Blavity Media Group Shutting Down 21Ninety, Home & Texture Brands
Blavity Media Group announced it will shut down its 21Ninety lifestyle site for Black women and the Home & Texture home‑ownership platform. The decision follows a steep traffic decline that the company attributes to Google’s AI‑driven search changes and social‑media platforms throttling external links. The restructuring leaves Blavity News, Travel Noire and AfroTech untouched, while freelancers from the closed brands were laid off. The move highlights growing digital headwinds for niche, Black‑focused media outlets.
United Airlines And Boeing Paid For The Transportation Secretary’s New Reality Show
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family will star in a YouTube reality series, "The Great American Road Trip," funded by major transportation firms including United Airlines, Boeing, and Toyota through a nonprofit. The series, timed for the nation’s...
Unlock Growth with a Spotify Advertising Agency
Brands increasingly view Spotify as a core growth channel, with advertising revenue projected to hit $2.2 billion by 2027 and delivering five times higher ad recall than other platforms. However, the platform’s fragmented buying paths, ambiguous measurement, and internal priorities make...
News: March Madness Expansion, Russell Wilson, Nexstar and More
The sports media landscape is shifting as the NCAA finalizes a March Madness expansion, NFL streaming rights become a White House topic, and major broadcasters negotiate new deals. Disney says it hasn’t engaged the NFL on early renewal, while Comcast...
TV in 3: Sneaky Strategies Behind ‘The Bear’ Bonus, HBO ‘Harry Potter’ Plan
Lesley Goldberg’s column spotlights three distinct TV strategies: Fox is reviving a faith‑based series as part of a broader push to capture a niche audience, HBO is locking in a multi‑year deal to extend the Harry Potter franchise on its...
RocaNews to Launch Sports Video Vertical as YouTube Channel Thrives
RocaNews, the Gen Z‑focused media startup, is launching a dedicated sports video vertical after its flagship YouTube channel surged from 139,000 to over 780,000 subscribers in a year. The company, now profitable with revenue split between programmatic ads, sponsorships and...
Disney’s Josh D’Amaro Manifesto Translator
Josh D'Amaro, Disney’s new CEO, opened his first earnings call with a 3,000‑word manifesto championing artificial intelligence, a “One Disney” integration, and a super‑app vision. He highlighted double‑digit streaming profit growth, buoyed by releases like Avatar: Fire and Ash and Zootopia 2, while noting...
ICYMI: Instagram's Return to Long-Form Content (Yes, You Read That Right)
At the Scalable Summit, Instagram’s VP of Product Tessa Lyons revealed the platform is planning a major shift toward supporting long‑form creators, with new features expected within the next one to two years. Instagram is also piloting an “AI creator”...
AI Stole My Client’s Song — Then Its Version Went Viral.
An AI‑generated copy of Stick Figure’s "Angels Above Me," retitled "Run Run River," went viral on TikTok and quickly climbed to #2 on the global Shazam chart, generating millions of streams and substantial royalties. The AI version omits any credit...
Inside the Stream: Disney+ Will Have Central Role for Disney Fans
Disney reported its latest quarterly earnings and, without releasing subscriber counts, CEO Josh D’Amaro outlined a new strategy for Disney+. The streaming service will evolve into a central hub that connects content with theme‑park ticketing, merchandise, and interactive experiences, turning...
WSJ: Rupert Murdoch Spoke to White House About NFL Streaming Deals
Rupert Murdoch recently spoke with senior White House officials about the NFL's upcoming five‑game media rights package, which is attracting interest from both traditional broadcasters and streaming giants. The league is reportedly weighing a split that could see YouTube and...
Warner Says Linear Is A Millstone, Disney Says It’s Not; Vertical Short Form’s Next Play
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a 20% jump in streaming ad revenue and a rise in streaming EBITDA to $438 million, but its linear TV segment continued to erode, with global linear revenue down 8% and distribution revenue falling 7%. The decline...
10 Podcast Monetization Strategies for 2026
Podcasters are moving from single‑tactic ad sales to a multi‑layer monetization stack that blends sponsorships, programmatic buys, dynamic ad insertion, subscriptions, and strategic guest placements. Host‑read sponsorships command premium rates by leveraging the host’s credibility, while programmatic platforms provide scale...
Fox's Rupert Murdoch Lobbied Trump to Act over NFL Streaming Deals / Jersey Shore Will Live on, Creator Predicts /...
Rupert Murdoch met with President Trump in February to warn that allowing streaming services to acquire more NFL game rights could undermine traditional broadcast networks. Murdoch argued that a shift toward digital platforms would erode Fox's advertising revenue and audience...
Netflix Reportedly Closing in on Five-Game NFL Package, YouTube Could Wind up with ‘Nothing’
Netflix is reportedly close to securing a five‑game NFL package for the 2026 season, covering two Christmas matchups, the Week 1 Australia game, a Thanksgiving‑Eve contest and a Week 18 Saturday game. The deal would extend Netflix’s growing partnership with the league,...
Law & Order to Be Renewed by NBC for Season 26 After Finding Itself on the Bubble
NBC announced a renewal of the flagship procedural drama Law & Order for a 26th season, slated for the 2026‑27 broadcast year. The series, which has hovered on the renewal "bubble" amid modest ratings, secured the order after internal negotiations...
Prime Video Integrates Amazon MX Player to Create India’s Largest Streaming Destination with Free and Paid Content
Prime Video has fully integrated Amazon’s MX Player into its Indian streaming platform, merging free, ad‑supported content with its paid, ad‑free library. The move follows Amazon’s 2022 acquisition of MX Player assets and the launch of Amazon miniTV. Existing MX...
🎧 Disney’s Super App Era Arrives. What Does It Mean?
Disney’s earnings call revealed a strategic push toward a "super app" that bundles Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, park ticketing, merchandise and gaming into a single platform. New CEO Josh D’Amaro emphasized data‑driven personalization and cross‑selling to deepen subscriber engagement. The move...
Atari Buys Rights to RPG Classic Wizardry
Atari announced the acquisition of the Wizardry franchise, a seminal 1981 RPG that helped shape the genre. The rights were purchased from a consortium that previously held the IP after multiple ownership changes. The deal follows Atari’s successful 2024 remake...
A N.Y. Media Power Ranking & Fashion’s Week in Earnings
The Hollywood Reporter unveiled its 50 Most Powerful People in New York Media list, spotlighting fashion executive Sara Moonves as a new entrant among the city’s media elite. The ranking underscores the increasing overlap between fashion leadership and traditional media...
Ziff Davis’s Struggles Ongoing as M&A Questions Linger
Ziff Davis posted a modest revenue decline to $267.6 million and a sharp drop in operating income to $2.9 million, while net cash from operations rose 45% to $30 million. CEO Vivek Shah highlighted an AI‑centric product roadmap, off‑platform video growth and an...
More Netflix-NFL Footsie & Deal Extensionitis
The NFL is actively pursuing a new streaming partnership with Netflix as it eyes the next season’s rights package. Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly defended the move in a Vanity Fair interview, emphasizing Netflix’s distribution power. The league is also facing...
Informa TechTarget Losses Continue as Growth Inches Higher
Informa TechTarget posted Q1 revenue of $106 million, up 2.1% year‑over‑year, but its net loss deepened to $70.8 million, a 66.7% loss margin. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $7.4 million, reflecting operating leverage from cost efficiencies and revenue growth. The Brand‑to‑Demand segment grew 4.7%...
Dow Jones Revenue Higher as News Corp. Threatens ‘Baleful Bad-Boy Bots’ Stealing Content
Dow Jones posted $619 million in revenue for the latest quarter, an 8% year‑over‑year increase driven by strong growth in Risk & Compliance, Energy and digital advertising. Total subscriptions climbed 7% to over 6.5 million, with digital‑only WSJ subscriptions up 11% to...
BuzzFeed (Still Exists) Missed a Debt Payment, Could Default
BuzzFeed missed a $5 million debt payment and secured an extension until May 18. Lenders waived existing defaults but added a covenant requiring at least $7.5 million in liquidity and directing proceeds from asset sales or equity issuances to debt repayment. Failure to...
People Inc. Is Partnering With the Wrong Part Of The CPG Marketplace
People Inc. is betting on an "INVERSION" strategy that partners with consumer‑packaged‑goods (CPG) firms to co‑create and own branded products, rather than licensing its media brands. The essay argues the plan is vulnerable to platform‑driven competition from Meta, Google and...
Disney Bets on AI -- and the Backlash Against It
Disney announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI to license its characters for the AI video app Sora, positioning generative AI as a long‑term strategic opportunity. However, OpenAI abruptly shut down Sora in March, prompting Disney to suspend the planned investment....
Kanye West Testifies in Sample Dispute: Insists He’s “Very Generous” To Musical Collaborators
Kanye West testified in a Los Angeles copyright trial, asserting that his team follows a standard sample‑clearance process and that he is "very generous" to collaborators. The case centers on alleged unauthorized use of the track “MSD PT2” in early...
Flood at the Gate: AI Slop, Streaming Fraud, and the Collapse of the “39-Step” Mechanical Royalty at the CRB
AI‑generated music now dominates streaming uploads, with Deezer reporting 44 % of new tracks created by generative models and 85 % of their streams flagged as fraudulent. This flood threatens the royalty pool that funds human songwriters, as bots and synthetic engagement...
Answering Questions From MIDiA’s "The State of AI and Music" Webinar
MIDiA’s recent webinar on AI and music sparked 57 attendee questions, prompting a follow‑up Q&A that tackles fake‑artist recommendations, the rise of the consumer‑creator, and geographic differences in AI adoption. The firm warns that platforms like Spotify must prioritize artist...
NAB Show 2026 Moves Toward Broadcast, but Cinema Products Still Excite
The NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas signaled a clear pivot from cinema‑centric exhibits to a broadcast‑focused agenda, emphasizing live production, sports, and content creation. Vendors trimmed footprints, with many opting for smaller sponsorships in the Cine Central program, while...
If Wishes Could Kill Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date
*If Wishes Could Kill* has surged to the top of Netflix’s non‑English chart, logging 7.5 million weekly views and ranking #1 in 24 countries. The Korean YA horror mystery blends supernatural scares with high‑school drama across eight episodes. While the series...
Hypebot's Bottom Line: A Roundup Of News That Matters To Musicians
The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing to raise standard registration fees from $65 to $125, effectively doubling the cost for independent musicians. AI music startup Suno has acquired Songkick’s concert‑tracking data, giving the controversial firm deep insight into fan behavior....
People Want to Watch Your Film. Now Go Find Them.
Ian Tarbert, a veteran indie film marketer, shared a behavior‑first framework for getting movies in front of audiences. He stresses budgeting P&A from day one and tailoring spend to a film’s scale, whether that’s a $250 micro‑campaign or a $250,000...
"Etty" (Les Films Du Poisson): Arte's New Series Hits Cinemas Before TV Broadcast
Arte’s upcoming flagship series "Etty," written by Israeli screenwriter Hagai Levi, has secured CNC approval for a limited theatrical run before its television debut. The co‑production with Les Films du Poisson will see the show screened in cinemas this spring,...
A Production Level "Never Seen in Football": Philippe Bony (M6 Group) Details the World Cup Broadcast Setup
Philippe Bony, senior technical director at France's M6 Group, revealed the production architecture for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The plan hinges on a distributed, cloud‑native workflow that...
Relations Between Distributors and Exhibitors: Why Are Tensions Rising?
A leaked internal email, first reported by Le Monde, has highlighted growing friction between film distributors and theatrical exhibitors. The correspondence reveals disputes over shrinking theatrical windows, revenue‑share formulas, and the impact of streaming platforms on traditional box‑office earnings. Industry...
Product Placement in Unscripted Programs: A Growing Debate
Product placement remains prohibited in all French television formats except cinematic works, audiovisual fiction, and music videos. On April 30, Jérôme Caza, a producer at 2P2L and president of the Syndicate of Producers and Creators of Audiovisual Programs (SPECT), published...
Can Creators Drive the Next Wave of Media Subscriptions?
Legacy newsrooms are turning to social creators to broaden reach and spark subscriptions. The City partnered with TikTok‑and‑Instagram comedian Gerrie Lim, lifting average video views by 115% and exposing 83% of viewers to a new audience. Reuters Institute data shows...
🌊 How Ted Turner Made the News
Ted Turner transformed a struggling billboard empire into a media powerhouse by buying a failing Atlanta TV station in 1970 and leveraging satellite technology. His acquisition of the Atlanta Braves for $500,000 provided exclusive sports content that fueled the Turner...
The Truth About State Farm
State Farm spent $1.139 billion on advertising in 2025, including a Super Bowl spot that pits the insurer against a fictional rival. A California Department of Insurance (CDI) enforcement action this week found the company mishandled more than half of 220...
DAZN’s ViewLift Bet Is A Play To Control Local TV’s Post-RSN Future
DAZN has acquired streaming platform ViewLift for $100 million, turning the company into a full‑stack provider for local sports distribution. The deal equips DAZN with technology to build, bill and stream team‑specific services, offering a single‑vendor alternative to the fragmented post‑RSN...
Saudis Will Not Divest in TKO Partnerships Amid LIV Golf Pullout
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed it will maintain its financial commitments to TKO Group, the owner of UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing, despite withdrawing funding from LIV Golf after the 2026 season. TKO President Mark Shapiro reassured investors that...
Meghan Uses Archie’s Birthday to Sell Candles That Smell Like Him
Meghan Markle posted two Instagram photos to celebrate Archie’s seventh birthday while promoting her As Ever Mother’s Day candle line that claims to capture his scent. The candles are marketed as a limited‑edition “Archie‑scented” fragrance, tying a personal family milestone...
How to Build a Viral Faceless Facebook Page in 30 Days (2026 Guide)
The 2026 guide outlines a step‑by‑step 30‑day plan to launch a faceless Facebook page that can go viral without ever showing a face. It leverages Facebook’s evolution into a content discovery engine, emphasizing Reels, saves, and early comment engagement as...
NBA First-Round Viewership Makes Expected Jump as Broadcast Exposure Pays Dividends
The NBA’s first‑round playoffs averaged 4.0 million viewers, a 22% jump from the prior year and the highest‑rated opening round since 1993. NBC’s new partnership delivered 15 broadcast games that averaged 5.5 million viewers, up 61% year‑over‑year, highlighted by a Game 7 between...
James Murdoch’s School of Hard Vox
James Murdoch is close to finalizing a deal with Jim Bankoff to acquire New York magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network for well over $300 million. The acquisition would combine a premium print title with a fast‑growing audio portfolio, creating a...
Fox Orders Highway to Heaven Reboot From Jason Katims
Fox has ordered a reboot of the classic NBC series "Highway to Heaven," with acclaimed creator Jason Katims attached to helm the project. The new version will be produced in partnership with Amblin Television and is slated for a 2027...
Ted Turner Forever Changed the Way We Consume Sports
In 1976 Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves and, a year later, began broadcasting their games on his fledgling Turner Broadcasting System. By turning the team into a national “superstation” on TBS, he gave fans across the United States regular...
Musk Defends Tweets that Allegedly Tanked Twitter Stock Before Buyout
Elon Musk took the stand in federal court to defend his conduct during the 2022 acquisition of Twitter, now X. Shareholders allege he deliberately depressed the stock price by inflating the platform’s bot count, violating securities laws. The lawsuit focuses...