Five Years Later, Spotify Points to Strong Growth in Nigeria — Including a 164% YoY Listening Increase and 1.4 Billion+...
Spotify disclosed that Nigerian users logged over 1.4 billion listening hours in 2025, driving playlist creations past 25 million. The platform reports a 163% year‑over‑year increase in average listening since 2021 and a staggering 5,022% surge in Afrobeats consumption. Local artist presence grew 158% and indigenous‑language streams rose 293% YoY. To monetize growth, Spotify lifted its Individual plan price by 23% and introduced higher‑priced family options, while also planning free‑tier download limits.
Study: Premium Video Ads Outperform YouTube
A new Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) study, conducted with TVision, finds premium video platforms on connected TV outperform YouTube in key engagement metrics. Across Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max and other services, premium platforms deliver 33% higher co‑viewing, 49% longer session...
Comcast Advertising Names James Borow GM Of Universal Ads
Comcast Advertising promoted James Borow to general manager of its Universal Ads self‑service platform. Borow, formerly VP of product management and engineering, helped launch the product and will now steer strategy, operations, and execution as the service enters its second...
Financial Details Emerge In Hall’s Lakeland Exit
MARC Radio Group has finalized a purchase of Hall Communications' radio stations in the Lakeland‑Winter Haven market, marking the broadcaster's exit from the region. The deal, disclosed by RBR+TVBR, includes financial terms that reveal the price MARC paid to acquire...
Why Does BritBox Still Delay so Many Titles to Australia?
BritBox’s Australian catalogue continues to lag behind UK premieres, with Season 15 of Death in Paradise arriving two months after its BBC debut, a stark contrast to the 11‑day gap for the previous season. While the service fast‑tracks select titles—Call the...
HBO Max Is Removing Live HBO Channels For Some Subscribers
Warner Bros. Discovery has begun stripping live HBO linear channels from its ad‑supported Max bundles, affecting users who access Max through the Disney+ Trio bundle with Hulu. The cuts remove niche channels such as HBO Family and several Cinemax offshoots,...
Griffin Media Introduces Bitcentral Core News At KWTV, KOTV
Griffin Media has deployed Bitcentral’s Core News platform across its flagship stations KWTV in Oklahoma City and KOTV in Tulsa. The rollout, which began on Nov. 2, 2025 at KWTV and Nov. 16 at KOTV, includes Bitcentral’s Precis, Oasis, Create and Fusion Hybrid...
Production Begins on ‘The Saddle Club’ CG Animated Series
Frog Box and Red Monk Studio have launched production on a 26‑episode CG adaptation of Bonnie Bryant’s bestselling The Saddle Club series. The European co‑production, backed by France Télévisions, Rai and ZDF, will be split between France and Italy, with Superprod...
Disney+ Taps Daniel Burman as Latin America Original Content Head
Disney+ has appointed Argentine filmmaker Daniel Burman as head of original content for Latin America, starting March 25. Burman will lead creative development, talent cultivation, and integrate Latin American storytelling into Disney’s global portfolio. He brings experience from founding Oficina...
CBS Sports Reaches Agreement for Paramount+ to Become Exclusive U.S. English-Language Home of All CONCACAF Women’s Competitions Through 2030
CBS Sports has secured exclusive English‑language U.S. rights to all CONCACAF women’s competitions through the 2029‑30 season, delivering more than 250 matches via Paramount+ and select broadcasts on CBS Sports Network and Golazo. The agreement covers the W Qualifiers and...
The Struts Sign With IAG For North American Touring Representation (Exclusive)
IAG has secured representation for The Struts' North American touring activities, assigning Peter Pappalardo, Dennis Arfa and Adam Kornfeld as booking agents. The British rock outfit has logged 127 headline reports on Pollstar since 2009, moving 132,377 tickets and generating...
Agent David Bradley Moves to CAA
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has hired London‑based agent David Bradley, formerly a partner and co‑head of WME’s pop division. Bradley arrives with a decade‑plus track record representing artists such as Dua Lipa, LCD Soundsystem, and Greta Van Fleet. His expertise...
YouTube Adds More Features to the Premium Lite Plan
YouTube announced that its Premium Lite tier now includes Background Play and video Downloads, features previously exclusive to the full Premium plan. The affordable $7.99‑per‑month subscription, launched in the U.S. in March 2025, continues to offer mostly ad‑free viewing but still...
Stingray Launches FAST Channels on Whale TV+
Stingray has launched a suite of free ad‑supported streaming (FAST) channels on Whale TV+, the free streaming platform operated by Singapore‑based Whale TV. The new lineup includes eight video channels—covering nature, wellness, art and ambience—and four audio channels ranging from...
New Version of Original Final Fantasy VII for PC Now Available
Square Enix launched an updated PC version of the original Final Fantasy VII on Steam and GOG for $11.99. Existing Steam owners receive the upgrade at no extra cost, while the older 2013 Edition remains accessible but is no longer purchasable....
PlayStation Finally Confirms Marvel’s Wolverine Release Date – and It’s Coming Before GTA6
PlayStation and Insomniac Games have set a release date of September 15, 2026 for the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine on PS5. The launch lands two months before Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 6, which is slated for November 19, 2026. Wolverine represents...
Marvel’s Wolverine Launches September 15
Marvel’s Wolverine, an original action‑adventure starring Logan, is set to launch on September 15, 2026 exclusively for PlayStation 5. The title is developed by Insomniac Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Marvel’s Spider‑Man series, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in...
Bruin Hires Managing Director to Focus on Fan, Media Opportunities
Bruin Capital announced the hiring of Adam Hasiba as its first Managing Director, tasking him with expanding the firm’s sports, media and fan‑engagement platform. Hasiba leaves consumer‑focused private‑equity giant L Catterton after more than a decade, bringing deep experience scaling media‑centric...
Valve’s Deadlock Is Already as Popular as Overwatch – Before Launch
Valve’s upcoming hero‑shooter *Deadlock* has reached a peak of 171,490 concurrent players, matching the active user count of Blizzard’s *Overwatch 2* despite being in a closed, invite‑only test. The game, still in a placeholder state with grey‑box maps, is attracting massive attention...
DD Free Dish E-Auction Revenue Dips to Rs 642 Crore as Slot Sales Fall
Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish completed its 8th e‑auction, collecting Rs 642 crore for FY26‑27, down from Rs 780 crore the prior year. Only 55 MPEG‑2 slots were sold, compared with 61 previously, reflecting a slimmer inventory and a revamped auction framework. The new...
Antenna: New U.S. SVOD Subscribers Fell 33% in 2025
U.S. subscription video‑on‑demand (SVOD) growth stalled in 2025, with new subscriber additions dropping 33% to 18 million versus 27 million in 2024, according to Antenna data. Quarterly growth slowed to 7% in Q4, down from 12% a year earlier. Netflix remained the...
Charter Warns California Delay Could Jeopardize Cox Merger Timeline
Charter Communications has asked the California Public Utilities Commission to render a decision on its proposed acquisition of Cox Communications by July 16, 2026. The request stems from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Hart‑Scott‑Rodino antitrust clearance, which expires on September...
Arch Platform Technologies, Wacom Integrate Wacom Bridge For Virtual Workflows’
Arch Platform Technologies and Wacom have integrated Wacom Bridge into Arch’s cloud GPU workstation platform, enabling artists to use Wacom pen displays with full driver support and reduced latency. The joint solution, launched on Feb. 24, offers a "local‑like" feel...
Wowza Appoints Jon Corley Chief Technology Officer
Wowza announced Jon Corley as its new chief technology officer, tasked with steering the company’s AI‑driven streaming strategy. Corley will shape the technology vision, engineering roadmap, and product‑innovation agenda to embed artificial intelligence throughout Wowza’s platform. The move aligns with...
Dynamic Talent Partners With Madison House’s Adam Bauer, Bringing More than 100 Clients To Agency Led By Trevor Swenson
Dynamic Talent International has partnered with Madison House, bringing over 100 new clients and pushing its roster beyond 600 artists. Veteran booking agent Adam Bauer joins as a partner, while Jennaya Ramirez is promoted to partner role. The unified agency...
The Trade Desk Launches ‘Ventura Ecosystem’ to Further Optimize CTV Advertising
The Trade Desk unveiled the Ventura Ecosystem, a collaborative framework linking global TV operating systems and streaming platforms to streamline connected‑TV (CTV) advertising. The initiative offers participants access to The Trade Desk’s ad‑tech suite—including OpenPath, Unified ID 2.0/EUID, OpenAds, and upcoming...
Beta Film’s Patience to Air in Latam Through AMC Networks
Beta Film has expanded the distribution of the British hit series *Patience* to over 100 territories, adding AMC Networks as the Latin American broadcaster. The drama, produced by Eagle Eye Drama, saw record‑breaking viewership on Channel 4, with 4.2 million viewers in...
AI Won't Make Your Game, but It Can Lighten the Load
AI won’t build an entire game, but it can dramatically speed up asset creation for indie studios, according to Ludo.ai CTO Jorge Gomes. The technology excels at generating concept sketches, sprite animations, and 3D props, turning tasks that once took...
"The Market, Both in MENA and at a Global Scale, Is Becoming Increasingly Competitive"
Steer Studios, a Savvy Games Group subsidiary, is gearing up for a 2026 milestone with the launch of its second title, Tom & Jerry Blast, slated for a global release this year. CEO Yannick Theler was recently named among Saudi Arabia’s Top 100...
Radio Workflow Expands Its Platform
Radio Workflow has upgraded its cloud‑native broadcast platform, unifying sales, production, traffic and management for small‑to‑mid‑market stations. The expansion introduces Broadcast Buddy, an AI‑driven assistant that handles meeting prep, email summarization, contract drafting and system navigation. New sales tools let...
Overwatch Rush Announced for iOS, Android
Blizzard announced Overwatch Rush, a top‑down hero shooter crafted from the ground up for iOS and Android. The title is in early development and currently undergoing a limited geo test in select regions. Gameplay focuses on fast‑paced, bite‑sized sessions with...
Ashley Mady On Why Safe Social and Consumer Products Strategy Are Converging In The Kids Creator Economy
Zigazoo, a safe‑social platform for Gen Alpha, has grown to over 10 million users and more than 1,000 kid creators, positioning itself as both a moderated community and a brand activation hub. President Ashley Mady emphasizes a “trifecta” strategy that merges product,...
CYGMA Will Represent the 300-Plus Game Studios in Cyprus
The Cyprus Game Developers Association (CYGMA) has been launched to serve as a unified voice for more than 300 game studios operating on the island. Its founding members include industry heavyweights such as Wargaming, Gaijin Entertainment, Owlcat Games, My.Games, Helio...
Disney Cruise Line Reveals Summer 2027 Lineup
Disney Cruise Line opened bookings for its summer 2027 schedule, featuring the first European deployment of the Disney Wish and a renewed Alaska presence from Vancouver with the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. The lineup also adds extensive Caribbean and...
BBC Studios’ Ghosts Lands Czech Adaptation
BBC Studios announced a Czech version of its hit scripted comedy Ghosts, joining six other territories that have adapted the series. The format, praised for its ability to embed local heritage into a house‑mate sitcom, will be produced by TV...
Opinion: Enough Is Enough—Broadcasters Don’t Own the Airwaves
Michael Petricone argues that legacy broadcasters are receiving an outsized public subsidy by retaining exclusive rights to underused spectrum, even as fewer than 9% of Americans watch over‑the‑air TV. He cites the $95.8 billion annual economic value of unlicensed spectrum and...
JAR Expands Youtube-First Practice as Branded Podcasting Reaches a Video Reckoning
JAR Podcast Solutions announced the expansion of a dedicated YouTube‑first video podcast practice, creating a specialist team to produce video‑optimized branded podcasts. The agency emphasizes platform‑specific strategy, treating YouTube as a discovery engine rather than a simple upload destination. JAR’s...
Epidemic Sound Launches API To Embed AI-Powered Music Licensing Into Third-Party Platforms
Epidemic Sound has unveiled a developer API that lets third‑party platforms embed its extensive catalog of over 50,000 original tracks and 200,000 sound effects. The API is AI‑enhanced, offering text‑prompt, video‑prompt, SoundMatch, semantic search and an audio reference tool to...
Mogul Says It Has Tracked $1.5B in Music Royalties, Raised $5M in Funding
Mogul, founded by former SoundCloud executives, says it has helped artists recover $1.5 billion in lost royalties since its 2025 launch. The Boston‑based startup raised $5 million in a round led by the Yamaha Music Innovations Fund, bringing total capital to $6.3 million....
New York Bill Would 'Shackle' Media Firms, 'Washington Post' Editorial Board Argues
New York lawmakers are advancing a bill that would compel media companies to disclose any artificial‑intelligence tools used in their operations, a move the Washington Post editorial board warns could stifle innovation. At the same time, veteran CBS correspondent David...
MENA Music Market Embraces Multilingual Content As TikTok Accelerates Track Virality, Per Report
TikTok continues to dominate music discovery in the MENA region, with 84 % of songs that entered the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 first going viral on the platform. The time to reach 100,000 TikTok posts fell dramatically from roughly 340 days in...
David Begnaud Launches Media Company, But Will Continue At CBS News
CBS News contributor David Begnaud has founded an independent media company called Do Good Crew, which will produce a weekly newsletter, a podcast, and live events spotlighting everyday heroes. The venture’s inaugural podcast episode features an interview with Oprah Winfrey....
Kingdom Come: Deliverance Director Is Stepping Away From Game Development to Make Film Adaptation
Warhorse Studios announced that longtime director Daniel Vávra is leaving day‑to‑day game development to head a new transmedia role focused on a Kingdom Come: Deliverance film adaptation. The studio confirmed a completed script and ongoing talks with production companies, positioning...
A Strong Start To 2026 For ABC, Disney-Owned TV Platforms
In January 2026 television viewing hit a 12‑month peak, and Disney emerged as the biggest month‑over‑month gainer in Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge report. The gain reflects a notable rise in total TV consumption attributed to Disney’s owned‑and‑operated properties, especially ABC....
You Can Still Rent DVDs & Blu-Rays By Mail in 2026 Almost 3 Years After Netflix Shut Down Its DVD...
GameFly continues to rent DVDs, Blu‑rays and 4K discs by mail, positioning itself as the sole major survivor after Netflix ended its DVD‑by‑mail service in 2023. The company’s movie catalog includes roughly 292 DVD titles and a growing Blu‑ray selection,...
BidOn Expands Leadership and Establishes Board to Advance Open Source Ad Tech
BidOn, a non‑profit open‑source ad‑tech platform, has announced a new board of senior executives from leading mobile‑gaming companies and the creation of a dedicated engineering team. The board will guide strategy, product direction, and governance, while the engineering group will...
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Servers Are Shutting Down in April 2026
Activision announced that Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile servers will permanently close on April 17, 2026. The title‑shot mobile version launched globally in March 2024 but was pulled from iOS and Android stores in May 2025, halting new acquisitions. Linked...
Wild Creations Appoints TMPR to Lead PR & Communications
Wild Creations, Wales’ leading designer and fabricator for the global attractions industry, has appointed Cardiff‑based B2B communications agency TMPR to head its public relations and strategic communications. The company, founded in 2010, now employs over 50 staff in a 40,000‑square‑foot...
Panzer Knights: Commander’s Edition Announced for PS5, Xbox Series
Panzer Knights: Commander’s Edition, an anime‑styled World War II tank simulation, was announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series with a slated 2026 launch. The definitive console version bundles the original game with three bonus content packs, adding iconic tanks such as the...
Meta’s Addiction Trial Could Spell Trouble for Sports Betting
A Los Angeles jury is hearing the KGM trial, which alleges Meta and other social platforms are engineered to addict minors through features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and dopamine‑triggering rewards. The case, while focused on social media, raises the prospect...