‘Extremely awkward’: Bob Chapek and Bob Iger had a falling out, they rarely talk — and the rift looms over Disney’s future – Chapek and CEO Bob Iger’s relationship soured after Iger gave comments to The New York Times about wanting to help Chapek run the company during the pandemic.
Several employees have called Iger to express their dissatisfaction with Chapek over his response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Chapek centralized budget power under his right-hand man, Kareem Daniel, a move that irritated several Disney veterans – as well as Iger.
Like Iger, Chapek and Daniel want to speed up the pace of Disney’s digital transformation.
Read more at CNBC.
Nielsen Holdings Update – Nielsen tumbled 18.6% in premarket trading this morning after it rejected a $9.13 billion takeover bid, worth $25.40 per share, from a private-equity consortium. Nielsen said the bid significantly undervalues the company, best known for its TV ratings. [CNBC]
Oscars Rewind: The Last Time Jane Campion and Steven Spielberg Went Head-to-Head – If the best director matchup at the Academy Awards next Sunday looks familiar, you aren’t hallucinating: On a warm spring night in Los Angeles in 1994, Jane Campion and Steven Spielberg, who are nominated this year for “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story,” went head-to-head.
But unlike this year, when Campion and her queer western are the runaway favorites, both directors had a fighting chance in 1994. [NY Times]
Ad-Tech Company TripleLift Is Buying 1plusX for $150 Million – Ad-tech company TripleLift Inc. said it is acquiring 1plusX AG, a business that helps publishers and advertisers reach audiences using first-party data, for roughly $150 million.
The deal comes as the marketing industry is developing new strategies to efficiently reach consumers amid numerous privacy changes, including a plan by Alphabet Inc.’s Google to block third-party cookies in its Chrome browser next year. [WSJ]
Uber, Lyft drivers consider quitting as pain at the gas pump grows – A number of Uber and Lyft drivers are considering quitting the app-based ride-hailing platforms as fueling up becomes costlier, with some calling the newly announced surcharges “insulting”. [Fox Business]
Zynga, a global leader in interactive entertainment, announced that players will be able to enjoy a collaboration campaign between its beloved Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Words With Friends 2 flagship games, the first such endeavor between the two titles. As part of the collaboration, Words With Friends 2 is featuring ‘Magical’ as the Word Of The Day on March 21, 2022.
Both games have a strong connection to mischief. Magical Mischief is front and center in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, and Words With Friends 2 players often use mischievous strategy in gameplay, such as “besting” their opponent who just played a lengthy word by playing a much shorter word – including higher-scoring letters such as Z or X to get a more competitive score.
The cross-game collaboration invites friendly mischief via in-game posts that encourage Words With Friends 2 players to play a sneaky word and then pick a silly sticker to tease their opponent.
From March 21-28, 2022, players can participate in the cross-game Mischief With Friends sweepstakes that allow users to combine their love of word play with their magical puzzle skills while getting the chance to win amazing prizes, including exclusive merchandise. For details on sweepstakes entry and participation, players can visit zynga.social/MischiefWithFriendsSweeps.
Helbiz Media Signs Agreement with MLB to Stream Next Three Seasons on Helbiz Live – Helbiz Inc. (NASDAQ: HLBZ), a global leader in micro-mobility and the first in its industry to be publicly listed on the Nasdaq, today announced an agreement between Helbiz Media, the company’s media arm and streaming entertainment service, and Major League Baseball (MLB), the North American professional baseball league, to acquire the OTT rights to stream the next three MLB seasons on the Helbiz Live platform in Italy.
Video Game, Media and Technology Veterans Launch GGWP to Combat Game Toxicity, Raise $12M Seed Funding – GGWP, an AI-powered games and content moderation solution, founded by games entrepreneur Dennis Fong, Crunchyroll founder Kun Gao, and data and AI expert, Dr. George Ng, was introduced today. The company has raised $12M from expert VCs, platforms, game companies and a world-class group of games entrepreneurs and executives, signaling industry-wide support to solve the massive problem of online toxicity in games. BITKRAFT Ventures led the seed round, with co-investors including Makers Fund, Griffin Gaming Partners (GGP), Sony Innovation Fund, Riot Games, as well as key industry figures such as Twitch founders Emmett Shear and Kevin Lin, founder of YouTube Steve Chen, Krafton CEO CH Kim, influencer and gamer personality Pokimane, and others.
