Penske Media Might Be Getting Bigger
After days of rumors, today James Murdoch's company, Lupa Systems announced it is acquiring roughly half of Vox Media. The deal includes Vox Media's podcast network as well as New York magazine.
Eater, Popsugar, SB Nation, The Dodo and The Verge will make up a second independent company under a new corporate name, with Ryan Pauley continuing at that company as its leader post-closing.
In a statement, Vox Media said it expects the transaction to close in 4-6 weeks, pending customary closing conditions.
There are a couple of big questions about this deal, and one involves the 20% stake in Vox Media that is owned by Penske Media Corporation (PMC). It's not clear from this announcement what is happening with that stake, and whether Penske will retain any or all of its stake once the sale and splitting of the company takes place.
I reached out to both Vox Media and PMC today for comment, but did not receive a response.
But it seems to be a real possibility that PMC could end up with at least partial control of this new independent company, which would further beef up its stranglehold on familiar entertainment and lifestyle titles.
PMC also owns all or parts of The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Rolling Stone, Indiewire, Sportico, Vibe, She Knows, Robb Report, Art In America, FN, Billboard, WWD and Art News.
The Vox Media titles would fill some gaps in PMC's portfolio and provide it with even more reach in the entertainment and sports space.
It is more likely that these titles will be parceled out to several new owners. Capital One has reportedly expressed interest in Eater. And while Vox Media has been shopping The Dodo around for close to a year, there apparently has been much interest in the title.
Individually, Pop Sugar feels the best fit for Penske, but SB Nation might also work as a companion to Sportico.
I am interested to see how this plays out.
The Strange Road Of ‘America’s Test Kitchen’
If you spend any time watching food programming on PBS or any of the FAST platforms, you are no doubt familiar with America’s Test Kitchen.
Originally titled America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated Magazine, the series launched in 2001 and was originally hosted by Christopher Kimball until 2016. Kimball then left the show to launch a rival show and since then the series has been co-hosted by original cast members Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.
America’s Test Kitchen doesn't look all that different in 2026 then it did a decade ago, but a lot has changed behind the scenes.
In February, 2023, Marquee Brands became a majority owner of America's Test Kitchen Limited Partnership (ATK), which includes the show, and associated brands such as Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country.
Marquee Brands is a self-described "brand management company," and it owns a wide range of familiar lifestyle brands, including Bruno Magli, apparel brand Ben Sherman Totes, Isotoner, Stance, Laura Ashley and Stance.
But it also owns a large number of food-related assets, including Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Sur La Table.
Since it was acquired, America's Test Kitchen has undergone some changes. 23 people were laid off a month after Marquee Brands acquired the company and that included the entire staff of the ATK Kids brand. The show Cook's Country was shut down, as were several one-off series hosted by ATK personalities.
Earlier this year, ATK acquired Food52 for $10 million after it went into bankruptcy.
And this week, America's Test Kitchen has reportedly laid off another 10 percent of its workforce, although in a press release, the company insisted it was simply reallocating resources.
But my big takeaway from this news is that it's a reminder how many familiar and comfortable titles are owned by the same small group of media companies and brand managers.
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Odds & Sods
The docuseries Michael Jackson: The Verdict premieres Wednesday, June 3rd on Netflix. Here is a first look at the trailer.
Plex has announced a massive price increase for the Lifetime tier of its Plex Pass plan. Starting in July, Plex says that the Lifetime Plex Pass price will increase from $249.99 to a whopping $749.99.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Director's Cut will premiere Thursday, June 11th on Disney+. It’s not clear what will be included in this version of the 2008 film. Previously, an "Extended Cut" of the film was included on the DVD releases of The X-Files: I Want to Believe. But that version only added three minutes to the movie.
Now that Disney is working with Chris Carter, maybe they’ll fork over the money to clear the music rights required to bring Millennium to streaming. The first two seasons of that three-season series are excellent. When I asked Carter about the delay in clearing the show, he told me had been pushing Fox to spend the money, but “they are too fucking cheap.”
Hulu has ordered a second season of The Testaments.
The spin-off feature film of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood doesn't have a name yet, but it does include Brad Pitt returning as Cliff Booth and David Fincher directing. Netflix announced the film will receive an exclusive two week run in IMAX theaters ahead of its December 23rd release.
Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars has been renewed for a second season by Apple TV.
The unscripted series Mark Vs. The Mountain premieres Thursday, June 11th on the streamer Great American Pure Flix. Here is the official logline: "Mark Ronchetti, meteorologist and former New Mexico gubernatorial candidate, and his wife, Krysty, an interior designer, star as builders who begin with weather patterns and forces of nature to inform where they should build new homes and how to finish and furnish each with purpose."
The theatrical film Pillion will begin streaming on HBO Max on Friday, June 5th. Here is the logline of the movie: “A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.”
Roku Launches Dedicated Content Creator Hub
Roku is expanding its relationship with creators by launching a hub dedicated to creator content and aptly called Creators.
The move is meant to help Roku consolidate creator content from across its app and content partners into one unified location. In theory, this should make it easier for users to find, browse and stream creator content.
At the same time, Roku is expanding its roster of creator content partnerships, which will include more dedicated creator FAST channels on The Roku Channel.
New partners include the Prof G Podcast Network, Modern Wisdom Podcast with Chris Williamson, Preston & Brianna, Stokes Twins, and Nomad Travel.
For now, Roku says it is focusing on aggregating or licensing existing talent instead of having creators produce exclusive content for the service.
The Creators hub will feature both on-demand and linear FAST channel creator content from Roku and its partner apps, such as Tubi, Peacock, HBO Max – including app tiles like YouTube.
It will also feature both long- and short-form content from creators, and all will be horizontal, rather than vertical, video view.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH:
Carizzma Series Premiere (Netflix)
Desi Bling Series Premiere (Netflix)
Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime Video)
Kylie (Netflix)
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Series Premiere (Apple TV)
THURSDAY, MAY 21ST:
James (Netflix)
Kyle Larson vs. The Double (Prime Video)
SkyMed Season Premiere (Paramount+)
The Boroughs Series Premiere (Netflix)