Top News:

Newsmax shares jumped 179% on Tuesday and have risen 1,500%+ since their Monday debut, bringing the company's market cap to ~$20.8B, above WBD's and Fox Corp's — Shares of conservative cable channel Newsmax soared nearly 180% Tuesday, a day after the stock's dizzying debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
Discussion:
Deadline, MediaPost, The Wrap, Financial Times, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, Motley Fool, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, Fast Company, Forbes, Bloomberg, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @sellingtheta.bsky.social, CNN, The Independent, Axios, Benzinga, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, Barron's Online, @followtheh.bsky.social, @followtheh.bsky.social, Reuters, Mediaite, @justinbaragona.bsky.social and WBUR

Steve Kornacki signs a deal with NBC News and NBC Sports and departs from MSNBC, which Comcast is spinning off into a new corporate entity — MSNBC viewers have seen the last of Steve Kornacki's big board. — The popular data maven has signed a deal with NBC that will expand his presence across …

John Thornton, founder of The Texas Tribune, co-founder of the American Journalism Project, and venture capitalist, has died at age 59 — It is with great sadness that we share the news that John Thornton, co-founder of the American Journalism Project and Elsewhere Partners …
Discussion:
Anna Nirmala on LinkedIn, @dicktofel.bsky.social, @tlangford.bsky.social, Jason Alcorn on LinkedIn, Columbia Journalism Review, Patty Pina Slutsky on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Green on LinkedIn, The Texas Tribune, @jkealing.bsky.social, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, Michael Ouimette on LinkedIn and Newmark J-School

How the repetition of a false rumor by ESPN's Pat McAfee, ESPN radio hosts, and others negatively impacted an Ole Miss student, who plans to sue — It is Feb. 26, and “The Pat McAfee Show” is filming in Indianapolis the week of the NFL Scouting Combine. McAfee sits behind a desk.

In a new strategy, Amazon plans to release 14 to 16 movies per year in theaters, rivaling other major studios, with most running for 45 days before streaming — The streaming giant is planning to release at least 14 movies a year in theaters around the country, rivaling other major studios.
Discussion:
Engadget, Raw Story, Ace of Spades HQ, Axios, Media Play News, Deadline, Deseret News and The Ankler, more at Techmeme »

The Sun reports revenue down 3% YoY to £296.3M and an £18M loss in the year to 30 June 2024; The Times reports revenue down 0.6% to £383.4M and a £61M profit — Hacking costs down for News Group Newspapers in year to 30 June 2024. — Revenues fell at both The Times …

Google is bringing its immersive Rewarded Video ads to Roblox, letting users watch ads in exchange for in-game benefits like virtual currency or power-ups — Advertisers can buy Rewarded Video ads on Roblox via Google Ad Manager, the company announced Tuesday
Discussion:
The Information, Investing.com, Marketing Brew, MediaPost, Roblox Corporate, Barron's Online, Variety, Reuters, Benzinga, Ad Age, Google, TechCrunch, The Verge and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Sources: the NHL has reached an agreement with Rogers on a new 12-year Canadian TV deal that will pay the league about $7.7B, starting with the 2026-27 season — The NHL has reached an agreement with Rogers Communications on a new 12-year Canadian TV deal that will pay the league about $7.7 billion …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, @mikeystephens81, @male_coded, Sports Media Watch, @kbadenhausen, @jshannonhl, @novy_williams, Bloomberg, @adamwylde, theScore.com, The Hockey News, OilersNation, Toronto Star, @yyzsportsmedia, Reuters, Sports Business Journal, @ogtreliever, @novy_williams, iPhone in Canada Blog, Portal, Associated Press, Awful Announcing, New York Times, Canadian Press, r/hockey, r/leafs and r/sports

The Free Press announces Tyler Cowen, Jed Rubenfeld, Matthew Continetti, and Batya Ungar-Sargon as new columnists, with Coleman Hughes bringing his podcast — Bari Weiss on some great news from our newsroom. — Upgrade to Listen — How do you build something that lasts?
Discussion:
The Free Press, @margiconklin, @thefp, @bungarsargon, Axios, @thefp, @continetti, @bariweiss, @thefp, @jtlonsdale and @bariweiss

Ketchup Entertainment buys Coyote vs. Acme from WBD, which shelved it in November 2023 as a cost-cutting measure; the movie is expected in theaters in 2026 — Ketchup Entertainment today confirmed their completed deal for worldwide rights to the live-action/animated hybrid film …
Discussion:
Screen Rant, @mikeirvo.bsky.social, Eric Calderon on LinkedIn, @matbrunetvo.com, Lucy Tanner Tomlinson on LinkedIn, Cartoon Brew, Cele|bitchy, Mediaite, Entertainment Weekly, Seriously? OMG! WTF?, Comic Book, Engadget, Rolling Stone, SlashFilm, GamesRadar, The Playlist, KSDK-TV, Cord Cutters News, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Just Jared and Fly! Pow! Bye!

In a new paper, Tim O'Reilly and other researchers say OpenAI likely trained GPT-4o on paywalled books from O'Reilly Media without a licensing agreement — OpenAI has been accused by many parties of training its AI on copyrighted content sans permission. Now a new paper by an AI watchdog …

BBC and ITV's new contracts with actors' union Equity won't include AI safeguards as they await the outcome of Equity negotiations with producer trade body Pact — At a time when future AI and its uses are a major industry talking point, Deadline is told that Equity's initial intention …