Behind the Scenes: Jesser’s Sports Media Empire
Jesse Riedel transformed a teenage YouTube hobby into a $41 million‑subscriber sports media empire, launching high‑budget series such as *Summer of Soccer* and *Pros vs. YouTubers*. By blending video‑game culture, sneaker talk, and on‑court challenges, he captured a generation that craves authentic, fast‑paced content. The channel now partners with major leagues, turning creator‑driven narratives into a viable alternative to traditional broadcast. Riedel stresses that even as production scales, the vibe must feel like a casual hangout, preserving the spark that first attracted viewers.
Behind the Scenes: Alex Cooper's Next Era
Alex Cooper, the creator of the hit podcast Call Her Daddy, announced at YouTube’s Brandcast that her Unwell Network will debut four original series on the platform. The slate includes a reality competition, a social‑experiment series, a micro‑drama and a docuseries, all built...
Check Out the Latest News From YouTube’s Brandcast 2026.
YouTube’s Brandcast 2026 unveiled a suite of AI‑enhanced advertising tools, including Custom Sponsorships that dynamically match videos to brand moments and a Masthead with a Custom Content Shelf for richer hero placements. The platform introduced Buy with Google Pay, letting CTV...
New Twitch Change Lets All Streamers Make Money Right Away, but There’s a Catch
Twitch is extending its Affiliate‑only monetization suite—including Channel Points, Bits, subscriptions, custom emotes and badges—to every streamer in the United States, with a worldwide rollout expected later in 2026. The tools become instantly usable, but creators who are not Affiliates...
YouTube Is Courting Creators — and Sponsors — with Streaming Shows
YouTube announced a slate of exclusive, creator‑driven streaming shows at its annual advertiser event, featuring personalities like Trevor Noah and Alex Cooper. The platform is positioning itself as a bridge between creators and brands, bundling original series with AI‑powered tools that...
Mouse: P.I. For Hire Publisher PlaySide Recoups All Expenses Since April Launch
Warner Bros. Discovery reported Q1 2026 revenue of $8.8 billion, a 1% year‑on‑year decline, while its games revenue plunged 30% and related content expenses fell 43% ex‑FX. The shareholder letter highlighted scaling HBO Max, studio leadership, and linear networks but omitted any...
15 Country Stars Who Went to War Against Their Record Labels
A wave of lawsuits has seen country music’s biggest names clash with their record labels over unpaid royalties, master‑recording rights, and contract terms. Cases range from Kenny Rogers’ $400,000 claim against Capitol Records to the Dixie Chicks’ $20 million settlement with Sony,...
Netflix Says Its Ad-Supported Tier Now Has 250 Million Monthly Viewers
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now attracts 250 million monthly active viewers and will expand to 15 additional countries next year. The growth is credited to a strong slate of titles such as "Wednesday," "The Night Agent," and "Stranger Things."...
Connoisseur Waves Goodbye to Watertown With Riverfront Sale
Connoisseur Media agreed to sell its six‑station Watertown, South Dakota cluster to local operator Riverfront Broadcasting, continuing a portfolio‑refinement strategy launched after its Alpha Media acquisition. The stations—KLDO, KKSD, KIXX, KSDR‑AM, KSDR and KWAT‑AM—are pending FCC approval and expected to...
Netflix Announces New Ad Tier Markets, Podcast and Vertical Video Inventory, and a Dog Show
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier will expand to 15 new markets in 2027, adding Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. The company also said ad inventory for...
Amazon MGM Studios Sued by Producer Over Alleged Pay-to-Play Scheme
Producer Joe Eckardt has filed a California state‑court lawsuit against Amazon MGM Studios, alleging that senior post‑production executive Frank Salinas demanded kickbacks in exchange for awarding unscripted‑show contracts. Eckardt claims Salinas provided confidential budget data so he could submit a...
Netflix Boasts 250 Million Global MAUs, Adding 15 New Ad-Supported Countries, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ World Concert Tour in 2027
Netflix announced it now has 250 million global monthly active users, with 60 % of new sign‑ups opting for the ad‑supported tier. The company will add 15 additional ad‑supported countries in 2027, bringing the total to 27 markets for its $7.99 plan....
Detroit Pistons Games Moving to Scripps-Owned WMYD
The Detroit Pistons will move their locally televised games to free over‑the‑air station WMYD, owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, beginning with the 2026‑27 NBA season. The rights package is underpinned by a production loan exceeding $4 million, though its total...
Gray Media Appoints Two Execs to Lead Local News, Digital Businesses
Gray Media appointed James Finch as Senior Vice President of News Services and Joanie Vasiliadis as Senior Vice President for Transformation. Finch, a decade‑long VP of News Services, will oversee corporate news support and training. Vasiliadis, formerly TEGNA’s VP of...
MrBeast Reveals Plans for the World’s ‘Largest Membership Program’ & New Types of Content
Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson announced a plan to launch the world’s largest YouTube membership program, offering early video access, exclusive challenges, and a charitable component. The initiative was unveiled at a Business Insider‑hosted breakfast in New York attended by brands such...
Sports, Stars, Singing: With New CEO, Disney Maintains Splashy Upfront Strategy
Disney’s upfront highlighted a new live‑first strategy under CEO Josh D'Amaro, emphasizing sports and marquee events. The company announced ESPN’s inaugural Super Bowl broadcast in 2027, simulcast on ABC for the first time in a decade, and a 55% year‑over‑year...
South African Artists Earned $30.69 Million on Spotify in 2025. Most of It Came From Abroad.
South African artists generated R504 million ($30.69 million) on Spotify in 2025, a 28% year‑on‑year rise and almost double the 2023 figure. Nearly 74% of that revenue came from listeners outside South Africa, making the global market the platform’s biggest source of...
Netflix Touts Funding for Thai Content Creators
Netflix disclosed that it has poured more than $200 million into Thai content production between 2021 and 2024, backing over 20 original films and series. The investment has created roughly 13,500 jobs for local cast, crew, and ancillary workers. As of...
One Major Theater Chain Just Quietly Launched $1.75 Movie Tickets for Summer Break
Cinemark launched its Summer Movie Clubhouse on May 13, offering $1.75 tickets for family‑friendly films at 285 U.S. locations through August 6. The promotion includes $1 discounts on snack packs and popcorn‑and‑drink combos. Showings focus on Wednesday mornings and feature...
Upfronts Day Two: Dancing And Data
TelevisaUnivision used Day Two of the TV upfronts to spotlight its Hispanic‑focused strategy, emphasizing data quality and unveiling a household graph it says reaches 98% of U.S. Hispanics. The broadcaster warned that third‑party measurement often underrepresents this audience, creating a...
Warner Bros. Discovery Ad Presidents Downplay Paramount Merger Impact on Upfronts: ‘Been Through Change and Challenges Before’
Warner Bros. Discovery’s co‑ad presidents Ryan Gould and Robert Voltaggio used Wednesday’s upfront to reassure advertisers that the pending $110 billion merger with Paramount will not disrupt ad inventory or pricing. They emphasized the company’s history of navigating industry change and...
Universal Music India Renews Distro Deal with Music Services Company first.wav
Universal Music India has renewed its exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with Mumbai‑based first.wav, originally signed in 2023. The deal will see Universal globally distribute music from first.wav’s roster of independent artists, including rising singer‑songwriter Gini and producer Bharath. First.wav has...
What’s Next For Local Sports As Regional Network Model Crumbles?
The regional sports network (RSN) model has unraveled over the past five years, leaving NBA, NHL and MLB clubs scrambling for new revenue streams. Teams are turning back to free over‑the‑air broadcasters and launching their own streaming platforms to fill...
Netflix’s Nicolle Pangis on Measurement, AI, and the Future of Streaming Advertising
Netflix’s advertising chief Nicolle Pangis says the next wave of streaming ads will hinge on unified data, interoperable measurement and AI‑driven infrastructure. She argues that siloed metrics limit advertisers’ ability to assess performance across streaming and retail channels. Netflix is...
Beasley’s Q1 2026 Net Revenue Declines 12.9%
Beasley Broadcast Group reported first‑quarter 2026 net revenue of $42.6 million, a 12.9% decline year‑over‑year, driven by persistent weakness in traditional agency advertising. The company offset the drop with strong growth in its owned‑and‑operated digital platforms, which now represent a larger...
Parks Associates: Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV Are Top Three U.S. FAST Services
According to Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker, Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV occupy the top three positions among U.S. free‑ad‑supported streaming (FAST) services. Tubi leads the pack, even though 95 % of its library is on‑demand AVOD, while 46 %...
BARC Redraws TV Ratings Playbook as Landing Pages Lose Power
India’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has issued a new operational framework that removes landing‑page viewership from official TV ratings. The rule treats the first channel shown by a set‑top‑box as passive exposure and excludes it, while any subsequent voluntary...
TikTok Launches MCP Server to Let AI Agents Run Campaigns
TikTok announced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a developer toolkit that lets AI agents directly create, launch, and optimize ad campaigns on its platform. The move mirrors similar MCP releases from Google, Meta, and Amazon, signaling a shift toward...
How Index Managed Demand Sources Revenue for Media Owners
Index Exchange has launched Index Managed Demand, a formal program that sources differentiated, high‑quality programmatic demand for media owners. Over the past 12 months, Index‑sourced deals accounted for roughly 13% of participating publishers’ revenue. The service introduces a transparent, dynamic...
Alton Towers Owner Backs New Puy Du Fou Theme Park Plans
Merlin Entertainments, the owner of Alton Towers and other attractions, has endorsed a £600 million (≈$760 million) proposal to build a Puy du Fou theme park near Bicester, Oxfordshire. The development, backed by VisitBritain and French officials, aims to create about 2,000...
CNC: €135.2m US Streamer Investment in French-Funded TV
The French audiovisual support body CNC reported that US streaming giants invested €135.2 million (≈$147 million) in French‑funded TV in 2025, commissioning 93 hours of content. Independent SVoDs commissioned 231 hours, with total investment falling to €135.6 million (≈$148 million) from €145.4 million the prior...
IAB Tech Lab Opens New CTV Ad Signalling Standards for Public Comment
IAB Tech Lab has published updated technical specifications to standardize signaling for Connected TV (CTV) ad formats, including Pause Ads, Menu Ads, Overlay Ads, and Squeeze Back Ads. The framework is open for public comment until June 5, 2026, giving stakeholders a...
RTL and ProSieben Focus on Profitability as TV Ad Revenues Fall
RTL Group posted a 2.5% organic revenue rise and its streaming division recorded its first profitable quarter, targeting $27‑$55 million operating profit for the year. ProSiebenSat.1 saw a 3% revenue decline but boosted Q1 EBITDA by $55 million through cost cuts. Both...
Ahead of Paramount Mega-Merger, WBD Bets on Agentic Ads
Warner Bros. Discovery introduced a suite of AI‑driven ad products at its May upfront, including shoppable ads that appear when viewers pause programming and a Kerv.ai partnership that aligns ads with specific scenes. The company also upgraded its dynamic creative tools, linking...
The Era of the Microdrama Is Here
Microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox have become the most‑downloaded video‑streaming platforms worldwide, eclipsing Netflix, as mobile‑first, two‑minute episodes capture post‑pandemic scrolling habits. The U.S. market generated $819 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030, driven by...
Konami Successfully Revives Silent Hill with Strong Sales for 2 Remake, F
Konami’s revival of the Silent Hill franchise is gaining traction, with Silent Hill F surpassing two million copies sold since its September 2025 launch and Silent Hill 2 attracting over six million players by April 2026. The two titles now account for roughly a quarter of the series’ total...
The Social-First Sports Revolution: How Data-Driven Ecosystems Are Redefining Commercial Value
TikTok has been named the first‑ever Preferred Platform for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, tapping an audience where 85% of fans use the app as a second‑screen experience. The partnership builds on a 2023 Women’s World Cup test that generated...
Rakuten TV Hopes Other Streaming Companies Follow in Joining Barb
Rakuten TV announced it will be measured by Barb, the UK broadcaster‑owned TV measurement Joint Industry Committee, positioning itself as one of the first hybrid streaming platforms to adopt the standard. Senior Director Chris Edwards explained the move aims to...
RTL Streaming Business Sees First Profitable Quarter
RTL Group reported a stable €1.29 billion ($1.41 billion) revenue for Q1 2026, with a 2.5% organic increase. While TV ad sales fell, digital advertising rose 14.6% and streaming revenue surged 27% to €141 million ($154 million), delivering the first profitable streaming quarter. Fremantle’s content...
Spain: Movistar Plus+ Launches €4.99 Streaming Plan
Movistar Plus+ has introduced a low‑cost tier called Plan Libre Cine y Series, priced at €4.99 per month (about $5.44). The plan gives unlimited access to the full library of films, series, documentaries and more than 70 TV channels, but...
FilmBox Rebranding Portfolio
FilmBox, a flagship brand of SPI International, will rebrand on June 10, unveiling a refreshed portfolio of linear channels and a renamed streaming service, FilmBox+ Stream. The new lineup adds seven niche channels—FilmBox+ One, Love & Crime, Hits, Emotion, Action, Comedy and Festival—each with a...
ProSiebenSat.1 Q1 Revenue Down €80m in Q1
ProSiebenSat.1 Group reported Q1 2026 revenues of €775 million (≈$845 million), a 9% drop year‑over‑year driven by a volatile macro‑economic backdrop. On an organic basis, revenue fell 3% (€20 million, ≈$22 million) after accounting for currency effects. While traditional TV advertising revenues declined 10%,...
Future of TV Briefing: Inside Warner Bros. Discovery’s Programmatic Upfront Pitch
Warner Bros. Discovery says more than half of its programmatic ad demand now comes through the upfront, marking a pivotal shift toward automated buying. The company has opened live‑sports inventory—including March Madness and the upcoming French Open—to programmatic deals, requiring...
Upfront Focus: Linear Unchanged, Shift To Social Video, CTV
The latest iSpot survey of over 200 brand and agency executives shows that 45.5% of marketers now prioritize business outcomes above all else when allocating TV upfront spend. While 47.5% expect budgets to stay flat year‑over‑year, the composition is shifting...
Turning Purchase Data Into Outcomes in Mobile Gaming: Unity and Attain’s Partnership
Unity announced a partnership with data‑provider Attain to embed verified, real‑time purchase information into its mobile gaming inventory. Attain’s permissioned data set covers more than 14 million consumers, allowing programmatic buyers to create purchase‑based audience segments. The combined offering lets advertisers...
Snail Inc (SNAL) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Snail Inc. reported Q1 2026 revenue of $27.3 million, up 35.7% year‑over‑year, driven by strong ASA and BellRite sales and $2.5 million of deferred revenue recognition. Net income swung to $2.1 million, a 210% improvement, and EBITDA turned positive at $2.4 million. Management highlighted...
SAG-AFTRA Deal Stirs Concerns on Artificial Intelligence and Pensions
SAG‑AFTRA unveiled a new studio contract that permits synthetic performers only when they provide "significant additional value" and obligates studios to notify the union and bargain over AI training licenses. The agreement also outlines a merger of the SAG and...
Canadian Soccer Media Firm Finally Escapes Rogers’ TV Bottleneck
A Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed Rogers Communications’ appeal of the CRTC’s 2023 decision, clearing the way for OneSoccer to be carried on Rogers’ linear television platforms. The ruling grants the Canadian Premier League (CPL) access to millions of...
Salem Media Going Private in Acquisition by WaterStone
Salem Media, the Texas‑based owner of 62 radio stations and a network reaching about 2,400 affiliates, agreed to be taken private by the WaterStone foundation. The deal values the 31.8 million outstanding shares at $1.00 each, a roughly 250% premium to...
Amazon MGM Studios Names Mandy Schaffer Head Of TV Business Affairs, Craig Muhlrad Head Of Film Business Affairs
Amazon MGM Studios announced two senior appointments: Mandy Schaffer, a 12‑year Netflix veteran, will become Head of Business Affairs for Global TV, and Craig Muhlrad will lead Film Business Affairs. The moves follow Dan Scharf’s exit and accompany a structural...