NEW: ESSENCE's parent company Sundial Media Group to buy Refinery29 from VICE Media
Story on Axios:
axios.com/2024/04/18/ess…

For today’s edition of Axios Pro Media Deals, Tim Baysinger and I covered:

🍿 Movie theaters in survival mode, per CinemaCon convos

🤝 Exclusive: The Futurum Group to acquire Techstrong Group

🌴 #POSSIBLE2024 attendance, explained

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

Running around so much at #POSSIBLE2024 that I forgot to post yesterday's newsletter. We covered:

👀 DPAA CEO Barry Frey points to Walmart’s pending VIZIO acquisition as a positive for OOH

⚖️ U.S. Department of Justice plans to sue Live Nation

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

“This is an industry that I love. I want to continue to deliver value to this industry through some words that begin with the letter C, through consulting, through convening, through co-investing.” - Michael Kassan (Michael Kassan) with a tease on what’s next during #POSSIBLE2024

For today’s edition of Axios Pro Media Deals, Tim Baysinger and I covered (+ Sara Fischer):

🏀 Basketball Forever shifts focus to sports gambling

👀 The Daily Beast’s new leaders — Ben Sherwood + @joannacoales

🤝 Exclusive: HumanX launches as new AI conference

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

A new large-scale Vegas conference is coming March 2025, and *surprise* it's about AI

jonathanweiner — founder of HLTH, Shoptalk, Money20/20 — and Stefan Weitz have launched HumanX and raised ~ $6M

More details on Axios Pro:

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

Power of OOH

👀 Disney+ advertising the Official Bluey TV season finale today on I-95 billboards

For today’s edition of Axios Pro Media Deals, Tim Baysinger and I covered:

🎥 CinemaCon takeaways

🏉 Women’s Elite Rugby (@rugbyevolved) launches, actively raising pre-seed round and planning seed this summer

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

🚨News @Axios🚨

CEO ⁦Jim VandeHei⁩ warns that AI will “eviscerate the weak, the ordinary, the unprepared” and announces important new roles for ⁦Aja Whitaker-Moore⁩ and ⁦Sara Kehaulani Goo⁩, plus the hiring of Danica Stanciu nytimes.com/2024/04/11/bus…

👀 Today's edition also featured 1 FUN THING, a photo of me on an Olivia Rodrigo-themed bus ahead of #GUTSWorldTourNYC

IHEARTCOMIX CEO Franki Chan says daily attendance during the 4 days in New York ranged was 1,375-2,000. It's stopping in 32 markets

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

🗓️ Dealmakers, mark your calendars for the next @Axios BFD in SF — May 14

I won’t be there this year since I’ll be in Stockholm for Taylor Swift. Unless you have an excuse as good as that, you *need* to be at this event for some great networking and mainstage talks 🎉

For today’s edition of Axios Pro Media Deals, Tim Baysinger and I covered (+ Sam Sabin + Sara Fischer):

💸 National Association of Theatre Owners CEO at CinemaCon

💰 Alethea raises $20M for AI disinfo detection, led by GV

🏀 NCAA March Madness ratings

axios.com/pro/media-deal…

Print revival: Magazines make surprise comeback as marketing tool
w Kerry Flynn 🐶 for Axios axios.com/2024/04/09/nyl…