The Guardian·2026-02-27
Netflix declines to match Paramount offer for Warner Bros DiscoveryNetflix has walked away from its planned takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, declining to raise its offer for the media conglomerate’s storied Hollywood studios and streaming business after it determined a sweetened rival offer from Paramount Skydance to be “superior”. In a statement on Thursday evening, Netflix co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said that “at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive”. In its revised offer, Paramount offered $31 per share for the company, up from $30, a $7bn regulatory termination fee if the merger is not approved, and a “ticking fee” amounting to about $650m in cash each quarter beginning after September. Netflix was given four business days to beat Paramount’s revised offer –
The Guardian·2026-02-27
Riding the rightwing algorithm to success: is Karl Stefanovic Australia’s Joe Rogan?By the time the prime minister sat down at the Lodge for a live chat on the Karl Stefanovic Show, Nine’s highest-paid journalist had amassed more than 50,000 YouTube subscribers on his new independent platform in four weeks. His most popular videos, each watched almost 300,000 times on YouTube and TikTok, feature guests with strong anti-immigration views. By Friday, the Karl Stefanovic Show had climbed to the second spot on Apple Podcasts overall, behind Mamamia Out Loud, and was number one in the news category. On Tuesday’s podcast with the PM it was quickly clear what Stefanovic’s audience wanted – and it was not Anthony Albanese. They flooded the live comment stream with support for One Nation, mass deportations and disdain for the government. “The least interesting guest on the show so
The Guardian·2026-02-27
CBS News and CNN staffers fear ‘disaster’ as Paramount wins Warner Bros battleNetflix’s decision to walk away from its $83bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has left some staffers working at CBS News and CNN panicking about the future as the two top-tier news operations come under the same roof. With Paramount Skydance emerging as the winning bidder, a deal that still requires the approval of WBD shareholders and government regulators, they fear the merging of the two networks – and, with it, the potential for a significant amount of job cuts. Some CNN employees are also nervous about Paramount’s Trump-friendly ownership and leadership enacting ideologically driven programming changes at the network, with particular concern about the specter of the CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, possibly getting a significant role. Weiss, a conservative commentator turned
The Guardian·2026-02-27
Departing CBS News producer claims political bias as Paramount poised to buy Warner BrosA veteran CBS News producer who is leaving the network after 46 years has suggested that political bias is at play at the network in a farewell memo sent to colleagues on Friday afternoon. “We’ve been reading a lot of goodbyes lately and here I am headed out the door. It’s too soon, even after 46 years,” Mary Walsh wrote in the memo, which was obtained by the Guardian. “But maybe it’s for the best. We’ve been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum. Honestly, I don’t know how to do that.” The memo comes a day after CBS News owner Paramount Skydance emerged as the likely victor in a takeover fight for Warner Bros Discovery, owner of CNN. CBS is now headed by Bari Weiss, a conservative commentator turned media entrepreneur, whose appointment was seen as a fil
Adweek·2026-02-26
Show’s Over: Netflix Declines to Up Offer After WBD Chooses Paramount Bid [UPDATED]Netflix is out after WBD calls Paramount bid 'superior.'
Adweek·2026-02-26
Week of Feb. 16 Cable News Ratings: Across-the-Board DeclinesMS NOW fell by single digits outside of the primetime demo.
Adweek·2026-02-26
Week of Feb. 16 Morning News Ratings: Today Remains No. 1 Despite Losing ViewersCBS Mornings saw double-digit growth in the prized Adults 25-54 demo.
Digiday·2026-02-26
Media Briefing: Without transparency, publishers can’t tell if Google’s Preferred Sources feature benefits themThis week s Media Briefing will look at how Google’s Preferred Sources feature promises publishers more control over audience loyalty — yet leaves them flying blind on traffic data and impact six months in. Preferred Sources is another Google update with a data gap The Economist braces for its next stage, X s algorithm deprioritizes traditional news outlets Another Google update, another data gap
Marketing Week·2026-02-26
‘Intense pressure zone’: Tackling marketing’s morale problemFrom burnout to stalling progression and self-consciousness over skills, marketing leaders discuss how to improve morale. Source
Digiday·2026-02-26
Urban Outfitters shifts its influencer strategy from reach to participationUrban Outfitters is launching a creator program centered around the hyper-personalized engagement that comes with passionate micro-creators and their communities. The move marks a structural shift in the retail brand’s creator strategy, and sees it join a growing group of brands that are gamifying their creator programs — moving away from curated, one-off partnerships toward broad, recurring, poin
The Guardian·2026-02-26
The Australian throws 4,000-word tantrum at press council ruling as Drumgold waits for just one: sorry | Weekly BeastWhen the press watchdog ruled that Murdoch’s broadsheet published three misleading, unfair and inaccurate articles about the former ACT prosecutor Shane Drumgold, The Australian responded by having a tantrum. We say tantrum because the newspaper published on Thursday an extraordinary 4,000-word riposte, including a front-page story, a timeline, two comment pieces and a thundering editorial questioning the Australian Press Council’s competence and integrity. This railing against the umpire is all the more bizarre, given News Corp effectively controls the APC as a majority member which pays up to 70% of its annual $1.7m budget. The columnist Janet Albrechtsen wrote all three pieces that were criticised, although the Sydney bureau chief, Stephen Rice, shares a byline on one. Of Albrechtsen’s
Marketing Week·2026-02-26
The rise and fall of BrewDog, the role of brand community, and the lessons for marketersNews that BrewDog has put itself up for sale shows a brand in distress, but there are lessons to be learnt about the power of building a genuine community that helped the brewer scale in the first place. Source
Marketing Week·2026-02-26
Marketing Week Awards 2026 are open for entriesMarketing Week’s annual celebration of effectiveness, creativity and innovation returns for 2026 with a stellar panel of senior marketers lined up to determine the winners. Source
Adweek·2026-02-26
Week of Feb. 16 Evening News Ratings: World News Tonight Sees GrowthNBC Nightly News remained the No. 1 broadcast in the Adults 25-54 demo.
Nieman Lab·2026-02-26
“Same values, same mission, same ethics”: How the Houston Chronicle chooses creators to work withNash: What are the metrics that you re looking at? Like, how do you determine whether this is successful? What are the important things to you? Chang: Earlier, I think there was a flash [on the screen] on the results that we have from our initial partnership through the API grant. We started with three videos, and each video had its own set of North Star [key performance indicators]. We mainly wan
Digiday·2026-02-26
Reddit has carved out an upper funnel niche for brand advertisersReddit’s ad business has been on the rise in recent quarters. For marketers, the platform has become a useful avenue to target specialist audiences with brand awareness messaging. According to five media buyers who spoke with Digiday, the platform is attracting between 5-20% of paid media budgets from some brands, including retailers and beverage advertisers. “This year we have more clients either
Nieman Lab·2026-02-26
The New York Times is adding another daily crossword, because why notVeni, vidi, vici? Try Mini, Midi, Maxi. Okay, The New York Times does not call its big daily crossword the Maxi — but otherwise it fits. Just as Julius Caesar came, saw, and conquered , the Times continues to push the boundaries of its gaming empire with a new Midi edition of its puzzle. Today, we are excited to introduce the Midi Crossword , the newest subscriber-only addition to the New York Tim
The Guardian·2026-02-26
Guardian joins media coalition to protect original journalism from unpaid use by AIA coalition of UK media companies including the Guardian has urged industry peers to back global frameworks ensuring AI firms pay for the journalism they use. The news providers are calling on leaders across publishing, broadcasting, media and news to join their newly created group, with the aim of protecting “original journalism” and securing “the long-term sustainability of our industry”. The coalition, comprising the Guardian, the BBC, Financial Times, Sky News and Telegraph Media Group (TMG), has been named the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (Spur). It is seeking the establishment of global licensing frameworks that will ensure AI companies can access high quality journalism for use in products such as chatbots while guaranteeing that publishers retain control of their content an
Marketing Week·2026-02-26
System1’s Jon Evans departs to pursue Uncensored CMO full timeEvans is looking to grow the podcast brand with sub-brands and events as System1 makes sweeping changes to its executive team. Source
Digiday·2026-02-26
Rising demand for principal media buying underpins WPP’s turnaround planDemand for principal based media buying expertise is rising among the industry’s top clients despite long-held transparency concerns, according to WPP’s top execs. Speaking as the once market leading agency group published a turnaround plan on Thursday (Feb. 26) to return the company to commercial growth in 2027, WPP Media boss Brian Lesser and chief financial officer Joanne Wilson said principal
The Guardian·2026-02-26
Netflix to release four-part series about Rupert Murdoch’s family dramaThe real-world drama that is said to have inspired the hit HBO show Succession is set for its own four-part series when Netflix debuts Dynasty: The Murdochs on 13 March. The docuseries, based on thousands of pages of documents, emails and text messages, presents an exhaustive history of Rupert Murdoch’s rise while homing in on the tensions that have built for decades between him, his chosen heir Lachlan, and Rupert’s three other adult children: James Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch and Prudence MacLeod. Those tensions exploded recently in a Nevada court battle over the trust that will determine control of the Murdoch media empire when Rupert dies, with the 94-year-old patriarch and his eldest son aligned against the other three. While the siblings had won a positive initial ruling from a county
