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Epic Games will make Fortnite: Save the World free-to-play on Xbox starting April 16, 2026, removing the $18.49 Full Clip Pack paywall that previously blocked access to Xbox achievements. Players can now unlock the full set of Fortnite achievements without purchasing the separate Save the World copy. The change also lets Battle Royale skins be used in Save the World, though V‑Bucks prices have just risen. The achievement grind can still require hundreds of hours to complete.
The Brewis brothers, frontmen of the cult indie act Field Music, have launched a Doors tribute project called the Fire Doors, performing roughly one show each month. Despite a two‑decade catalog, critical acclaim and celebrity fans such as Prince, the...
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) welcomed the FCC’s Media Bureau public notice seeking comment on the state of sports television, with a comment deadline of March 27, 2026. The inquiry, supported by FCC Chair Brandon Carr and Senator Mike Lee, aims...
The FCC has approved Connoisseur Media’s acquisition of four Bakersfield radio stations from Alpha Media, finalizing a debt‑assumption merger announced in November 2025. The regulatory clearance removes the final hurdle for Connoisseur to integrate the assets into its portfolio. This...
Prince turned down Activision's offer to feature his catalog in Guitar Hero, citing a desire for kids to learn real guitar rather than profit from a video game. The deal would have granted a modest share of the franchise’s $2 billion...
New York lawmakers have introduced the SAFE Platforms Act, which would require social‑media companies to strengthen fraud‑reporting tools, disclose advertisers' legal identities and implement a know‑your‑customer (KYC) verification for advertisers and payment methods. The bill aims to curb online scams...
West Virginia is poised to pass the First Amendment Preservation Act, which would bar state contracts with advertising agencies that rely on media trust‑rating services such as NewsGuard. The measure cleared the House Judiciary Committee and now moves to the...
Google Cloud unveiled a new AI‑driven game development engine at GDC, integrating Gemini 3 Pro, Flash, Gemini Enterprise and Vertex AI. The platform introduces autonomous AI agents that automate repetitive tasks such as testing, code generation, and asset pipelines, while offering a...
As the NCAA tournament approaches, major sponsors are already rolling out fresh creative. State Farm debuted a commercial featuring Duke twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer on Selection Sunday, while Unilever’s Degree deodorant enlisted NBA star Chet Holmgren and WNBA legend...
TikTok announced a partnership with Apple Music that lets Apple Music subscribers play full tracks directly within the TikTok app via a new “Play Full Song” button. The integration uses Apple’s MusicKit, so playback occurs in Apple Music and streams are counted as...
Creator marketing has become a primary growth engine, with U.S. ad spend projected at nearly $44 billion this year, outpacing other digital media. However, the measurement infrastructure lags, relying on fragmented platform metrics, affiliate links, and isolated brand lift studies that...
NumberEight, an ID‑less audience intelligence firm, has teamed up with audio monetization platform SoundCast to embed its predictive Affinity Audiences across SoundCast’s European podcast inventory. Early tests show a 132 % lift in addressability and a 78 % improvement in targeting accuracy...
Peer39’s latest research reveals that roughly 60% of open‑market CTV programmatic bid requests contain no program‑level metadata, while about one‑quarter are classified as fake content, primarily originating from concealed mobile‑app inventory. The remaining bids often feature shallow or inaccurate genre...
Google Cloud unveiled the next phase of its “Living Games” platform, embedding autonomous AI agents into its cloud infrastructure. The suite combines Gemini 3 Pro, Gemini Enterprise, Flash and Vertex AI to automate testing, code writing and asset generation for developers. Demonstrations...
Horizon Media, one of the world’s largest independent ad agencies, announced a restructuring that eliminates 50 positions from its more than 2,000‑person global workforce. The cuts span several departments and affect some long‑tenured staff, while the firm simultaneously launches a...
Israeli pay‑TV operator YES, part of the Bezeq Group, has chosen Synamedia Iris to power advanced advertising across its linear TV and streaming services. The Iris platform will enable addressable, server‑side ad insertion that unifies delivery on set‑top boxes and...
Hari Nair will step down as CEO of publicly listed Tips Music on April 30, ending a 17‑month tenure that began in September 2023. During his time, Nair steered the company toward a software‑led, data‑first digital model and delivered consistent...
Netflix’s 2016 series *The Get Down* dazzled with Baz Luhrmann’s lavish 1970s hip‑hop aesthetic but was halted after one season due to its staggering $120 million budget. Production hurdles, including a showrunner departure and a reduced episode order, compounded low viewership, making the project...
New research from FMR Associates and Eastlan shows radio’s weekly reach among adults 25‑64 held steady at 84% in 2026, slipping only two points since 2024. Traditional AM/FM still delivers roughly two‑thirds of primary listening, while streaming and app‑based radio...
Disney+ announced it will stream the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, known as March Madness, across Europe and South Africa. The service will carry all 134 games live from March 17 to April 7 as part of the standard...
The article breaks down how influencers partner with brands, outlining the steps from outreach to contract signing. It highlights the role of audience metrics, platform intermediaries, and legal considerations in shaping deal structures. Examples illustrate typical compensation models, including flat...
User‑generated content (UGC) creators are emerging as a core pillar of modern advertising, delivering authentic, peer‑driven narratives that resonate with consumers. Brands increasingly tap these creators through dedicated marketplaces and social platforms, leveraging their niche expertise to produce video ads,...
NuVoodoo will unveil a nationwide country‑music research study at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville on March 20, 2026. The study evaluated more than 400 titles spanning the 1990s to today with a panel of 600 country fans aged 18‑49. Findings...
Social Spider CIC, a nonprofit publisher of four free monthly London newspapers, posted a pre‑tax profit of £30,495 for the year to July 2025, reversing a loss from the previous year. The enterprise distributes about 52,500 print copies across Waltham...
Apple Podcasts is rolling out HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) support, enabling creators to publish identical video and audio versions of episodes that can be switched seamlessly on iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro and the web. HLS will handle video‑enabled podcasts while RSS...
Disney is expanding its multi‑year “Fuel the Magic” partnership with Formula 1 for the 2026 season, adding new merchandise collections, retail tie‑ins and character appearances. A global Disney × F1 apparel line of ten streetwear pieces launches on March 12, while host‑city capsule drops...
Gracenote, the Nielsen‑owned entertainment metadata giant, has launched a CTV advertising business that layers its extensive content data onto programmatic buys. Research cited by the company indicates that about 70 % of bid requests lack basic genre signals, prompting a push...
The M+C Saatchi Group Cultural Power Report 2026 maps eight deep‑seated cultural shifts reshaping the GCC’s emerging trust economy. Influencer growth has exploded to over 263,000 creators, yet trust in influencers has fallen to the region’s lowest‑rated profession, prompting a...
Canal+ has entered a multi‑year partnership with Google Cloud to roll out the latter’s generative AI suite across its European and African app markets starting in June. The AI tools will automate video indexing, create a multimodal content database and...
EE announced that the DAZN sports streaming app is now available on its EE TV Box Pro and Box Edge devices, accessible via the Apps rail. The partnership brings live boxing, MMA, football, golf and more to UK households, with over 185...
Veteran director Ram Gopal Varma predicts that the upcoming action sequel *Dhurandhar: The Revenge* could earn between ₹1,500 crore and ₹2,000 crore worldwide, a figure he says would challenge the current dominance of South Indian films in the pan‑India market. The film, starring...
In 2026, roughly 40 % of Spotify streams originate from algorithmic playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar, making them a primary growth engine for music. A study shows that about 9,200 streams from 4,100 unique listeners within 28 days push...
UK’s largest pub operator, Stonegate Group, has appointed Fifty as its strategic media partner to manage media strategy and buying across its 4,500‑venue portfolio. The partnership, chosen for Fifty’s AI‑enabled audience‑intelligence platform, will cover more than 15 addressable channels, including...
Sony Pictures' comedic remake of Anaconda topped the Digital Entertainment Group's weekly digital sales and rentals chart for the week ending March 1, according to GfK Entertainment data. The film rose five spots to claim the No. 1 position, displacing Disney's Zootopia 2,...
Playboy announced Phillip Picardi as its new chief brand officer and editor‑in‑chief, marking a high‑profile editorial overhaul. Picardi, who reshaped Teen Vogue and founded the queer‑focused publication them, previously served as chief brand officer at Weight Watchers and consulted for...
Netflix’s "Bridgerton" Season 4 Part 2 topped Samba TV’s weekly US streaming chart for Feb 23‑Mar 1, reclaiming the #1 spot. HBO Max’s pre‑Game of Thrones series "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" fell to second place, while its drama "The Pitt" secured third. Netflix’s...
Sky and Canal+ have entered a three‑year co‑commissioning partnership to develop English‑language scripted series, committing to at least two new projects each year. The deal pools StudioCanal’s resources with independent producers, allowing both companies to co‑finance green‑lit titles. By targeting...
Two Broke Chicks, a female‑led Australian podcast hosted by Sally McMullen and Alexandra Hourigan, is joining Nova Podcasts. The show, which offers practical advice on money, career, identity and relationships, reaches over 1.1 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Nova’s...
Spotify, once criticized for low royalty rates, now reports paying over $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, with royalties growing more than 10% annually. The platform added a record 38 million monthly active users, reaching 751 million listeners, and half of...
India now has 313 million digital‑only viewers, with rural adoption outpacing metros, fueling a surge in multi‑screen content consumption. The explosion of hours, languages, and formats is stressing a media‑tech stack that remains fragmented and largely dependent on foreign infrastructure. Sunil...
The Venetian Resort launched "Brackets at The Stadium," a three‑day pop‑up viewing and betting hub for March Madness running March 19‑21. Tickets range from $199 to $750 and include food, an open bar, and access to William Hill and Yahoo...
The FCC’s Media Bureau has opened a docket to examine the fragmented sports‑broadcasting ecosystem, inviting comments through March 27. Early filers include One Ministries, which urges the commission to extend must‑carry rules to virtual MVPDs so independent stations like KQSL...
CuriosityStream reported a 40% revenue jump to $71.7 million in 2025, propelled by a surge in AI‑training licensing and a solid subscription base. Gross margins rose to 60% in Q4, delivering a fourth straight quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA and a...
The British Film Institute has unveiled a £33.5 million audience funding package for 2026‑2029, a 20 percent increase over the previous cycle. The plan allocates £10.8 million to the Film Audience Network, £3 million to the Open Cinemas/ESCAPES programme, and £19.7 million to the National...
Meta has broadened its Facebook Reels affiliate program, adding a self‑serve tool in the Professional Dashboard that lets creators embed brand affiliate links directly in their videos. The platform now offers thousands of products from partners such as Amazon and...
Snapchat released a study with Omnicom Media and Ipsos showing social platforms heavily influence TV viewership. Two‑thirds of viewers say ads on social make them more likely to watch, while 65% are driven to watch trailers after online discussions. The...
Starz Entertainment has implemented a limited‑duration shareholder rights plan, commonly known as a poison pill, that activates when any party acquires 17.5% or more of its common stock. The plan grants existing shareholders the right to purchase additional shares at...
Broadpeak will unveil a suite of live‑streaming and monetisation tools at NAB Show 2026, highlighting premium‑performance delivery, advanced ad insertion, and anti‑piracy safeguards. New offerings include Multiview for simultaneous event viewing, Media over QUIC (MoQ) for lower latency, and AI‑powered...
Disney announced Thomas Mazloum as Chairman of Disney Experiences, succeeding Josh D’Amaro, who will become CEO after Bob Iger. Mazloum brings luxury‑hospitality and cruise‑line experience, having overseen Disney’s Signature Experiences and the recent launch of Disney Adventure in Singapore. The...
Disney announced Thomas Mazloum will succeed Josh D’Amaro as chairman of Disney Experiences, the division that drives the bulk of the company’s profit. Mazloum, who has overseen Disneyland Resort and Disney Signature Experiences, steps in as D’Amaro prepares to become...
