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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 performance dashboard, and expanded convention participation worldwide. It also introduces educational resources to help creators develop careers. These moves aim to strengthen the platform’s creator‑first ecosystem and fuel global franchise growth.
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...
Broadcast technology has shifted to IP‑based, software‑defined workflows, unlocking remote production and cloud connectivity. However, the drive for flexibility often leads to over‑engineering, where extra routing layers, middleware, and monitoring tools inflate system complexity. This hidden cost manifests as longer...
Triveni Digital announced it will showcase its end‑to‑end NextGen TV portfolio at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, demonstrating how broadcasters can monetize ATSC 3.0 and Brazil’s TV 3.0 standards. The lineup includes GuideBuilder XM for signaling, StreamScope XM for quality‑of‑service and monetization...
Pebble will exhibit its automation, content‑management and integrated‑channel solutions at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, underscoring ongoing development of its software platforms. The company’s trio—Pebble Automation, Integrated Channel and Pebble Remote—delivers scalable, multi‑site architectures that operate across SDI,...
Facebook unveiled the “Creator Fast Track” program, promising guaranteed monthly payments to high‑profile creators who migrate their audiences from TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. The initiative offers $1,000 per month for creators with at least 100,000 followers and $3,000 per month...
Daren Smith argues the traditional indie film financing model is structurally broken, leaving investors, filmmakers, and distributors misaligned. He cites data showing only 0.025% of scripts achieve profitable theatrical runs, with oversupply at every production stage. Smith proposes a new...
Bandai Namco commemorates the 22nd anniversary of Katamari Damacy with a wave of new merchandise, including a limited‑edition mouse pad and branded rice sold by Japanese retailer Grapht. The rice is offered in single packs for ¥864 or a five‑pack...
California awarded film‑tax credits to 16 productions, including HBO Max’s drama “The Pitt,” the “Stewie” spin‑off and Jimmy Kimmel’s kids’ science competition “Schooled!”. The projects represent $871 million in qualified in‑state spending and are projected to generate $1.3 billion in economic activity,...
French theme park Futuroscope announced two flagship attractions for its 2026 season – The Greenhouse of the Worlds and T. Rex: In the Footsteps of Giants – as part of a €300 million investment program. The Greenhouse offers a multisensory walk among...
The IFPI’s Global Music Report launch highlighted AI as a pivotal growth driver for the recorded‑music sector. Sony Music’s Dennis Kooker emphasized that generative AI can deepen fan‑artist connections, but only if licensing frameworks are solid and deepfake abuse is...
Patrón Tequila has launched a global campaign titled “The Perfect Pour,” directed by Oscar‑winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, marking his first television commercial. The ad features del Toro overseeing a set staffed by animated skeletons, tying his meticulous storytelling to Patrón’s handcrafted,...
Global Media has struck a data partnership with Sainsbury’s Nectar360, merging first‑party shopper information with its own listener data on the DAX digital audio platform. The integration lets advertisers target UK audio audiences using anonymised purchase insights and directly measure...
SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe welcomed Ireland’s amendment to its copyright law, which now obliges Irish radio royalties to be paid to American performers. The change stems from an EU court ruling that mandates all member states to allow such payments,...
The Featured Artist Coalition (FAC) has launched the UKAT Fund, a £125,000 pool aimed at easing touring overhead for UK musicians. Artists can apply for up to £7,000 or 40 % of their tour budget, whichever is lower, with the first...
A UK Music report reveals that Black‑artist‑made music generated £24.5 billion, representing 80% of the industry’s £30 billion revenue between 1994 and 2023. The study, titled *Black Music Means Business*, is the first of its kind in Europe and quantifies both commercial and...
Physical music sales on Bandcamp will now be counted toward the UK Official Charts after The Pack Smart Group secured reporting rights with the Official Charts Company. Previously, only physical copies sold alongside a digital purchase were eligible for chart...
Activist hedge fund Jana Partners, holding roughly a 9% economic stake in Six Flags Entertainment, has written to the board urging the company to explore a sale and replace its chair, Marilyn Spiegel. The letter follows Jana’s earlier push for...
Twirl remains a popular choice for structured creator‑led content, but growing brands are seeking platforms that can handle larger creator volumes and more flexible workflows. Alternatives such as Modash, Humanz, Creator.co, Billo, Collabstr, Insense, Influee and Trend.io each emphasize different...
Thailand has overhauled its national film incentive scheme, introducing tiered cash rebates that start at 15% and climb to 25% for productions spending over THB 150 million, with a combined ceiling of 30% when bonuses apply. The program eliminates caps, removes cultural...
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has floated the idea of granting the BBC a permanent charter, ending the ten‑year renewal cycle that currently risks a funding gap if a charter isn’t agreed in time. She emphasized the broadcaster’s status as...
Nespresso has appointed pop star Dua Lipa as its new global ambassador alongside longtime face George Clooney. The partnership will launch on April 14 with the “Vertuo World” campaign, signaling a creative shift aimed at attracting Gen Z coffee drinkers. Nespresso’s...
WPP Media’s new “Women’s Sports Playbook” report shows rapid growth in advertising within women’s sports. Ad impressions rose 79% year‑over‑year and overall spend reached about $127 million, up roughly 70% YoY. Brands such as Ally Financial saw 85% higher engagement on...
Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music announced the opening of a new London office at Maida Vale Studios, marking its first permanent UK base. The expansion adds managing director Jesse McNamara and creative director Dario Burns to lead UK operations and grow the...
Amazon Ads announced Uber Eats as the first brand to sponsor Prime Video’s comedy slate in the UK, launching on March 19 2024 alongside the Season 2 premiere of *Last One Laughing UK*. The partnership runs through the end of 2026 and includes...
Live Nation has begun disbursing multimillion‑dollar payments to six states after the Department of Justice antitrust settlement, marking the first tranche of a $280.4 million fund. The payouts total $18.56 million, roughly 7 % of the settlement pool, and mirror the term sheet...
Creator commerce platform LTK has introduced Quick Collabs, a new feature that lets brands launch flat‑fee, one‑click campaigns that creators can opt into. The tool leverages LTK’s data on 44 million monthly shoppers, $6 billion in annual spend, 400,000 creators and 8,000...
Clean Creatives released the “Toxic Accounts” study, analyzing 1,859 ads, press releases and social‑media campaigns from 2020‑2024. It finds BP, Chevron, Shell and Exxon have abandoned climate‑friendly narratives, instead portraying fossil‑fuel use as essential for economic stability and national security....
Meta will begin charging advertisers a "location fee" starting July 1, 2026 to cover European digital services taxes. The fee varies by country—2 % in the U.K., 3 % in France, Italy and Spain, and 5 % in Austria and Turkey—adding directly to ad spend....
Instagram tested an AI‑driven “Shop the Look” feature that automatically tags products in creator posts, aiming to boost social commerce. The rollout, launched in February, sparked backlash as tags appeared without creators’ consent, linking followers to unvetted items and knockoffs....
Bandai Namco announced that My Hero ULTRA IMPACT, its action RPG based on My Hero Academia, will cease service on May 18, 2026, marking the end of a five‑year run. The company launched a Finale Campaign offering daily free 10x...
Siesta Valley Bowl announced a strategic partnership with Blue Note Entertainment to relaunch its Orinda outdoor amphitheater in spring‑summer 2026. Blue Note’s SVP of Talent, David Lefkowitz, will oversee booking and programming, while former SF Masonic General Manager Suman Chatterjee...
Disney has reaffirmed that the Disneyland Abu Dhabi project will proceed, despite escalating regional conflict. The park will be built, designed and operated by Abu Dhabi’s government‑backed Miral, while Disney will earn a 5‑10% revenue share without capital investment. Recent...
The Trade Desk’s OpenPath platform is facing pushback from major agency networks, with WPP and Dentsu withdrawing over concerns about cost transparency. While the service is free for advertisers and agencies, publishers are charged a 5 % fee tied to advertiser...
Cobalt Digital unveiled a robust 2026 NAB Show portfolio expanding its IPMX and ST 2110 ecosystem. The lineup introduces the 1RU blueCORE standalone processors, the PACIFIC compression line with dual SDI and ST 2110/IPMX outputs, and a hybrid satellite‑Internet mode meeting FCC...
Oscars viewership fell to 17.9 million, a 9 percent decline from last year, ending a four‑year ratings rise. The drop coincided with similar declines at the Grammys and Golden Globes, marking the first simultaneous fall for all three major award shows. Conan...
Reddit has partnered with ad‑tech firm Pacvue to let advertisers buy and track Reddit campaigns directly within Pacvue’s management platform. The integration adds Reddit to Pacvue’s suite, which already supports over 100 retail media networks and serves more than 70,000...
YouTube has rolled out its Jewels livestream gifting system to Korean users, following earlier launches in the United States and Canada. Jewels are an in‑app currency that lets viewers purchase digital stickers, which appear in chat and generate Rubies for...
Actus Digital is unveiling major upgrades to its Actus X platform at NAB Show 2026, including native ATSC 3.0 monitoring with A3SA encryption, a sub‑second browser‑based multiviewer, and AI‑driven automation for compliance and reporting. The new features let broadcasters decrypt and analyze...
Fospha’s State of Retail Commerce 2026 report shows Reddit’s influence on retail conversions surged in 2025, delivering an 82% lift in ROAS when Amazon sales are accounted for and a 257% increase in revenue attributed to the platform. The study...
Meta announced that Horizon Worlds will be removed from the Quest store on March 31 and fully shut down on June 15, leaving only a mobile‑only version. The decision follows a February round of Reality Labs cuts that slashed 10%...
The FCC concluded that Charlottesville’s low‑power FM station WXRK(LP) violated underwriting announcement rules but avoided a monetary fine by agreeing to a compliance plan. This decision resolves the fifth case stemming from a Virginia LPFM “coop” that shared facilities and...
Actor Matthew McConaughey has obtained eight federal trademark registrations covering his voice and iconic catchphrases, pioneering a legal tactic to curb unauthorized AI reproductions. The filings transform personal attributes into protectable assets, offering a new enforcement tool while Congress lags...
Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) announced that its Super VIP (SVIP) tier surpassed 20 million subscribers at the end of 2025, up from 15 million in Q2 2025 and 10 million a year earlier. SVIP now accounts for roughly 15.7% of TME’s 127.4 million paying...
