Nexstar Takes DIRECTV’s Fight over TV Fees to Supreme Court
Nexstar Media Group has filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in DIRECTV’s antitrust lawsuit over distribution fees for about three dozen local stations operated through Mission and White Knight. A lower court dismissed the case, but the Second Circuit revived it, creating a split with Ninth and Tenth Circuits on whether hypothetical revenue loss is enforceable. The petition seeks a uniform ruling on the financial‑harm standard, while a separate injunction forces Nexstar to separate its core business from the $6.2 billion TEGNA acquisition.
5 Reasons Why The Devil Wears Prada 2 Ruled The Box Office
Disney’s *The Devil Wears Prada 2* opened to a $233.6 million global debut, outpacing its competition and eclipsing the original’s earnings trajectory. The film posted a $77 million domestic opening and earned strong audience metrics, including an A‑CinemaScore and 87 % audience rating. A...
Paramount Will Keep Licensing Some Content To Third Parties; CEO David Ellison Says Strategy Makes Company “Much More Desirable” To...
Paramount announced it will continue licensing select TV properties to third‑party platforms under new CEO David Ellison. The strategy, which dates back to Bob Bakish’s tenure with deals for Yellowstone and South Park, is framed as a talent‑attraction tool rather than...
Reality Shows Are Increasingly Shot Abroad, But Networks & Streamers Would Like To Film More In U.S. – Reality TV...
Reality unscripted series are increasingly filmed abroad as tax credits and lower production costs make overseas locations attractive. Fox highlighted that moving 100 Americans to Ireland for The Floor was cheaper than shooting in Los Angeles, and Netflix is following production...
Netflix Is Still Keen On Live Reality Shows & So Are Its Rivals – Reality TV Summit
Netflix is doubling down on live unscripted programming, launching events like BTS: The Comeback that attracted 18.4 million viewers and experimenting with remote‑voting technology on Star Search. While Star Search failed to crack the global top‑10 and won’t return, the platform’s...
Robert Greenblatt Sets First-Look Deal at Universal TV in Return to NBCUniversal Fold
Robert Greenblatt is re‑joining Universal Television under a first‑look agreement that will see his production company, The Green Room, develop series across all UTV platforms. The deal follows his recent success executive‑producing the HBO hit “The Gilded Age,” now entering...
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Moment Partners with SCAT Airlines to Deliver Wireless IFE Across Fleet
Moment announced a partnership with Kazakhstan‑based SCAT Airlines to install its wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) system across the carrier’s fleet. The deal, signed on March 4, makes SCAT the first Central Asian airline to adopt Moment’s Flymingo Box, a compact, autonomous...
Kochava Won't Sell 'Sensitive' Location Data Without Consent
Data broker Kochava agreed to stop selling sensitive precise location data without explicit consumer consent, settling FTC privacy charges. The settlement defines sensitive data as GPS coordinates linked to medical, religious, educational, homeless, domestic‑violence, and law‑enforcement sites. Kochava does not...
Activision Finally Ditches Previous PlayStation Gen for Next Call of Duty
Activision announced via the official Call of Duty X account that the upcoming title will not be released for PlayStation 4, ending months of speculation. The next installment will launch solely on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, allowing the studio to...
The Pussycat Dolls Cancel North American Reunion Tour Amid Reports of Sluggish Ticket Sales
The Pussycat Dolls' planned "PCD Forever Tour" in North America has been largely scrapped, with every U.S. and Canadian concert canceled except a single appearance at the OUTLOUD Music Festival in Los Angeles on June 6. The decision follows reports that...
Reddit Releases New Small Business Marketing Guide
Reddit unveiled a 13‑page guide aimed at small businesses seeking to leverage its growing advertising suite and highly engaged subreddit communities. The release follows a Q1 report showing Reddit’s ad revenue jumped 74% year‑over‑year, underscoring the platform’s rising role in...
GTA 6 Not Coming to PC at Launch because Console Gamers Are the ‘Core Consumer,’ CEO Says
Rockstar Games confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no PC version at release. Take‑Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained the decision by labeling console players as the “core consumer” that must be served...
NAPALM DEATH's MITCH HARRIS Builds New Touring Platform TOURFLIP: "Fans Pay More Than Ever For Less Than Ever"
Former Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris has launched TourFlip, a crowdfunding‑backed marketplace designed to simplify global touring for bands. The platform enables direct booking offers from promoters, fee‑free ticket sales for direct inventory, and a built‑in merch and services marketplace....
Pluto TV to Relaunch on Paramount Plus Platform This Summer
Paramount will relaunch its free, ad‑supported Pluto TV service inside the Paramount Plus app this summer, a move described by CEO David Ellison as the most significant update in a decade. The integration aims to improve user experience with personalized...
Weekend Box Office: The Devil Wears Prada 2 Shines With $77 Million Weekend
The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to $77 million this weekend, nearly triple the debut of the 2006 original and securing the No. 1 spot at the box office. The sequel’s strong performance makes it one of the biggest openings ever for a...
Instagram Adds AI Creator Labels
Instagram introduced an “AI creator” label that creators can toggle on their profiles and posts, signaling regular use of generative‑AI tools. The label supersedes the existing “AI info” tag on individual pieces of content, aiming to reduce confusion and misinformation....
'Neverness to Everness' Hits ₩21 Billion in First-Day Sales; "Korea Performance Exceeds Expectations"
Perfect World’s new title *Neverness to Everness* generated over $15 million in first‑day global revenue, exceeding the company’s CN¥100 million target. Japan and the United States led regional earnings, while Korea’s launch performed better than internal forecasts despite undisclosed exact figures. The...
How Lilly Rebuilt Its Newsroom and Master Control Workflow
Lilly Broadcasting overhauled its entire broadcast operation, replacing a legacy Windows‑based hub with a Mac‑centric, software‑defined workflow powered by Softron. The new system unifies news production, graphics, and master‑control playout through Softron’s OnTheAir Video and MOS Gateway, integrating Blackmagic switchers...
Amazon Music To Livestream Rolling Loud 2026
Amazon Music has secured exclusive rights to livestream the 2026 Rolling Loud festival, held May 8‑10 in Orlando, Florida. The three‑day event, featuring more than 75 hip‑hop artists including headliners Playboi Carti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Don Toliver, will be broadcast on the Amazon Music...
Nueva Network CEO, CIO To Exit Following MLC Moves
José Villafañe, founder and CEO of Nueva Network, announced his exit after selling his 65% stake to Carlos Moncada, who now holds full ownership. Chief Information Officer René Alegría is also leaving, and several advertising sales executives are departing. Villafañe...
The Audio Industry Is Grappling With the Rise of 'Podslop'
The audio ecosystem is confronting a surge of AI‑generated shows, a phenomenon dubbed “podslop.” Platforms such as Amazon have begun auto‑creating quasi‑podcasts, while the Atlantic’s CEO noted the term flooding Spotify searches. Apple Podcasts now mandates AI disclosure, whereas Spotify...
GameStop's CEO Is Annoyed You Don't Understand How He's Buying eBay
GameStop announced a $56 billion bid to acquire eBay, proposing a mix of cash and stock. CEO Ryan Cohen appeared irritated during a CNBC interview when pressed about financing, directing viewers to the company website for details. While GameStop holds a...
Fox News Media Leads News Brands on YouTube in April
Fox News Media closed April as the top news brand on YouTube, racking up 605 million video views across its channels. The flagship Fox News YouTube channel alone delivered 471.9 million views, outpacing MS NOW, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS. The network also...
Allen Media Channels Coming to Lower-Priced YouTube TV Packages
YouTube TV and Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group have renewed a multi‑year carriage agreement that places Allen’s national cable networks, including The Weather Channel and Comedy.TV, in YouTube TV’s base package priced at $83 per month. The deal does not...
Refuge Add Key Hires, Expands to California, New York, and New Jersey
Visual effects studio Refuge announced a strategic expansion into California, New York, and New Jersey, adding three new offices to its existing sites in Portland, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. The company also appointed four senior leaders: Jason Sperling as VFX Supervisor, Matthew...
CANAL+ App to Be Pre-Installed on Sharp TiVo TVs
CANAL+ announced a strategic partnership with Sharp Consumer Electronics to pre‑install its streaming app on Sharp Smart TVs powered by TiVo in Europe. The app will be pre‑loaded on models sold in France, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary,...
NBC Sports’ NBA Playoff Viewership Up 58%
NBC Sports reported that its NBA playoff coverage on NBC and Peacock averaged 4.9 million viewers during the first 13 games, a 58% increase over the same period last year. The surge created the most‑watched comparable playoff window since 1996 and...
YouTube TV Will Keep The Weather Channel in New Deal
YouTube TV has reached a new long‑term agreement with Allen Media Group that keeps The Weather Channel on its lineup, along with niche channels Comedy.TV, Justice Central and Recipe.TV. The Weather Channel was reportedly at risk of removal before negotiations...
Meet the Indie Studios Funding Other Indie Studios
Among Us creator Innersloth has turned its pandemic‑era profits into an indie‑focused funding label called Outersloth. The initiative, announced in 2024, has already invested roughly $20 million across 24 games, offering grants from $50,000 up to $2 million and a revenue‑share model...
AI Can Write a Song. It Can’t Build a Career.
Artificial intelligence can now generate songs in seconds, but its deeper threat lies in exposing the music industry’s fragile economics. AI blurs authorship, challenges royalty attribution, and can inflate streaming metrics, jeopardizing artist compensation. While the technology lowers entry barriers...
Udio Admits to Scraping YouTube Audio for AI Training in Answer to Sony Music Lawsuit
AI music startup Udio acknowledged that it scraped audio from YouTube to train its generative models and disclosed its subscription pricing, which starts at $10 per month for 1,200 30‑second clips and goes up to $30 for 4,800 clips. The...
WNYC, WQXR Parent Adds Three To Executive Team
New York Public Radio, which operates WNYC, WQXR and the Gothamist website, announced three senior hires. Ruchika Sharma joins as Chief People Officer, Emily Christner as Chief Growth and Engagement Officer, and Patti Cohen as Senior Vice President of Analytics,...
Winning the World Cup Means Winning the Moments Around It
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across multiple U.S. cities. Marketers see this as the largest sustained attention moment in recent American sports history. Rather than focusing solely on...
Study: Paramount-WBD Deal Signals New Era of Streaming Scale
Parks Associates' latest research indicates that the proposed Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger would extend the combined company's reach to 57% of U.S. internet households, putting it on a level with Netflix, Google, Amazon and Disney. The study shows the four current...
AI Brands Are Pumping Ad Dollars Into Linear TV
Leading AI companies are pouring tens of millions of dollars into linear television advertising to shape public perception and drive adoption. By April 20, 2026, OpenAI has spent roughly $64.9 million, Google $81.7 million, Microsoft $34.4 million and Meta $64.2 million, amounts that nearly...
Ticketmaster Rolls Out End-to-End Venue App Platform in UK
Ticketmaster has launched its Ignite end‑to‑end venue app platform in the UK, debuting at Utilita Arena Sheffield and Vaillant Live Derby, both operated by Legends Global. The solution lets venues adopt a fully branded Ticketmaster app or embed white‑label components...
Spotify Wins Motion for Arbitration in ‘Payola’ Lawsuit
A New York federal judge granted Spotify’s motion to compel arbitration, dismissing a class‑action lawsuit that accused the streaming service of running a "modern payola" through its Discovery Mode feature. The plaintiff, Genevieve Capolongo, claimed Spotify boosted certain songs in...
Movers and Shakers: 30e Adds Live Nation Alum as Strategy Lead
Brazilian promoter 30e has appointed former Live Nation South America COO Eric Kert as chief strategy officer, positioning him in Los Angeles to steer the company’s rapid expansion across Latin America. 30e recently secured exclusive rights to program megashows at...
Proactiv Entertainment Boosts Live Music Division In Spain
Proactiv Entertainment, one of Spain’s top live‑event promoters, has bolstered its music division by appointing Chen Castaño as Music Director, alongside senior hires José Vela and Beatriz de la Guardia. The company reported a 2025 turnover of €70 million (≈$82 million) after...
The Great Divide: Hollywood CEO Pay Mega Chart Revealed — Plus Employee Ratios, Union Salaries
Hollywood’s top executives are pulling far ahead of the broader corporate median, with CEOs earning $50 million or more and some, like WarnerMedia’s David Zaslav, receiving $165 million in cash and a potential $550‑$887 million golden parachute. Employee‑to‑CEO pay ratios in the sector...
The Devil Wears Prada 2 Turns the Weekend Box Office Into a Runway
The Devil Wears Prada 2 dominated the weekend box office, earning $77 million domestically and $156 million internationally for a near‑$234 million worldwide total, the second‑largest international opening of the year. Disney also made headlines by hiring artist Alexis Franklin to create an intentionally...
Paladin Artists Appoints Rick Levy As CEO; Agency Acquiring Entourage Talent Associates
Paladin Artists, an independent booking agency, appointed veteran executive Rick Levy as chief executive officer, signaling a new growth phase. Levy brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience, including a key role in ICM Partners' strategic expansion and...
More Eye-Popping Mergers Ahead: Comcast And Charter?
Comcast and Charter are exploring a merger that would unite roughly 26 million video subscribers, representing about 20 percent of U.S. households. The deal is driven by two forces: a 15‑year decline in traditional pay‑TV subscriptions and the need to bolster weakening...
Brazilian Promoter 30e Names Eric Kert Chief Strategy Officer
30e, Brazil’s leading concert promoter, hired former Live Nation South America COO Eric Kert as chief strategy officer, basing him in Los Angeles to bridge the gap with the global entertainment hub. Kert will steer the company’s long‑term growth and...
Barry McKay Named PD at Coastal Virginia’s 92.9 The Wave
Max Media of Coastal Virginia announced two internal promotions. Barry McKay, a longtime on‑air personality, has been elevated to Program Director and Brand Manager while also taking the afternoon host slot at 92.9 The Wave. Jerry Hoyt, a versatile veteran of the company, will...
Star Wars Day Misery as Mandalorian and Grogu Predicted to Open to Franchise Low
The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars theatrical release in seven years, is projected to open with roughly $80 million, the lowest opening ever for the franchise. The film carries a $165 million production budget, the cheapest Star Wars movie to date, and...
How Playrix Turned Township Into a $45M/Month Engine: A Two & a Half Gamers Episode with GameRefinery
Playrix has turned its 2013 mobile title Township into a $45 million‑per‑month revenue engine. In a Two & a Half Gamers podcast, GameRefinery chief analyst Erno Kiiski dissects the game’s evolution across several eras, emphasizing the hybrid tycoon‑front‑end and match‑3 core. The...
Blog: Wifi Killed the BBC Radio Car
The BBC has retired its iconic Radio Car, a £70,000 (≈ $86,000) on‑site broadcast vehicle, moving the service to on‑demand, Wi‑Fi‑enabled reporting. The newer Verv model, which replaced the original car with a satellite dish, is also being phased out as...
Is Influencer Campaign ROI Really That Hard to Measure?
Influencer marketing’s promised 11x return on investment is largely a myth, according to the latest guide from Influencer Marketing Hub. The article outlines practical frameworks for measuring campaign impact, including multi‑touch attribution, UTM parameters, and benchmark data from a survey...
Service Journalism that Actually Pays Off – Lessons From Canada’s Village Media
Village Media, a Canadian digital‑media group, operates 27 hyperlocal news sites that rely on an ad‑supported, reach‑based model rather than subscriptions. About 70% of its revenue is generated from local advertisers, with a newsroom structure of one reporter per 15,000...