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Amazon is in the running to acquire Landmark Theatres, a chain that specializes in independent and foreign films, according to a report on Bloomberg. Amazon operates its own film and TV studio, and the acquisition is seen by some observers as a way for the company to get wider distribution of its film content. Netflix, also a producer of original content, is another company said to be interested in purchasing Landmark. Landmark is currently owned by Wagner/Cuban Companies, which is backed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner. If a deal between Amazon and Landmark were to take place, its completion would be subject to an overturning of the so-called Paramount decrees, which prevent studios from owning the theaters in which their pictures are shown. Makan Delrahim, head of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division, said in a statement that “it is high time that these and other legacy judgments are examined to determine whether they still serve to protect competition.” News of the potential deal sent the prices of several cinema company stocks, including AMC Entertainment Holdings and IMAX, down on Thursday morning.
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New York Media, the owner of New York magazine as well as a stable of websites that include entertainment-focused Vulture, fashion and lifestyle site The Cut and food and restaurant site Grubstreet, says it is exploring a number of options to “develop the business.” One of those options might be to sell the company. Purchased by investment banker Bruce Wasserstein for $55 million in 2003, the company is now headed by his daughter, Pamela Wasserstein. In a note to employees, she said that “partnering to support acquisitions or other ways of growing might make sense.” Earlier this year, New York Media purchased comedy website Splitsider from The Awl Network. A Wall Street Journal report says that New York Media’s digital holdings drew 35 million unique visitors in June, nearly double that of the same period in 2017. The print publication reports a circulation of 404,000, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.
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Condé Nast is merging the UK and US editions of Condé Nast Traveler. Starting with the January 2019 issue, the magazine will be produced by an editorial team headed by the current editor of its UK edition, Melinda Stevens. Pilar Guzmán, editor-in-chief of the US edition, is to remain during a transitional period, but nothing has been said about her future role at the publisher. The staff of both magazines were informed of the strategy shift on Wednesday, and while it is unclear how many layoffs there will be, a company representative said changes to the overall team will be limited, according to a report on fashion-news website The Business of Fashion. “This announcement is the first title collaboration between the two divisions of the company and kicks off several new initiatives set to launch between Condé Nast and Condé Nast International, leveraging our global footprint,” said a statement issued by Condé Nast Britain, a division of Condé Nast International.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
