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Newsmax Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Newsmax Inc., has filed a federal antitrust suit against Fox Corporation and Fox News Network in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Newsmax’s grievance stems from its allegations that Fox has abused its dominance in the MAGA-adjacent pay TV news market by coercing distributors into unfair carriage agreements that it says are intended to exclude or marginalize competitors. The result achieved by Fox, the complaint claims, is the deliberate hampering Newsmax's growth across such critical distribution platforms as Hulu, Sling and Fubo. Among the exclusionary tactics by Fox alleged in the complaint are making access to Fox News contingent on agreements by distributors not to carry or to restrict competing right-leaning news channels; penalizing distributors for placing Newsmax in basic packages by requiring simultaneous promotion of Fox’s less popular channels; and pressuring guests on Fox programming to not appear on Newsmax. "Fox has sought to protect and expand its monopoly power in the right-leaning pay TV news market by engaging in a suite of anticompetitive behaviors," the complaint states, adding Fox's unlawful and exclusionary conduct "has harmed not just Newsmax and other competitors," but also "consumers and competition itself." A statement from Fox News counters that "Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers.”
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| Chloe Malle |
Condé Nast names Chloe Malle head of editorial content of Vogue U.S. Malle takes over from Anna Wintour, who has held the position since 1998. Malle came to Vogue as social editor in 2011. From 2016 to 2023, she was a contributing editor, and since 2023 has served as editor of Vogue.com. She has also co-hosted The Run-Through, a weekly fashion and culture podcast, since 2022. In her new role, Malle will lead the creative and editorial direction of Vogue U.S. While Wintour has passed on the reins of the magazine, she has hardly left the building—or even her office. She remains global editorial director of Vogue, as well as Condé Nast’s chief creative officer, and Malle will report to her. “Chloe has proven often that she can find the balance between American Vogue's long, singular history and its future on the front lines of the new,” said Wintour. “I am so excited to continue working with her, as her mentor but also as her student, while she leads us and our audiences where we've never been before.”
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NBCUniversal, which will broadcast Super Bowl LX next February, has already scored a touchdown, even though the NFL regular season is just getting started. The company says the upcoming NFL season marks its highest grossing to-date when it comes to overall advertising and partnerships revenue. NBC, the company’s broadcast arm, said it has already sold 90 percent of its ad inventory for “Sunday Night Football.” In addition, ad spots have already sold out for Super Bowl LX. According to CNBC, NBCUniversal said it saw high demand for Super Bowl ads, particularly from consumer products, entertainment, finance and alcohol brands. It also noted that spending was up 20 percent on digital platforms since the last Super Bowl on NBC in 2022.
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.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots going back to 1786, is going out of business, the paper’s owners, Block Communications, announced on Jan. 7... GQ editor Will Welch is stepping down to take on a new Paris-based role with the musician Pharrell, who is also men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton... Semafor says it has raised $30 million on a $330 million valuation, following its first profitable year. 
