A Hollywood Chief AI Officer Breaks Down the Job
Lionsgate has hired former YouTube and Vermillio executive Kathleen Grace as the studio’s first chief AI officer, marking Hollywood’s inaugural dedicated AI leadership role. Grace’s mandate is to align AI strategy with execution across production, marketing, distribution and administrative functions, emphasizing responsible experimentation and clear guardrails. She aims to embed AI tools that augment filmmakers while protecting creative rights, rather than merely cutting costs. The appointment signals a broader industry shift toward structured AI integration in content creation and business operations.
LIV Golf Secures Major South Asia Distribution Push with Sony Alliance
Sony Pictures Networks India has secured exclusive broadcast rights for the 2026 LIV Golf season, covering all 14 events across South Asia. The tournaments will be shown live on Sony Sports Network and streamed on Sony LIV, reaching audiences in India,...
GameMaker Says AI Coding Is Inevitable, Sony Clarifies DRM Confusion, and How Video Games Are Helping Rikers Inmates - Patch...
GameMaker announced integration of Claude Code, signaling that AI‑assisted "vibe coding" is now an industry inevitability. Sony clarified recent DRM changes, confirming only a single online check is needed for a perpetual offline license. Xbox hardware revenue plunged 33% year‑over‑year...
Disney, Hulu Team on Interactive, Immersive Storefronts
Disney+ and Hulu have rolled out “The Drama You Want,” an interactive storefront experience in Manhattan and Santa Monica. The installations turn vacant retail windows into gesture‑controlled displays that let pedestrians browse drama titles by waving their hands. Developed with Publicis...
Voyo Adds AMC Channels and Ta3 in Slovakia
Voyo has broadened its Slovak streaming portfolio by adding ten linear channels on April 29, including nine from AMC Global Media Central Europe and the ta3 news service. The new lineup—Sport 1, Sport 2, AMC, Film+, Spektrum, Spektrum Home, TV Paprika, Minimax and JimJam—covers sports,...
Krafton Q1 Revenue up 56.9% to $931m, Driven by Mobile Content
South Korean game publisher Krafton posted a record Q1, with revenue climbing 56.9% to ₩1.37 trillion ($931 million) and operating profit of ₩561.6 billion ($381.3 million). The mobile segment led growth, generating ₩702.7 billion ($477 million) after a 17% YoY rise in paying users for Battlegrounds...
Daniele Callegari Joins GM Art&Music for Worldwide General Management
Italian conductor Daniele Callegari has been appointed worldwide General Manager of GM Art&Music. He previously served as Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice (2021‑2023) and held leadership roles at the Wexford Opera Festival and the Royal Flanders Philharmonic...
WBD Lines up 4,000 Live Hours for Summer of Sport
Warner Bros. Discovery will air more than 4,000 hours of live sport this summer across TNT Sports, Eurosport and HBO Max. The schedule, running from May through July, includes over 50 events in 50 markets, ranging from Grand Tour cycling and Roland‑Garros to...
Nielsen Data Gives Radio a Foothold With World Cup Fans
Nielsen’s Fan Insights survey reveals that 61% of U.S. soccer fans rely on radio for sports news, outpacing the 46% baseline of the general population. Podcast usage mirrors this trend, with 60% of fans tuning in versus 37% of non‑fans....
Reporters at McClatchy Withhold Bylines in A.I. Dispute
McClatchy has deployed an internal AI system called the Content Scaling Agent to generate audience‑specific summaries of reporters' stories. Journalists at The Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and other chain papers are refusing to attach their bylines to AI‑assisted pieces, opting...
Make Your China Market Move This May Day
Pocket Gamer Connects is returning to Shanghai on July 29 for its second‑year summit, positioned just before ChinaJoy week. The event offers curated matchmaking, expert panels and market insights to help western developers and publishers break into China’s massive gaming ecosystem....
Italy: Sky, WBD Renew Deal
Sky Italia and Warner Bros Discovery have renewed their partnership, restoring a suite of linear channels and on‑demand assets to the platform. The agreement re‑introduces WBD’s portfolio—including Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, and kids’ brands—alongside the discovery+ app on Sky Q, Stream and...
Digital Azul Centralises Multi-Site Operations with New Lisbon MCR
Digital Azul has launched a new Master Control Room in Lisbon, capable of managing up to three concurrent productions across disparate locations. The facility leverages Vizrt TriCaster, Intinor Direkt routers, Dante audio, and supports a range of signal formats including...
Roblox Reports Strong Q1 Growth, Revises Full-Year Forecast Due to New Safety Measures
Roblox posted a robust Q1 2026, with revenue climbing 39% to $1.4 billion and bookings up 43% to $1.7 billion. Daily active users surged 35% YoY to 132 million, while monthly unique payers jumped 52% to 31 million. The company introduced mandatory age checks...
Disney’s Josh D’Amaro Faces Familiar Script in Latest Trump Fight
Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro inherited a political firestorm when Donald Trump and the FCC targeted ABC over a Jimmy Kimmel joke. The FCC opened an expedited review of eight Disney‑owned broadcast licenses, citing the company’s diversity policies. D’Amaro, who announced...
Sunil Grover and Kiku Sharda Bring ‘Dealpanti’ to Goibibo’s Latest Campaign
Goibibo has rolled out a new digital campaign titled “Dealpanti,” featuring Indian comedy veterans Sunil Grover and Kiku Sharda alongside cricketer‑turned‑brand ambassador Rishabh Pant. The two short films, created by Restless@MagicCircle and produced by Petromax India Films, use exaggerated, pop‑culture...
Virgin Media O2 Sees Stabilising Customer Trends in Q1
Virgin Media O2 reported that its consumer fixed‑line base held steady at 5.5 million, with a modest net loss of 7,000 customers in Q1, marking a turnaround from the 38,000 decline a year earlier. Mobile contract connections slipped 38,000 to 12.5 million,...
SCA Picks up the Slack as Ooh Media’s Charge up the ASX Eases
The Unmade Index closed the week flat at 381.5 points after a turbulent five‑day stretch driven by PEP’s bid for Ooh Media. Ooh Media surged 33% over the week and added another 1.3% on Friday, propelling the index’s 4.9% weekly...
3AF Honors Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Disney, and More for Impact on Asian American Market
The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) unveiled its 2026 Impact 50, honoring 50 brands—including Coca‑Cola, Disney, McDonald’s, United Healthcare and Instagram—for sustained engagement with Asian American consumers in 2025. The list was released during AAPI Heritage Month, highlighting brands that continued...
Epic Games Store Launches on iPhone in Japan
Epic Games has launched its Epic Games Store on iPhone in Japan following the December 2025 enactment of the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). The store initially offers Epic‑published titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe, but does not include...
Mumbrella Publish Catchup: Rethinking Revenue and Reclaiming Sovereignty
At a Mumbrella Publish session, executives from Private Media, Mamamia and Little Black Book examined how media revenue models are evolving. Private Media’s acquisition pushed its ad‑to‑subscriber split to 60% advertising, while Mamamia relies on podcasts for roughly half its...
How China Is Using AI – and State Funding – to Transform the Micro Drama Industry
South Korean studio Vigloo is allocating roughly 30% of its budget to AI, slashing production cycles from three months to one and cutting costs by 80%. Meanwhile, China’s micro‑drama sector—often called vertical dramas—reached an estimated $14.6 bn in 2025 and is...
Ads of the Week: 8 Campaigns That Caught Our Eye, From Claire’s to Skittles
Adweek’s weekly roundup spotlights eight diverse campaigns, from Budweiser’s World Cup tie‑in with Erling Haaland to Disney’s feel‑good animator story. Skittles leans into surreal imagery, while Chivas Regal pairs whisky with a board‑game vibe. Claire’s launches a summer 2026 push aimed at...
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ Reveals About LGBTQ+ Media And Marketing
The HBO Max series “Heated Rivalry,” created by openly gay talent, demonstrated how authentic queer storytelling can captivate LGBTQ audiences. Despite the show’s buzz, advertisers largely shied away, offering only generic public‑service spots and a single auto ad. The panel...
TF1 Q1 Revenue Down 9.3%
TF1 reported Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of €472 million (≈ $510 million), a 9.3% year‑on‑year decline and 5.2% drop on a like‑for‑like basis. The Media segment fell 10.1% to €414 million (≈ $447 million), driven partly by disposals completed in 2025 and a still‑soft advertising market,...
Everyone Wants a Piece of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2′
A wave of brand collaborations is surfacing around the release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” echoing last year’s blockbuster tie‑ins. Marketers are also shifting toward series‑style content, leveraging humor and long‑form storytelling to keep ad‑weary consumers engaged. New measurement tools...
USA Today Co.’s AI Licensing Deals Drive ‘Notable’ Revenue in Q1, Despite Pressure on Traffic and Programmatic
USA Today Co. reported that AI licensing agreements propelled a 125.6% year‑over‑year surge in its "other" digital revenue to $33.75 million in Q1, offsetting broader traffic and programmatic pressures. Total digital revenue grew 5.2% YoY to $261.9 million, while unique visitors slipped...
EBU Urges EU Policymakers to Strengthen AVMSD
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has released a position paper urging EU lawmakers to strengthen the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) as it undergoes revision. It highlights five priority areas, including mandatory prominence for general‑interest media, protection against gatekeeping by...
Social Overtakes Search As Advertising Market Down In March — SMI Figures
In March 2026 the Australian advertising market contracted, with agency bookings falling more than 5% year‑over‑year after the election‑driven spike of 2025. Social media ad spend overtook search for the first time, moving to the top of the digital hierarchy,...
Kellanova Moves Media From Bastion Back to Zenith
Kellanova, the former Kellogg’s, has moved its global media buying from Bastion back to Publicis’s Zenith as part of the Mars‑Publicis agency ecosystem. The shift follows Mars’s $1.7 billion migration of its media account from WPP to Publicis last year. Bastion...
SiriusXM Churn at Record Low in Q1
SiriusXM posted Q1 2026 revenue of $2.09 billion, a modest 1% year‑over‑year increase, while net income surged 20% to $245 million. The company’s churn rate fell to a record‑low 1.5%, reflecting strong subscriber retention across its 33 million paid users and the broader...
The Devil Wears Prada 2: An Inflection Point For Brand Partnerships
The sequel to *The Devil Wears Prada* is being built around a web of brand partnerships rather than isolated product placements. L’Oréal Paris serves as the official beauty partner, TRESemmé is the signature hair brand, and Mecca released a limited‑edition “Runway...
‘Friends’ Cast’s Multi-Million Dollar Yearly Residuals Revealed
Lisa Kudrow disclosed that the six Friends actors collectively collect about AUD 27 million (≈US$18 million) in residuals each year, more than two decades after the sitcom ended. The cast negotiated equal salaries early on, rising from roughly AUD 32,000 (≈US$21,000) per episode in season 1 to AUD 1.3 million (≈US$860,000)...
DAZN’s U.S. Pursuit Gaining Steam
DAZN announced the acquisition of ViewLift, a streaming‑technology provider that already powers direct‑to‑consumer services for several major U.S. sports teams. ViewLift’s portfolio includes partnerships with the NHL’s Panthers, MLB’s Mariners, 15 teams and five regional sports networks. The deal gives...
Comcast-NFL Network Dispute Kicks Off
Comcast’s carriage agreement with Disney/ESPN for NFL Network and NFL RedZone expired at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, prompting the removal of both channels from Xfinity, Comcast Business, Xfinity Stream, and On Demand. The dispute marks the first high‑profile carriage fight for...
Canela Media Turns to AI to Scale Hispanic Content
Canela Media, founded in 2019, now reaches 62 million monthly active users and 6 million social followers by combining Spanish‑language AVOD and FAST channels. To capture the 75% of its audience aged 18‑34, the company launched AI‑driven microdramas called “Canelitas,” which re‑edit...
Holanda Hopeful About Cable One
Cable One reported a tough first quarter, losing 12,600 residential broadband customers, with revenue down 7.3% year‑over‑year and total PSUs falling 7.6%. New CEO Jim Holanda, who arrived from Astound Broadband, highlighted a year‑over‑year rise in first‑quarter connects as an...
Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Cinemark posted first‑quarter 2024 revenue of $579.2 million, delivering $70.7 million of adjusted EBITDA and a 12.2% margin. The exhibitor welcomed nearly 40 million guests worldwide, with 23.6 million domestic attendees and a modest 1% rise in average ticket price. It retired the remaining...
Alliance Entertainment Relaunches ‘Movies Unlimited’ Retail Platform Targeting Collectors
Alliance Entertainment has relaunched its Movies Unlimited website as a collector‑led retail platform offering classic movies and TV series on DVD, Blu‑ray and 4K Ultra HD. The redesign focuses on higher‑margin products such as limited editions, pre‑orders and 4K formats, and...
Report: ABC Set to Part Ways with Jimmy Kimmel as Contract Expiry Looms
ABC is expected to let Jimmy Kimmel go when his contract expires in May 2027, according to gossip columnist Rob Shuter. While the network has publicly defended the host, the FCC’s early broadcast‑license review—triggered by Trump family criticism of a recent...
Salem and Cumulus Shake on Larry O’Connor Syndication
Salem Media Group and Cumulus Media are launching Larry O’Connor’s morning show as a national program on May 4, adding it to more than 140 Salem Radio Network affiliates and simulcasting on the Salem News Channel. The show will retain its...
Sinclair Notes Stronger Political Ad Buys in Q1 as Midterm Budgets Open
Sinclair reported Q1 revenue of $807 million, a 4% year‑over‑year increase, while adjusted EBITDA rose 13% to $126 million and net income turned positive at $20 million versus a $156 million loss a year ago. Core advertising revenue grew 4% to $305 million, and political...
Roku Grows Platform Revenue to $1.13 Billion During Q1
Roku reported first‑quarter 2026 net revenue of $1.25 billion, a 22% year‑over‑year increase, driven by platform revenue that climbed 28% to $1.13 billion. Advertising contributed $613 million, up 27%, while subscription revenue rose 30% to $519 million. The company swung to a net profit...
Roblox’s Daily Users Continue to Drop as Age-Checks Slow Growth
Roblox reported 132 million daily active users (DAU) in Q1 2026, a drop from 144 million a quarter earlier and 152 million in Q3 2025. The decline is linked to the rollout of mandatory age‑verification checks, which slowed new user acquisition, and a...
LINE Digital Frontier, Redice Studio and Kadokawa Launch Studio White
LINE Digital Frontier, Kadokawa and Redice Studio have created Studio White, a new web‑comic studio focused on adapting popular Japanese franchises for the global WEBTOON platform. The studio’s first release is a spin‑off of Record of Lodoss War, slated for...
Tech Industry Backs Anthropic In Copyright Battle With Music Publishers
Tech industry groups including NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed a friend‑of‑the‑court brief supporting Anthropic's claim that using song lyrics to train its Claude model is fair use. The brief argues that AI training involves non‑expressive, transformative...
Roku Net Revenue Tops $1.25 Billion, But Revenue From The Sale of Roku TVs & Roku Players Fell As Subscriptions...
Roku reported first‑quarter 2026 net revenue of $1.25 billion, a 22% year‑over‑year increase driven primarily by platform growth. Platform revenue surged 28% to $1.13 billion, with advertising up 27% and subscriptions up 30%. Device revenue slipped 16% to $118 million, posting a negative...
Sinclair Beats The Street On Q1 Revenue, Swing To Profit
Sinclair Inc. reported first‑quarter 2026 earnings that topped analyst revenue forecasts and delivered a quarterly profit, marking a turnaround for the broadcaster. The company’s earnings beat was driven by strong performance at its local TV stations and continued growth in...
After Two Decades, Text-Based MMORPG TORN Surprisingly Breaks the Six-Figure Daily Player Mark
The browser‑based text MMO TORN, launched in 2004, reached 100,000 daily active players on April 27, 2024, more than doubling its January 2024 figure of 48,515. Founder Joe Chedburn credits the surge to infrastructure upgrades and aggressive advertising and PR...
AMG Names Two As Exec VPs of Advertising Sales
Allen Media Group (AMG) has created two new Executive Vice President roles for advertising sales, appointing Chris Czarkowski and Keith Freibott. The duo will oversee national broadcast ad sales for AMG’s upcoming CBS late‑night lineup, including “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” at 11:35 pm...