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Janet Jackson has signed a long‑term global publishing administration agreement with Believe Music Publishing, transferring her entire songwriting catalog to the newly launched division. The deal, announced on March 19, 2026, adds a high‑profile legacy catalog to Believe’s portfolio, which already spans 4 million songs and 400 000 songwriters across 200 territories. Believe, which grew out of Sentric’s technology‑driven indie model, now operates in 47 countries with 160 publishing experts. The partnership signals the company’s ambition to compete with major publishers for marquee assets.
UGCon is debuting on May 21‑22 at Topgolf Las Vegas, targeting the fast‑growing user‑generated content (UGC) sector in gaming. The conference will spotlight UGC on platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, emphasizing brand and intellectual property integrations within virtual...
Starbreeze Entertainment announced a partnership with VICE Studios to develop film and television adaptations of its Payday franchise. The deal follows an earlier, now‑unclear collaboration with Stockholm Syndrome and retains full IP ownership for Starbreeze. While Payday 3 underperformed, Payday 2 outshone...
HBO Max is set to launch in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 26, 2026, introducing a suite of discounted “Saver Plans” that bundle the streaming service with TNT Sports. The plans offer monthly savings of £8.99 to £10.99, require...
Viagogo unveiled Distribution Manager, an AI‑powered self‑serve platform that lets artists, sports teams and venues list official tickets directly on its global marketplace. The tool is built on Viagogo’s Open Distribution model, which has already driven an 84% year‑over‑year increase...
#paid has become an official execution partner for Pinterest’s Idea Ads, linking its creator‑brand matching technology and Handraise workflow with Pinterest’s creator ecosystem. The integration enables creators to self‑select campaigns and produce Idea Ads that blend organic inspiration with paid...
Indie co‑op Peak, built in roughly four weeks of intensive iteration, sold millions of copies and generated over $2 million in revenue on a sub‑$200k budget. Studio head Nick Kaman said the project forced Aggro Crab to rethink its development culture, adopting...
Freely has appointed Synapse TV to create and operate its Freely Showcase service on channel 100 of the Freely streaming platform. The IP‑only channel, available exclusively to Freely subscribers, will feature platform highlights, feature updates, and how‑to content to aid discovery....
Sky Media announced that its premium video‑on‑demand (VOD) inventory is now available through Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), extending programmatic access across Sky’s owned and partner channels. The offering includes entertainment, drama, sport and news assets such as Sky Atlantic,...
Values Value and InGame Job have released the 10th edition of the Big Games Industry Employment Survey, tracking global labour‑market trends in game development. The study, backed by partners such as Mellow, Scorewarrior, Tribe and major industry bodies, gathers responses...
Top Rank Boxing has inked a multi‑year global streaming agreement with DAZN, bringing its fight slate and archive to the platform after parting with ESPN. DAZN will air eight to ten Top Rank events annually, bolstering its "DAZN Ultimate" subscription...
King’s Farm Heroes Saga has officially crossed the $2 billion lifetime revenue threshold, doubling the $1 billion milestone announced in 2019. Launched in 2014, the match‑3 title now boasts roughly 50 million global players and continues to receive regular content updates. The achievement...
Deron Rippey Jr., a top high‑school basketball recruit, has signed an NIL partnership with frozen‑pasta startup Ripi, receiving a modest five‑figure cash payment and less‑than‑1 % equity that vests over several years. Ripi, which has raised $1.5 million and is targeting the...
Afrime Studios, a majority Black‑owned US game developer, has closed an angel round of roughly $400,000 and is now moving into a seed funding phase. The studio is building a public demo of its debut Afrofuturistic sci‑fi RPG, Unyverse, to...
Indian paint giant Nippon Paint has signed Punjab Kings as an official partner for IPL 2026, securing jersey sleeve branding and a mascot-driven fan program. The deal features the brand’s logo on the right sleeve of the team’s kit and...
Playstack reported a 59% jump in profit before tax for 2025, reaching £12.2 million ($16.2 m), driven by record sales of the titles Abiotic Factor and Balatro. The publisher logged 20 million new installs and more than 150 million hours played, pushing its Steam...
Caretta Research, in partnership with Zixi, released a white paper detailing broadcasters’ shift from satellite and fibre to IP‑based and cloud workflows. The study shows master‑control and contribution feeds moving to software‑defined infrastructure, driven by US C‑band spectrum reallocation and...
Juanjo Duran, a veteran Google executive, highlighted vertical videos—low‑budget, portrait‑oriented series—as a multi‑billion‑dollar growth engine reshaping streaming. He explained Google’s plan to partner with studios, surface vertical content on the Google TV mobile app, and embed Google Pay for frictionless...
As audiences increasingly skip traditional commercials, brands are turning to authentic product placements to maintain relevance. EightPM’s partnership with 7‑Eleven led to a subtle integration on the hockey rink in the series Heated Rivalry, illustrating the power of early, low‑touch...
Deezer announced its first full‑year net profit for fiscal 2025, posting €8 million in net income and €10 million in adjusted EBITDA on €543 million of revenue. The profit stemmed from a €12 million expense reduction and a 25.4% adjusted gross‑profit margin. Meanwhile, the...
Netflix is reshaping its 2026 film strategy by prioritizing original storytelling and a robust comedy slate, moving away from the sequel‑driven model that dominates theaters. Dan Lin, the film chairman, highlighted a healthy content budget that will both build and...
WAN-IFRA, FT Strategies and Arc XP have launched the Future Newsroom Study, a global survey aimed at establishing a benchmark for newsroom transformation. The research will probe how editorial leaders are redefining strategy, integrating AI and automation, reshaping organisational structures,...
Accedo One and Magine Pro have launched Leyra, a joint‑venture SaaS platform that unifies their respective OTT technologies. The new offering blends Magine Pro’s subscriber‑lifecycle management with Accedo One’s streaming stack and Marketplace, delivering a single end‑to‑end solution. Leyra promises...
Former Buccaneer co‑CEO Richard Tulk‑Hart and ex‑Cineflix scripted head James Durie have launched High Road Entertainment, a co‑production and sales consultancy focused on drama. The venture, rebadged from Volteo Media, is already developing the Greek‑set crime series Antiparos and the...
Influencer marketing tied to the Indian Premier League is projected to hit roughly ₹700 crore by the 2026 season, according to Qoruz. Spending has risen from about ₹250 crore in 2023 to ₹550 crore in 2025, reflecting a 40 % compound annual growth rate....
Vision+, Indonesia’s leading OTT service, announced a planned merger with free‑to‑air broadcaster RCTI, both owned by MNC, to create a single, integrated platform. COO Omar Giri Calliappan highlighted the current fragmentation where users must switch between separate apps for free...
Cloudflare introduced a new Crawl API that can retrieve an entire website’s content in HTML, Markdown, or JSON with a single request, positioning itself as a compliant intermediary for AI developers. The rollout initially conflicted with publishers’ bot‑blocking settings, leading...
Brands are shifting earned‑media budgets toward niche news creators on platforms like TikTok and podcasts. Companies such as Tropicana’s Naked Smoothie, NASCAR and AI firms are partnering with creators who deliver news‑adjacent content to reach Gen Z and socially‑savvy audiences. This...
AdFest 2026 announced its second round of finalists, adding ten new award categories to the competition. The new categories cover Brand Experience, Digital & Social, Direct, Effective, Outdoor, PR, Sustainable, Digital Craft, Film Craft, and Print & Outdoor Craft. Notable...
The article refutes the claim that the FCC has never revoked a broadcast license over news coverage, citing five historical cases where news distortion or partisan slant led to license actions, including three revocations. Notable examples include the 1975 Star...
Netflix’s experiment with split‑season releases, introduced with Stranger Things in 2022, reached its apex in 2023‑2024 before receding. By 2025 only Wednesday and Stranger Things still used multi‑batch drops, and in 2026 the sole planned split release is Bridgerton’s Season 4,...
AAMI has launched a new TV commercial called “Luck of the Bounce” to mark the start of the 2026 AFL season. The spot, directed by Stephen Carroll and produced by FINCH, highlights the sport’s unpredictable nature and colorful characters. It...
The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) will host a live demo of Nielsen Audio’s mobile‑enabled diary methodology, mSurvey, on April 1 at 1 p.m. ET. The hour‑long session will present the platform’s design, test results, and its slated Spring 2026 launch. mSurvey aims to...
DIRECTV will cease distributing the NFL Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants after the 2025 season, shifting the commercial package to a streaming‑only model operated by EverPass Media beginning in 2026. The change forces hospitality venues to replace satellite dishes...
Bravo announced an indefinite pause on "The Real Housewives of Miami" after its latest season aired on October 16, 2025, delivering sluggish ratings despite a loyal fan base. The franchise, originally halted in 2013, was revived by Peacock in 2021...
Camille Bermann has been elevated to vice president and director of sales for Fox’s San Francisco duopoly, KTVU‑KICU. She joins the role after a 26‑year tenure at Fox Television Stations, most recently overseeing sales for the Houston duopoly KRIV‑KTXH. Bermann began...
Eight state attorneys general and DirecTV have filed separate lawsuits to block the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger. The suits allege antitrust violations, higher retransmission‑consent fees and the risk of broadcast blackouts for satellite customers. The combined entity would control 228 stations,...
Broadcast giants Nexstar and Tegna face a legal challenge over their proposed merger, which critics say would create the largest concentration of TV station ownership in U.S. history. Opponents, including Newsmax and ACA Connects, argue the deal would give Nexstar...
The New York Public Utilities Commission approved the $34.5 billion Charter‑Cox merger, attaching conditions that require a $100 million investment to deliver symmetric gigabit service and replace 500 outdoor Wi‑Fi nodes. The FCC has already cleared the deal, but California regulators have...
Samsung and AMC Networks have teamed up to launch an exclusive 90‑day “On Us” free trial for new AMC+ subscribers on eligible Samsung smart TVs. The offer, available from today until June 17 while supplies last, comes with AMC+ pre‑installed...
Tubi announced an incubator partnership with TikTok to develop original long‑form series for its ad‑supported streaming platform. TikTok will curate creators who will produce both scripted and unscripted shows, with the first cohort slated for a summer rollout. The initiative...
LinkedIn unveiled Premium Creator Sponsorships with Top Voices 360 and expanded its BrandLink suite, giving B2B marketers new ways to partner with influential creators. The platform now lets brands place ads alongside top creator content, bundle BrandLink and Event Ads, and...
WEBTOON Entertainment announced that it has paid more than $2.7 billion to creators over the past five years and will allocate over $470 million to its 2026 Creator Program. The new initiative, led by President Yongsoo Kim, adds enhanced monetization tools, a...
The World Surf League (WSL) announced that its 2025 season reached 80 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms, according to Nielsen data. Fans logged 20.3 million viewing hours, a 19% rise from the prior year, with an average...
New Zealand singer Lorde announced she is now an independent artist after her contract with Universal Music Group ended. She reflected on signing her first deal at age 12 and expressed excitement about creative freedom. The announcement coincides with her...
Midco announced the phased shutdown of its legacy cable television service, moving all subscribers to the MidcoTV streaming platform by the end of 2026. The transition replaces traditional set‑top boxes with Android‑powered streaming players that require the company’s fiber‑optic internet...
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) announced the finalists for its 24th Annual Business Awards, highlighting the companies driving Australian screen production. BBC Studios Productions Australia, Lingo Pictures, Curio Pictures and others made the Media Super Production Business of the Year shortlist,...
Paramount’s CBS News & Stations appointed Scott Rates as Vice President of News for Sacramento’s duopoly of KOVR (Channel 13) and KMAX-TV (Channel 31), effective next Monday. In his new role, Rates will direct editorial strategy and daily newsroom operations...
Artificial intelligence is set to overhaul how viewers find and interact with entertainment, with large language models (LLMs) becoming the backbone of next‑generation search tools. Gracenote’s new report warns that LLMs alone can hallucinate, so it promotes "grounded" models that...
Patreon CEO Jack Conte told SXSW that AI companies’ reliance on creator content under a "fair use" defense is "bogus" and should be compensated. He emphasized that while AI is an inevitable disruption, creators must receive direct payments for the...
