Entertainment News and Headlines
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South Korean mobile publisher Supercent and UK developer Sumo Digital have signed a memorandum of understanding to co‑develop next‑generation mobile games, with development slated to begin in early 2026. The partnership blends Supercent’s mobile‑first, data‑driven publishing platform with Sumo’s two‑decade track record in cross‑platform game creation. Both firms aim to counter rising user‑acquisition costs and market saturation by delivering faster, higher‑quality titles that can scale globally. Successful prototypes may advance to full production or publishing deals, potentially spanning mobile and console platforms.
On March 19, FCC Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone issued a 40‑page Memorandum Opinion and Order that effectively rewrote the 2004 local television ownership rules. The order granted Nexstar Media Group's merger with TEGNA, providing waivers and divestiture commitments that...
The 2026 World Baseball Classic final between Venezuela and the United States set a new viewership record, attracting 10.78 million viewers on FOX and FOX Deportes. The telecast peaked at 12.15 million during the closing minutes and posted a 128% increase over...
Snapback Sports, a digital sports media firm, has signed with Excel Sports Management to accelerate sponsorship revenue and gain event access. The company posted $2.2 million in 2025 revenue and aims for $3 million in 2026. Excel will handle sponsorship sales across...
Louis Posen, president of Hopeless Records, argues that streaming’s pro‑rata payout model disadvantages mid‑tier musicians by treating all listeners equally and favoring passive, mass‑appeal content. He proposes a tiered artist layer similar to Spotify’s podcast subscriptions, offering fans direct‑access perks...
Amaze, the creator‑powered commerce platform, announced new live‑shopping capabilities that let creators and brands sell products directly within live streams. The tools include instant in‑stream purchasing, real‑time audience interaction such as comments, polls, dynamic product highlights, and time‑limited promo codes....
Comcast‑owned FreeWheel unveiled an AI agent infrastructure to automate premium video ad transactions, anchored by its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server and a suite of Intelligence tools. The MCP Server provides a secure layer for AI agents to connect directly...
Australian electronic duo Breathe., together with agency Group Speed, overhauled their Spotify presence by reactivating five‑year‑old catalog tracks and launching a data‑driven artist playlist. The playlist paired Breathe. with slightly larger, stylistically similar acts and was promoted through Spotify’s ad...
Sky has begun a “Taste of Hayu” preview, making more than 150 on‑demand episodes from ten reality franchises available to most TV customers via Sky’s platforms. The early offering excludes Sky Q Essentials and Basic tiers, while the full Hayu...
Sport Klub channels will cease broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 April 2025, replaced by an expanded suite of Arena Sport services. The change follows Telekom Srbija’s February 2025 acquisition of Sport Klub’s rights, licences and assets from United Group across the Western Balkans....
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced it will wind down Pixomondo, the award‑winning visual effects and virtual production studio it bought in 2022. The closure will affect several hundred staff, with many slated for transfer to Sony Group and the remainder facing...
Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s new CEO, addressed theme‑park pricing at the March shareholder meeting, highlighting a $50 ticket option for children aged 3‑9 and a flexible pricing philosophy. He noted that U.S. park attendance slipped 1% year‑over‑year while overall park revenue...
Elyse Myers, a TikTok creator with 7.1 million followers, emphasizes authenticity over curated personas, even as she sets strict personal boundaries around family content. She selects brand partnerships based on creative control, using a simple metric—whether she’s proud enough to show...
The Premier League announced it will launch its own OTT platform, Premier League Plus, in Singapore starting the 2026‑27 season. The service was built into a six‑season bid with StarHub in 2022, providing a low‑pressure test market ahead of the league’s...
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai returns on July 29, 2026, positioned just before ChinaJoy to link global developers, publishers, investors and service providers with China’s massive games market. The event offers curated matchmaking, expert panels and market insights, helping attendees...
In 2010 CBS and Turner struck a $10.8 billion agreement to share NCAA men’s tournament rights, propelling TBS and TNT ad sales to $1.62 billion in year one and $2.26 billion by 2016. Despite record sports revenue, cable penetration fell 10 % over six...
The European Broadcasting Union and nearly thirty media organisations have warned that Lithuania’s proposed public service media law reforms could jeopardise LRT’s independence and financial sustainability. The draft includes a three‑year funding freeze, reduced tax‑based allocations, tighter revenue caps, and...
Dream Garden Amusement Equipment has completed a 500‑square‑metre indoor playground in Craigieburn, Australia, delivering a full turnkey solution that includes concept design, equipment manufacturing, and installation guidance. The venue combines soft‑play structures, climbing features, a ball pit, and a dedicated...
Altman Solon’s second‑part Global Sports Survey reveals a widening monetisation gap for sports rights owners as audiences increasingly consume non‑live formats. The study of 6,000 fans and 250 executives shows 42% of viewers are very willing to pay for live events...
The Atlanta Braves confirmed that their 2026 home opener on March 27 against the Kansas City Royals will be simulcast on the team’s own BravesVision platform and Gray Media’s network of local television stations across the six‑state Braves Country. The...
Channel 4 announced that Autotrader will become the new sponsor of The Great British Bake Off, taking over from Waitrose after a two‑year partnership. The deal kicks off with the 2026 broadcast season, aligning the automotive marketplace with the show’s...
CD Projekt reported 2025 sales revenue of 867 million PLN, a 9% increase year‑on‑year, driven primarily by the Cyberpunk franchise. Net profit surged 33.7% to 594 million PLN, helped by a fivefold jump in the goods‑and‑materials segment after the Cyberpunk Ultimate Edition launched on...
Connected TV (CTV) ad spend in the U.S. is set to near $38 bn this year, cementing its role as a core media channel. However, the rapid expansion of premium SVOD, FAST channels, and OEM interfaces has fragmented the supply, making...
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö, held May 27‑28 during Nordic Game week, will use MeetToMatch to power 1:1 matchmaking between publishers, investors, service providers and developers. The two‑day event features a dedicated business lounge, curated matchmaking sessions, an indie pitch...
Instagram affiliate marketing now merges influencer and performance tactics as Meta expands shoppable posts and in‑app checkout. Brands must navigate new tagging workflows, tiered commission bands, and stricter FTC disclosures. Hybrid compensation models and native tagging drive higher ROI, but...
World Cup 2026 will be the largest ever, but its contribution to global ad growth is weakening. WARC Media forecasts a $10.5 billion uplift, just a 1.1 % increase versus the 2022 tournament, indicating fragmented impact. Advertisers must now reach fans across...
LaLiga’s anti‑piracy drive has secured more than 2,000 convictions against hotels, restaurants and cafés since its launch in March 2019, averaging nearly one case per day. The league still has 317 investigations and 488 cases awaiting trial, underscoring the scale of...
MarketsandMarkets projects the influencer marketing platform market to grow from $1.15 billion in 2026 to $2.03 billion by 2031, reflecting a 12% compound annual growth rate. The expansion is driven by brands’ push for data‑backed, transparent campaigns and the need for faster...
This week’s ad roundup highlights a wave of self‑aware campaigns, from Burger King’s decision to retire its iconic King mascot and crown the consumer, to Uber’s meta “Irish exit” spot featuring reality‑TV star Maura Higgins. Brands such as Ugg, JCPenney,...
Instagram’s algorithm now prioritizes comment velocity over likes, saves or views when deciding which posts to amplify. Early‑hour comments act as a quality signal, prompting the platform to test the content with larger audiences. Creators can deliberately trigger this loop...
America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) has launched direct and programmatic buying for its free ad‑supported FAST channels, allowing advertisers to purchase inventory as a standalone product rather than through genre bundles. The move follows a 30% year‑over‑year rise in streaming audiences...
South Korean publisher Neowiz and developer Round8 Studio announced that the Lies of P franchise has surpassed 4 million cumulative units sold worldwide. The figure, revealed in July 2026, builds on the 3 million milestone reported in June 2025 and likely includes both the...
Nord Anglia Education has named Omnicom Media Vietnam as its agency of record for media across 19 schools in Asia, shifting from school‑level to a centralized hub. The partnership covers integrated strategy, planning and buying for markets including Thailand, India,...
Levi’s has entered a multi‑year global partnership with K‑pop star ROSÉ, integrating her aesthetic into the denim brand’s women’s line. The deal builds on previous collaborations, including campaigns with Alia Bhatt and Beyoncé, and features custom stage outfits displayed at Levi’s...
Accenture Song Media is expected to secure Australia Post's media account after a competitive pitch that also featured Wavemaker and Atomic212. The prospective contract expands beyond standard media planning, incorporating a business‑transformation component that aligns with Accenture Song's consultancy strengths....
Autotrader has secured a six‑month broadcast sponsorship of Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off franchise, covering the new Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C, Bake Off: The Professionals and all streaming episodes. The deal, brokered by media agency The Specialist Works, introduces branded idents featuring...
President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Preserving America’s Game” that bars any college football contest from being scheduled against the annual Army‑Navy game. The order directs FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to work with...
Fred Rogers Productions has teamed with Little Dot Studios to launch an official Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood channel on YouTube. The channel will host full episodes from the classic PBS series alongside clips, shorts, and curated compilations. Little Dot, which runs...
AI and automation are driving down the cost of media execution, exposing a mismatch in traditional agency billing that bundles strategic thinking with operational work. The article argues for separating these functions: pricing execution on measurable outputs while charging a...
Pinterest has released new guidance for its AI‑driven Performance+ campaigns, which automate creative, targeting and budgeting. Launched in October 2024, the fully automated solution leverages Pinterest’s engagement data to optimize ad delivery. Internal tests show advertisers achieve more than 10%...
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) attributes its strong Survey 1 2026 ratings to a steady programming lineup and a laser focus on the 25‑54 demographic. Minimal changes from 2025 to 2026 allowed the network to double‑down on local breakfast shows and locally‑led...
smoothfm recorded a historic 13.5% share in Sydney, cementing its position as the city’s top FM station. Nova Entertainment saw audience lifts in both Sydney and Melbourne, with Nova 96.9 adding 141,000 listeners and its breakfast slot rising to 8.4%...
DVB World 2026 in Amsterdam highlighted the broadcast sector’s shift toward IP‑centric delivery, with DVB‑I positioned as the key standard linking traditional broadcast, broadband and OTT services. The event announced concrete rollout plans, including a nationwide deployment in New Zealand, a...
Pop Mart and Sony announced a joint venture to develop a feature film based on the wildly popular Labubu fuzzy toys. British director Paul King, known for "Paddington" and "Wonka," will helm the project with screenwriter Steven Levenson co‑writing the...
Bankers have opened the bidding window for Wasserman, the Los Angeles‑based sports and entertainment powerhouse now operating under the name The Team. Moelis & Co. is steering the process, while a roster of potential acquirers – including private‑equity firms Permira,...
Live Nation announced the appointment of Viviana Suarez as Vice President of Latin Touring for its LATAM division, adding to a series of senior hires aimed at expanding the company’s presence in the region. Suarez brings over a decade of booking...
CP Communications has been named the official U.S. rental and sales partner for Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC). Through its subsidiary Red House Streaming, the firm has installed MRMC’s robotic camera systems in its new Studio C in St. Petersburg, Florida. Studio C...
Elevenlabs has introduced a music marketplace that lets users upload and sell tracks generated by its ElevenCreative AI model. Creators receive revenue when their songs are downloaded, remixed, or licensed across three tiers—Social Media, Paid Marketing, and Offline. The platform...
Active Radio, a noncommercial station broadcasting classic and Red Dirt country music, operates a Class C2 FM signal and an FM translator in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The station is slated to change hands, with a prospective buyer awaiting Federal Communications...
Guideline is launching Local Dynamics Quarterly, a subscription report that provides transaction‑level advertising intelligence across more than 175 DMAs and multiple media channels. The service arrives just weeks after Nielsen announced the shutdown of its SIGMA radio‑monitoring platform, leaving a...
