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Media Deals Thought Bubble

Jan. 9 — TikTok entered 2023 facing deepening doubts in Washington about its future in the U.S., thanks to its ownership by China-based ByteDance, our colleague Ashley Gold wrote.

Why it matters: The short-video colossus now dominates the American social media landscape, raising concerns among lawmakers, competitors and users over data security, privacy and freedom of speech.

Read the rest of this story and Monday's newsletter 

Plus: Monday's Pro Rata, with a look at AstraZeneca's latest deal

1. TikTok's uncertain U.S. fate

Jan. 10 — CertifiKID, a Potomac, Maryland-based site for children's and family activities, has acquired Red Bank, New Jersey-based digital media brand Hulafrog, CEO Jamie Ratner told Kerry. 

Why it matters: Niche media brands like those serving parents have continued to compete through scale by acquisition. 

Read the rest of this story and Tuesday's newsletter 

Plus:  Tuesday's Pro Rata, with a look at the Feds' plan to crackdown on VCs

2. Parent media brands join forces

Jan. 10 — Vice Media is revisiting its sale process amid stalled talks with Antenna Group, a Saudi-backed Greek broadcaster, sources told our colleague Sara Fischer. 

Vox Media has also had conversations around the sale of its business and has considered selling all or part of NowThis, the progressive, social media-focused publisher catered toward millennials, two sources said.

Why it matters: Digital media companies are turning down lower-than-desired offers from potential buyers, hoping they can wait out the economic slowdown with cost-cutting measures. Question is, can they?

Read the rest of this story and Sara's Media Trends newsletter

3. Digital giants stuck in a buyer's market

Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for VICE

Jan. 11 — Vince McMahon's return to WWE last week and his promise of running a sales process created a chaotic and immediate transition. And then, more chaos followed.

Why it matters: WWE is a $6.7 billion entertainment company that is expected to attract a broad range of bidders, as long as McMahon himself doesn't get in the way (he owns 81% of the company), Tim wrote.

Driving the news: Late on Tuesday night, unconfirmed reports from journalists who cover the WWE began swirling on Twitter that the company had reached a deal to be acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the region's sovereign wealth fund. 

The rumor quickly faded. Tim pointed out that the WWE does have an 8-year-old relationship with Saudi Arabia.

CNBC reported on Thursday that AEW may be interested in buying WWE. 

Read the rest of this story and Wednesday's newsletter 

Plus: Pro Rata, which looks at the FTC's noncompete crackdown

4. WWE buyer rumors grow 

Jan. 11 — Nielsen told employees in an internal memo that it would reduce its workforce back to roughly what it was a year ago, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Axios. 

Why it matters: Nielsen, which cited economic conditions, is undergoing its biggest workforce reduction since it was acquired by private equity last year, Kerry wrote.

6. Nielsen layoffs scoop

Jan. 12 — Trian Partners co-founder Nelson Peltz is launching his proxy fight against Disney in a bid to keep the pressure on the media giant to get its Magic Kingdom in order. 

Why it matters: If Disney shareholders back Peltz's move to join the board, it could lead to even more board and leadership changes at the company, Tim wrote.

Read the rest of this story and Thursday's newsletter 

Plus: Thursday's Pro Rata, which highlights an Axios scoop related to the U.S. trade war with China. 

7. Peltz and Disney square off 

Happy Friday, Media Mavens and welcome to the first weekly digest of the year! 

⌨️ Editor Michael Flaherty here, looking back on an action-packed week. Tim remarked that he hadn't thought this much about professional wrestling since he was 12. I concurred, though I'm from the Hulk Hogan era, not the Steve Austin one.

🔔 This week also brought us the start of a knock-down, drag-out fight emerging between Disney and activist hedge fund Trian Partners. Ding ding!

 🙏 Thank you for reading us this week. Please tell your fellow media mates to sign up for this newsletter, along with any fans of George "The Animal" Steele.

January 13, 2023

1. TikTok's uncertain U.S. fate