Mediagazer

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 …

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, Reuters, Washington Examiner, Deadline, Livemint, Washington Times, Media Play News, @chadbourn.bsky.social, CNBC, The Ankler, New York Post, Reality Tea, Benzinga and International Business Times

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, The Hill, The Wrap, Office of the Attorney General, Nebraska and Montana, ago.nebraska.gov, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Washington Examiner, @lucas_shaw, @cgasparino, 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

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.

Discussion: Edison Research, Fast Company, CNET, Awful Announcing, @twitnews@twit.social, Radio & Television …, Inside Radio and Barrett Media

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 …

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: @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

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

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

Discussion: TheDesk.net, Sports Business Journal, Barrett Media, Deadline, @brendancarrfcc, @brendancarrfcc and @claytravis

Gary Baum / The Hollywood Reporter:

Source: Paramount is probing allegations that president Jeff Shell leaked details about its $7.7B deal with UFC a month before its August 2025 announcement — The studio has brought on an outside law firm to investigate the allegations, which have also been alerted to the SEC.

Discussion: @eriqgardner, The Wrap and Deadline

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

MS Now names Ali Velshi its chief data reporter, which will see him lead election results and polling on election nights for the cable channel — The veteran journalist will lead election results and polling on election nights for the cable channel. — MS NOW has named Ali Velshi …

Discussion: @grynbaum, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline and Barrett Media

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk says creators on the platform are generating nearly $5M in collective annual earnings from subscriptions and its ad network — The CEO of Substack rival Beehiiv says the growing platform has a key philosophical difference from its more established rival.

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

UK weekly street newspaper Big Issue promotes Deputy Editor Steven MacKenzie to editor, succeeding Paul McNamee, who led the publication for 19 years — Weekly street newspaper Big Issue has promoted deputy editor Steven MacKenzie to editor. — MacKenzie will succeed Paul McNamee, who has led the publication for 19 years, in March.

Discussion: Steven MacKenzie on LinkedIn