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
Fertitta Entertainment, the Houston Rockets’ owner, is in talks to acquire Caesars Entertainment, a $5 billion market‑cap casino operator. If the deal closes, conflict‑of‑interest rules would force Caesars to drop all Rockets betting lines from its online and brick‑and‑mortar sportsbooks, echoing a similar restriction Fertitta faced after selling Golden Nugget’s digital platform. The takeover rumor sent Caesars’ stock up 19%, though the company has struggled, with mobile market share lagging behind BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel. The earliest impact on betting menus would be the 2026‑27 NBA season.
Live Nation, along with other major live‑music firms, reported zero federal income tax for 2025 despite record revenues. The tax outcome stems from the 2025 One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which grants 100 % bonus depreciation on new venues, creating...
ARRI and HONOR have formed a strategic partnership to embed ARRI’s cinematic imaging principles into HONOR’s upcoming ROBOT smartphone. The collaboration will debut later in 2026, bringing professional colour science, highlight roll‑off, and depth cues to a consumer device. By...
Suno AI announced a $300 million annual revenue run‑rate backed by 2 million paying subscribers, averaging $150 per user and highlighting strong demand for its Premier tier that allows 2,000 songs per month. The platform’s rapid growth coincides with a surge in...
Bango’s new report, unveiled at Mobile World Congress, finds that 43% of U.S. consumers feel they are paying for unused subscriptions, driving demand for more flexible pricing. The survey shows strong interest in usage‑based billing, binge‑watch incentives, and cross‑platform credits....
Arknights: Endfield generated $46 million in its debut month, with iOS accounting for 61 % of revenue. Blizzard announced Overwatch Rush, a mobile‑first spinoff built by a team with deep mobile expertise. Turkey introduced a unified incentive framework to boost user‑acquisition funding for...
Hispanic consumers now make up roughly a quarter of U.S. adults under 30 and wield $2.6‑$2.7 trillion in buying power, driving over 70% of the nation’s population growth between 2022‑2023. Despite this scale, they receive only about four cents of every...
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports have renewed their media‑rights agreement through 2033. The extension secures broadcast of the Ryder Cup, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and PGA Professional Championship on NBC, Peacock, USA Network...
Netflix UK has assembled a dedicated commissioning team for live unscripted programming, headed by longtime Netflix executive Daisy Lilley. The unit added Claire Horton, known for The Masked Singer UK, on a fixed‑term contract and will oversee upcoming live events...
Paradox is marking the 11th anniversary of Cities: Skylines with a free Steam weekend, series‑wide discounts, and a new Race Day expansion launching March 10. The original game also receives a free patch adding roadside fences and an Employment Info View, while...
Polus Capital Management has purchased a 26.54 percent stake in Arqiva from Macquarie, becoming the company’s largest external shareholder. Polus, which manages roughly $14 billion in assets, highlighted Arqiva’s role in the UK’s national communications backbone and its stable, sustainable growth trajectory....
Greg Flanagan has been appointed Head of Client Services at UK ticketing agency Gigantic, a senior role created to reinforce the firm’s service offering as its client base expands. Flanagan arrives with more than two decades of ticketing experience, most...
John Oliver mocked Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that outbid Netflix after the streaming giant raised its offer to $31 per share. The merger creates a media powerhouse combining Paramount’s film and TV assets with Warner’s extensive library...
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have launched the Partner with Australia (UK) initiative, offering up to $10,000 travel grants to up to 20 Australian production companies and 10 writer‑creators. The three‑day program will take place in London from 16‑18 June 2026...
At the 32nd Annual Actor Awards, SAG‑AFTRA President Sean Astin announced that union leaders have returned to negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) after a brief hiatus. The talks, which began on February 9, focus primarily...
Modern film productions increasingly span multiple states to chase tax incentives and unique locations, making vehicle logistics a core pre‑production function. Car shipping estimates are secured early, often before shooting schedules lock, to guarantee that hero vehicles arrive within narrow...
Xicoia, the AI talent studio founded by Particle6 CEO Eline van der Velden, has hired former Prime Video executive Mark Whelan as Head of Strategy and Operations. Whelan will partner with Van der Velden to accelerate the growth of AI...
SAG-AFTRA executive director Duncan Crabtree‑Ireland told TheWrap the union is still evaluating Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and will issue a formal verdict when the timing is right. The union’s media and labor‑economics team has been crunching data on each offer...
Dave & Buster's reported Q4 2025 revenue of $448 million, while comparable store sales fell 4% year‑over‑year but showed sequential improvement toward the quarter’s end. Adjusted EBITDA held at $59 million, delivering a 13% margin despite the sales dip, and operating cash...
Tracy Pitcher has been appointed President and CEO of the Women’s Interactive Communications Network (WICT), succeeding Maria Brennan after a 16‑year tenure. Pitcher joins from senior roles at Comcast, Charter, AT&T and Time Warner, most recently as SVP of Comcast...
Comcast reported Q4 2025 revenue growth of 1% as its six growth businesses delivered mid‑single‑digit gains, while adjusted EBITDA fell 10% and earnings per share dropped 12% amid heavy investment and new NBA content rights. Free cash flow reached $4.4 billion,...
EchoStar reported a loss of 168,000 pay‑TV subscribers in Q4 2026, an improvement over the 253,000 decline a year earlier, while its combined video base now contracts at a 10% organic rate. Video ARPU slipped 0.3% year‑over‑year, prompting analysts to argue...
Instagram is rolling out its creator‑focused tools to all public accounts, removing the previous requirement to switch to Professional Mode. The update adds the insights dashboard, content scheduling, and trending audio features for every user. More advanced options, such as...
CBS’s medical‑mystery drama *Watson* completed its second season after moving from a post‑AFC championship slot to Monday nights. Season 2 posted a 0.37 rating in the coveted 18‑49 demographic, matching its first‑season average of 5.16 million viewers. Fan‑submitted votes totalled 278, yielding...
The latest Disney+ Q&A tackled how Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery could shift the streaming hierarchy, examined new UK regulatory pressures, and addressed subscriber curiosity about adding live local channels. Host insights highlighted potential strategic pivots for Disney+, including...
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is launching a new weekly banner called Wednesday Night Sport Night, consolidating its flagship sports shows into a single midweek block. The lineup begins March 4 with PBR 2026 at 8:30 pm, followed by the 10th season...
MLS entered its fourth year with Apple TV, now offering matches to all Apple TV subscribers after dropping the $99 Season Pass. Executives remain divided: some criticize the contract length, scheduling and content quality, while others praise the broader reach....
Digital platforms have moved from a feature‑first race to a competition centered on credibility as functionality becomes commoditized. The erosion of trust—driven by fake reviews, AI‑generated content, and opaque policies—has made reliability a decisive differentiator. Regulated sectors such as finance...
Hollywood’s top producers weighed in on the $110 billion Paramount‑Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery during the PGA Awards. Jerry Bruckheimer highlighted potential job losses but praised David Ellison’s commitment to a high‑volume theatrical slate. Jason Blum called the deal an...
#AmazonMGM’s new crime thriller #Crime101 starring #ChrisHemsworth, #HalleBerry & #MarkRuffalo held well at US #BoxOffice, grossing 3.4M on 3rd 3-day weekend, just a -38.2% drop from last weekend, despite losing -554 theatres on FRI and facing #Scream7 (vs #TheBeekeeper’s 6.7M,...
Despite being received with as strong WOM as the original film, #Lionsgate’s faith-based sequel #ICanOnlyImagine2 definitely won’t have the same staying power at US #BoxOffice, after grossing just 3.1M on 2nd 3-day weekend, a harsh -60% drop from opening (vs...
AMC announced it will no longer screen the AI‑generated short “Thanksgiving Day” after a wave of online criticism. The film, which won the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival, was slated for a two‑week national run in AMC’s pre‑show...
No Role Modelz is now the 3rd most streamed 2014 song on Spotify. The song has became more and more valuable over time. It’s the type of song that catalog investors would love to own.
Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Speaks Out After Losing Warner Bros. Bid: Paramount Offers Were ‘Irrational,’ Relied on Political Pressure Because it’s ‘Cheaper to Make Noise’ https://t.co/lSMiTSgKnA
Alcohol consumption in the United States has slipped to just 54 percent of adults, a four‑point drop from 2024, prompting distilleries like Jim Beam and George Dickel to halt or scale back production. The decline is hitting Nashville’s long‑standing synergy between country...
Ted Sarandos to @Lucas_Shaw: "Once it was clear that we weren’t in the CNN business, it was a lot less interesting. He didn’t care that much more about our deal." https://t.co/0CAfEi37Ws
Ted Sarandos says Netflix knew it would pull out of the Warner Bros bidding as soon as it saw the final Paramount offer. We spent 40 minutes on Saturday discussing why Netflix didn’t match and what the Paramount deal means...
Xperi has expanded its DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal by adding 52 U.S. markets, marking the second growth phase since November. The platform now reaches roughly 14 million vehicles and incorporates data from over 3,000 additional stations, representing 162,000 new in‑vehicle listeners....
Top10 Highest Grossing Hollywood Films OF ALL TIME in #China’s #BoxOffice: #Zootopia2 657.8M #Endgame 632.1M #TheFateOfTheFurious 392.8M #Furious7 390.9M #InfinityWar 359.5M #TransformersAgeOfExtinction 301M #Aquaman 298M #Venom 269.2M #Avatar 262.1M #JurassicWorldFallenKingdom 261.2M
🧵I wrote in the @nytimes about why Hollywood isn’t relieved that Paramount rather than Netflix is poised to win Warner Bros: “After years of tumult-Covid, strikes, streamer wars, wildfires- Hollywood is exhausted, angry, resentful and anxious. https://t.co/alYpuAuAp0
A former senior writer at Sony Santa Monica disclosed via LinkedIn that the studio is developing a new franchise within the God of War universe. The hint suggests the upcoming title may introduce fresh characters and possibly a new mythological...
Want to know why consolidation keeps happening? People within industries just don’t see problems with it. A lot of the major Hollywood players are fine with the Paramount merger. https://t.co/lWXZRyUNqb
The PlayStation Store backend now lists title IDs for Grand Theft Auto 6, indicating that pre‑orders could go live soon. Rockstar continues to target a November 2026 launch while planning a major summer marketing push. The update follows months of silence,...
XGN Global and X1 Mobile have unveiled the world’s first commercial rugged smartphone capable of receiving 5G Broadcast television signals, targeting first‑responder use cases. The device delivers free, subscription‑free live video, audio and emergency alerts in under half a second,...
Gloria Victis, the low‑fantasy PvP MMORPG, is returning after a two‑year hiatus under new publisher Gamigo. The revived title will adopt a free‑to‑play model while pledging to avoid pay‑to‑win mechanics, emphasizing large‑scale, skill‑based combat and distinctive siege warfare. Originally launched...
Season 29 of NBC's *The Voice* returns with three veteran coaches—Adam Levine, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson—framed as a “Battle of Champions” featuring past winners. Nielsen data shows a 0.35 rating and 4.68 million viewers on Mondays, and a 0.25 rating...
Netflix withdrew its bid to raise the offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the path for Paramount Skydance to acquire the studio. The move followed a 30% drop in Netflix’s share price after the initial announcement and a 14% rally...
The NFL secured a ten‑percent equity stake in ESPN as part of a 2025 deal that gave the network control of the NFL Network, RedZone and fantasy assets. Regulators approved the transaction in roughly six months, accelerating integration ahead of...
Lionsgate (LION) jumped 9.09% to $9, extending a five‑day winning streak as investors positioned ahead of a scheduled business update. CFO Jimmy Barge will speak at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on March 4, where market participants expect guidance...
ESPN and the Horizon League have signed a new multi‑year, multi‑platform media rights agreement, extending a partnership that began in 1988. The deal keeps men’s semifinals, championship, six regular‑season men’s games and the women’s championship on ESPN’s linear networks, while...
