Pinnacle, an experiential marketing company known for its work in sports and entertainment marketing, has announced the acquisition of Creative Dimensions.

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Creative Dimensions has carved out a speciality designing sets and temporary studios for many sports teams and networks, including ESPN and MLB Network. The company, headquartered near Hartford, Connecticut, has also been involved in developing installations and exhibits for major brands like IKEA, Dairy Queen, and PepsiCo.

Brad Hogan, CEO of Pinnacle, noted that the addition of Creative Dimensions bolsters Pinnacle’s strategic focus on the intersection of marketing, culture, and branded content.

Pinnacle’s experience includes over 25 years in sports and entertainment marketing, with significant involvements in events like the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star games, as well as a growing presence in university esports programs.

“This is a natural evolution in Creative Dimensions’ progression of serving brands in and out of sports and entertainment,” said Joel Roy, president of Creative Dimensions, who will transition to the role of Hartford division president at Pinnacle. “Joining Pinnacle, as their sixth location nationwide, allows our team to expand our reach from coast-to-coast and offer our clients a host of additional experiential capabilities.”

FX Design Group and Exhibit Design Group announce merger, combining scenic and experiential services

This acquisition by Pinnacle follows other industry M&A including the merger of FX Design Group with Exhibit Design Group (EDG) in 2023.

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Warner Bros. Discovery announced the rebranding of its U.S. sports division from WBD Sports to TNT Sports.

This change aligns with the company’s previous rebranding efforts in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where its BT Sports division was renamed TNT Sports last summer. The rebranding effort is part of a broader strategy by WBD to consolidate its sports branding globally, having previously adopted the TNT brand for its sports channels in Latin America.

TNT Sports focuses on viewfinder, ‘this n that’ language device for European rebrand

BT Sport, Eurosport to become TNT Sports in select European Markets

As part of this rebranding, all sports-related content and productions within the WBD portfolio, including Bleacher Report and Golf Digest, will now fall under the TNT Sports umbrella. This move will see sports programming across various platforms such as TNT, TBS, truTV, and the Max streaming service being branded as TNT Sports.

The division will continue to be overseen by Luis Silberwasser, who serves as the Chair and CEO of TNT Sports.

TNT Sports holds significant sports broadcasting rights post-rebranding, rivaling major networks like ESPN.

Its portfolio includes broadcasting rights for major leagues and events such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament. While the rebranding represents a shift in business strategy and an effort to unify the global sports brand identity, it is important to note that the individual sports broadcasts, such as “NBA on TNT” and “NHL on TNT,” have already been using their respective channel brands.

The most notable change will be seen during March Madness and MLB season, with the TBS and truTV brands removed in favor of the TNT Sports moniker.

Before the WBD deal, TNT and TBS did share branding under the Turner Sports banner with different levels of emphasis over the various years.

This rebranding comes as TNT Sports begins negotiations for NBA broadcasting rights. TNT Sports, known for hosting the NBA studio show “Inside the NBA,” is keen on retaining these rights along with ESPN.   

However, the NBA is expected to seek a substantial increase in rights payments, leaving the outcome of these negotiations uncertain with streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video expected to make a play for the rights.

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Nexstar’s NewsNation network is diving into the arena of Sunday morning public affairs.

The new show, set to debut March 3, 2024, will be known as “The Hill Sunday with Chris Stirewalt,” leveraging the name of the political publication Nexstar bought in 2021.

NewsNation already produced a daily version of “The Hill,” which is hosted by Blake Burman.

Stirewalt is already politics editor for NewsNation and is also a contributing editor to the right-leaning publication The Dispatch. He’s also a fellow at the right-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute. 

He also is featured in the segments “Pulse of the People” and “Stirewalt Breaks it Down” on the weekday version of “The Hill.”

Early in January 2024, NewsNation announced some schedule changes, including launching weekend morning news. The new weekend “Morning in America” will lead into “The Hill Sunday.”

The 10 a.m. timeslot doesn’t compete with CNN’s “State of the Union,” which airs at 9 a.m. eastern. It also avoids “Fox News Sunday,” which also airs at 9 a.m. on the Fox broadcasting network and 2 p.m. on the network’s cable channel.

ABC, NBC and CBS Sunday morning political affairs programming, “This Week,” “Meet the Press” and “Face the Nation” have varying airtimes depending on market. 

“Meet the Press” is typically offered at 9 a.m. but airs later in different markets, including 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. and New York. “Face the Nation” starts at 10:30 a.m. eastern, with some stations carrying the full 60 minutes and others either breaking the show into two different airtimes or not carrying the second half. “This Week” is offered at 9 a.m. eastern, but times vary by market.

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The Baltimore Sun newspaper has been sold to the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group.

David D. Smith, who grew up in Baltimore, has purchased the publication for an undisclosed price from Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group. He made the buy with Armstrong Williams, a Republican media personality who hosts a commentary show that airs on Sinclair stations. 

The purchase was made by Smith personally and not by Sinclair itself, similar to how Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post without Amazon itself having any business stake in it.

Smith said was he was driven to buy the paper as a longtime local resident. 

The Sun is part of the Baltimore Sun Media, which was also purchased by Smith. 

The company also owns The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, and several other publications in the region. The Capital Gazette office was the site of a 2016 shooting that killed five employees. 

Both Smith and SBG have a history of supporting and even championing ring-wing causes and views. 

Sinclair itself came under fire in 2018 after it forced its stations to air promos touting the dangers of “fake news,” a term popularized by Donald Trump. These promos largely used nearly identical scripts and were later nicknamed “hostage videos.” 

The company has also required its stations to run commentaries and other content critic of the left and Democratic candidates and Smith himself has donated to conservative causes. 

Smith is the son of Julian Sinclair Smith, who founded what would become Sinclair Broadcast Group, which was then known as Chesapeake Television Corp.

David D. Smith previously sold pornographic videos for profit. In 1996, he faced a series of legal troubles when he was charged with an “unnatural and perverted sex act” (oral sex) in a company-owned vehicle. He was sentenced to community service and met that requirement by having Sinclair’s WBFF in Baltimore produce a series on a drug counseling program.

Despite having separate ownership, that doesn’t mean that Smith couldn’t orchestrate cross-promotions or other marketing efforts between the two companies, especially in Baltimore via WBFF, the local Fox affiliate. Bezos, for example, has created promotional tie-ins between The Post and Amazon Prime and other Amazon efforts.

The Sun, like most newspapers, has seen steep declines in advertising and subscription revenue and previous owners made massive cuts to save money. 

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Bloomberg is set to introduce changes to its television network on Monday, Jan. 22, led by a revamp of its flagship morning franchise, “Bloomberg Surveillance.”

As previously announced by the network, “Balance of Power” host Annmarie Hordern is set to join the television version of the program with current host Tom Keene shifting back to radio. Keene helped launch the “Surveillance” franchise on Bloomberg Radio in 2008, anchoring various television versions of the show, including the current version, which debuted in 2020.

Keene is also set to launch a new weekly program, part of the franchise, later this year.

For the revamp, the network has invested in a new broadcast studio for “Surveillance,” designed by Clickspring Design, and located at the network’s headquarters in New York City.

The new studio incorporates large LED display technology and hints of architectural detail, with a flexible design to accommodate the various outputs Bloomberg produces. The space is wrapped in a skyline view of New York City, with a curved LED providing the primary background.

The space includes subtle nods to Bloomberg and the financial market, including a backlit Bloomberg Terminal logo on a wall panel.

Designed to shoot basically in the round, the layout includes multiple presentation positions and a hub desk with Terminal’s included.

Current editions of the program broadcast from the studio initially launched for the network’s political program, “With All Due Respect.”  

Jonathan Ferro will continue to lead the television version of “Surveillance,” alongside Lisa Abramowicz and Hordern. Meanwhile, Kailey Leinz is set to co-host “Balance of Power” with Joe Mathieu, marking a shift in the presentation team for this program.

Simultaneously, Bloomberg Media has announced changes in its anchor lineup.

“Bloomberg Technology,” helmed by Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow, is slated to shift its broadcast time to the 11 a.m. ET hour. “Bloomberg Markets: European Close,” which previously occupied the 11 a.m. ET slot will be discontinued.

The daily feature from Bloomberg Television’s weekend program “Wall Street Week,” anchored by David Westin will now be featured at the 10 a.m. ET hour. However, the main “Wall Street Week” program will maintain its regular airing time on Fridays at 6 p.m. ET.

“Bloomberg ETF IQ,” which airs on Mondays, “Bloomberg Crypto” on Tuesdays, and “Bloomberg Real Yield” on Fridays, will all be moving to the noon ET time slot on their respective airing days.

“Bloomberg Markets” is set to move to a new time at 12:30 p.m. ET daily. 

In the afternoon lineup, “Bloomberg Markets: The Close” is scheduled to air from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET. The show will be hosted by Romaine Bostick, with Alix Steel joining in the 3 p.m. ET hour and Scarlet Fu contributing at 4 p.m. ET. 

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Two big three affiliates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be grounding the news helicopter the two stations share.

KDKA, which is owned by CBS, and Cox’s WPXI have been sharing a helicopter for several years now as a way to share the cost of having an aircraft on standby for news stories. 

That agreement, however, is slated to end soon, and neither station plans on replacing the chopper with one of its own.

Instead, photojournalists licensed to operate drones equipped with cameras will be used to gather more aerial footage as needed.

The move means that Hearst’s WTAE will be the only station in the market left with its own helicopter, which is branded as Sky4.

Most local TV stations don’t actually own their news helicopters outright, instead paying a third-party to hold own and maintain the craft, but typically it’s only used for newsgathering purposes by the station or stations in question.

Going forward, it is possible that KDKA or WPXI could pay a daily or hourly fee to a local helicopter charter company if aerial footage is needed that can’t be achieved using a drone (this is common in markets where stations have gotten rid of helicopters as well).

Helicopters used to be more popular at TV stations, especially in larger markets and were often featured with much fanfare in station promos and would also sometimes touchdown at local events. 

However, as operating costs rose and drones emerged as an alternative to capturing aerial footage, including live views, many station management was left questioning if the expense was worth it. 

Some opted to share an aircraft as a way to cut down costs, but it now appears even that expense is becoming harder to justify.

News choppers are popular for allowing stations to patrol local interchanges and freeways for traffic snarl ups, capture video of fires, car accidents and, of course, infamous car chases.

Drones used for commercial purposes, including newsgathering, require an operator to obtain a license issued by the FCC, though one is relatively easy to obtain and does not require anything close to the training or skill to pilot a full size aircraft.

Drones do have some disadvantages over helicopters: They often can’t fly as high as most helicopters or for as long. Most drones use batteries while helicopters use fuel. 

When gathering news footage, drone operators are also required to maintain “line of sight” to the drone, meaning they must be able to see it (or have a second spotter in communication with them who is watching).

This could limit how far the drone could fly from the launch site, though in many cases the battery would drain if the drone flew that far away and likely end up losing power and ultimately crashing.

News helicopters, like many small aircraft, do have some significant safety issues. 

Back in December 2023, two staffers at WPVI in Philadelphia were killed when their helicopter crashed on its way back from an assignment. Unfortunately, the station is not alone in ones that have lost staffers to chopper crashes. 

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Diamond Sports Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcasting and the largest U.S. operator of regional sports networks (RSNs), has announced a restructuring plan involving a minority investment from Amazon and a settlement with Sinclair.

Amazon is set to invest $115 million into Diamond Sports Group, which operates the various Bally Sports RSNs, with an option for an additional $50 million.

This investment positions Amazon Prime Video as the primary platform for Diamond’s Bally Sports Plus direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering. David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports Group, expressed gratitude for the support from Amazon and major creditors, highlighting the potential of the business to create value.

The collaboration with Amazon will allow Prime Video to become the primary partner for customers seeking DTC access to stream local Diamond channels. This includes live MLB, NBA, and NHL games and pre and postgame programming for teams where Diamond retains DTC rights. While specific details regarding pricing and availability are yet to be disclosed, the move marks a shift in how consumers access local sports content.

Diamond Sports Group has also announced a restructuring service agreement with Sinclair.

This agreement includes Diamond’s withdrawal of its $1.5 billion litigation against Sinclair in exchange for a $495 million cash payment from Sinclair to Diamond Sports Group.

Sinclair will also provide transition services to support Diamond’s reorganization and separation from Sinclair’s operations. This deal is currently pending court approval.

This restructuring comes at a critical time for Diamond Sports Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last March. The sports broadcasting landscape has been notably affected by cord-cutting trends and the consequent decline in advertising revenue. The restructuring plan is a strategic move to stabilize the company and ensure its operations beyond 2024.

Major League Baseball took over the production and distribution of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks following Diamond’s lapse in rights payments to the Padres and failure to reach an amended deal with the Diamondbacks. This situation indicated wider issues within Diamond Sports, as evidenced by the termination of agreements with Bally Sports Arizona by the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Coyotes due to the company’s financial struggles.

Phoenix Suns’ graphics blur the line between reality with sweeping views of local landscape

Diamond Sports Group operates 18 RSNs under the Bally Sports brand, covering 37 professional teams including 11 MLB, 15 NBA and 11 NHL organizations.

The agreement with Sinclair is designed to resolve pending litigation and support Diamond’s reorganization. The RSA includes promises from certain debt holders to provide $450 million in financing to support Diamond’s operations, finalize a reorganization plan, and repay $350 million of existing debt.

Sinclair purchased the RSNs from The Walt Disney Co. in 2019, following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets.

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CNN introduced new election graphics during its live coverage of the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024. The package draws on elements from the previous design while moving the network closer in line with 3D looks introduced elsewhere. 

The package made its full debut at 7 p.m. Eastern Time that Monday, though elements of it started showing up throughout the day in the baseline box and commercial squeezebacks.

The network’s old look, shown on the video wall behind the anchor desk, mixed with the new bottomline during the day Jan. 15, 2024.

The old look, which debuted ahead of the 2020 election, relied on a mix of angled elements and animations, 3D ribbons, stars, and monochromatic girders.

Another look at CNN’s old-style election open that aired earlier in the day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

CNN has kept its “America’s Choice” branding and continues to display those two words in a condensed sans serif. The updated design, however, switches the “2024” below to a bolder, wider sans serif.

The new look retains hints of the old package but dials up the 3D glassy and metallic elements. It brings depth and dimension to the various studio video walls.

On Monday evening, CNN rolled an extended pre-produced cold open that used a series of darker graphics rendered to appear as if the viewport was within a large, sprawling dark space defined with rectangular and square structural elements.

The cold open retained the custom music composed by Stephen Arnold Music and CNN’s trademark election theme music.

Many of these scenes included various views of an imaginary wall with space to display a video clip inside a 3D alcove. The alcove was wrapped with a series of red, white and blue borders and bars in various thicknesses, including some strong red verticals.

On either side, the space featured walls with a repeating reveal line pattern, creating a linear texture of sorts. 

The scenes spotlighted the 3D space’s shiny floor along with what appeared to be a riser with a red side sporting repeating stars. 

The riser featured a thick glassy slab above and below, creating a prominent bevel effect, also found in 3D text used in the open alongside relevant imagery.

This text was displayed with a subtle 3D outline, creating an illusion that the faces of the letters were farther from the viewport than those borders. However, the outline could also be seen as falling behind the letters, more like a traditional bevel, creating a push-pull effect.

A diagonal motif was used in some of these screens, including a red fill overtaking white lettering and the text used in the lower left, which varied between a diamond-like pattern and thin diagonals. 

View on Giphy

After the meat of the cold open ran, a fully animated sequence appeared on screen, starting with a highly glassy 3D version of the CNN logo. This was followed with blue and red “24” panels that slid aside to reveal the America’s Choice logo, which appeared as  dimensional lettering with a vertical line of stars installed on one of the walls of the same imaginary space featured in the open.

These animations also notably had a lighter feel, with more off-white and light gray.

A quick swing-around by the viewport revealed a wall with candidate portraits which then opened star-ship style into the ceiling and floor to reveal a second 3D space showcasing a silvery outline of Iowa along with the subtitle “Iowa Caucuses.” 

This was then eclipsed by an elaborate sandwich of stepped stars accented with plenty of 3D metallic effects, beveled edges and blue and red faces featuring additional CNN logos and references to the caucuses. Both of these scenes can presumably be updated for other election-related coverage, such as the New Hampshire Primary.

Finally, the stack of stars begins separating, with the camera zooming through the opening to reveal live video — in this case the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.

For on-set video walls, the 3D effect is most notably used to create quasi-virtual set extension looks that draw on the open’s idea of 3D alcoves.

Most of the on-set video wall graphics have 3D effects that attempt to blend in with the real scenery.

The actual 3D alcoves come in a variety of configurations and can also include matching 3D text that appears to be sitting on the bottom part of the alcove. 

This variation includes blue accents to coordinate with Joe Biden’s party affiliation. Note the redesigned baseline banner with the diagonal line textures, blue space on the left and red bar on the right with the diamond texture in the background. The off-white space between showcases the updated ‘America’s Choice 2024’ look along with additional stars and a 3D ledge look along the bottom. 

Here, the map of Iowa occupies one alcove, while additional text and a countdown sits in the upper left, with an empty blue space backed with the diamond texture and star accents sits empty, creating a a feel of some built-in furniture or cubby holes.

This version features three lines of text, though only the final one actually appears to sit on a the 3D surface. This example also showcases the stacked columns of stars with 3D mullion effects that are used on other video walls as well.

As CNN moves between video wall graphics, there are two distinct options.

The first option is a quick animated wipe featuring what appears to an oversized, softly embossed version of the CNN logo on a white background. This look, incidentally, appears to be at least part of the influence for graphics found in the network’s election-themed promos that have been airing since 2023.

Those promos, however, take the oversized CNN logo a step further with red and blue outlines peeking through. The text in these promos also uses mixed case in a wider, friendly version of CNN Sans, as opposed to the condensed all caps used throughout most of the updated election package. 

The second option includes having the graphic slide up toward the ceiling, garage door-style, revealing the next look appearing to sit behind it.

Throughout the evening, additional venues in both New York and Washington, D.C. were used, most with large swaths of seamless LED. The network added a variety of background options behind talent, including red and blue panels divided by simulated silvery columns with reveal lines or mullion-style frames, more star columns in red, blue and silver, and variations of the alcove look with a cityscape view fed to the opening.

The network continues its use of keeping a large banner running along the top of many video wall graphics, including the one behind the Washington, D.C., panel, that simulates the feel of a header installed over a window.

Many of these graphics can be considered virtual set extensions, at least to some degree, because they appear to suggest that there are additional 3D elements on the set — however believable this ends up being. 

This approach has become common across CNN, including on its flagship dayside program “CNN NewsCentral” and much of its primetime programming, with various video wall graphics attempting to simulate the look of structural scenery. 

For the most part, the election look has fewer of the issues found with CNN’s other attempts at this effect, including oddly-scaled textures and less-than-convincing 3D effects and shadows that look more like Photoshop bevel and emboss layer effects. 

The effect is actually more convincing when the graphics being shown use only elements such as maps, cut-out portraits and labels because these blur the line between what’s supposed to be real or not, unlike the large 3D lettering that sits on the ledge of the alcove — which, while eye-catching, just feels like it had gone a bit too far.

CNN also introduced an updated look for its fullscreen data graphics. These are often displayed against a looping gray background featuring blurred versions of 3D stars, with the look becoming flatter and more embossed as it moves from left to right.

These graphics have the advantage of being clear and easy to read. And, because they are set against the animated background, you don’t have to worry about the on-screen bug, bottom line, or other elements covering it.

The approach also lets CNN use the same graphic, just without the white background, on on-set video walls behind talent — including being able to keep the graphics relatively the same size whether the control room takes it fullscreen or feeds it to a video wall.

CNN’s trademark Magic Wall on-set touchscreens retain the previous look used during the last cycle. 

Elsewhere on the network, some shows continue to use the old, angular election look as of Jan. 16, 2024.

For the network’s New Hampshire town hall with Ron DeSantis, the new design was present in the stage design with updated banners.

The network’s heavier use of 3D and imaginary virtual spaces has connections to other looks used in broadcasting today. It’s hard not to see connections to CBS News’ election graphics look. There are also some similarities with the newly-debuted ABC-owned stations graphics package, including the implementation of 3D alcoves. 

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Horowitz Research’s “Focus Generation Next” study, conducted in October 2023, presents insightful data on the media consumption habits of Generation Z in the United States.

Contrary to the common perception that Gen Z (ages 13-24) predominantly indulges in short-form content like social media clips and streaming music, the study reveals a significant engagement with professional, long-form television content. The research shows that Gen Z audiences are nearly as likely to watch professionally produced TV shows as they are to engage with non-TV content such as social media videos, user-generated clips and video game live streams.

Surprisingly, 70% of Gen Z respondents report watching full-length TV content weekly, closely following the 80% who view short-form videos with the same frequency. This trend is consistent across both the older (18-24 years) and younger (13-17 years) segments of Gen Z.

Interestingly, Gen Z’s TV viewing habits are not confined to traditional television screens. Over half of the respondents typically watch long-form TV content on their TV sets, while more than a third prefer viewing on smartphones. This is in contrast to the 65% who use smartphones to watch short-form content. Notably, around 20% of Gen Zers, especially the older demographic, also view non-TV content on their television screens. This crossover suggests potential opportunities for media companies and advertisers to incorporate mobile-centric behaviors, like content sharing and interactive commerce, into the larger screen experience.

Gen Z’s appetite for diverse content is catered to by their use of multiple streaming services. On average, Gen Z streamers subscribe to 6.1 streaming services, an increase from 5.0 in 2020. Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) services like the Roku Channel, Tubi and Pluto TV are gaining popularity among this demographic.

The study also highlights the preferred TV content genres for Gen Z viewers, which include movies, animated series (excluding anime), dramas and music-related shows. Older Gen Z members generally report higher viewership in these categories compared to their younger counterparts.

Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Research, notes the engagement of Gen Z with long-form content and the implications for content development, user experience and revenue models. She anticipates a keen interest from these younger audiences in new content, especially post the resolution of writers’ and actors’ strikes.

The complete “Focus Generation Next” report offers a detailed analysis of Gen Z’s interaction with various forms of video content, entertainment, brand relationships and their unique position as politically aware digital natives. The study, which includes responses from 812 Gen Z individuals in the U.S., also over-samples Latinx, Black and Asian demographics, ensuring a comprehensive and diverse perspective.

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Alex MacCallum has been named CNN Worldwide’s executive vice president of digital products and services, a new role focused on overseeing and spearheading CNN’s suite of digital products that serve and engage millions of people globally every day.

This will be MacCallum’s second tour at the network, having previously worked on digital products including the mega-flop CNN+.

MacCallum is an experienced product, business and media executive who joins from the Washington Post where she served as chief revenue officer overseeing subscriptions, partnerships and advertising.

At the Post, MacCallum began the transformation of the Post’s business, from changing the way its advertising team was structured to evolving how cross-functional work happens across the company.

She returns to CNN after previously serving as global head of product for CNN Worldwide and general manager of CNN+ where she managed product, data, design, growth marketing and business operations.

At CNN the first time, MacCallum led cross-functional teams to the launch of CNN+, a direct-to-consumer streaming service as well as re-structured the core CNN.com product teams to better serve its users.

MacCallum was one of the key leaders behind the high-profile failure that the network’s CNN+ streamer ended up being — with the service costing the company millions and staid in operating for less than a month.

She left CNN in June 2022 and is now poised to return less than two years later.

Since her departure, CNN launched CNN Max, a channel on parent Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platform as a way to distribute its content directly to consumers, both live and via VOD.

There were numerous reports that WBD wanted CNN to wait to launch CNN+ until after its deal to acquire then-CNN parent WarnerMedia closed, but legal issues prevented them from communicating that message. CNN went head with launching CNN+ before the deal was done only to have WBD take over and shut it down after less than a month.

The closure reportedly cost job losses as well as millions of dollars the network (even causing its profit to dip below $1 billion) had invested in talent, editorial teams and other investments to launch the streamer, including staff focused only on the streamer.

Before joining CNN the first time, she spent eight years at The New York Times in various roles, including head of product for standalone products, a NYT portfolio that included Cooking, Games, Wirecutter, Audio and Kids, and as the founding masthead editor for audience in the newsroom. She was the founding product leader on NYT Cooking, leading the creation and growth of the product in partnership with editorial. She also spent time in the newsroom overseeing NYT Video, re-focusing the team on user-oriented formats and experiences.

MacCallum has deep experience in building products that bring world class journalism and storytelling to life. At the Times, she championed a cross-functional product development process that allowed for rapid iteration, new product creation and innovation in product and in particular, direct to consumer businesses.

She began her career in media at the Washington Post and was the first news editor for the Huffington Post. She graduated from Brown University and holds a law degree from U.C. Berkeley.

MaCallum’s first day back at CNN will be March 4, 2024. She will be based out of CNN’s New York bureau.

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