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Informa TechTarget, the 2024 merger of Informa and TechTarget, reported full‑year revenue of $486.8 million and an adjusted EBITDA of $87.3 million for 2025, surpassing its $85 million guidance. The company projected 2026 adjusted EBITDA between $95 million and $100 million, signaling a return to top‑line growth. However, a $1 billion net loss, largely a $931.5 million non‑cash goodwill impairment, weighed on results. Shares jumped roughly 11 % in after‑hours trading as the firm outlined an AI‑driven strategy to leverage its data assets.
The Golden State Warriors posted their lowest‑rated ABC broadcast since 2002, drawing a 1.1 rating and 1.90 million viewers in a Curry‑less matchup against the Thunder. Historically a marquee NBA draw, the team’s viewership fell sharply when Stephen Curry missed his...
AI agents are being layered onto media analytics pipelines, promising automated insights for streaming publishers. However, a single erroneous data point—such as a telemetry delay—can poison the entire chain, turning a glitch into a strategic misstep. The risk is amplified...
Michael Brandvold and Dave Cool discuss superfans on the Music Biz Weekly podcast, highlighting their outsized role in streaming, ticket sales, and merchandise revenue. They explore methods to identify superfans using data analytics and direct engagement, and debate the balance...
Germany’s football federation announced a switch from long‑time kit partner Adidas to Nike, with the new deal valued at over €100 million annually—about twice Adidas’ previous contract. The move ends a partnership that supplied the iconic three‑stripe shirts for four World...
Premium CTV inventory, while more expensive, offers advertisers higher-quality audience engagement. Vevo, partnering with measurement firm Amplified, has produced rigorous attention data demonstrating that premium placements deliver longer view times and stronger brand recall. The partnership’s findings provide concrete evidence...
Bookwire, a leading ebook distributor, has announced a partnership with AI voice pioneer Eleven Labs to launch AI‑narrated audiobooks. The new titles will be streamed through Eleven Labs' Eleven Reader app and will initially support more than a dozen languages....
Netflix’s two flagship English‑language series are falling short of their own records. Stranger Things Season 5 has logged 132.7 million views after 77 days, 8 million fewer than Season 4’s 140.7 million, and cannot close the gap before the 91‑day window ends. Bridgerton Season 4 sits...
The author of the TRL Substack invites readers to suggest topics for future posts, ranging from query etiquette to industry deep‑dives. The invitation follows a popular piece on residencies that impressed agents, signaling a desire for more community‑driven content. Additionally,...
FOX Entertainment Studios has entered a development commitment with comedian Frankie Quiñones to create an untitled scripted comedy series, where he will co‑write and star. The deal underscores FOX’s push for bold, creator‑driven voices across its scripted and unscripted platforms....
Creator Camp, a digitally native media company, is reshaping film production by converting online creator followings into theatrical audiences. Its debut feature, *Two Sleepy People*, generated 2.5 times its production budget within a week, driven by an organic campaign that...
In early 2026 YouTube executed a massive purge of low‑quality AI‑generated channels, deleting over 4.7 billion views, 35 million subscribers and roughly $10 million in annual revenue. CEO Neal Mohan framed the move as a top priority to curb AI‑spam and restore value...
The creator economy is reshaping media as independent journalists, newsletter writers, podcasters and livestreamers build audiences that rival traditional outlets. Recognizing a structural gap, a group of creators launched the Journeyman Media Network (JMN), a creator‑owned collective that links independent...
College basketball rivalry matchups delivered strong ratings in the final weekend of the regular season. The UNC‑Duke game on ESPN attracted 3.43 million viewers, a 14 % increase and the third‑largest audience for the series since 2019. Michigan’s win over Michigan State...
Sega says it will not release standalone versions of the retro games hidden inside the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series because modern distribution costs are high and the market for individual classic titles is limited. The company embeds titles like Daytona...
Fox is embroiled in a cross‑border trademark dispute in Mexico after a football broadcast blackout, leading to injunctions and mounting contempt fines. The Ninth Circuit is hearing an appeal that could restore the NFL’s $4.7 billion Sunday Ticket penalty. Disney is...
UFC made its CBS debut with UFC 326, drawing an average of 2.47 million viewers across a two‑hour window that included prelims and portions of the main card. The one‑hour segment featuring the main card (excluding the main event) averaged 2.81 million...
Hiding Places, the Asheville‑born indie rock trio now based in Brooklyn, will release their new album *The Secret To Good Living* on 3 April via Keeled Scales. The record follows the spontaneous single “Holy Roller” and is previewed by two tracks,...
Starter Story began in 2017 as a side‑project blog interviewing founders and quickly grew into a bootstrapped media company. By leveraging detailed case studies, the platform amassed over 800,000 YouTube subscribers and generated millions in revenue through premium courses and...
The Ankler essay grades major studio owners' exits, using David Zaslav’s $30 billion payout as a focal point. The author proposes a ratio that balances personal profit against the health of the studio, employees, and audiences. By assigning letter grades to...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
The Munich Regional Court heard GEMA’s claim that Suno, a US‑based generative‑music AI, infringed German copyrights by using protected songs for training. The dispute revives the court’s earlier OpenAI ruling but shifts focus to musical arrangements and the cross‑border location...
Spain has emerged as Europe’s FAST (Free Ad‑Supported Streaming TV) leader, with 35% of adults using free streaming services each month. Omdia forecasts FAST revenues at $32 million in 2025, nearly doubling to $65 million by 2030. Local broadcasters such as RTVE...
NBC confirmed that “America’s Got Talent” has been renewed for a 21st season, slated to air in the summer of 2026. The show’s 20th season, which concluded in September, delivered a $1 million prize to the winner and featured returning host...
David Ellison has become Hollywood’s most aggressive acquirer, deploying billions to buy stakes in Skydance, the fledgling ParaBros venture and a potential partnership with WarnerMount. In just seven months he could control roughly one‑third of theatrical releases, and a proposed...
The NHL reported a roughly 30% jump in viewership this season, signaling a resurgence in hockey’s cultural relevance. Commissioner Gary Bettman praised the surge, emphasizing that sports content remains the most valuable media asset. He warned that the league faces...
Magnite senior VP Ryan Kenney says FAST is stabilizing but still faces performance gaps, especially around fill rates and transparency. Advertisers are shifting to contextual signals and first‑party data for inventory insight, moving away from traditional show‑level reporting. VOD inventory...
The U.S. Department of Justice and Live Nation announced a settlement that keeps Ticketmaster under Live Nation ownership, with a reported payout of $280 million—roughly four days of the company’s 2025 revenue. The deal includes structural changes but no explicit safeguards...
ESPN announced Monday that it has hired six former Washington Post sports reporters—Kent Babb, Kareem Copeland, Chuck Culpepper, Robert Klemko, Tom Schad and Ben Strauss—to bolster its Investigative, Enterprise and Digital Journalism Unit. The hires come shortly after The Athletic...
OpenPlay has launched Connect, an App Exchange that functions as a marketplace for music‑tech services. The platform lets labels, publishers and distributors browse and embed tools from partners such as Audioshake, BeatBread, Beatdapp, LyricFind, Muserk, Musixmatch and Pex. By acting...
Episode 57 of the Special Situations Report podcast discusses four headline stories. Salesforce announced a $50 billion stock buyback, the largest ever for the company. The show also covers a bidding war for Reservoir Media, insider sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, and Elliott...
Ari Emanuel’s TKO Group Holdings, created in 2023 by merging UFC and WWE, has rapidly expanded through $3.25 billion all‑stock acquisitions of IMG, On Location and Professional Bull Riders. The combined portfolio now reaches one billion households in 210 territories, stages...
DMG Media has introduced Stack, a B2B2C bundle that gives partners access to DailyMail+, The i Paper and New Scientist at heavily discounted rates. The seat‑based pricing starts at £2.99 per month for under 10,000 users and drops to £1.99...
A veteran film producer with 40 years experience warns that media consolidation and the dominance of global streaming platforms have erased traditional financing, distribution, and revenue models for independent cinema. Worldwide licensing deals have eliminated territorial sales, mid‑budget films have disappeared,...
Peacock has secured exclusive next‑day U.S. streaming rights for the British adaptation of Saturday Night Live, set to debut on Sky One and NOW on March 21 and arrive on Peacock on March 22. The show, produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio...
The British Film Institute reported that UK film and high‑end television production spend reached £6.8 billion in 2025, a 22 % year‑on‑year rise and the third‑largest annual total on record. Inward investment drove the surge, accounting for £5.8 billion (85 % of spend), while...
ESPN and the Southern Conference have signed a multi‑year media rights extension that will run through the 2031‑32 academic year, deepening a partnership that began over two decades ago. The deal guarantees a record slate of national linear broadcasts on...
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league will not centralize local broadcast rights like MLB and the NBA, allowing each club to choose its own distribution model. Teams may stay on regional sports networks, move to direct‑to‑consumer streams such as...
Paramount Global agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a $110 billion deal, one of the largest media mergers in recent memory. The transaction arrives amid slowing subscriber growth and rising content costs, prompting heightened scrutiny from U.S. federal, state and...
Indie filmmakers often blame poor scripts for funding failures, but the real culprit is a broken financial structure. Investors evaluate risk, recoupment probability, liquidity timeline, and market position within minutes, discarding projects that lack realistic budgets, clear audience targeting, solid...
Free online content is underpinned by affiliate marketing, where creators embed trackable links that generate commissions for purchases. Networks such as Awin, CJ Affiliate, and RevenueLab provide the infrastructure, even supporting crypto payouts, allowing niche publishers to stay afloat without...
The NHL’s post‑Olympic slate is showing an early ratings lift, with the first eight telecasts on ABC, ESPN and TNT averaging 603,000 viewers – a 23% increase over the pre‑Olympic baseline. ESPN’s coverage now averages 785,000 viewers, up 17% year‑over‑year,...
ABC’s long‑running reality series Shark Tank entered its 17th season with a schedule shift from Friday to Wednesday nights, prompting speculation about its ratings impact. Season 16 averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18‑49 demographic and attracted 2.81 million viewers, providing...
Survivor’s Spring 2026 season posted an average of 5.0 million viewers and a 0.95 rating in the coveted 18‑49 demographic across its first two episodes. Both metrics represent double‑digit year‑over‑year growth, with total viewership up 44% and the demo rating climbing...
