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BFD Expert Voices - Media Deals

BFD Expert Voices

The recently appointed CEO of Tinder says she wants the dating app to appeal to everyone, including her Gen Alpha children when they're older. She dined with Kerry last week for our "1 big meal" interview series.

Why it matters: Faye Iosotaluno was promoted to CEO last month. She joined Match Group in 2017, previously serving as CSO. She was named COO of Tinder in 2022. Prior, she worked at SoundCloud, Viacom, Warner Bros. and Time Warner. She started her career at Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch.

🕑 Why we chose the restaurant: Corner Bistro in the West Village. Iosotaluno says that during her 20s she and her husband "spent many 2am nights here ... [with] burgers and beers and a total New York vibe."

🍔 What we ate: She ate a Bistro Mini (quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger), medium rare and drank iced coffee. I ate grilled cheese with bacon and a side of tots and drank hot coffee.

This interview was edited for clarity, style and length.

"We really do believe Tinder is for everyone who is looking for a real connection. ... Whether you're straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, Tinder should be a place for you. That means recognizing the experience has to be dynamic."

"AI is not new to Tinder. We've been using AI and machine learning for years on the trust and safety side. ... You can imagine that in the recommendation perspective, as well."

Tinder makes most of its money from users. Do you see other opportunities?

"I think [subscriptions] will continue to be the bread and butter of the business."

Are dating apps good for society? I've heard despair from some Gen Zers.

"I think the world is better off with Tinder than without. I think you're raising a broader point about Gen Z and technology. ... Part of what I'm trying to do is make sure that when my kids are on Tinder it's the kind of experience that they're proud to be on."

🇳🇿 1 fun fact: Iosotaluno went bungee jumping, for the first time, in New Zealand two weeks before she was publicly named Tinder CEO.

1 big thing: Tinder CEO on dating app biz and culture

Photo illustration of Faye Iosotaluno on a picnic table patterned background.

Faye Iosotaluno. Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Match Group

Sony has reached a deal to pay more than $600 million to acquire half of Michael Jackson's catalog, according to news reports.

Why it's the BFD: A deal that size would make it the richest music catalog deal ever and is proof that certain artists can still command sky-high valuations, Tim writes.

Details: The agreement includes a 50% stake in Jackson's recording music and publishing catalogs, according to Billboard, which first reported the news. Billboard said Sony has agreed to pay "at least $600 million," making the total value of the catalog worth more than $1.2 billion. Several other news outlets confirmed the agreement.

Included in the deal are some of Jackson's biggest hits like "Beat It" and "Bad," as well as his publishing assets that were part of Jackson's catalog with Mijac Music, the New York Times reported.

Not included in the sale are Jackson-related content like the Broadway musical "MJ," Cirque du Soleil's Jackson-themed shows, and an in-the-works biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, the NYT added.

By the numbers: The purchase would make Sony the owner of the two most expensive catalog buys. It acquired Bruce Springstein's catalog for $550 million in 2021.

Zoom in: Sony has an extensive history with the King of Pop, given Jackson's longtime association with Sony's Epic Records label.

Sony did not immediately return a call for comment.

Sony said to pay around $600M for Michael Jackson catalog deal

2. The BFD: Sony's new Thriller 

Michael Jackson. Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Go deeper in our full database in the Axios Pro Deals Tracker.

• Believe (Paris: BLV), a French music label, received a €1.46b takeover offer from founder Denis Ladegaillerie, who's backed by EQT and existing Believe shareholder TCV. https://axios.link/3wnP9bS

• Notion, an SF-based work collaboration platform valued by VCs at $10b, acquired Skiff, an SF-based document storage and collaboration platform that raised around $15m from backers like Sequoia Capital. https://axios.link/3SU9L4o

• Claure Group acquired less than a 5% stake in tech-focused investment firm Hedosophia. https://axios.link/3OZiHDx

• Disney paid $75m to buy the streaming rights to Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" movie, Puck News reports. https://axios.link/4byBP4Q

3. Deal flow

• Noah Shachtman is resigning as EIC of Rolling Stone over "editorial differences with the chief executive Gus Wenner," per NYT. He will be replaced on an interim basis by deputy editor Sean Woods and digital director Lisa Tozzi. https://axios.link/3Sy1yBM

• A3 Artists Agency is shutting down. Today is its last day of operations. https://axios.link/49r5Ylf

4. Movin' on up (or out)

☠️ The final days of 'Coyote vs. Acme': Offers, rejections and a roadrunner race against time (TheWrap)

"With Warner Bros. Discovery's fourth quarter earnings call scheduled for Feb. 23, 'Coyote vs. Acme' is running out of time. Many on the film's team feel that the studio will use the ending of the quarter to get the movie off the books for good," Drew Taylor reports.

"[T]he league is expected to address a long-simmering question: whether to allow passive investment from private equity firms, which work with money sourced everywhere from sovereign wealth funds to pension funds to wealthy individuals," Lauren Hirsch, Kevin Draper, Michael J. de la Merced and Sarah Kessler write.

📺 Amazon snags NFL playoff game for next season (Axios)

"Amazon had a clause as part of its 'Thursday Night Football' deal where it would get the playoff game if it hit certain performance triggers, the source said, who added that this wasn't a case of Peacock losing it," Tim reports.

5. Channel surfing

an illustration of a television that says "channel surfing" on the screen being held up by hands on a dark smoky background

🌴 Situational awareness: The Media Deals team is in Miami for Axios BFD! 

If you can't join us IRL, register for the livestream to hear from industry leaders like F1 Miami Grand Prix president Tyler Epp. Sign up here.

@tim_bays: Nothing but the sunny palm trees and Miami scenery tonight. 😎

@kerrymflynn: Dunkin' "The DunKings." My favorite Super Bowl commercial with all the New England pride. Yes, I'll be buying the tracksuit. 

✏️ Thanks to Michael Flaherty for editing and Katie Lewis for copy editing this newsletter.

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February 12, 2024

1 big thing: Tinder CEO on dating app biz and culture