Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump has launched the latest offensive in his continuing war on the media by filing suit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register and Gannett, the Register’s parent company. The suit claims that coverage of Selzer’s poll, which showed a three-percentage-point lead for Kamala Harris just a few days before the election, was intended to boost the Democratic effort. It was therefore alleged to be a violation of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deception when advertising or selling merchandise. The poll was based on telephone interviews with 808 likely Iowa voters. In the election, Trump won Iowa by a 13-point margin. The Register released the poll’s full data and details, as well as “a technical explanation” from Selzer. “We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe this lawsuit is without merit,” said Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for Gannett.

Forbes

Forbes is going experiential in a big way. The media platform, which has been in the magazine business since 1917, is launching a private members’ club in Madrid’s financial district, targeting what a press release calls “an elite community of entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators.” The club is part of a drive to diversify the company’s revenue stream. According to Sherry Phillips, who was recently promoted from chief revenue officer to CEO of the company, the Madrid club—a partnership with SpainMedia, publisher of Forbes España— is its way of testing the waters before setting out on a wider rollout of similar clubs internationally. The seven-story Madrid club will leverage the Forbes brand through such amenities as a rooftop bar, a wine cellar and a restaurant headlined by Adolfo Santos, a Michelin-starred chef. “Forbes House represents the next step in our mission to convene high-impact communities and connect our global audiences with the tools and access they need to achieve success,” said Forbes president, licensing and branded ventures Peter Hung.

Sesame Street

“Sesame Street” will have to make plans to move any upcoming episodes out of its current cable and streaming neighborhood after Warner Bros. Discovery decides not to renew its distribution agreement with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit producer of the show. Sesame Workshop has partnered with HBO, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, since 2015. Under that agreement, HBO had exclusive rights for the show’s episodes for nine months, after which they were broadcast for free on PBS. In 2019, the show was moved to Max, HBO's streaming service. Despite the end of the contract, reeruns of the show will continue to run on Max until 2027. The future of the show remains uncertain. “Based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families,” a Max spokesman told the New York Times. “And so new episodes from ‘Sesame Street,’ at this time, are not as core to our strategy.”