFO Says Company Remains Small, Poised for Organic Growth
Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann says at Morgan Stanley conference that the streaming company "is small" with a runway for organic growth.
Tencent Buys 15% of Arrowhead Amid Meme Backlash
Tencent took a 15 percent stake in Arrowhead Game Studios. Some players starting lashing out at a recent Chinese New Year cosmetics bundle with a certain meme that was quickly banned on the Discord.
NFL's Free Over‑Air Access Sparks Broadcast TV Backlash
Why is the @NFL, the Most Broadcast Friendly League, Under Attack by Broadcast TV Advocates? "the overwhelming majority of NFL games ARE ON broadcast and, more importantly, EVERY single NFL game is available over-the-air in each team’s local market [for free]" $CMCSA...
Arbitrators Issue Stark Rebuke to CAA Leadership
A pretty stunning rebuke of the CAA leadership by the arbitrators overseeing its fight with defectors who started Range Media. Details via @eriqgardner ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/BXxjGwkXt1
CEO Claims Espionage Amid New Layoffs at Rocket Boy
Sad to see the layoffs happen again, but there's more to this story. Build A Rocket Boy's CEO alleges criminal actions and espionage against the company are being litigated. https://t.co/oF7JqdMa2c
Trump Poised to Acquire Media Stakes via Netflix Debt
Did not have President Trump buying Netflix debt on my bingo card. How long until he is taking direct stakes in the media business? Remember Jared's Affinity Partners "pulled out" of part the Paramount investor group in December. $PSKY $WBD...
Netflix Surges 30%+, Outpaces Colgate, P&G;
Update: After a 30+% rally in Netflix, it now trades at a premium to Colgate and P&G. Investors really didn't like the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition and the stock has rallied every single day since they exited the bidding war...
Google Revamps Play Store Fees and Sideloading Rules
Google is overhauling its policies on alternative app store sideloading and in-app billing, as well as its fee structure in Google Play. These changes will be rolled out starting in June. https://t.co/zaX2n1nIq0
Ellisons Move First as AI Copyright Remains Uncertain
March 2nd, 2026 was a big day for AI and media. The Supreme Court refused to say whether AI can own a copyright. Paramount $PSKY told investors that merging its tech stack is priority number one in a $101 billion...
Gayle King, Nate Burleson Remain on CBS Mornings Amid Revamp
Gayle King, Nate Burleson will stay with CBS Mornings even as CBS News readies strategy to make the AM program more competitive.... https://t.co/7qgPNWm3pG via @variety
US Reopens Chinese Tech Data Security Scrutiny Amid Military Labels
This is a repeat of what happened in 2020 under the first Trump admin. Back when they first started exploring the TikTok ban as well. Was primarily around how Riot, Epic and others handled US user data. Ultimately...
WB’s “The Bride” Threatens to End Box‑office Streak
On the other hand, WB’s new horror #TheBride, also kicking off Global rollout today, still has full reviews embargoed and social media reactions mixed. Industry is cautious, with projections seeing a 15M-20M 3-day opening at US #BoxOffice & 20M-25M 5-day opening...
Caliwater, Co‑founded by Vanessa Hudgens, Sponsors Enhanced Games
The Enhanced Games has its first sponsor: Caliwater (@drinkcaliwater), which was co-founded by Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) ... Becomes the official cactus water of the Enhanced Games. @EnhancedGames
Resident Evil Requiem Hits 5M Sales, $350M Revenue
Resident Evil Requiem has sold 5 million copies in 5 days, approximately $350 Million USD in revenue. https://t.co/lYVLdRoS2U
Sony Abandons PC Ports, Reversing 2025 Expansion Pledge
Sony is reportedly moving away from PlayStation PC ports. It’s a big change from a few years ago, when Sony said it wanted half of its games available on PC and mobile by 2025 https://t.co/4HlXG5b9Lz
Meta's GR2 Leverages LLM Reasoning for Better Ad Ranking
Can LLMs be used for ads ranking? Meta's GR2 architecture utilizes reinforcement learning and LLM world knowledge to improve ad ranking performance through structured reasoning. https://mobiledevmemo.com/can-llms-be-used-for-ads-ranking/
2025 Game Industry Revenue Growth Flatlines Near Zero
A bleak report about the games industry made the rounds a couple of weeks ago. Then, last week, this dire chart was added to it What it shows: Game industry revenue growth in 2025, excluding China, Roblox, hardware and console services...
Creator Network Proven Top Driver of Subscriber Growth
Overheard from a creator today: I’m really impressed with the Creator Network. It’s been my top source of subscriber growth, and now I keep telling every Kit creator I know to join if they haven’t already.
HBO Reached 54 Million Domestic Subscribers in 2017
Time Warner FY17 10-K: "At December 31, 2017, Home Box Office had approximately 54 million domestic subscribers, including subscribers to HBO NOW and through Home Box Office’s digital distribution partners." https://t.co/4lw2HM9qU0
CAA Faces Trial Over Alleged Writer Sabotage
Hollywood’s most powerful talent agency is going to trial next week for allegedly not doing right by a client. Aaron Sorkin and other industry figures will testify. https://puck.news/did-caa-kill-a-writers-career-on-purpose/
Inter Miami Secures Top‑Tier MLS Stadium Naming Deal
Nu Deal: Inter Miami Joins MLS’ Top Tier for Stadium Naming Rights ⚽️https://t.co/cfqksyH7BG via @sportico @JustBirny
Wall Street View: NFL Media Deals Unpacked by Guggenheim
New pod: Guggenheim's Michael Morris breaks down the NFL's upcoming media deals from a Wall St. perspective. https://t.co/0ipMqZmiL8
ESPN's Women's Sports Sundays Expose Legacy Media's Limits
ESPN’s ‘Women’s Sports Sundays’ Show the Limits of Legacy Media - Guest OpEd from @HaleyRosen 👇 https://t.co/aqNy6s6WqT via @sportico
Caesars Sale Rumors Spark Share Jump Amid Low Valuation
Famed casino operator back in play? - $CZR reportedly exploring a sale after takeover interest incl. Tilman Fertitta - Shares +20% on the news but still near 5yr lows - Trades ~8x Adj. EBITDA - Some room for improved bid, but ~$30B EV vs...
Game Servers in Bahrain, UAE Offline After Drone Strikes
Multiple video games including Valorant, Fortnite, Rocket League, and EA FC saw local servers temporarily taken down this week in Bahrain and the UAE. This comes after drone strikes hit 3 AWS facilities across the two countries. EU servers, but with...
All3Media Merger Unites “The Traitors,” “MasterChef,” “Peaky Bl
Banijay’s Marco Bassetti and Jeff Zucker on the Surprise All3Media Merger That Puts ‘The Traitors,’ ‘MasterChef’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’ Under the Same Roof https://t.co/zM40xh5TTV via @variety
Trade Desk Faces Growing Threat From Amazon
If Trade Desk has not felt rising competition yet, just wait. $TTD $AMZN The LightShed Podcast, Ep. 303. With @BrandoLightShed and @WaltLightShed https://t.co/CI8LQ71sUY
Pinterest Creators Now Link Direct Amazon Storefronts
🚨 NEW 🚨 Pinterest and Amazon Influencers have teamed up on a new integration that allows select Pinterest creators to link their Amazon Storefronts to their profiles. By connecting their accounts, creators can: 🔗 Feature a Storefront link on their Pinterest profile 🏷️...
Paramount/WBD Deal Likely Survives, Lawsuit Threat Looms
Antitrust experts don't see Paramount/WBD deal getting blocked by DOJ or abroad, but any lengthy probes abroad could buy state AGs time to assemble a lawsuit — Will they have a legit enough antitrust case to win in court? Uphill battle. @axios https://t.co/czZPajmweE
Versant's CNBC Use Governed by Five-Year Comcast License
Things I Did Not Know About Versant, Chapter 1: 'Our use of the CNBC brand is subject to a trademark license agreement with Comcast that provides an initial term of five years, which may be extended'
Axios Media Trends Returns with Key Media and Politics Updates
@Axios Media Trends is back after a brief break 👶🍼 Today's edition: — 🍿Scoop: Sarandos never met w Trump or any WH officials last week — ⚖️Paramount regulatory next steps — 📢Midterm messaging mapped — 📺Jeff Zucker intv. on his next big bet Subscribe: https://t.co/d8VFQJHDMm
Highguard Follows Concord, Folds Chasing Fortnite Hype
Highguard is the next Concord. It’s shutting down this month, after originally launching in January. It’s yet another victim of publishers chasing the success of games like Fortnite https://t.co/aXm68HJQMj
NFL Boosts Rights Revenue Without Dropping Current Partners
The NFL will generate more money from its rights, without replacing existing partners. $FOXA $PSKY $DIS $CMCSA $AMZN The LightShed Podcast, Ep. 303. With @BrandoLightShed and @WaltLightShed https://t.co/87a3KpxJEZ