Know What's Happening in Entertainment
Know What's Happening in Entertainment
Midwestern Media Dynasty Faces Internal Power Struggle Over Potential Sale
The Block family, owners of the Pittsburgh Post‑Gazette and Toledo Blade, are locked in a feud as twin heirs John Robinson Block and Allan Block clash over the future of Block Communications. John has commissioned a valuation to explore a possible sale, while Allan, the CEO, opposes any transaction, warning he would "destroy" the company.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K‑Love seeks FCC approval to acquire WFCC
CBS has ordered a second season of the drama ‘CIA’ for the 2026‑27 schedule after its February 23 premiere drew 8.4 million viewers and the second episode held 7.6 million. The quick renewal follows a strong seven‑day audience lift and mirrors the network’s recent fast‑track renewals of other spinoffs.
Rusk Media announced that Performax and DaMENSCH will serve as special partners for the second season of its reality competition, Battleground, which launches on Amazon MX Player in April 2026. The show brings back creator‑mentor Abhishek Malhan, aka Fukra Insaan,...
Capcom announced it will not incorporate AI‑generated graphics or models into any Resident Evil game, while simultaneously rolling out internal tools that use generative AI to speed up asset pipelines. The move signals a cautious adoption of AI in a...
India's media and entertainment (M&E) industry expanded 9% year‑on‑year to ₹2.78 trillion (≈$33 bn) in 2025, according to the FICCI‑EY report. Digital media became the largest segment, crossing the ₹1 trillion (≈$12 bn) threshold, while digital advertising grew 26% to ₹947 billion (≈$11.4 bn), accounting for...
ARD’s regional youth radio stations SWR, SR and HR will merge into a single brand called DasDing, launching on June 1, 2026—six months earlier than the originally planned January 2027 start. The new program will serve Baden‑Württemberg, Rheinland‑Pfalz, Hessen and...
Limelight Inc. introduced its Adaptive Rules Centre (ARC) to a performance‑based supply‑side platform (SSP) struggling with empty VAST creatives that bid without delivering impressions. By deploying a single "Add Creative ID to List" rule, the SSP automatically detected and blocked...
Creator performance metrics give influencer agencies a data‑driven framework to move beyond surface‑level likes and views. The guide outlines why trust and adaptability make influencer marketing valuable and presents key direct and indirect impact statistics, such as a $5.78 return...
France’s recorded‑music market generated €1.071 billion (≈ $1.21 billion) in 2025, a 3.9% year‑over‑year increase and the tenth consecutive year of growth. Streaming remained dominant, with total streaming revenues surpassing €700 million ($794 million) and paid‑subscription revenue rising 5.9% to €553 million ($625 million). Vinyl sales surged...
![[Industry News] UK Games Dev Sector Has Suffered Its Sharpest Recorded Decline – TIGA Data](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/TIGA-Making-Games-in-the-UK-2026_Cover.jpg)
TIGA reports the UK games development sector suffered its steepest decline, losing 1,537 development jobs—a 4.5% drop—in the year to September 2025, ending 14 consecutive years of growth. Including supply‑chain effects, total job losses reach 4,347, while the number of studios...
The NBA’s audience has shifted dramatically from traditional TV to a fragmented mix of streaming services, mobile devices, and consoles, with over a quarter of viewership now coming from virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPD). This migration forces the league...
Nintendo is scaling back Switch 2 production to 4 million units this quarter, down from an initially planned 6 million, after weaker-than-expected holiday sales in the United States. The console’s US sales lagged despite strong performance of the lower‑priced variant, causing the stock...
Samsung Ads unveiled a full‑funnel performance platform at IAB NewFronts 2026, pairing AI‑driven targeting with shoppable ad formats on Samsung TV Plus. The platform integrates Amazon’s Interactive Video Ad technology, enabling viewers to add Amazon items to cart directly from their...
Hybe India announced its first nationwide audition program, seeking vocal, rap and dance talent through online submissions and in‑person events across ten major cities. The initiative follows the launch of Hybe India in Mumbai in September 2025 and the recent...
Malawi’s Communications Regulatory Authority is launching a creator‑monetisation initiative with Meta and TikTok, beginning with workshops in Lilongwe this April. The program aims to give Malawian content creators access to the same revenue tools available on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok...
At the Publisher Newsletter Summit, leaders from Bloomberg, Hearst UK and Mill Media outlined five tactics for turning free newsletter readers into paying subscribers. Their advice centers on building personal relationships, delivering high‑quality niche content, leveraging analytics for audience insight,...
Austrian telco Magenta Telekom has joined the Deutsche Netzmarketing (DNMG) association to distribute Stingray’s iConcerts, DJazz and Classica channels in HD. iConcerts is offered free across all TV packages, while DJazz and Classica are bundled in the TV L tier. The...
The Financial Times argues that generative AI will become a blockbuster revenue driver, but the bulk of profits will flow to technology firms rather than traditional film studios. AI tools can produce scripts, visual effects, and even entire movies at...
JioStar is positioning its live‑sports platform as a gateway for Southeast Asian brands to reach India’s billion‑strong consumer market. The upcoming TATA IPL 2026 will be broadcast across linear TV, CTV and mobile, building on the 2025 edition’s 537 million TV...
Top sports clubs are pouring capital into owned media operations to make their sponsorship assets more attractive. The LA Chargers built a $250 million studio complex, while European giants like Inter Milan expanded to 90 million social followers, driving profit and sponsor...
TikTok staged its inaugural CMO Collective in England, gathering about 65 senior marketers from Europe and Israel to deepen advertiser relationships. The event highlighted the platform’s ease of content creation using a phone and CapCut, while showcasing TikTok Shop integrations...
“It reminds me of the period in which DVD crashed, going from hundreds of millions a year in profits that went to the bottom lines of movies large and small to a lot less in a hurry. Budgets had skyrocketed...
Sakal Media Group has deployed an OCR‑driven AI platform that scans every print advertisement in its newspapers and converts the images into searchable, structured datasets. The system automatically tags brands, categories, placement and size, turning daily print data into real‑time...
Grass Valley will showcase its new Grass Valley Media Universe (GVMU) at NAB Show 2026, featuring Dynamic Media Facilities powered by AMPP OS and hybrid workflows. The lineup includes the LDX 110 Series with triple‑speed capture, the LDX 180 Series...
Athletes Unlimited’s professional women’s basketball season returned to Nashville with GameTime Productions delivering an 18‑camera live broadcast, streamed on ESPN+ and the WNBA App. The company introduced a custom scorebug and real‑time data dashboard to reflect the league’s unique points‑based...
Veteran voice talent David Tyler, known for CTV News and iconic Canadian and U.S. radio stations, has joined Hoss Management Group as a radio imaging and voice‑over representative. With a four‑decade portfolio that includes Subaru, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson and the NCAA,...
Superadio Networks' Amplified Voices has signed a digital distribution agreement with Dad Life LLC to launch “The Essential Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show,” a daily series of curated clips from the trio’s commentary. The partnership gives Amplified Voices exclusive rights to...
Nine’s reality hit Married At First Sight pulled a total TV reach of 2.78 million, with an average audience of 1.78 million and nearly 600 000 BVOD viewers. During the homestay segment, contestant Gia publicly criticized Scott’s waterfront home, sparking a social‑media stir despite...
Susan Larkin, former COO of Audacy and Regional VP at Cox Media Group, has been appointed President and CEO of iHeartMedia‑owned RCS Worldwide. She will oversee the RCS radio programming software suite along with Media Monitors, Mediabase, and Florical Systems....
NBC Sports is testing the placement of analysts inside MLB dugouts for its Sunday Leadoff games, mirroring its NBA "On the Bench" format, while still finalizing play‑by‑play talent. The ESPN‑owned NFL Network will continue its own NFL Draft presentation, keeping...
Scoop: CNN is expected to lay off some staffers this week as network chief Mark Thompson works to push the network away from linear television and into the digital future.
Crimson Desert sells 2 million copies in five days, but genAI kinda spoils the party. https://t.co/BXkxtD7aVB
Bad Bunny’s legal team is demanding that African publisher emPawa Africa reimburse $465,612 in attorney fees after a federal judge dismissed a copyright lawsuit alleging an unauthorized sample on the hit track “Enséñame a Bailar.” The suit claimed Bad Bunny...
It was pointed out in this space that @AGomezFCC was dreaming if she thought @NXSTMediaGroup had "hundreds of billions in free cash flow." The @FCC Democrat has since updated her statement ... (Ready for the @FOX29philly revisions when you are,...
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund has awarded a £200,000 grant (approximately $256,000) to the British Screen Forum, partnering with the University of Exeter and Goldsmiths, University of London, to develop data solutions for the UK independent film sector....
In this episode of The Town, hosts Matt Bellany and Lucas Shaw dissect the current hierarchy of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars under 50, using box‑office draw as the sole metric. They debate the merits of Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Gosling, Timothée Chalamet,...
Paris Jackson and her lawyers are challenging the Michael Jackson estate’s handling of the upcoming biopic *Michael*, alleging costly reshoots tied to a 1994 settlement that bars depiction of Jordan Chandler’s relationship with her father. The estate, led by co‑executors...
Walmart and Vizio announced that new Vizio smart‑TVs will require a Walmart account for activation, creating a unified login and identity framework across devices. The integration centralizes streaming data on Vizio’s OS, giving Walmart a foothold in the connected‑TV (CTV)...
Glad to hear #DCStudios kept #SUPERGIRL’s budget in check. With the CBM heydays past us, It’s more important than ever that you give your CBMs all conditions to succeed at Global #BoxOffice: Optics are as important as delivering a good...
AI actors are reportedly forming a union to demand 'stable diffusion' of their residuals. Pixel-perfect rights are human rights... wait. 📢💻 #AIUnion #DigitalRights #HollywoodTech https://t.co/DwxDg6Lunm
AI music creation is emerging as a niche yet rapidly scaling market, highlighted by Suno’s 2 million paid subscribers and roughly $300 million in annual recurring revenue. The sector is divided into five segments: professional musician tools, novelty personal tracks, production‑music licensing,...
Jest, the first marketplace for SMS and RCS messaging apps, has launched the Jest Games Fund to accelerate developers creating games for the RCS ecosystem. The fund offers three progressive tiers—Explore ($40,000), Scale (up to $200,000) and Flagship (up to...
At GDC, indie advisor Chris Zukowski defined “golden goose” Steam titles as games that generate at least $150,000 in sales and roughly 500 user reviews within six months, earning what he calls “real Steam” status. He warned that once a...
Magellan AI has introduced a Broadcast Radio Attribution product that lets advertisers measure radio’s impact alongside digital channels in a single platform. The solution tracks key outcomes such as form fills, leads and purchases, and benchmarks radio performance against podcasts,...
Upside app advertisements topped iHeartMedia’s Media Monitors data for the week ending March 22, registering the highest number of radio play counts nationwide. The brand out‑performed heavyweight advertisers such as Progressive and Morgan & Morgan in spot frequency. The “Love Trapped” podcast also...
Music management firm The Core Entertainment announced two senior hires, naming Sarah Pfeiffer as Head of Marketing and Gabriella Pulley as Chief of Staff. Both executives will be based in Nashville and report directly to co‑founders Simon Tikhman and Chief...
Netflix will live‑stream the 2026 MLB season opener on March 25, featuring the New York Yankees against the San Francisco Giants. The broadcast includes retired stars Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and CC Sabathia as analysts, with MLB Network talent handling play‑by‑play...
The FCC is considering repurposing the upper C‑band, currently used for broadcast distribution, in a move similar to the 2020 lower‑C‑band auction that generated roughly $81 billion. If reallocated, the agency could provide government funding to help broadcasters replace aging satellite...
Backyard Ventures announced a partnership with The Jeff Ward Show, adding Austin radio legend Jeff Ward’s daily talk program to its creator roster. The collaboration will manage exclusive brand opportunities across the show’s audio and digital platforms, targeting the highly...
The Convergence Research Group reports Canadian over‑the‑top (OTT) subscription revenue jumped 15% in 2025 to roughly $3.5 billion USD (CAD 4.8 billion). It projects an 11.5% rise to about $4.0 billion USD (CAD 5.35 billion) in 2026, with OTT revenue expected to outpace traditional TV by...
iHeartMedia and TikTok have launched a joint album‑release framework that merges live radio, social media, and fan‑generated content. The pilot, built around Bruno Mars' first solo album in a decade, streamed the nine tracks via iHeartRadio Talkback and TikTok Live before...
