Taco Bell Taps Myke Towers In a Multi-Million Dollar Ad Push Across the US, Latin America, and Spain
Taco Bell announced a multi‑million‑dollar partnership with Latin music star Myke Towers, integrating his track “Sunblock” into a new Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas commercial. The campaign rolls out across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Latin America/Caribbean region and Spain, leveraging Towers’ global fanbase. Taco Bell also launched a “Taco Martes” initiative, encouraging weekly celebrations and offering limited‑edition tote bags. The effort positions the fast‑food chain at the intersection of music culture and Hispanic consumer engagement.
WWE SmackDown Has A New Home Tonight — How to Watch, Matches & What to Know About the Show on...
WWE Friday Night SmackDown moves to SyFy on February 20 while USA Network airs extended Winter Olympics coverage. The episode, staged at Fort Lauderdale's Amerant Bank Arena, features men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber qualifiers that shape the Road to WrestleMania. Viewers...
Ramsey Elkholy’s Monotronic Sues Pangea Entertainment Over Lack of Promotion In Alleged Breach of Contract
Ramsey Elkholy’s indie project Monotonic has sued A&R Worldwide’s Pangea Entertainment for allegedly breaching a year‑long marketing and consulting contract. The lawsuit claims Pangea failed to provide promised creative input, bi‑weekly strategy calls, artwork support, and placement of the band’s...
Moby Releases New Album, Gears Up For Coachella & Euro Tour
Moby released his new album "Future Quiet" via BMG ahead of a Coachella slot in April, and announced a 28‑date European tour spanning June to August. The 14‑track record features piano minimalism, ambient soundscapes and vocal collaborations, including an orchestral...
Chyron Paint 10.3 Adds New Visualization Features for Live Action
Chyron has launched Paint 10.3, adding AI‑driven active graphics, a flexible speedometer tool, and an enhanced zone blur feature for live sports production. The active graphics layer can animate visuals using AI player‑tracking or manual key‑framing, reducing manual effort. The...
Downtown Music Completes Merger with Virgin Music
The episode announces that Downtown Music Holdings has finalized its $775 million acquisition and merger with Virgin Music Group, a deal first revealed in December. Founder Justin Kalifowitz is exiting Downtown, marking a leadership transition as the combined entity positions itself...
NAB Rolls Out Hyper-Local AM Advocacy Spots
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has introduced hyper‑local public‑service announcements that thank individual legislators for backing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The spots are customized for each of the 49 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S....
Canela Media Partners with LiveRamp
Canela Media has teamed up with LiveRamp to let advertisers use LiveRamp’s interoperable RampID for seamless access to Canela’s over‑the‑top (OTT) inventory and broader digital destinations. The partnership opens a LiveRamp Data Marketplace offering more than 1,000 audience segments that...
Facebook Users Petition Court To Revive Antitrust Claims
Meta users have asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to revive antitrust claims that Facebook monopolized the personal social network services market. A district judge dismissed the lawsuit after ruling the plaintiffs lacked expert testimony proving harm. The plaintiffs argue...
Imagine Dragons Officially Exit Wasserman as the Artist Mass-Exodus Intensifies
Imagine Dragons has officially left talent agency Wasserman, joining a wave of departures linked to the agency’s scandalous ties to Ghislaine Maxwell. The band’s 2025 tour generated $241.6 million, highlighting the financial impact of losing a top‑grossing act. Wasserman, now owned...
Latest Music Industry Hires: Culture Wave, Warner Chappell, Qobuz, Hybe, KHS America, Secretly Distribution, More
The music industry saw a wave of senior appointments and hires across multiple firms as of February 20, 2026. Culture Wave added several managers and a digital marketing coordinator while promoting an artist manager. Warner Chappell Music Italy elevated internal A&R...
14 Months Later, UMG’s Virgin Officially Wraps Its Downtown Buyout — Pieter Van Rijn Shifts to COO, Justin Kalifowitz Steps...
Universal Music Group’s Virgin Music Group has completed its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Group, finalizing the deal 14 months after announcement and shortly after EU approval. Pieter van Rijn, former Downtown head, is appointed COO of Virgin Music, reporting...
Blacklyte Named Desk and Chair Sponsor of RLCS 2026 Boston Major
Blacklyte announced it will serve as the exclusive desk and chair sponsor for the Rocket League Championship Series 2026 Boston Major. The company’s Athena Pro Gaming Chair RLCS edition and Atlas Lite Desk will be featured onstage during the finals...
Sinclair Given FCC OK To Buy Three SSA Partner Stations
Sinclair Broadcast Group has received Federal Communications Commission approval to acquire three stations it already operates under shared services agreements. The transactions include the Howard Stirk Holdings NBC affiliate in Flint, Michigan, a Cunningham Broadcasting station in Traverse City, Michigan,...
‘Time To Move On’: Live Nation Ramps Up Settlement Effort
Live Nation is intensifying its push for a settlement after the Department of Justice dismissed the concert‑promotion portion of its antitrust case. Executive Vice President Dan Wall argues that the remaining claims—exclusive ticketing contracts, a deal with Oak View Group,...
NAB Urges FCC to Tamp Down Reallocation Plans for Upper C-Band
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has filed reply comments urging the FCC to limit the upcoming upper C‑band reallocation to the statutory minimum of 100 MHz, warning that any additional clearing threatens broadcast infrastructure. The FCC is considering auctioning up...
Gold Medal CTV
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan is drawing about 20 million U.S. viewers each day, with NBC’s Peacock platform delivering more streaming hours than the last two Games combined. Advertisers are abandoning traditional “Be Right Back” filler and deploying real‑time, native...
Are Gray Media Shares Undervalued Right Now?
Zacks Equity Research examined Gray Television (GTN) and found its shares have risen 20.8% year‑over‑year but remain well below the 2021 trading range. The research note highlights the company’s solid cash‑flow generation from local broadcast advertising and a dividend yield...
Study: Station Groups Spending Millions Lobbying to Abolish Ownership Caps
Nexstar Media Group spent $3.2 million lobbying the FCC in 2025, while Sinclair Broadcast Group increased its spend to $800,000, aiming to eliminate the television‑ownership caps that restrict reach to 39 % of U.S. TV homes. The lobbying surge coincides with massive...
Square Enix Video Says ‘NieR: Automata to Be Continued’
Square Enix released a promotional video that concludes with the phrase “NieR: Automata to be continued,” signaling a possible new project tied to the franchise. The video also celebrates the title reaching 10 million units sold across Switch, PS4, Xbox One,...
"It Needs to Cooperate Fairly, and It's Clearly Not." Why Valve Is Facing a £656m Day in the UK Courts
A UK class‑action lawsuit led by digital‑safety advocate Vicki Shotbolt accuses Valve of breaching competition law by imposing a 30% revenue‑share fee and a price‑parity rule on Steam. The claim seeks up to £656 million in damages for consumers, arguing that...
Producer Who Accused Karol G of Beat-Theft Dismisses His Lawsuit, Adding “We Were Wrong”
Producer Alfr3d Beats, real name Dick Alfredo Caballero Rodriguez, withdrew his lawsuit accusing Karol G of stealing his beat for the 2022 hit “Gatúbela.” During discovery, DJ Maff supplied session files proving the beat was created months before Alfr3d Beats posted his...
Virgin Music Group Completes Downtown Acquisition; Pieter Van Rijn Named COO as Downtown Founder Justin Kalifowitz Steps Away
Virgin Music Group (VMG) completed its acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings on February 20, 2026, after the European Commission cleared the deal pending the divestiture of Downtown’s Curve royalty‑accounting unit. The transaction brings Downtown’s 5,000 business clients, four million creators and...
Virgin Music Group Completes Downtown Music Holdings Acquisition
Virgin Music Group, the Universal Music Group subsidiary, closed its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings after securing European Commission approval. The deal elevates VMG’s footprint in the independent music services market, adding Downtown’s 5,000 business clients and four million...
Roku Remains Top CTV Open Ad Platform With 32% Share
Roku retained its position as the leading connected‑TV (CTV) platform for open programmatic ads in Q4 2025, commanding a 32% share of impressions. Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV followed with 16% and 15% respectively, while LG surged 79% quarter‑over‑quarter to reach 10%...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and PS5 Top January US Charts, Switch 2 Still Carries Hardware Spending
January 2026 was a quiet month for U.S. video‑game sales, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reclaimed the top spot on the software chart. The PlayStation 5 led hardware unit and dollar sales, while Nintendo’s Switch 2 generated the most hardware spending...
The New Performance Metric: Curiosity
A study by Audio Visual Nation examined Google search activity for all 67 Super Bowl advertisers and found that curiosity‑driven ads generated the highest return on attention. AI search startup Genspark led the pack with a 5,852% search spike, far...
Netmarble to Shut Down Seven Knights 2 in April
Netmarble announced that its mobile MMORPG Seven Knights 2 will cease operations on April 15, 2026. In‑app purchases were suspended on January 14, and all cash‑shop items have been removed. Servers will stay online until the shutdown date, with scheduled events proceeding as planned....
CRTC Clears A New Path For New First Nations FMs
First Peoples Radio’s CFPT‑FM (ELMNT FM) in Toronto signed off on September 1, 2024 after struggling with revenue and ratings. The Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) responded by announcing a new regulatory pathway to license additional First Nations‑focused FM stations. Toronto...
Night in the Woods Publisher Finji Accuses TikTok of Creating "Racist, Sexist" And Uneditable GenAI Ads for Its Games
Microsoft announced that longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer and president Sarah Bond are departing the division. Asha Sharma, previously Microsoft’s CoreAI product president, will take over as Xbox CEO, while Matt Booty moves into the chief content officer role. The...
Exel by Merak Appoints Faisal Sedrani as CEO to Lead Its Next Growth Phase
Exel by Merak, the Saudi gaming accelerator owned by Merak Capital, has named Faisal Sedrani as its new chief executive officer. Sedrani, who previously built Exel as a Merak subsidiary and serves as VP of Innovation Platform, will steer the...
Esports Nations Cup 2026 Adds VALORANT as One of 16 Titles
Riot's tactical shooter VALORANT will debut as the 16th title in the Esports Nations Cup 2026, slated for Riyadh from November 8‑15. The tournament features 32 national squads competing in a round‑robin group stage followed by a single‑elimination playoff, culminating in...
Connected TV and Latinos: An Intertwined Growth Story
LG Ad Solutions’ February‑May 2024 study of 1,435 Connected TV users shows that 94% of Hispanic Americans can access Connected TV, and most favor streaming over traditional broadcast. The primary drivers are greater control and broader content choices, with the...
Creator Monetization Platform Destream Enters GCC Market
Destream, a creator‑focused monetization platform, has launched services in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), giving regional influencers access to a global payment infrastructure. The rollout includes secure payment links, multi‑currency payouts and a Mastercard‑backed debit card, plus a built‑in eSIM...
WePlay Studios and Global Gaming League Will Host League Competitions in California | Exclusive
WePlay Studios announced a partnership with the Global Gaming League to stage league competitions in California, shifting some esports activity from Las Vegas to the West Coast. The collaboration combines WePlay’s high‑production content capabilities with GGL’s celebrity‑owned team model. Events...
Spain: Streaming Revenues Overtake Traditional Broadcasters
Spain’s audiovisual market has reached a tipping point as streaming platforms generated €3.58 billion in revenue in 2025, overtaking traditional television’s €3.35 billion for the first time. The surge is driven by ad‑supported tiers, which lifted OTT advertising income 25% to €357 million...
Shiren the Wanderer Series Sales Surpassed 3 Million Copies Worldwide
Spike Chunsoft announced the Shiren the Wanderer series has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, coinciding with its 30th‑anniversary celebrations. The sixth main‑line title, The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, reached 300,000 units globally within its first year, with more than...
Onza Distribution Unveils MIP LONDON Slate
Onza Distribution is showcasing three flagship series—Neuer, Vulnerables and I Give You My Life—at MIP London, emphasizing that each title has already delivered strong ratings in its home market. Neuer, a procedural thriller, was Slovakia’s most‑watched series and performed well on...
TALKERS Magazine Enthusiastically Supports the 2026 IBS Conference in New York as Its Presenting Sponsor
TALKERS magazine is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference in New York, marking its second consecutive year of support. The three‑day event, held Feb. 19‑21 at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel, brings roughly a thousand...
Rural Virginia FM Poised To Trade Hands After Failed Deal
A Class A FM station serving Virginia’s Appalachian border with Kentucky has been sold to the Somerset Educational Broadcasting Foundation, pending FCC approval. The deal replaces a 2024 transaction that fell through, marking the station’s first change of hands in...
PBS Kids Official Visits Arkansas as Campaign Aims to Keep Public Television Affiliation
PBS Kids senior vice president Sara DeWitt visited Little Rock to headline a public forum organized by the newly formed Friends of Arkansas PBS. The group, chaired by former first ladies Gay White and Barbara Pryor, is urging the Arkansas...
Media Deals Value Surges to $250 Billion Last Year, Driven by Netflix-Warner Bros., Premium Content
Media M&A value surged to nearly $250 billion in 2025, more than double the prior year, even as deal count fell 10.1 %. The jump was anchored by two mega‑transactions: Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and a $55 billion take‑private of Electronic Arts....
Nintendo Publishes Pokemon FireRed & Pokemon LeafGreen Switch FAQ
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced that Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen will debut on the Nintendo eShop on Pokémon Day, February 27, 2026. The titles are faithful ports of the original Game Boy Advance releases, with connectivity shifted to the Switch’s built‑in local wireless and GameChat...
Tools :: Plates
Music‑marketing startup Plates captured the top prize at Music Ally’s SI:X startup contest. The platform offers a unified dashboard that aggregates artist streams, followers, and growth metrics across a label’s entire roster. Built‑in AI features, including a chatbot, deliver instant...
PS5 Price Hike and PlayStation Plus Subscription Increase Announced by Sony
Sony announced upcoming price hikes for the PS5 console and PlayStation Plus subscriptions, citing rising memory‑chip costs driven by the AI boom. CFO Tao Lin said the company will prioritize monetizing its installed base to offset hardware margin pressure. Record‑high PS Plus...
UKCRN Urges Response to Ofcom Consultation and Government Radio Review
The UK Community Radio Network (UKCRN) is urging community stations, volunteers and listeners to complete a sector survey by 28 March, feeding into a joint response to Ofcom’s licensing consultation and the DCMS radio review. The data will shape Ofcom’s strategic...
US Theme Park Market to Reach $30bn by 2031, Driven by Premium Experiences and Season Pass Expansion
The U.S. amusement and theme‑park market is projected to grow from $25.5 billion in 2026 to $30.4 billion by 2031, a 3.58 % CAGR. Growth is fueled by rising consumer disposable income, expanding season‑pass programs, and flagship IP integrations that lift per‑guest spend....
ETV Rolls Out 5G Broadcast in Serbia with Rohde & Schwarz
Serbia’s public broadcaster ETV has chosen German firm Rohde & Schwarz to install the country’s first 5G Broadcast transmitter at its Avala site, complementing four new TH1 4.5 kW DVB‑T2 transmitters. The upgrade, part of a long‑standing partnership dating back to 2012, aims...
UOKiK Charges HBO Europe over Device Compatibility Changes During Subscriptions
Poland’s competition regulator UOKiK has opened proceedings against HBO Europe, accusing the streaming service of unilaterally altering its list of compatible devices and failing to adequately inform subscribers. The changes left many users unable to access HBO Max on previously...
Attractions.io Helps Operators Analyse & Act on Guest Feedback with AI Tool GX Pulse
Attractions.io’s AI‑driven GX Pulse platform captured second place in blooloop’s Guest Journey Innovation Awards. The tool consolidates scattered guest reviews into a journey map, applies language models to extract themes, sentiment and a proprietary GX Score. By turning thousands of...