Agencies Push Video Futures Collective to Simplify Buying and Unify Data
The Video Futures Collective (VFC), a coalition of eight streaming and ad platforms including Amazon Prime, Disney Advertising, Foxtel Media, Netflix, Samsung Ads, SBS, Vevo and YouTube, is under pressure from agencies to simplify the buying process and deliver consistent, unified measurement data. Agencies cite fragmented tools and outdated planning methods that drive ad spend toward simpler channels like social and outdoor. VFC leaders argue that shared research funding and a collective voice can reduce costs, improve proof points, and unlock the untapped 30‑40% upside in video spend. The group is still interim‑led and exploring new members and governance structures.
Nielsen: HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ Remained No. 1 Across Weekly U.S. Streaming Television Households Through April 12
Season two of HBO Max’s medical drama “The Pitt” stayed atop Nielsen’s weekly streaming chart through April 12, logging 1.13 billion minutes and marking its ninth straight week above the billion‑minute threshold. Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” held the No. 2 spot with 899 million...
Twitch Has New Penalties for Streamers Caught Viewbotting, CEO Says
Twitch announced a new enforcement mechanism aimed at streamers caught viewbotting, capping their concurrent view count (CCV) for a set period. The cap will be calibrated using each creator’s historical non‑bot traffic and will lengthen with repeated offenses. CEO Dan Clancy...
Starz Exits Universal Pictures Pay-2 Deal After 5 Years
Starz announced it is terminating its five‑year Pay‑2 licensing agreement with Universal Pictures, ending exclusive access to Universal theatrical releases after their run on Peacock, Prime Video and Netflix. The decision, explained by CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, targets cost reduction amid...
New ITV Show Hosted by Graham Norton Gets Schedule Shake-Up Following Disappointing Ratings
ITV’s new reality series "The Neighbourhood," hosted by Graham Norton, is moving to later evening slots as its debut season nears its end. The show, which pits households against each other for a £250,000 (≈$310,000) prize, saw viewership dip below...
Sama Jordan TV Joins Es’hailSat Video Neighborhood at 26° East
Qatar’s Es’hailSat has added Jordanian news channel Sama Jordan TV to its 26° East video neighborhood, broadcasting via the Es’hail‑2 satellite across the Middle East and North Africa. The direct‑to‑home service is uplinked from the Tier 4‑certified Al Ghuwayriyah Teleport in Doha. This...
Jason Derulo Wins ‘Savage Love’ Copyright Trial: Session Guitarist Can’t Get Royalties
A Los Angeles jury ruled on May 7 that Jason Derulo and Columbia Records owe no royalties to session musician Matthew Spatola for the 2020 hit “Savage Love.” Spatola, who was paid a $2,000 fee for two studio sessions, claimed...
TikTok Users Are Motivated by Affiliate Links
TikTok’s shopping ecosystem is accelerating, with affiliate links prompting deeper consumer research. Donte Murry reports that 77 % of viewers who encounter affiliate content immediately search for additional product information. Comments from other users serve as a powerful social‑proof layer, influencing first‑time...
Orlando Von Einsiedel’s ‘The Cycle Of Love’, Exec Produced By Priyanka Chopra, Gets U.S. Deal; Dogwoof Locks In Overseas Pacts
Orlando von Einsiedel’s new documentary *The Cycle Of Love*, executive‑produced by Priyanka Chopra‑Jonas, chronicles a 23‑year‑old Delhi street artist’s 6,000‑mile bicycle trek across Europe and Asia to reunite with his love. Variance Films has secured U.S. theatrical distribution for August 2026, while...
Heads of BMG, Concord Talk Major Indie Merger: ‘We Have a Very Clear Vision’
BMG and Concord announced a merger that would create the largest independent recorded‑music and publishing company since Universal’s acquisition of EMI in 2011. CEOs Thomas Coesfeld and Bob Valentine, who took the helm of their respective firms on the same...
NFL’s Next Media Move Could Put More Games on YouTube & Netflix
The NFL is set to allocate four of its streaming‑rights games between YouTube and Netflix, while adding a fifth game for a major global streamer. Netflix will air two Christmas Day games in the final year of its three‑year deal...
48% of UK Venues Launched in 2025 Have Already Closed, New Report Claims
A TicketSource report shows that 48% of UK live‑music venues opened in 2025 have already closed. Analysis of Companies House data reveals an average lifespan of just 2.1 years, with 73% shuttering before three years and 89% before nine. Although...
Scripps Posts 8% Revenue Gain In Q1
E.W. Scripps Co. posted first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $587 million, an 8% year‑over‑year increase. Growth was led by Local Media, which rose 10% to $455 million, and Digital, which climbed 17% to $58 million, while National Media fell 12% to $132 million. Adjusted EBITDA...
The Summer of 1999: How Instacart & Linqia Unlocked Full-Funnel Results via Nostalgic Creator-Led Storytelling
Instacart teamed with performance‑marketing platform Linqia to launch a summer‑1999 nostalgic creator‑led campaign that blended retro storytelling with shoppable video. The initiative leveraged a network of micro‑influencers to produce authentic, era‑specific content that was distributed across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and...
James Norton's Highest-Rated Drama Is Being Removed From BBC iPlayer Very Soon
Nowhere Special, starring James Norton, is set to leave BBC iPlayer on 1 June after a 25‑day notice. The 2021 drama, which premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, holds a perfect 100 % Rotten Tomatoes rating from 63 critics. Norton plays...
Who Should Host the Emmys on NBC? Keke Palmer, Alan Cumming or — Wait for It — the Cast of...
Variety editor Michael Schneider notes that NBC’s current Emmy broadcast agreement ends after the September 14, 2026 ceremony, leaving the future of the primetime awards uncertain. He proposes a “roadblock” simulcast that would air the show simultaneously on all broadcast networks and...
Genesis Launches First-Ever Hispanic Campaign
Genesis Motor America is rolling out its first culturally centered campaign aimed at Hispanic consumers, titled “El Lujo Está en Ti” (“Your Purpose is the Ultimate Luxury”). The campaign spotlights the GV70 SUV and will run 30‑ and 15‑second bilingual...
Pattison Media Brings Programmatic Radio Options To Canada
Pattison Media, Western Canada’s largest multimedia firm, launched "Resonate," a programmatic platform that lets advertisers purchase over‑the‑air radio inventory through DSPs such as Google DV360. The company demonstrated the first confirmed programmatic‑bought ad delivered via broadcast radio at Radio Days...
Starz Extends First Quarter Loss on Lower Revenues
Starz Entertainment reported a first‑quarter loss for 2026, with revenue slipping to $307 million, down from $330.6 million a year earlier. Streaming revenue fell to $211.1 million while linear TV revenue dropped to $95.8 million, contributing to an operating loss of $152.8 million and a...
This Week’s MPN Video Podcast: Big Media Earnings, Vertical Drama Market, OpenAI Trial and the Future of Hollywood
The Media Play News podcast highlighted Disney’s strong Q1 results, Paramount’s aggressive 30‑film‑a‑year plan, the launch of the LA Vertical Drama Market, and the escalating legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI. It also examined shifting ad spend as social...
How to Measure Influencer Marketing Success: A Complete Guide for Brands
Influencer Marketing Hub released a comprehensive guide on measuring influencer marketing success, outlining the key performance indicators brands should track. The guide highlights benchmarks such as average engagement rates, cost‑per‑engagement, and a 5.2‑times return on investment reported in the 2026...
Expanded Basketball Tournaments Will Yield NCAA $50M a Year
The NCAA approved expanding both the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 76 teams, launching the new format next season. CBS and TNT will fund the expansion with a $50 million annual sponsorship commitment through 2032, unlocking beer, wine,...
Cannes 2026 Movies Sold So Far: ‘Paper Tiger,’ ‘The Devils’ 4K Restoration, and ‘Minotaur’ Find Homes Early
At Cannes 2026, several high‑profile titles have already been sold ahead of the festival. Warner Bros.’ new indie label Clockwork will release the restored Ken Russell classic “The Devils,” while Neon has picked up James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” its first collaboration with the...
Mark Ruffalo Calls on State AGs to Stop Paramount-WBD Merger
Actor Mark Ruffalo and antitrust analyst Matt Stoller have published a New York Times op‑ed urging state attorneys general to block the pending Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger. They argue the deal would further consolidate Hollywood, reducing the number of studios that foster risky,...
Live Sports Streaming Ad Market Rife With Fraud, Experts Say
The rapid shift of live sports to streaming platforms has created a fragmented ad marketplace where third‑party aggregators resell inventory they don’t directly control. Experts from Good Karma Brands and Digital Remedy warn that these middlemen often misrepresent placement guarantees,...
Steam Controller Will Be Restocked Soon And Valve Has A Plan To Stop Resellers From Buying Everything Up
Valve announced that the newly launched Steam Controller, priced at $100, sold out within 30 minutes and will be restocked starting May 8. To curb scalpers, the company is introducing a reservation queue that limits each buyer to a single unit...
Disney+ Reveals Its Latest Content Alliance With a Broadcaster – Mexico’s TV Azteca
Disney+ announced a new content partnership with Mexico's free‑to‑air broadcaster TV Azteca, bringing the upcoming season of MasterChef 24/7 to the streaming platform on May 17. The deal also adds three live Azteca channels and a slate of popular telenovelas and reality...
Ticketmaster Is Slashing 350 Jobs — 8% of Its Global Workforce — in Engineering and Design
Ticketmaster, the ticketing arm of Live Nation, announced it is eliminating 350 positions—about 8% of its worldwide workforce—primarily in engineering, product and design roles across 25 countries. The cuts were disclosed by new global president Saumil Mehta, who said the...
No Backlash From U.S. Formula 1 Fans After the Switch to Apple TV: Liberty Media CEO
Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang said the early results of Formula 1’s switch to Apple TV as the U.S. broadcast partner are promising, with viewership up across the first three races and no fan backlash. Apple’s tech‑forward platform delivered multi‑view, data‑feed and...
D-BOX Sponsors SimRacing Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina
D‑BOX has been named the headline sponsor of the inaugural North American SimRacing Expo, scheduled for May 22‑24 in Charlotte, North Carolina, alongside NASCAR’s Coca‑Cola 600. The company will showcase its G5 and G3 motion‑actuator systems through collaborations with eNASCAR, Trak Racer, VRX...
Ella Langley Charts The Second-Biggest Hit Of Her Career — With Some Help
Ella Langley’s duet with Morgan Wallen, “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” entered the UK Official Singles Downloads chart at No. 28 and the Sales chart at No. 35, making it her second‑highest‑rising hit after “Choosin’ Texas.” The track’s debut marks Langley’s fifth appearance on the Official Singles chart...
Cord Cutting Today: HBO Max Ends Support For Some Devices, Disney Streaming Surges as Fubo Loses Subscribers & Roku Expands...
Cord‑cutting dynamics shifted sharply this week as Fubo shed over 500,000 North American subscribers in Q2 2026, while Disney reported an 88% jump in streaming revenue that helped offset a broader cable decline. Disney’s new CEO highlighted AI‑driven storytelling as...
Australia’s UNIFIED Music Group Expands Into New Zealand with Matt Harvey Hire
Melbourne‑based UNIFIED Music Group announced its first formal foothold in New Zealand by hiring senior artist manager Matt Harvey. Harvey brings his roster—Shapeshifter, Daily J, Mim Jensen, Spell and former Shihad frontman Jon Toogood—under the UNIFIED umbrella. The move follows UNIFIED’s 2025 joint venture...
You Don’t Have a Film in the Festival. You Still Need a Publicist
Jane Owen, founder of Jane Owen Public Relations, argues that attending major film festivals without a publicist is a costly mistake, even for producers, financiers, tech firms, and actors who have no film in competition. Since the 1980s, festivals like...
Inside Jeans Country: American Eagle’s First-Ever Stagecoach Activation
American Eagle debuted its first Stagecoach activation, "Jeans Country," a denim‑themed desert experience that ran April 24‑26 in Indio, California. The brand attracted roughly 2,000 festivalgoers who explored photo‑worthy touchpoints, including a customization station, an Old West lounge, and a...
G. Schirmer & Wise Music Group Sign Métis-French Canadian Composer Ian Cusson
G. Schirmer and Wise Music Group have inked a publishing agreement with Canadian composer Ian Cusson, whose Métis‑French‑Canadian heritage informs his operatic and orchestral output. The deal precedes the world premiere of his new opera “Empire of Wild” at the Canadian Opera...
CNN Was Ted Turner’s Brainchild. It Faces a Precarious Future | Margaret Sullivan
CNN, launched by Ted Turner in 1980 as the first 24‑hour news channel, now faces an uncertain future. Recent ownership changes—including Paramount Global’s 30% stake and a strategic partnership with Skydance Media—have sparked internal turmoil. Declining cable subscriptions and fierce...
Paramount Signs Film Deal for Potential Biopics With Warner Music Group
Paramount has inked a multi‑year first‑look deal with Warner Music Group, granting the studio access to WMG’s vast catalog for the development of music biopics. The agreement includes collaboration with Unigram, led by Amanda Ghost, and will involve artists or...
After Years of Cuts, Lee Is Adding Reporters, Says New Chairman and Billionaire David Hoffmann
Lee Enterprises, long plagued by declining print revenue, posted a $36 million loss in 2025 and a $1.7 million loss in the latest quarter. Billionaire David Hoffmann injected $50 million, took board control in February 2026, and secured a five‑year, 5 % debt rate,...
Why Signal Quality Is Shaping the Future of Streaming Media Performance
Streaming has become a premier digital‑advertising venue, with Disney reporting a 5% rise in ad revenue in Q2 2026 as budgets shift to video and connected TV. However, the explosion of data signals—metadata, audience segments, and third‑party classifications—often creates overlap and...
Why Chasing Vanity Metrics Is Killing Your Social Strategy
Viral Nation EVP Richelle Batuigas argues that likes, views and impressions are poor indicators of marketing success. She unveils the Cultural Relevance Score, a framework that measures awareness, affinity and velocity to tie social activity directly to business outcomes. The...
Forgy Draws the Line: Saga Is Customer-First, Not Digital-First
Saga CEO Chris Forgy used the Q1 earnings release to stress that the company is "customer‑first, not digital‑first," positioning its simple, blended radio offering against a crowded digital advertising landscape. Digital‑only blended revenue surged 103% year‑over‑year, and interactive digital revenue...
D&D Beyond Introduces Weekly Content Drops for Subscribers
Wizards of the Coast launched D&D Beyond Drops, a weekly content feed for paid subscribers, on May 7, 2026. The service adds new maps, reveals, spells, and feats each Thursday, with larger monthly drops that include narrative encounters and player options. Both...
A Community Radio Sale For KICO
KICO, a Class A noncommercial FM station licensed to Rico, Colorado, is being sold to a new owner. The station serves a sparsely populated area southwest of the Telluride ski resort, providing local news, music, and public service programming. The...
EXCLUSIVE: The Trade Desk’s Chief Strategy Officer Samantha Jacobson Is Heading to OpenAI
Samantha Jacobson, the chief strategy officer of programmatic ad leader The Trade Desk, is departing to become OpenAI’s vice‑president of Partnerships (Monetization). She will lead the AI firm’s efforts to monetize its models through advertising, distribution and platform collaborations. Jacobson...
Africa-Focused Streamer Mdundo Receives Non-Binding Proposal From Investor Seeking up to 40% Stake
Mdundo, the Africa‑focused music streaming platform listed on Nasdaq First North Growth, received a non‑binding letter of intent from an undisclosed investor that could secure up to a 40% equity stake. The proposal combines a directed issue of new shares...
Players Era Unveils ESPN Rev-Share Partnership, 24 (Not 32) Teams in ’26
Players Era, the Las Vegas‑based college basketball multi‑team event, announced a multiyear revenue‑share partnership with ESPN, giving the broadcaster operational control and a stake in tournament earnings. The 2026 slate will feature 24 men’s teams split across two November tournaments, a...
Saga Sees A Wider Net Loss As 2026 Begins
Saga Communications reported a tougher first quarter of 2026, with net operating revenue falling to $22.87 million from $24.21 million and a widened net loss of $2.39 million, or $0.38 per share, versus a $1.58 million loss a year earlier. Station operating expenses edged...
ANA Town Hall: 'How About Nothing -- Is Nothing Good For You?'
At the ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, executives highlighted that media now represents roughly 80% of agency service costs, shifting the compensation debate from traditional fees to principal media buying. In this model, agencies purchase media outright and resell it...
What Publishers Can Learn From Penguin Random House’s $1 Million In-House Media Experiment
Penguin Random House invested $1 million in an in‑house media unit inside its Crown Publishing imprint, launching the food‑focused brand Taste. With just one full‑time employee, Taste’s newsletter and podcast are projected to exceed $1 million in revenue by 2027. The experiment...