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
CBS News announced the closure of its radio network this month, ending a 99‑year run. The move is part of broader CBS News layoffs and reflects a strategic pivot toward digital platforms, raising questions about affiliate revenue and the future of traditional broadcast advertising.
Local TV news is in crisis as Nexstar Media Group slashes staff, including longtime KTLA anchors, amid plummeting ratings. Streaming now captures more than 40% of U.S. viewing, pulling ad dollars away from traditional broadcasts. The industry is turning to...
Jest, the first marketplace for SMS and RCS messaging apps, has launched the Jest Games Fund to back studios creating games for the RCS messaging ecosystem. The program offers three funding tiers—$40,000 Explore, up to $200,000 Scale, and up to...
Ampere Analysis reports that HBO Max holds the largest bundling footprint among streaming services in 20 major markets, partnering with 60 unique providers and appearing in 303 packages. The service’s bundling strength is especially pronounced in Central and South America...
Nigerian artists have earned over ₦143 billion ($105 million) from Spotify since 2023, reaching ₦60 billion in 2025. While total revenue rose sharply in 2024, growth stalled to just 3.45% year‑over‑year in 2025 as streams shifted toward the domestic market. Local consumption jumped...
Swiss Beauty has teamed with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a limited‑edition FRIENDS‑themed CRAZE makeup line in India. The collection spans skincare, colour cosmetics and press‑on nails, with prices from roughly $2 for remover wipes to $6 for nail sets....
CBS announced a second‑season renewal for the spy drama “CIA” after its premiere drew 8.4 million multiplatform viewers within seven days. Broadcast ratings rose 39 percent across the first three episodes, allowing the show to win its Monday night slot against “The...
Spain’s anti‑piracy crackdown, led by LaLiga, relies on IP‑blocking to stop illegal football streams. Movistar’s implementation on March 22 blocked about 145 IP addresses, including those of major cloud providers, causing widespread service outages that persisted into the following morning. The...
India’s interactive media market, now worth $13.8 billion, is being reshaped by microdramas, which generated $300 million in revenue, 450 million downloads and 100 million monthly active users in their first year. The format is projected to expand to a $4.5 billion market by 2030,...
Vocento, Spain's leading regional press group, partnered with ad‑tech firm Opti Digital to deploy its Demand Hub solution. The platform adds an AI‑driven, attention‑based demand layer that serves high‑impact social display ads only when they enter the user’s viewport. This...
ClippaPay has launched Africa’s first creator‑powered platform that links brands with influencers through three distinct earning models: UGC creation, video clipping, and performance‑based affiliate marketing. The service lets brands post campaigns, receive creator bids, and pay on approval, while clippers...
South Korean boy band BTS is set to achieve the biggest album debut of 2026 with their new record ARIRANG. Early industry projections estimate first‑week activity between 550,000 and 600,000 units, driven by strong physical sales and streaming. Target leads...
European broadcasters have jointly urged the European Commission to apply Digital Markets Act gatekeeper rules to major connected TV operating systems and virtual assistants. They request designation based on quantitative thresholds or, failing that, a market investigation using qualitative criteria....
Controversial radio host Kyle Sandilands has filed a Federal Court claim seeking to overturn ARN's termination of his $100 million (≈$66 million) KI & S contract. The filing reveals a $7.4 million (≈$4.9 million) base salary, $120,000 (≈$79,000) flight allowance, $500,000 (≈$330,000) advertising budget and $2 million...
5 and Pluto TV have forged a simulcast partnership to air two senior snooker events – the John Virgo Trophy on April 11‑12 and the World Seniors Snooker Championship on May 6‑10. Both tournaments will be streamed live on Pluto TV, with...
Global has appointed Craig Hunter as Managing Director of its newly created podcast and digital production unit, Global Studios. Hunter arrives from STV Studios, where he transformed the factual label into a leading unscripted house and previously commissioned BBC hits...
News/Media Alliance (NMA) has signed a licensing agreement with AI startup Bria, allowing its 2,200 member publishers to monetize editorial content used in retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) applications for enterprise clients. Under the non‑exclusive deal, publishers receive a 50 % share of...
Creator agency Reign Maker Group (RMG) and Hollywood talent agency Paradigm announced joint signings of three multi‑hyphenate talents—Reza Jackson, Max Goodrich, and Grayson Boucher—highlighting a deepening convergence between creator‑first and traditional entertainment representation. The partnership, launched in October, aims to...
Le Monde Gourmand, a niche fragrance brand, has teamed with Disney to launch an “Alice in Wonderland” perfume collection. The line features four eau de parfums—Melodie De Thé, Potion Enchantée, Fête De Vanille, and Rouge de Coeur—each inspired by a different character from the 75‑year‑old film. Priced...
Project Hail Mary opened to $80.5 million domestically and $141.9 million worldwide, marking Amazon MGM Studios’ strongest opening ever. The sci‑fi thriller became the studio’s biggest North American debut, surpassing Creed III and ranking just behind legacy MGM titles like The Hobbit and...
LIV Golf announced it will host a 2027 tournament at Steyn City in South Africa, pledging a $4 million first‑place prize and vowing “never leaving this continent again.” The move follows a dramatic 2026 South Africa playoff win by Bryson DeChambeau...
QMS New Zealand has launched a national campaign branding itself as Aotearoa’s total out‑of‑home (OOH) audience solution. Backed by QMS Australia’s technology, the company now offers an integrated network of nearly 2,000 street‑furniture panels, 280 billboards, 4,000 transit displays and airport...
Mojang Studios and Merlin Entertainments have confirmed a £50 million Minecraft World will open at Chessington World of Adventures in 2027, featuring the industry’s first Minecraft‑themed roller coaster. The partnership marks a major expansion of video‑game IP into physical attractions, promising...
The OpenArt and Fanvue joint venture has launched the inaugural AI Personality of the Year awards, backed by ElevenLabs. The month‑long competition offers a $20,000 prize pool split among an overall winner and categories such as fitness, comedy, music, and...
Last year Vox Media's bankers floated options to sell its podcast network, New York Magazine, or the entire company. The most publicized plan was a spin‑off of the 30‑plus‑show podcast portfolio, but the company later withdrew the offer. Valuation has slipped...
The Video Futures Collective (VFC) has transitioned from an informal think‑tank to a formal, independent non‑profit industry association, uniting eight major Australian streaming and video advertising players such as Amazon Prime, Disney Advertising, Netflix, and YouTube. The body will concentrate...
Tubi has introduced two premium advertising products in Australia – Thematic Takeovers and Title Takeovers – with Samsung Electronics Australia debuting the formats for its Galaxy S26 launch. Thematic Takeovers grant advertisers 100% share of voice across a chosen genre,...
Australian broadcaster SBS has secured a new multi‑year deal to expand its cycling portfolio, adding the Giro d’Italia Women and the Il Lombardia classic to its lineup through 2028. The agreement now gives SBS rights to every Grand Tour and Monument...
Nine Radio will rebrand as Tapt Media once its $56 million sale to the Laundy Family Office closes at the end of April. The corporate name change leaves the flagship talkback stations—2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR—intact. CEO Tom Malone says "Tapt"...
AppLovin Corporation announced a strategic partnership with Stagwell on March 10, integrating its AI‑driven mobile advertising platform, Axon, into Stagwell’s media services. Axon reaches more than 1 billion daily users across mobile apps and connected TVs, giving Stagwell clients access to a...
The pending shutdown of CBS Radio News has sparked a call to re‑evaluate radio’s role in America. John Caracciolo, CEO of JVC Broadcasting, argues that the decision was driven by accounting concerns rather than audience demand, exposing a disconnect between...
In a weekly Q&A, Disney+ hosts answer community questions about the platform’s future, including its ambition to become Disney’s digital centrepiece. They discuss potential deeper integration of ESPN content, the strategic shift of Disney’s gaming division toward broader entertainment, and...
went deep on artist royalties, AI music, @spotifyforartists features, and the streaming business with @andrew.southworth & @mypoint4cents. covered a lot of complex and important topics in the hour (but hopefully didn't make the expression in the thumbnail for more than...
#Searchlight might regret moving R-rated horror sequel #ReadyOrNot2 up a week, as it debuts out of Top3 at US #BoxOffice under Indian sensation #Dhurandhar2! #ReadyOrNot2HereICome grossed 9.1M on 3-day Opening weekend, slightly #ReadyOrNot’s 8M 3-day weekend, but below the previous...
Universal Orlando announced the 2026 Halloween Horror Nights theme, “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares,” marking the event’s 35th anniversary. The new storyline reunites iconic villains Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow in a joint haunted house, aiming to boost attendance and...
The stream rate would be the same. The main economic advantage of having a hit is that the band's fixed and overhead costs would be allocated over a greater number of streams, clawing some revenue back. Also when...
BOX OFFICE: #ProjectHailMary crushes w/ an $80M opening (domestic). That is: - The best ever March opening for a non-franchise movie - 2nd best ever opening for a non-franchise movie (behind OPPENHEIMER) - Best opening ever for Amazon/MGM - Best ever for Lord and...
College athletic departments are transforming into full‑scale media enterprises, investing heavily in studios, podcasts, and digital studios to produce 24/7 content. Clemson’s 12,000‑square‑foot CAB facility operates as a profit‑center under Clemson Ventures, generating millions through licensing and branded partnerships. LSU’s...
YouTube creators can now upload thumbnails up to 50MB (up from 2MB), enabling higher-resolution images with less compression. 🎨 As the first impression of a video, higher-quality thumbnails can drive more clicks and improve overall performance. This is especially important for...
I’m showing my members how tracks need to be edited before pitching to music publishers for sync opportunities A lot of music producers skip this part because its boring...but it pays Want to get better at this? ↓
How much does a songwriter like me get paid for a stream? Well it depends. Varies month to month and service to service. But the short story is... Each month you take 15.35% of the streaming service adjusted gross...
The CBS News radio operations would have been toast no matter who was running CBS News.
SINNERS at Universal City was one of the hardest tickets to get last spring with iMax ultimately extending that run for one more week because of that demand. Obviously it won’t touch Sinners second weekend dropoff but bodes well for...
Stellar box office: In a big win for Amazon MGM, PROJECT HAIL MARY blasts off with a massive $80.6 MILLION opening. It is only 1 of 3 non-sequel or franchise installments in the the past decade to open to $60M...
Amazon’s most ambitious movie to-date delivers the company’s biggest opening ever. A big boost to Amazon’s theatrical ambitions after 3 misses to start the year.
Box Office: Ryan Gosling’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ Scores Biggest Debut of Year With $80.5 Million, Sets Amazon MGM Record https://t.co/sf4HzrJ8Ks via @variety
Project Hail Mary opened to $80M domestic and $141M worldwide, per Amazon. Net budget a little less than $200M. Looks like this could be its first global Hollywood-style blockbuster after a decade of making original movies…. https://t.co/FNpnEsqWCB
From retooling the Sports Broadcasting Act to the migration of NFL games to streaming—a ton of sports media stories are winding their way through D.C. these days. Which is why I asked NAB president Curtis LeGeyt to join the pod...
-Premium large format movie screens -COSM -Sphere Unclear how many of these things there’s a market for but the trend is screens/experiences you can’t get at home.
