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
USA Today announced Jamie Stockwell as its new vice president of news, replacing the traditional editor‑in‑chief title. Stockwell, a former deputy managing editor at The Washington Post and former executive at The New York Times and Axios Local, will start on March 30. She said she will focus on meeting audiences where they are and driving newsroom innovation. The appointment comes as USA Today reports its first positive net income since the 2019 Gatehouse merger, despite a drop in digital‑only subscriptions.
Bad Bunny secured a federal court dismissal of a lawsuit alleging his track “Enséñame a Bailar” sampled Nigerian artist Dera’s 2019 song “Empty My Pocket.” Judge Otis Wright threw out the case with prejudice after the plaintiff failed to meet...
Fox Entertainment appointed veteran media executive Billy Parks to head its newly formed Fox Creator Studios division. The unit, launched at CES 2026, focuses on partnering with top digital creators to build cross‑platform franchises and monetize audience engagement. Parks, formerly...
Inspired Entertainment, Inc. reported an adjusted loss of $0.18 per share for Q4 2025, falling short of the $0.21 consensus estimate. The company generated $77.2 million in revenue during the quarter. INSE provides gaming technology and services to regulated lottery,...
Panama is positioning itself as a premier hub for international film co‑productions, highlighted at the Málaga Film Festival’s Latin American Focus. The government unveiled a new incentive offering $100,000 for fiction films and $25,000 for documentaries, with legislation pending to...
The Department of Justice settled its antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation with a $200 million payment and modest practice changes, allowing the company to retain Ticketmaster. The deal ends some exclusive venue bookings and requires a gradual phase‑out of exclusive ticketing...
David Schulhof’s MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF is launching the Amplify Music Investment Summit in New York on May 8. The event, co‑hosted with Mondo NYC, will feature a keynote with Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and panels on streaming, live...
Jagex announced a price increase for RuneScape subscriptions, raising the monthly fee from $14 to $15 and the annual fee from $99.48 to $131.88. The company also discontinued the six‑month membership option for new players, while existing six‑month plans will...
Stardock Entertainment announced an expansion of its publishing arm to support indie developers, pledging to sign only three titles per year. The company will provide marketing, community management, QA, technical support, and post‑release development assistance. It cites the flood of...
Cable One’s Sparklight brand has rolled out Sparklight Mobile, a prepaid wireless service available only to its broadband subscribers. The launch includes a limited‑time promotion that gives eligible customers one unlimited talk‑and‑text line free for twelve months. Three data tiers...
CBS Sports and TNT Sports announced that ad demand for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is "tremendous," though they withheld specific pricing or inventory numbers. Executives emphasized that live sports continue to cut through the clutter, driving revenue across...
Private investors are increasingly targeting music rights, creating demand that outstrips supply. Publicly traded music companies like Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Reservoir Media trade at significant discounts to the estimated value of their catalogs. The gap stems...
A viral Afro‑soul cover of Stromae’s 2013 hit *Papaoutai* has racked up nearly 80 million Spotify streams, yet it was created using generative AI. The track’s authorship is attributed to a Swedish musician, an unverified collaborator, and an indie label, none...
Snapper Music in London is hiring a full‑time Royalties Administrator to manage royalty calculations, statements, and payments for rights holders. The role offers an immediate start with comprehensive training and a hybrid work model after probation—four days in‑office and one...
Mega 94.3, a 3 kW Class A FM station serving Carrizo Springs and Crystal City, Texas, has been sold to a new owner. The transaction is pending FCC approval, which will determine the final transfer of the broadcast license. The deal underscores...
MusicInfra has partnered with independent publisher The Royalty Network to embed the latter’s 800,000‑track catalog into MusicInfra’s rights‑management platform. The integration taps YouTube’s Content Management System data to uncover unclaimed or under‑collected royalties caused by metadata gaps. By continuously analyzing...
Rapper Yeat was spotted at Nike’s Oregon headquarters working on new merchandise tied to his upcoming album “ADL.” He reviewed custom Air Force 1 sneakers that showcase his signature gothic “ADL” branding, as well as bespoke luggage and other apparel pieces....
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) will stage a live‑music rally in Times Square on March 11, coinciding with the second round of Sound Recording Labor Agreement talks with Sony, Universal, Hollywood Records and Warner. The union’s core demands focus...
Allen Media Group’s HBCU GO has forged a strategic partnership with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), linking the free‑streaming platform to the nation’s leading education advocate for underrepresented students. The collaboration will deliver cross‑platform programming that showcases academic, cultural,...
Bank of America, alongside undisclosed lenders, has arranged a leveraged loan to finance Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of TEGNA. The financing is intended to help Nexstar secure the deal that would make it the nation’s largest single owner of...
Amazon’s $200 million sci‑fi epic “Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling, opened to a near‑perfect 95 % Rotten Tomatoes score from 61 critics. The film adapts Andy Weir’s bestseller and aims to become Amazon’s first true blockbuster after earlier mixed results. Early box‑office forecasts...
Epic Games will reduce the V‑Bucks value of all real‑money bundles on March 19, dropping the standard $8.99 purchase from 1,000 to 800 V‑Bucks. The change also applies to larger bundles, while offering small cash‑back credits. Fortnite Crew, included in Xbox...
Reservoir Media announced a worldwide publishing‑administration agreement with Academy‑Award‑winning composer Hans Zimmer, giving the company control over his extensive catalog through Remote Control Publishing. Zimmer’s body of work spans more than 200 projects and has generated over $30 billion in global box‑office...
ProbablyMonsters announced three senior leadership hires—Jonathan Lander as CPO, David Reid as CMO, and Mark Subotnick as CPO—bringing deep publishing, marketing, and product expertise from Bethesda, Behaviour Interactive and internal studio roles. Kasedo Games appointed publishing veteran Timea Edvi to broaden...
Matthew Henick, SVP of Consumer Products at The Trade Desk, unveiled the Ventura Ecosystem – an OS‑level ad infrastructure designed to streamline the CTV supply chain. He argued that too many intermediaries erode OEM revenue and obscure transparency for advertisers....
Rare vinyl collectors spent more than $20,000 on high‑value records in February 2026, according to Discogs Marketplace data. The standout sale was Glenn Danzig’s ultra‑rare 1983 purple‑and‑black pressing of “Who Killed Marilyn?” which fetched $10,000, a first‑time listing on the platform....
Sinclair Broadcast Group is reviving a two‑hour local morning news slot on WACH‑57 in Columbia, South Carolina. The station had dropped its local program in March 2023 in favor of the national‑focused The National Desk. The reinstated show will air...
Blooloop’s first Business Confidence Pulse surveyed attraction leaders between December 2025 and January 2026, revealing a modestly positive outlook with an average confidence score of +0.8. Despite geopolitical tension and macro‑economic headwinds, 77% of respondents plan to increase or at least maintain capital...
TVB’s 2026 Purchase Funnel Study, commissioned by GfK/NIQ, confirms television remains the most influential medium across all stages of the consumer purchase journey. TV outperformed the nearest competitor, social media, by fivefold in driving awareness and led trust metrics, with...
Airwave announced an exclusive distribution, monetization and marketing partnership with The Really Very Crunchy Podcast, a rapidly growing show in the parenting category. The deal gives the comedy duo Jason and Emily Morrow full‑service network support to scale audience reach...
Gray Television, after merging with Raycom Media, now controls Savannah’s CBS affiliate WTOC‑11. A legal dispute could force Dish Network to block WTOC for its subscribers starting at 7 p.m. Eastern today. The station, a long‑standing ratings leader in Georgia’s Coastal...
BBC Studios has teamed with Bauer Media Audio to become the exclusive third‑party seller of its podcast advertising in seven European markets – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Slovakia and Portugal. The deal, executed through Bauer’s audioXi digital audio marketplace,...
The CNC’s 2026 advance‑on‑receipts program awarded pre‑sale financing to seven projects, spanning first‑ and second‑feature committees. Léa Fehner’s third feature *Isabelle* secured funding alongside animated titles like *Limbo* and co‑productions such as *La vie en rose*. The grants aim to...
Europa Distribution and CPH:DOX are co‑hosting a closed workshop for European documentary distributors from March 15‑18 in Copenhagen. The event will feature case studies of recent releases such as Riefenstahl, Whispers in the Woods, and Gaucho Gaucho, focusing on audience...
Meta announced today that it will begin applying "location fees" to ads run in countries that charge digital service taxes (DST) on digitally fulfilled ads. Those countries are: Austria: 5% France: 3% Italy: 3% Turkey: 5% UK: 2% Notably, automated campaign budget allocation logic will not take...
Speculative ticketing—selling tickets before the seller actually possesses them—has long plagued resale platforms, inflating prices and creating false scarcity. The practice was highlighted in a recent Capitol Hill hearing featuring Kid Rock, underscoring consumer frustration. California’s Assembly Bill 1349 proposes...
In 2025 three foreign distributors—Empire, Universal Music Group and Sony—dominated Nigeria's streaming market, accounting for 68% of total Spotify volume. Empire led with 1.2 billion streams (32.9% share), followed by Universal at 21% and Sony at 14%. The dominance highlights Nigeria's...
Encore Canada has rolled out its Presentation Stage service to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, adding full‑scale studio facilities across three key Canadian markets. The expansion delivers a unified, broadcast‑grade environment with cameras, lighting grids, green‑screen and LED wall options, plus...
■ @ATT CEO Desroches Sees Strong Growth Ahead for FWA ■ @RepGuthrie, @FrankPallone Write @POTUS Trump Concerned about China’s Telecom Influence ■ @NCTAitv Leader Wants to Avoid 50-State AI Regulatory Regime ■ IBT Official Disputes ACLP’s BEAD Location Count ■ City of Norway,...
Scoop: Nielsen's Gracenote sues OpenAI for copyright infringement —Lawsuit is unique because it alleges not just that OpenAI stole its metadata, but that it also stole the proprietary sequence/structure that organizes that data & makes it useful @axios https://t.co/eeupqVybEE
Woof Studios Africa has launched the ECHO accelerator, branding it as the “Harvard of the Creator Economy.” The program features a high‑profile faculty that includes Tayo Aina, Tomike Adeoye, Dammy Twitch, Ruth Kadiri and other African digital leaders. It aims to transform creators into...
In a recent video, I asked if Philo pushed it too far with its $33/month price. Now, the service has brought back a $25/month plan + free trial. The cheaper plan has no additional apps. Smart move. Here is my...
Can confirm Pokopia is a hit for Nintendo (& Koei Tecmo + Game Freak) Sold out at retail (retailers underestimated demand), record digital sales uptake, visible boost to Switch 2 hardware sales at retailers. Looks like the system seller they needed...
Whalar Group Launches Lighthouse Studios to Build a TV-Like Schedule of Creator Content, Sets Joint Venture With Cole Bennett’s Lyrical Lemonade https://t.co/V4y1XtspOC via @variety
After Viral Timothée Chalamet Town Hall, CNN and Variety to Partner Again on Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show https://t.co/Wa14dUYbni
2026 box office is 27% below pre-pandemic 2019 with attendence (butts in seats) down well over 50% https://t.co/Ad0ElorHUv
Disney is betting on ESPN's Omar Raja to keep NBA fans tuned in to ABC as its Oscars red-carpet coverage starts, part of the company's growing focus on managing audiences around live telecasts.... https://t.co/ngxhWMK75a
Amusement Parks are now marketing based on underlying mechanisms: (In theory no different than “Fun Land” or whatever but something feels off about this) https://t.co/oPrDxbJNLS https://t.co/qCYQVtjC4M
New @axios: State AGs becoming bigger media antitrust cops: 🎸EVENTS: 27 states +DC still suing to break up Live Nation/Ticketmaster 📺LOCAL TV: State AGs considering lawsuit to block Nexstar-Tegna 📽️HOLLYWOOD: Cali state AG is vocal about concerns re: WBD/Paramount https://t.co/rXMsHy4JxJ
Sean Hannity says he's taking a different tack on his new podcast, which will make one of Fox News' truly signature personalities available to consumers off its traditional subscription-based platforms.... https://t.co/y28oaycPhx via @variety
