Issue No. 01

April 2, 2026

15 stories

A bit longer this week, following time out of office the prior week.

Most Interesting Stories

The Atlantic partners with Seabourn Cruises in three-year deal

From fall 2026, Atlantic writers and editorial programming will appear on Seabourn luxury voyages, with passengers getting complimentary onboard digital access and a three-month post-cruise subscription. The partnership spans advertising, sponsorship, and subscription, building to a 12-day route takeover in fall 2028 for Seabourn's 40th anniversary. Travel and luxury are the company's two strongest ad categories in Q2 2026, up 30% YoY and on track for its best Q2 in at least four years. Events drove 25% of commercial revenue in 2025.

Source: The Atlantic

The Guardian cross-publishes Feast food newsletter to Substack

The Guardian began republishing its Feast food newsletter (100k+ subscribers) on Substack alongside its owned platform for subscriber acquisition.

Source: Press Gazette

Business Insider subscriber base falls to 135,000

BI has lost 27% of its paid subscribers over three years - from ~185,000 in '22 to 135,000 in '25, across successive leadership changes (CEO Barbara Peng installed 2023; editor-in-chief Jamie Heller from WSJ, 2024), a 21% newsroom reduction in 2025, and missed revenue targets.

Source: Status

Versant in early talks to acquire Vox Media podcast network

Versant is one of multiple suitors negotiating to purchase Vox Media's ~40-podcast network, which includes Pivot (Kara Swisher/Scott Galloway). The business generates mid-to-high eight-figure annual revenue. Puck's Dylan Byers estimates a price tag of ~$250M. Versant already holds a Vox Media stake from its prior NBCU separation.

Source: NYT

Red Seat Ventures building premium live-event membership for ultra-high-net-worth individuals

Red Seat Ventures, acquired by Fox Corp. in 2025, is developing a white-glove membership program centered on premium live event access - World Cup suites, NASCAR hospitality - targeting family offices and high-net-worth clients.

Source: Axios

Media & Publishing

Politico names Jonathan Greenberger editor-in-chief, effective May 1

Greenberger, currently EVP, succeeds co-founder John Harris, who becomes chairman. CEO Goli Sheikholeslami cited his commitment to "embrace technological disruption as an opportunity" and to use AI as a co-pilot for both journalism and business operations. Greenberger will work alongside executive editors Alex Burns (North America), Kate Day (Europe), and Carrie Budoff Brown.

Source: Politico

CBS News expands investigative unit under Bari Weiss

Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski are adding Washington Post veteran Daniel Gilbert and Free Press reporter Gabe Kaminsky, while reassigning three existing CBS reporters - Laura Geller, Jake Rosenwasser, and Callie Teitelbaum - to a new investigative team covering health, politics, sports, and government waste and fraud. Weiss: "We are going to be putting a huge emphasis on scoops. Not scoops that expire minutes later. But investigative scoops."

Source: Semafor

The Atlantic hires four more Washington Post journalists

The Atlantic added Kelsey Ables and Janay Kingsberry (both covering major cultural institutions under pressure from the Trump administration), Will Oremus (technology and information integrity), and Matt Viser (White House/national politics; former WaPo White House bureau chief). The Atlantic now exceeds 200 editorial staff after adding 50+ positions in 2025, and reached 1.46M total subscribers - 27% YoY growth.

Source: The Atlantic

Economist Group consolidates B2B operations under Economist Enterprise brand

The Economist Group unified all commercial B2B product lines - EIU (formerly Economist Intelligence Unit), Corporate Network, Media, Events, and The Economist Pro - under a single brand serving 2,700+ organizations globally. The Economist Impact and Economist Intelligence brands will be retired. Economist Enterprise is led by Leon Saunders Calvert as President and Managing Director. EIU fields 400+ expert analysts; Corporate Network serves 2,000+ senior leaders across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Source: Axios

Creator Economy (Newsletters & Podcasts)

Beehiiv expands into podcasting, courts Substack and Patreon talent

Newsletter platform Beehiiv (140,000 newsletters, $28M revenue in 2025 - nearly double the prior year) is launching podcast hosting and privately soliciting founding podcasters from Substack and Patreon, offering a flat fee versus Substack's 10% revenue share, plus access to its existing ad network. Separately, Beehiiv on March 24 launched MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration, making it the first newsletter platform operable directly via ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.

Source: Semafor

Plaid acquires This Week in Fintech newsletter

Fintech infrastructure company Plaid ($8B valuation) acquired This Week in Fintech, a B2B newsletter and community platform with 200,000 subscribers, 75,000+ annual event attendees, and 10,000+ community members. Deal value undisclosed. Founder Nik Milanovic stays on to run the publication with editorial independence retained.

The Rundown AI reaches 2M subscribers

Founded by Rowan Cheung (Forbes 30 Under 30, 2026) in January 2023, The Rundown AI has grown to ~2M newsletter subscribers, generating ~$7M in projected revenue. The newsletter-first model has been extended with a paid University platform ($99/month) offering daily classes and peer networking for 5,000+ members. It is the largest independent AI media publisher by subscriber count.

Laurie Segall launches Mostly Human media network

Former CNN/60 Minutes journalist Laurie Segall launched Mostly Human, a creator-led media and entertainment network covering the human implications of technology, with a weekly podcast, short-form vertical video, and an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Chernin Group assembles creator-economy portfolio around community thesis

The Chernin Group co-led Substack's $100M Series C, invested $40M in Audiochuck (Ashley Flowers' crime podcast network), backed romantasy publisher Entangled, and took the first outside stake in U.K. podcast network Goalhanger. The firm's stated thesis: the next generation of media businesses will be built by creators who convert audiences into durable, multi-revenue-stream operations.

Source: Ankler

Other

NFL signs American Express as official credit card and payments partner, replacing Visa

The seven-year deal is worth approximately $900M over the term. Amex CEO Stephen Squeri initiated the approach during the 2025 Masters Tournament. Benefits include international game presale access, NFL Draft activations in Pittsburgh, and the launch of the NFL Extra Points American Express credit card. Visa retains official card status for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. Amex spent $6.3B on marketing in 2025; it is also the official card of the NBA, WNBA, Formula One, U.S. Open (tennis and golf), Wimbledon, and major European and U.S. soccer clubs.

Source: Barron's