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
Ticketek Entertainment Group (TEG) has appointed Greg Segal as Managing Director of Sponsorship & Premium Experiences. Segal arrives with over 30 years in brand partnerships, most recently leading a 50‑person team at Live Nation Entertainment ANZ. He will build TEG’s new Sponsorship & Premium Experiences unit to embed brands across sport, music and live entertainment using data and digital insights. The announcement coincides with the departure of Simon Cahill, who helped launch SXSW Sydney.
Jagex announced a sweeping overhaul of RuneScape’s Premier Membership, beginning with the closure of the Loyalty Store in April and the removal of several micro‑transaction perks such as Auras, unlimited free bosses, Monthly Drops, Premier Tokens, and the Premier Chat...
#IMAX execs in party mode: ALL TIME RECORD 1.28B grossed in IMAX screens at Global #BoxOffice in 2025, beating 2019’s previous 1.1B record, and up +40% from 2024. Top #IMAX 2025 grossers: 1 #NeZha2 2 #AvatarFireAndAsh 3 #F1 4 #DemonSlayerInfinityCastle What’s more: 2026 is expected to be...
The E.W. Scripps Co. posted Q4 2025 revenue that topped consensus estimates, driven by tighter expense discipline and lower restructuring costs. Despite the top‑line beat, the company recorded a net loss, with local‑media advertising revenue falling sharply. Scripps has delayed...
Paramount Pictures has raised its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to $31 a share, reigniting a potential takeover of the studio’s film, TV and streaming assets, including HBO Max. The board has not dismissed the offer, leaving the door open...
Google announced the acquisition of ProducerAI, the former Riffusion, to boost its AI‑driven music generation suite. The platform, already integrated with Google’s Lyria 3 model and Gemini AI, will let Google Labs users create full songs and lyrics from text prompts...
Paramount+ reported 79 million direct‑to‑consumer subscribers at the end of Q4 2025, a decline of 100,000 from the September count. Quarterly revenue jumped 17% to $1.84 billion, while DTC revenue edged up to $2.21 billion. The DTC operating loss narrowed dramatically by 45%...
Sinclair Inc. posted fourth‑quarter 2025 revenue of $836 million, a 17% decline year‑over‑year, driven by weaker political advertising after the 2024 election cycle. Core advertising revenue, however, jumped 14% to $354 million, underscoring demand for live sports and resilient local ad inventory....
Paramount Skydance reported fourth‑quarter revenue of $8.14 billion, a 2% increase year‑over‑year, but posted a $339 million operating loss. Direct‑to‑consumer revenue rose 10% while Paramount+ grew 17% to $1.8 billion and 78.9 million subscribers. CEO David Ellison framed a potential merger with Warner Bros. Discovery as...
Retail data is now the backbone of outcome‑based CTV audiences, allowing brands to target known, competitive or lapsed shoppers on premium video platforms. Kroger Precision Marketing reports that campaigns built on its grocery‑derived audiences generate a median 5% lift in...
Sony AI is advancing AI‑generated music detection through three research strands: attribution via an "unlearning" technique that isolates training songs influencing a generated track, segment‑level recognition with CLEWS that matches musical snippets as short as ten seconds, and protection using...
New West Broadcasting, operating six stations on Hawaii’s Big Island, has upgraded its transmission and remote broadcast infrastructure with Tieline’s suite of IP codecs and management tools. The company now uses Bridge‑IT, Gateway, ViA, and MPX codecs, complemented by a...
Vancouver‑based Mainframe Studios has teamed up with franchise‑management firm Cookbook Media to create an integrated commercial and business‑development engine for its original IP and work‑for‑hire slate. The partnership will drive new production partnerships, global distribution, licensing, merchandising and digital extensions,...
#Apple really loved this life of releasing awards contenders, as the Big Tech giant won the bidding war beating 5 studios over the untitled #LanceArmstrong sport biopic, starring #AustinButler playing the cyclist & directed by #EdwardBerger, responsible for #Conclave &...
Paramount+ subscribers rose 1 million to 78.9 mil in the 3 months ended Dec 31, '25. the parent, Paramount Skydance is set to have its earnings call shortly
The 2026 Ambies crowned Wisecrack as Podcast of the Year while industry data showed podcasts overtaking AM/FM radio for the first time, capturing 40% of U.S. spoken‑word listening. Research from Triton Digital and Cumulus Media reveals 80% of monthly listeners...
The difficult thing is managing the reality that all these companies need to become much smaller to reflect new reality + sell-offs need to happen before expansion. But self-fulfilling profit wheel that allowed for mega co's isn't coming back to...
Formula One has shifted its U.S. broadcast rights from ESPN to Apple, securing a $140 million per‑year deal that eclipses ESPN’s $80‑90 million payments. CEO Stefano Domenicali argues the Apple partnership will ultimately reach a larger audience, especially among cord‑never viewers, by...
Mayra Berenice has been hired to host the afternoon drive slot on Lotus Communications' 980 La Mera Mera in Los Angeles. The move is part of Lotus's broader effort to staff every major daypart with live, local on‑air talent. The station also added...
TAG Video Systems announced a suite of new capabilities for its IP‑native Realtime Media Platform at NAB 2026, aimed at consolidating broadcast monitoring tools into a single interface. The rollout includes the Lens visual‑service health analyzer, expanded QC Station colour and...
Nexstar Media Group announced layoffs of longtime KTLA anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker, along with veteran meteorologist Mark Kriski, as part of a company‑wide cost‑reduction drive. The cuts extend to other major‑market stations such as Chicago’s WGN and New York’s WPIX, reflecting...
Samsung has partnered with Gracenote, Nielsen’s content‑data unit, to embed its extensive entertainment metadata into Samsung Smart TV’s AI stack. The collaboration will power large‑language‑model (LLM) driven search, enabling conversational queries that surface TV shows, movies and sports more intuitively....
The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a 2023 ruling that granted BMI a 138% increase in live‑concert licensing fees, deeming the 0.5% of gross revenue rate unreasonable. The court found BMI’s inclusion of secondary‑ticket sales, VIP packages, and...
GameSquare (NASDAQ: GAME) has been announced as the title sponsor of EsportsNext 2026, the premier esports trade conference scheduled for April 29‑30 in Fort Worth, Texas. The two‑day event will convene senior executives, investors, and brand leaders to discuss industry trends...
Fernando Szew, president of FOX Entertainment Studios, highlighted the studio’s core strength: marrying creative ambition with disciplined business practices while leveraging FOX’s distribution network. He outlined a talent‑first strategy that includes first‑look deals with established stars and emerging digital creators,...
Audiences love sports, but the cost of sports rights are getting out of control. How can streaming platforms ever hope to generate an ROI? By building the perfect post-game library funnel. My latest for @observer https://t.co/UNOXVWp3wA
SoaR Gaming, founded in 2011 as a Call of Duty trick‑shot collective, grew into a multi‑title esports organization before being acquired in 2019. After the purchase, the new ownership divested all competitive rosters, exiting esports entirely. The company redirected resources...
The Channel Store has become the first technology provider to launch four free‑ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Prime Video in Spain. The channels—Anime Visión, Anime Visión Classics, Cines Verdi TV and Cine Feel Good Verdi TV—were technically integrated in...
Avid has appointed Kenna Hilburn as chief product officer and is rolling out Avid Content Core, a cloud‑native platform that links existing broadcast and digital tools for hybrid media teams. The company is embedding AI selectively to automate transcription, search...
2026 marks a turning point as a wave of regulations—DMCCA, the EU Digital Services Act, the upcoming Digital Fairness Act, the AI Act and others—target core game mechanics. Dark‑pattern practices, UI prompts, loot‑box disclosures, virtual‑currency pricing and player‑generated communication are...
Wall Street making a bet against Netflix purchase of Warner >>>>Netflix Stock Has Best Day In Over A Year After Paramount's New Warner Bros. Bid $NLFXhttps://www.investors.com/news/netflix-paramount-skydance-warner-bros-bid-offer/
Deborah Kaufmann, a former senior vice president of literary affairs at Legendary, has been appointed chief of global content at Sipur Studios. The newly created role tasks her with steering worldwide content development and creative leadership. During her decade at...
United Talent Agency announced a comprehensive representation deal with Grammy‑winning Puerto Rican artist Residente. The deal covers all entertainment areas and includes his newly formed production company, 1868 Studios, which partners with Sony Music Latin‑Iberia and Sony Music Vision. Residente,...
WB really told their marketing team to FINISH HIM and so they did deliver an epic poster of #MortalKombat2, ahead of its trailer debut this weekend, confirming that it has #IMAX locked for its debut. #MortalKombatII debuts this SUMMER on MAY...
The Lighthouse, a creator‑economy co‑working campus, opened in a renovated Venice post office and a larger Brooklyn location, offering podcast studios, edit bays, and communal spaces. With a $6,000 annual membership, it caps membership at 500 and provides credits for...
Tickets for the PGL Major Singapore 2026, scheduled Dec 10‑13 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, were released on Feb 25 and have drawn sharp criticism for steep pricing. Single‑day tickets start at $144 and rise to $369 for the final day,...
Helika and Avalanche are co‑hosting a joint Accelerator Demo Day at Pocket Gamer Connects in San Francisco on March 9, 2026, concluding a 12‑week program that equips game studios with funding, mentorship, and Helika’s data‑driven publishing support. The event will debut Helika’s AI‑powered...
Netflix confirmed that the complete series of *Mike & Molly* will debut in the United States on March 26, 2026, pushing back the original February 20 launch. All six seasons, totaling 127 episodes, are arriving after a brief hiatus following their removal from...
Hal & Harper, the Mark Ruffalo‑led drama that premiered on Australia’s Stan platform, is arriving in the UK on ITVX on 23 March. The series follows two siblings confronting childhood trauma while navigating adult life, and features Lili Reinhart, Cooper Raiff,...
Australian streaming service Stan has acquired the exclusive rights to the six‑part psychological thriller *Gone* for the Australian market. The series, created by George Kay – known for *Hijack* and *Lupin* – follows elite headmaster Michael Polly, played by David...
BCNEXXT has integrated live HLG‑based HDR playout into its cloud‑native Vipe platform, supporting UHD 2160p BT.2100 HLG ingest and output. The solution lets broadcasters run HDR and SDR streams side‑by‑side, especially for live sports, while minimizing cross‑conversion steps. Vipe’s architecture...
Questex now derives roughly 30% of its earnings from digital media extensions such as product catalogs, RFID lead tools and post‑show webinars. Industry leaders are split: some, like Events Venture Group’s Marco Giberti, argue digital revenue must climb to 10‑25%...
Baltimore Beat, a nonprofit news outlet, is introducing pay‑what‑you‑can advertising options. The tiered pricing lets mom‑and‑pop shops pay $50, brick‑and‑mortar stores $150, and larger investors $300 per ad. The paper, which distributes 20,000 free print copies twice a month and...
Sensor Tower’s State of Gaming 2026 report shows mobile game revenue barely budged, rising just 1% to $82 billion while downloads slipped. In contrast, PC and console revenue jumped 13%, driven by a surge in AA and AAA releases and a record‑breaking...
Paramount has renewed its pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery with a $31‑per‑share bid, reigniting a high‑stakes acquisition battle. Netflix, led by co‑CEO Ted Sarandos, is simultaneously courting investors and studios, arguing its own offer—already accepted in December—outperforms Paramount’s. The two...
Amazon Music Unlimited is offering new subscribers two free months of service through March 2, delivering a $23.98‑$25.98 discount. The standard rate is $11.99 per month for Prime members and $12.99 for non‑Prime users. The plan provides ad‑free on‑demand music, HD...
A recent Reviews.org survey reveals that nearly half of U.S. sports fans struggle to locate the right channel or streaming service for a specific game, and 53% have missed games because of subscription gaps. The study, based on 882 active...
Backyard Ventures announced an exclusive partnership with Jess A Couple Things, the pop‑culture comedy show hosted by Jessie Woo. The deal positions BV as the sole representative for premium brand collaborations across the show’s Instagram, YouTube, podcast and other social channels....
HBO and BBC have confirmed that the financial‑thriller series Industry will return for a fifth and final season, wrapping up the story that began in 2020. Season 4 concludes this Sunday, delivering the series’ penultimate arc before the planned ending. The...
Of course @Sportico has looked into the business of iconic sports photos. Like these 👇 https://t.co/eVU4bF19fz https://t.co/CVs0z4WVhp
