Know What's Happening in Entertainment
Know What's Happening in Entertainment
Super Mario Galaxy film targets $200M+ opening weekend
Nintendo and Illumination are positioning the upcoming "Super Mario Galaxy" movie to open with more than $200 million domestically over the Easter holiday weekend. The strategy leans on the franchise’s multigenerational appeal and a family‑focused release window, with analysts citing the 2015 "Avengers: Age of Ultron" $191 million opening as a benchmark.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-Love seeks FCC approval to acquire WFCC
Netflix announced a second price increase this year, raising its Standard With Ads tier from $7.99 to $8.99, the Standard Without Ads tier from $17.99 to $19.99, and the Premium tier from $24.99 to $26.99. The new rates take effect for new subscribers on March 26, with existing members receiving email notices a month before the change based on their billing cycles. This follows a January 2025 hike and comes as Netflix prepares to collect a $2.8 billion payout from Paramount Skydance after exiting the Warner Bros. Discovery deal. The adjustments signal Netflix’s effort to balance revenue growth with a competitive streaming market.
Apple App Store billings are greater than 4 times the total Box Office globally. https://asymco.com/50
The 2026 NAB Show will feature a high‑profile session on NextGen TV, bringing Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty together to discuss ATSC 3.0 deployment. The two‑hour panel will examine Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. rollout...
The music industry is re‑examining album‑centric record contracts as streaming platforms and social media prioritize single tracks. Data shows that hit singles now generate a larger share of revenue than full‑album sales, prompting labels to question the profitability of traditional...
Uproxx TV debuted at NewFronts, positioning itself as a top‑10 entertainment property on connected TV with over 160 million monthly viewers, more than half of whom watch on traditional TV screens. The company is launching creator‑driven shows like “Love, Songs,” leveraging...
Foxtel Business has signed an exclusive agreement with beIN SPORTS to distribute its three linear channels across Australian pubs and clubs, ending a six‑month blackout of major European football and top‑tier tennis. The package restores live rights to LaLiga, Serie...
Baobab Studios announced it has secured exclusive film and television rights to three of Roblox’s most‑visited titles—Natural Disaster Survival, Barry’s Prison Run, and Deepwoken. The trio accounts for nearly 10 billion visits, demonstrating sustained, multi‑generational engagement. Baobab will develop animated feature...
Music venue bars are the primary profit engine, generating an average of $27,000 in monthly revenue, with top performers doubling that figure through optimized flow and inventory. Speed‑focused menus, where each drink is poured in under thirty seconds, keep lines...
ESPN has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 Pakistan Super League across Australia and New Zealand, delivering all 44 matches live on Disney+ and through Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch TV and Sky NZ. The T20 tournament features a host of Australian...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has signed a ten‑year partnership with AEG, moving the Oscars to L.A. LIVE’s Peacock Theater beginning with the 101st ceremony in 2029 and running through 2039. AEG will overhaul the venue’s stage, sound,...
Meta announced that Instagram’s Reels Trending Ads will now include a "TV & movies" category and dedicated line‑ups for cultural moments such as NFL games, Black Friday and Fashion Week. A limited‑alpha reserve‑buy option will let brands secure up to...
WEBTOON Entertainment is rolling out a unified international CANVAS platform beginning in spring 2026, merging its regional user‑generated content services into a single global hub. The platform will support seven languages—English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese and German—allowing creators...
Piracy has outpaced the streaming industry, evolving into a commercial operation that rivals legitimate platforms. In Japan, illegal distribution cost roughly $38 billion in 2025, and when counterfeit media are included the damage approaches $67 billion. Modern pirates sell turnkey streaming services...
Google will retire its free Widevine Cloud License Service in April 2027, forcing every OTT platform that relies on it to migrate to a new DRM license infrastructure. The shutdown impacts key DRM workflows, including key exchange, entitlement checks, and...
Adventure 33 introduced Prism, a purpose‑built global audio broadcasting ecosystem designed to replace traditional satellite distribution. The flagship Quattro receiver is a four‑channel, stereo‑capable 1RU appliance co‑engineered with Angry Audio. Prism’s architecture routes audio across five independent network layers, eliminating single...
Great Plains Christian Radio Inc., owner of KJIL‑FM 99.1 in Copeland, Kansas, announced a pending purchase of nine full‑power FM stations and five translators from The Praise Network Inc. The assets span small towns across Eastern Colorado and Kansas, extending the...
2025 reshaped streaming video economics as content‑side patent pools and high‑profile settlements brought codec royalties into the CFO’s purview. Access Advance launched a VDP pool with capped fees and de‑minimis waivers, while Nokia’s settlement with Amazon proved that patent owners...
The 2025 Streamticker roundup chronicles a wave of high‑value mergers reshaping streaming, advertising, and infrastructure. DIRECTV’s acquisition of INVIDI strengthens addressable TV ad solutions, while Outbrain’s $1 billion purchase of Teads creates a $1.7 billion omnichannel ad platform. DAZN’s $2.2 billion buy of...
Creator Sports Network (CSN) has secured an exclusive creator‑led streaming partnership with the Savannah Bananas, delivering four live Banana Ball Championship League games across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook. The deal positions creator distribution as a distinct rights tier, separate...
I’m excited to announce my new book: THE BLUEPRINT: Inside the Business of Roc-A-Fella Records 💎 Capitalism is capitalism whether on the street corner or in the corner office. Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records are a testament to the American Dream. This...
Australian music services firm GYRO Group announced the launch of its first Latin American headquarters in Santos, Brazil, partnering with local operator MusicStream. The new office will serve as a hub for its DistroDirect distribution platform, extending support to artists,...
London‑based Allegro Finance has unveiled a $500 million credit facility for film and television production, backed by a joint venture with Elliott Advisors UK. The move positions Allegro as a dedicated non‑bank lender seeking to reshape financing for global screen projects.
The podcast highlighted the demise of regional sports networks after Sinclair’s $9 billion overpay and Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy, reshaping MLB local broadcasts. Disney announced Josh D’Amaro as its new head, sealed a $1 billion OpenAI partnership, and faces waning Fortnite engagement. The...
Sony Pictures announced it will wind down its visual‑effects and virtual‑production subsidiary Pixomondo, moving remaining projects and talent to its Vancouver‑based Sony Pictures Imageworks. The closure affects Pixomondo’s studios in the U.S., Canada, Europe and its LED‑volume division PXO Clara,...
Nintendo's latest Switch 2 console retails for $696 in stores, while flagship titles like Mario Kart World sell digitally for as low as $51.99. The price gap between physical and digital game formats is prompting industry analysts and consumers to...
NEOWIZ announced that its idol‑management RPG IDOLY PRIDE will cease operations on April 26, 2026, ending service on both Korean and global servers. The title, which debuted in South Korea in 2021 and expanded worldwide in 2023, will remain playable...
TapNation and payments platform ZBD are championing rewarded play as a growth engine for mobile games. TapNation’s data shows real‑world rewards can lift day‑7 and day‑30 retention, while ZBD reports that allocating 10‑20% of ad revenue to players yields 80‑200%...
Warner Bros. Discovery launched HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 26, 2026, adding an ad‑supported tier that is free for Sky TV subscribers and available via Prime Video Channels. The rollout also introduced the service to...
PBS and ITVS have launched PBS Documentaries, a rebranded YouTube channel that expands the former PBS Voices hub to include full‑length documentary films. The channel inherits more than 316,000 subscribers and 52 million views, and will roll out over 100 new...
Musixmatch has introduced Sentinel, a music‑fingerprinting service that can identify copyrighted lyrics used in AI‑generated and user‑generated content within milliseconds. The tool integrates via API, allowing platforms to detect and mitigate infringement risk in real time. Sentinel builds on Musixmatch’s...
Content creator Alanah Pearce has founded Charred Pictures, an indie production company that partners directly with game developers on film and TV adaptations. The debut slate includes three projects: a pre‑production adaptation of the survival‑horror game Faith: The Unholy Trinity,...
Angela Jain, Disney+’s new Head of Content for EMEA, used the Series Mania Forum to unveil an accelerated push of locally produced series across Europe. The streaming giant is commissioning comedies for 16‑34‑year‑olds, thrillers and documentaries, with titles such as...
Marc Pritchard, Procter & Gamble’s chief brand officer, told the ANA Media Conference that AI, data and media fragmentation are reshaping brand building into a continuous, one‑to‑one engagement model. He highlighted P&G’s shift to in‑house, programmatic media planning and buying...
Attiya Henry has been appointed executive vice president of Production for Disney Branded Television, reporting to Carol Turner and joining Ayo Davis’s senior leadership team. She will oversee production of animated and live‑action programming across Disney+, Disney Jr. and Disney Channel,...
WAV. Distro, launched by TEN88, is a creator‑first music platform that combines digital distribution, publishing support, and hands‑on marketing while letting artists keep 100% ownership of their masters. The service emphasizes real‑human assistance, long‑term partnerships, and even advances for select...
Horizon Media has appointed veteran Bhavana Smith as chief operating officer to eliminate billable‑hour billing and pivot toward performance‑based contracts as artificial intelligence reshapes agency economics. The move is part of an early‑stage overhaul that ties compensation directly to client...
The Economist Group launched Economist Enterprise, consolidating its B2B information services and media solutions into a single brand. For the six months to Sept. 30 2025, the B2B segment generated £53.8 million (about $67 million), a 2.2% decline year‑over‑year, while rivals such as the...
AviaGames has opened a Global Trust Centre in Singapore to centralise cybersecurity and data‑protection for its real‑money games. The facility will be overseen by former AWS security leader Dr. Jan Wang, who will drive compliance strategy across multiple jurisdictions. AviaGames...
True Native Media announced that it has added the Storybutton Network to its exclusive podcast representation roster. Storybutton, a leading kids‑and‑family podcast network created by storyteller Jim Jacob, brings shows like Kids Short Stories and Spyology Squad to the agency....
WPP has created a new global head of commercial position and hired Guillaume Epstein, a veteran of Publicis Groupe, to fill it. Epstein brings over a decade of senior finance and commercial experience across Europe, APAC and Latin America, including...
Morinaga Milk announced that Kraft will launch Pokémon‑branded sliced cheese in Japan in early April 2026, celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary. The limited‑edition packs feature Pikachu, Snorlax and Eevee, are priced at ¥475 (≈$2.99), and have varying expiry periods. This...
Meta partners with Stripe for in-ad shopping If Instant Checkout didn’t represent agentic commerce, using that term to describe Meta’s new ‘purchase-from-an-ad’ experience is simply absurd. An agent plays no role in this transaction: a user sees an ad and clicks...
I’m live from Citi Field on MLB Opening Day … more on this story coming up next on @cnbc MLB faces a historic shift as potential lockout, media rights and other league changes loom https://t.co/JW1ELqWbFF
Podscribe unveiled two major upgrades: airchecks that now capture run‑of‑network (RON) podcast campaigns and a turnkey server‑to‑server integration with Tealium’s customer data platform. The RON airchecks use pixel activity and expanded transcription to verify ad placement, deliver brand‑safety signals and...
Bloomberg: "Netflix increased the price of its [U.S. AVOD plan] by $1 to $8.99 per month. The standard plan without ads rose by $2 to $19.99 per month, while the premium plan climbed $2 to $26.99... The last time Netflix...
https://t.co/jWLaJ1bkhT On this week's ep of @EquityPod, we sat down with Henry Soong, Watch Club founder, to discuss the multi-billion dollar industry of microdramas -- think TikTok meets soap opera. What are your thoughts? A fun new style of app, or a...
Meta will count only link clicks for click‑through attribution, moving likes, shares and saves to a new “engage‑through” category. Spotify launches an interactive BTS ARIRANG campaign and introduces SongDNA, a discovery‑focused music experience. Anghami adds AI‑generated metadata to 2.5 million songs,...
"The 2026 World Baseball Classic, for which Netflix held exclusive streaming rights in Japan, set a historic record. The Japan vs. Australia game is now the most-watched title ever on Netflix in Japan - surpassing every series, film, anime, and...
Instagram to Sell Reels Ads for Viral TV and Movies Content, ‘Cultural Moments’ Like NFL Games and Black Friday https://t.co/yxkIQNZSec via @variety
🧵New @TheWrap: 6 months into Bari Weiss’s overhaul of #CBSNews, her strategy to shift viewers to a more “centrist” broadcast is not working. As @corbinbolies reports, “CBS Evening News” is on pace for lowest ratings since October in both total...
