Less than two weeks after acquiring Complex for $108 million, NTWRK, the celebrity-backed e-commerce startup, now says it plans to fold its brand and business into Complex, NTWRK CEO Aaron Levant told Axios.

Why it matters: It's part of a larger overhaul of Complex's business post-acquisition that will also include reviving the outlet's print magazine and rehiring some of Complex's earliest executives to transform the brand for the e-commerce era.

Driving the news: The company has acquired Idea Generation, an original content company, via a cash and stock deal, Levant said.

• With that purchase, it's bringing on Idea Generation founder Noah Callahan-Bever as Complex's new chief content officer. Callahan-Bever was Complex's editor-in-chief and chief content officer from 2005 to 2017.
• Former Complex execs Moksha Fitzgibbons and Mike Tresvant will also be joining Complex in senior leadership roles.
• Complex founder and acclaimed fashion designer Marc Eckō will return to serve on the board of the new company, which will have a total of around 280 employees by next month.

Driving the news: Over the next six months, the NTWRK brand will fold into Complex and will anchor its commerce arm, Levant said.

• The parent company that owns Complex will be called Complex NTWRK, but that will be the only place the NTWRK brand exists. NTWRK will no longer be a consumer-facing brand.
• Using the money it raised from Universal Music Group and other investors to fund the Complex acquisition, the company plans to grow its headcount and significantly expand its content and product slate.
• It plans to relaunch its Complex News franchise, which was a primary incubator of Complex stars and talent, per Callahan-Bever.

What to watch: Executives plan to launch a subscription membership tier in the second half of the year that will include exclusive merchandise, content, access to its revived print magazine and more.

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LinkedIn is investing more in journalism and news amid a broader pullback by tech rivals from the industry, the company's editor-in-chief and vice president Dan Roth told Axios in an interview.

• Unlike Facebook and X, traffic referrals to news publishers have increased slightly from LinkedIn over the past three years, per Similarweb.

Why it matters: LinkedIn alone won't be able to make up for the dramatic reduction in traffic referrals from social media sites to news publishers, but it does offer outlets and journalists a platform to meaningfully grow their audiences amid a broader tech crackdown on news content.

Driving the news: LinkedIn works with over 400 news publishers globally, Roth said, after expanding to 12 new markets in the last six months.

• While it's has made a concerted effort to court all types of news sites, the company is particularly focused on those that cover business or professional topics.
• Overall, news publishers have amassed a collective following of over 240 million on LinkedIn, a spokesperson said.
• About 44 million, or 4.4%, of LinkedIn's member base engage with content weekly in their LinkedIn feeds.

Context: Over the years, LinkedIn has shifted from providing mostly text-based support and links to now providing newsletter, podcast and video opportunities for publishers, journalists and creators on its platform.

• In the past year, LinkedIn has seen a 150% increase in the number of newsletters being published by publishers and journalists on the platform.
• The Wall Street Journal's careers and leadership newsletter has nearly 3 million weekly LinkedIn subscribers, for example. CNN's PM Plug-In newsletter has 600,000.

Zoom in: In addition to engagement, it's also pushing to help publishers monetize their content better through advertising partnerships.

• LinkedIn launched a podcast network two years ago and sells ads for some podcasts on behalf of the creator or publisher.
• The company is currently testing a video sponsorship pilot with a small group of publishers, Roth said.

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Former TV news personalities are launching their own media startups online following high-profile exits from the TV news business.

Why it matters: Given traditional TV’s downward trajectory, stars see digital entrepreneurship as a better way to stay relevant.

Driving the news: Mehdi Hasan announced last week he'd be launching a new digital media company following his departure from MSNBC.

• Hasan's departure followed the cancellation of his show by MSNBC in January. Hasan said he plans to build a digital subscription media called Zeteo — "not just a media company; it's a movement for media accountability."
• Don Lemon in January announced new plans for a show, following his tumultuous firing from CNN last tear. Lemon said his first project, "The Don Lemon Show," will be available first on X.
• Tucker Carlson raised $15 million last year to grow his new media company following his firing from Fox News last spring. His new venture includes video distributed for free on X, but he also plans to charge subscriptions for content he posts eventually to his own website and app.

The big picture: The internet has made it possible for anyone with a loyal TV fanbase to quickly launch their own products, mostly leveraging their social media reach.

• Megyn Kelly launched “Devil May Care Media in 2020 following her exit from NBC.
• Bill O’Reilly created No Spin News, a video subscription site, following his tumultuous exit from Fox News in 2017.
• Katie Couric launched Katie Couric Media in 2018. The outlet publishes newsletters and podcasts and makes money through sponsorships and affiliate marketing programs.

MSNBC is planning a ticketed event for hyper-fans later this year as part of its broader foray into events, the network’s senior vice president of content strategy Rebecca Kutler told Axios.

Why it matters: Events and experiences offer media companies a way to drive sponsorship revenue and engagement without competing directly with Big Tech firms.

• It also gives them new ways to engage audiences as traditional mediums, including linear TV, decline.

Driving the news: MSNBC launched its first event series, MSNBC Live, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, with a slew of on-air talent and guests previewing today’s Super Tuesday primary contest and President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday.

• The event was helmed by journalist and author Luke Russert, who was named host and creative director of MSNBC Live in December.
• Russert is working with a team of several new staffers brought on specifically to build out the company's events franchise, which is part of Kutler's broader portfolio.
• The invite-only luncheon Monday was the first of roughly six to 10 events that MSNBC plans to put on this year catered to the D.C. market, Kutler said.

Catch up quick: MSNBC began experimenting with more fan-focused events last year when it did a live podcast taping with prime-time host Chris Hayes.

• The sold-out New York City event later became a television special that aired multiple times on MSNBC’s linear channel and was released widely as a podcast. It was made available to stream on NBCU’s streaming service Peacock.

Zoom out: Kutler said that the event serves as "an example of where we see this multiplatform events business building toward."

• Next year, the company plans to host at least two fan-focused events, she said.
• For now, the bulk of programming will focus on the D.C. market amid an election year.

The big picture: Events are becoming a much larger part of the broader strategy for NBC News Group.

• CNBC launched its events business 14 years ago with its flagship investor conference, Delivering Alpha, and grew to over 60 events a year in 2023.
• The Today Show started soft-launching ticketed events last year.

Apple's landmark $2 billion antitrust fine underscores the new reality the tech giant faces as it starts to lean more heavily on revenue from data-driven services, like its App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple News, Apple TV+ and more.

Why it matters: The fine from the European Commission, which marks the fiercest antitrust enforcement against Apple in its history, could motivate U.S. regulators to take a deeper look at the tech giant.

• The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly already in the late stages of an antitrust investigation into Apple.

Driving the news: In its ruling, the European Commission said Apple abused its dominance in music streaming by suppressing competition from music streaming rivals. It prevented app developers from informing iOS users of "alternative and cheaper music subscription services," the commission said in a press release.

Zoom in: The ruling is a huge win for Apple rival Spotify, which has pushed aggressively to get regulatory officials to pay attention to Apple's practices. 

The big picture: Apple officially surpassed 1 billion paid subscriptions across all of its services last year. Revenue from services has offset slowed growth in hardware sales.

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Streamers are encroaching on Oscar ballots despite the expected coronation of "Oppenheimer" at Sunday's Academy Awards.

• Why it matters: Tech firms have modernized the movie industry with major investments in streaming technology and huge budgets for award-grade programming.

Reality check: History shows nominations don't always equate to wins.

• Netflix, for example, was famously shut out of the 2020 Oscars, earning just two awards after being nominated for 24.
• Aside from Apple's best picture win for "Coda" in 2022, tech giants haven't fully upended traditional media companies from a creative perspective.

What to watch: With more nominations than any other film (13), Universal's "Oppenheimer" is the film to beat.

• The best chances for "Barbie" are for original song and costume design.

Go deeper: Where to watch Oscar-nominated movies