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
Unity co‑founder David Helgason stepped down from the board after more than two decades, trimming the board to nine members. Supercell’s CEO Ilkka Paananen issued an apology for overlooking content creators in Clash Royale’s 2025 resurgence, highlighting the growing influence of creator communities. Private equity firm Haveli is buying children’s games developer Budge Studios, while Mattel completed a $159 million purchase of NetEase’s 50 percent stake in Mattel163, gaining full control of the mobile‑gaming joint venture.
CyberConnect2 announced .hack//Z.E.R.O., an action RPG celebrating its 30th anniversary, slated for console release. The studio will self‑publish the title after receiving full consent from Bandai Namco, the IP owner. Set roughly ten years after the current in‑game timeline, the game...
Zara Larsson’s 2026 Midnight Sun Tour sold out every announced Australian date within minutes, prompting Live Nation to upgrade three shows to larger arena venues. Perth, Melbourne and Sydney concerts will move to RAC Arena, Rod Laver Arena and Qudos...
Research by Quantcast shows that in‑game advertising during the Six Nations boosted online engagement for brands but provoked strong negative sentiment among viewers. Samsung achieved a 13% engagement rise while Virgin Atlantic saw an 18% uplift, yet Samsung’s ads generated...
ZDF Studios has inked a multi‑year agreement with Hungary’s TV2 Group for more than 1,200 hours of drama, spanning free‑to‑air, pay‑TV and video‑on‑demand platforms. The catalogue blends German classics such as *The Black Forest Clinic* and *Derrick* with romantic TV...
Microsoft announced that four titles will leave Xbox Game Pass on February 28, 2026. The departing games are Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Injustice 2, Middle‑earth: Shadow of War, and Monster Train, all removed from console, PC, and cloud tiers. Until the removal date, each title will be offered with a...
ABC‑affiliated WXYZ‑TV in Detroit is partnering with ResilienX to pilot the ORION‑X platform for automated aerial newsgathering. The managed‑service model lets the station request live or recorded drone footage while ResilienX handles flight operations, regulatory compliance, and safety. Initial missions...
Japan’s premium subscription video‑on‑demand (SVoD) market reached $7.2 bn in 2025, a 15 % year‑on‑year increase, driven by ad‑supported tiers, telco bundles and a surge in local content and live‑sports offerings. The sector added four million net new subscribers, bringing total users...
The 2026 European Film Market was dominated by a pervasive focus on risk mitigation, with producers and financiers prioritising tax credits, long‑term rights structures and cross‑sector partnerships to hedge against uncertainty. At the same time, the market’s schedule has compressed,...
Mill Media announced it will only launch a new Leeds‑focused local newsletter once it secures 500 paying subscribers. Prospective readers can pledge for a month or a year and won’t be billed until the title goes live. The publisher, which...
iHeartMedia is moving its Spanish‑language "Rumba" brand from the primary 95.7 FM signal to two low‑power translators at 95.3 MHz and 102.9 MHz, swapping frequencies with its heritage sports talk station WDAE‑AM 620. The 95.7 FM frequency will now carry WDAE’s sports programming, bolstering its...
Arqiva, the UK's sole national digital terrestrial TV and radio infrastructure provider, faces financial uncertainty as major shareholders reassess their stakes. Macquarie has divested its 26.5% holding, while Digital 9 Infrastructure (DGI9) is reviewing its 51.8% share and may write off...
Dallas‑based agency Lerma has appointed Omar Quiñones as its first Chief Strategy Officer, completing a recent C‑suite expansion. Quiñones joins from Messianu/Edelman/Lerma, where he held the same role, and brings senior strategy experience from Anomaly, CP+B, and YETI. The hire...
European Broadcasting Union members are delivering record-breaking audiences for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Italy’s RAI saw a 4.9 million peak for alpine skiing, while Sweden’s SVT reached 60 percent of the national population. Germany’s ZDF averaged 3.3 million viewers with peaks over 6 million,...
An emerging debate questions whether the traditional "windowing" model applies when music is never streamed, as artists and unions push back against streaming platforms' royalty structures. Dr. David C. Lowery highlights growing concerns over AI‑generated music, opaque royalty calculations, and...
The idea that Casey Wasserman will make a massive payday selling his agency is disturbing. Agents and artists should leave and form something new before he profits from it. Also he shouldn’t be allowed to be involved with the Olympics
Why investors are concerned about price stability this year for Switch 2 and PS5 this year (+ why Steam's upcoming devices still have no price):
Westpac NZ, together with Saatchi & Saatchi NZ and Spark Foundry NZ, launched the immersive “Laneway Loot” experience at Laneway Festival 2026. The activation featured limited‑edition street posters that were ripped down and claimed within 24 hours, and a Westpac‑branded...
Ticketek Entertainment Group has appointed Brad Turcotte as senior vice president of country for its global touring arm, TEG Live. Based in a newly opened Nashville office, Turcotte will steer TEG Live's dedicated country touring brand across North America and...
Insomniac Games publicly denied that any Spider‑Man title will appear on Xbox, labeling an Xbox port as "not likely" in a recent X exchange. The developer reiterated Sony’s historic preference for keeping its Marvel‑powered Spider‑Man games as PlayStation exclusives, a...
NBA viewership surged entering the All-Star break, with linear TV partners driving the rebound. Average audience across NBCUniversal, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video hit 1.80 million, a 16% year‑over‑year rise and the strongest mid‑season average since 2018. NBC, returning to broadcast after...
At #AmazonMGM at least, #ChrisHemsworth is the best Chris over #ChrisPratt as R-rated crime thriller #Crime101 with #HalleBerry grossed 12M on its 5-day Opening overseas (vs #MERCY’s 11.6M) over 60 intl. markets. Allied to 15.1M debut at US #BoxOffice, the actioner...
In a weekly community Q&A, Disney addressed speculation about a future mega streaming bundle, explained the strategic benefits of its new partnership with Sky, and outlined why the company is promoting next year’s Super Bowl early. The discussion also covered...
Comparing YouTube views to Nielsen ratings is a mistake. YouTube’s views aren’t unique and only needs to be seen good a few seconds to count as a view. Nielsen measures unique concurrent viewers in an average minute. Apples and oranges.
Even YouTuber @markiplier had a nice #ValentinesDay at US #BoxOffice, after his own #MarkiplierStudios’ R-rated game adaptation #IronLung grosses STRONG 3.5M on 3rd 3-day weekend, just a -49.4% drop from last weekend (vs #ReturntoSilentHill’s 116k, -88.2%, #UntilDawn’s 2M, -49%, #ResidentEvil’s...
Broadcast television is undergoing a major upgrade as local stations adopt ATSC 3.0, the NextGen TV standard. The new IP‑native system promises clearer pictures, better sound, mobile reception, interactive features, and more robust emergency alerts. Broadcasters argue that this transition...
Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh shattered Live Nation’s North American pre‑sale record for a South Asian act, moving 130,000 tickets in just two days. The momentum includes sold‑out arena performances at Madison Square Garden, Rogers Centre and Chase Center. The sales...
Netflix has inked a multi‑year exclusive agreement with Japanese unscripted creator MEGUMI to develop a slate of original series. Her debut unscripted show, Badly in Love, quickly rose to No. 8 on the Global Weekly Top 10 (Non‑English Series) and topped Japan’s...
❌ Don't pay to submit for sync licensing opportunities. There are plenty of music libraries, music publishers and sync agents that'll listen to/audition music for free. They get paid when they get you paid. Here’s a list of sync libraries you can...
New: Warner Bros. is considering re-engaging with Paramount following its latest offer + pressure from some shareholders. WB still has a binding deal with Netflix, which would have the right to match any offer. Scoop with @MichelleF_Davis https://t.co/WLdpdeS0gc
DIRECTV is accelerating its hybrid bundle strategy by integrating on‑demand services such as Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max and the upcoming AMC+ into its live‑TV channel packages. The move follows Charter Communications’ 2023 precedent of bundling free Disney+ with Spectrum, and...
2026 distributors race at US #BoxOffice crosses 800M mark, Post-Covid record at same point thanks to strong #ValentinesDay,+7.9% over 2023, +8.2% over 2025! Distributors Top 5 YTD #20thCenturyStudios 193.8M (owned by $DIS) #Lionsgate 93.9M #Sony 86.2M #Disney 81.5M #A24 60.1M https://t.co/YEp2JgOXBq
Global #BoxOffice Top10 2026 releases ONLY #Cheburashka2 🇷🇺$78.4M #WutheringHeights 🇺🇸 76.8M #SendHelp 🇺🇸 72.1M #28YearsLaterTheBoneTemple 🇬🇧 56.6M #BackToThePast🇭🇰$53.8M #Mercy 🇺🇸 52.7M #IronLung 🇺🇸 46.5M #ReturntoSilentHill 🇺🇸 41.8M #GOAT 🇺🇸 41.6M #Primate 🇺🇸$40.7M https://t.co/LoyCWKHTUQ
Netflix will begin removing the historical drama *The Last Kingdom* from its library in 2026, starting in Canada on March 9, 2026, followed by the United States on December 9, 2026, and later in the UK, Australia and most of Europe on April 1, 2028. The...
Top10 Highest Grossing Hollywood Films OF ALL TIME in #China’s #BoxOffice: #Zootopia2 654.1M #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
WUTHERING HEIGHTS is coming in well below pre-release tracking, now projecting mid to high $30m domestic (WB spinning $40m) for the 4-day weekend. Most services projected it at about $50m, some thought it would blow past that.
Bytedance’s new AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, can recreate Disney, Marvel and Star Wars characters with photorealistic fidelity, prompting Disney to issue a cease‑and‑desist letter that calls the practice a “virtual smash‑and‑grab.” The tool is already flooding social media with short...
Paramount Sends ByteDance Cease-and-Desist Letter Over Seedance AI Videos, Alleging Intellectual Property Infringement https://t.co/GkVqyddoc8 via @variety
Sony’s GOAT scored a solid (especially for a non-Disney original toon) $7 million on Friday, as Amazon’s Crime 101 continued the curse of the Chris Hemsworth movie, and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die opened pretty well by Briarcliff standards....
The episode breaks down the latest box‑office numbers, highlighting Sony’s animated comedy GOAT’s strong $7.1 million Friday debut and projected $23‑$29 million weekend, while noting the modest performance of Crime 101 and the steady hold of titles like Don’t Die. It contextualizes GOAT’s success...
A softer-than-hoped opening day in North America will hopefully be of less consequence for ‘Wuthering Heights’ as overseas audiences, who consistently embrace big-deal erotic thrillers and dramas, pick up the slack in the coming weeks. Plus, a quick history on...
The episode breaks down the opening performance of Warner Bros.’ R‑rated romantic drama *Wuthering Heights* over the President’s Day/Valentine’s Day weekend, noting it will likely be 29% down from last year’s holiday frame and will capture only a fraction of...
BLAST has renewed its global partnership with Ubisoft to run Rainbow Six Siege esports through the 2028‑2029 season, extending the three‑year deal first signed in 2023. The agreement confirms major events for the 2026‑2027 circuit in Salt Lake City, Japan...
Small distributor #BriarcliffEntertainment’s sees muted reception to its R-rated comedic sci-fi #GoodLuckHaveFunDontDie, which debuted out of Top5 at US #BoxOffice after grossing 1.4M on FRI Opening Day over 1.610 theatres, including 450k THU Previews. With a 20M production price tag not even...
On the other hand, #A24 is also surfing the #Valentines bonanza at US #BoxOffice, as #HarryLighton’s astonishing steamy romance #PILLION, starring #AlexanderSkarsgård & #HarryMelling expanded from 4 to 24 theatres and grossing SEXY 119k on 2nd limited FRI, STRONG $4.9k...
SAG‑AFTRA wrapped up the first week of contract talks with the AMPTP under a mutually agreed media blackout, signaling a tentative but positive start. Both sides exchanged opening statements and refined initial proposals, laying groundwork for deeper bargaining next week....
#CharliXCX suffered friendly fire from… #CharliXCX? Despite expanding from 581 theatres to 1.119 going nationwide yesterday, the #BRAT singer was hit hard by #WutheringHeights’s arrival at US #BoxOffice, as festival darling mockumentary #TheMoment grossed just 126k on 3rd FRI,...
Paramount Pictures has hired former Justice Department antitrust official Rene Augustine as Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy. Augustine, who served under the Trump administration and led international antitrust matters, will report to Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim. The...
Charter Communications' Spectrum News has agreed to acquire New England Cable News (NECN) from NBC Universal, merging its Maine and Massachusetts newsrooms into a single operation called Spectrum News NECN. The rebranded channel will serve viewers across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,...
Scoop: @Disney today sent a cease and desist letter to @ByteDance over Seedance 2.0 for copyright infringement - Follows swift condemnation from Hollywood advocacy groups such as @motionpictures and Human Artistry Campaign - More on @axios https://t.co/0lpdhJs0GP
