Meta Simplifies Ad Performance Elements
Meta introduced AI‑enhanced tools to simplify its Pixel and a one‑click setup for the Conversions API. The new Pixel feature automatically adds product names, availability and business details to event data, reducing manual coding. The Conversions API can now be deployed in minutes without technical expertise or ongoing maintenance. Meta says advertisers using both signals see roughly a 17.8% lower cost per result, giving smaller firms a stronger foothold in ad auctions.
Snap Lays Off 16% of Its Full-Time Staff
Snap announced a 16% reduction in its full‑time staff, laying off roughly 1,000 employees and closing over 300 open positions. The cuts are projected to shave more than $500 million from the annualized cost base by the second half of 2026,...
Lionsgate Extends CEO Jon Feltheimer’s Contract to 2031
Lionsgate announced that longtime chief executive Jon Feltheimer will remain at the helm through July 31, 2031, keeping his base salary at $1.5 million. The new agreement adds performance‑linked stock options that vest only if the share price hits $17.50, $20 and $22.50....
A Swift Spin For Tom and Cheryl Hodgins
On March 14, 2025, Alexandra Communications, led by Tom and Cheryl Hodgins, finalized an agreement to acquire three FM radio stations in Eastern Oregon from Pacific Empire Radio Corp. Within weeks, the Hodgins‑owned firm announced it would divest one of...
Oxford Road Shares The Secrets To True Crime Podcast Ad Effectiveness
Oxford Road released its ORBIT ranking of the top‑performing true‑crime podcasts, drawing on more than $1.6 billion in campaign data from over 500 advertisers. The analysis shows true‑crime is the second‑largest spend genre, ranking in the top 20 % for ad efficiency, yet...
TikTok Challenger Triller Makes a Surprising Revenue Reveal: $0 From Its Media Businesses
Triller disclosed that it generated zero revenue from its social‑media and streaming operations in 2025, with the entire $22 million of revenue coming from a financial‑services business linked to its 2024 merger with a Hong Kong firm. The company incurred $22.7 million...
YouTube Tests Showing Creator Posts in Your Shorts Feed
YouTube is piloting a new format that places creator Posts—image carousels with up to ten pictures, text overlays, and royalty‑free music—directly inside the Shorts feed on its mobile app. The test, rolling out globally to a limited user group, aims...
CentralCast Deploys Harmonic to Deliver Improved Efficiencies for Public Media Stations
Harmonic announced that CentralCast, the master‑control hub for U.S. public‑media stations, has deployed Harmonic’s XOS Advanced Media Processor to serve more than 170 channels. The XOS platform consolidates media‑processing and distribution, delivering 176 transport streams while lowering per‑channel bitrate and...
Jury Finds Live Nation Illegally Monopolized Live Events Market
A New York federal jury found Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary liable for illegally monopolizing the live‑events market, concluding a landmark antitrust case brought by 39 states and the District of Columbia. The verdict follows a Department of...
Here's Why Garth Brooks' Longtime Business Partner Sued Him
Garth Brooks’ former Red Strokes Entertainment partner, Lisa Sanderson, filed a $425,000 lawsuit in Los Angeles in 2013, claiming Brooks repeatedly rejected lucrative film offers and caused her financial harm. The dispute centered on the closure of their production company...
The BBC Is Also Laying Off 2,000 of Its Employees
The BBC announced it will cut roughly 2,000 jobs, representing about 10% of its workforce, as part of an $815 million cost‑reduction program unveiled in February. The layoffs are the largest staff reduction the public broadcaster has faced in 15 years...
Pollstar Opens Nominations For Impact 50
Pollstar has opened nominations for its 2026 Impact 50 list, which spotlights the most influential leaders in the live‑entertainment sector. Submissions are accepted through April 24 at 5 p.m. PT, with the honorees to be revealed in the July 2026 issue....
NAB Show 2026: Sony Announces New Cameras, Virtual Production Tools
Sony unveiled its new R Series system cameras at NAB Show 2026, expanding the HDC‑5000 and HDC‑3000 families with higher dynamic range, modular transmission options, and consistent color matching. The company also rolled out AI‑driven firmware updates for PTZ units...
Absurd? AI-Made Fruit Telenovelas and What They’re Really Telling the Industry
AI‑generated fruit telenovelas—short, absurd micro‑series built entirely with diffusion video, lip‑sync and voice‑synthesis models—have amassed millions of views on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Their ultra‑low‑cost, single‑creator workflow compresses a traditional TV pipeline from eleven steps to three, proving fully AI‑assisted...
NBA’s Broadcast-Friendly TV Deal Leads to Highest Ratings in 7 Years
NBA’s first season under the new 11‑year, $76 billion media rights deal delivered its highest ratings in seven years, with average viewership climbing 16% to 1.78 million per game. NBC’s return to broadcast basketball drove a 109% increase, averaging 2.8 million viewers across...
RuneScape Developer to Expand Its IP to the Asia-Pacific Region
Jagex announced that its upcoming title RuneScape: Dragonwilds will debut in the Asia‑Pacific region later this summer, with full localization into Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The move marks the first time the RuneScape intellectual property will be officially released...
A Crossover Move For A Former Cadence13 Leader
Ron Hartenbaum’s audio‑advertising company has appointed former Cadence13 President John Murphy as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. The hire is aimed at bolstering the firm’s sales reach across on‑demand podcast inventory and select SiriusXM shows. Murphy’s background in podcast monetization...
Streaming Fraud Doesn’t Respect Silos. Neither Should We.
Merlin’s licensing deal with TikTok ended in October 2024, prompting the rights collective to double down on fighting streaming fraud. The company has shifted to a proactive, automated approach, building a cross‑platform database to flag illegitimate activity. Over the past...
Phohda Festival Slovakia Sells Out In Record Time, Increases Capacity
Pohoda Festival’s 30th anniversary in Slovakia sold out its 30,000‑ticket inventory three months ahead of the July 8‑11 event, a first in its history. Organizers responded by boosting venue capacity by 10%, adding a four‑day “Extra Day” on June 8 headlined...
What Can Investors Expect From Scripps In Q1?
After fending off Sinclair Broadcast Group’s hostile takeover, the E.W. Scripps Company is focusing on expanding its Scripps Sports division and leveraging a new distribution deal with Allen Media Group’s Local Now platform. However, the company’s core broadcast‑TV stations remain...
Jury Says Ticketmaster and Live Nation Ran Monopoly, Hiked up Ticket Prices
A federal jury in New York found Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit liable for antitrust violations, confirming the companies operate as a monopoly that overcharges fans by about $1.72 per ticket. The six‑week trial ended with a verdict that...
CTS Taps Diversified to Expand Global Playout and Distribution Capabilities
Diversified has teamed with Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to expand CTS’s global Broadcast Operations Center in Colorado. The upgrade adds a fully IP‑based playout environment built on SMPTE ST 2110, advanced monitoring and centralized network operations. By embedding Diversified engineers on‑site,...
CBS Is Already Thinking About What Could Replace Byron Allen
CBS will fill The Late Show’s slot with Byron Allen’s "Comics Unleashed" under a one‑year time‑buy deal that delivers immediate cash but is not viewed as a long‑term solution. Network chair George Cheeks says CBS still believes in late‑night TV,...
Real-Time Voice Translation Comes to Captioning
ENCO has introduced enSpeak, a real‑time text‑to‑voice translation engine that converts translated captions into natural speech. The solution integrates with ENCO’s existing multilingual workflow, delivering low‑latency audio through secondary audio program (SAP) channels. Broadcasters can now offer viewers the option...
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US Representative Maxwell Frost Protests Saudi Buyout of EA
U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost joined a Twitch livestream to denounce the proposed $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts, which would give Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund a 93.4% stake. Frost warned the consortium—backed by the Saudi fund and Jared Kushner’s...
Up to 2,000 Jobs to Be Cut at BBC in Cost-Saving Drive
The BBC announced plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs over the next two years, aiming to save £500 million from its £5 billion operating budget. The cuts, the largest in 15 years, respond to falling licence‑fee revenue—down 24% in real terms...
Report: New Xbox Chief Says Game Pass 'Has Become Too Expensive'
Microsoft’s newly appointed Xbox head Asha Sharma warned that Game Pass has become too expensive for consumers, calling for a revised value proposition. The Ultimate tier now costs $29.99 per month, a 50% jump from its previous price. Gaming revenue...
Wild Arms 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog From April 21
Sony announced that Wild Arms 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on April 21, 2024. Wild Arms 4 is limited to PlayStation Plus Premium members, while Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (PS5) and the Complete Edition (PS4) are accessible to both Extra and...
Sports on TV: The Public Already Paid; Why Are Fans Paying Again?
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an antitrust inquiry into the NFL’s television‑rights strategy, questioning whether the league’s bundling and platform‑splitting practices limit competition. At the same time, fans are facing a fragmented streaming ecosystem that can cost $1,000...
Crimson Desert Hits Major Sales Milestone with New Updates Promised
Pearl Abyss announced that Crimson Desert has sold 5 million copies since its March 19 launch, with a peak of 276,261 concurrent PC players. The open‑world action RPG earned a 78 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic and is available on Mac, PS5, Windows...
Córdoba: The Rising Star of Argentina’s Touring Route
Córdoba is emerging as a key secondary market in Argentina’s live‑music touring circuit. A new 12,000‑seat Arena Córdoba, backed by a $50 million investment from international developer Corporación América Inmobiliaria and local promoters, aims to fill the gap left by the...
Comcast Is Suing DISH’s Parent Company
Comcast has filed a lawsuit in Colorado federal court seeking more than $54 million from DISH Wireless and its parent EchoStar, alleging a breach of a master service agreement. Comcast contends that EchoStar misused a force‑majeure clause after an FCC investigation,...
The Scoop: Hollywood Bands Together to Oppose Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal in Open Letter
More than 2,500 actors, writers and directors have signed an open letter denouncing the proposed $110 billion Paramount‑Warner Bros. merger. The letter argues the deal would deepen media consolidation, threaten jobs, and narrow the range of stories financed and released. High‑profile...
UMG’s Michael Nash Takes Aim at ‘False Narrative of Artist Replacement’ by AI – and 3 Other Things We Learned...
Universal Music Group’s EVP and chief digital officer Michael Nash joined Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava at the HumanX AI conference to outline UMG’s AI strategy. He highlighted a growing roster of AI partners—including BandLab, Nvidia and the newly announced Splice...
Sony Enters the Esports OLED Monitor Race with a Fnatic Collaboration
Sony has entered the high‑end esports monitor market with the Inzone M10S II, a 27‑inch OLED display co‑developed with esports powerhouse Fnatic. The monitor offers a dual‑mode panel—native 1440p at 540 Hz or 1080p at 720 Hz—targeting ultra‑fast competitive play. Priced at $1,099.99,...
Movers & Shakers: PRG, Live Nation, Icon Concerts
Production Resource Group (PRG) named Darren Pfeffer its first chief commercial officer, tasking him with global revenue growth and client expansion. Live Nation hired Chris Marking as EVP of international venue sponsorship to steer naming‑rights deals across a pipeline of...
3 Leisure Stocks Showing Strength Despite Industry Headwinds
Despite macro‑level headwinds—persistent inflation, higher interest rates and rising labor costs—the leisure and recreation services sector has delivered solid returns. Over the past year the industry outperformed its consumer‑discretionary peers, climbing 22.5% versus a 7.2% sector gain, while trading at...
Seaboard to Distribute “Killer Carl” Show
Seaboard Networks announced it has completed a distribution agreement for the syndicated political interview program “The Killer Carl Program.” Hosted by Carl “Killer Carl” Brown, the show has been on air for almost ten years and is part of the...
KNBR Renews Flagship Radio Deal with 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have renewed their flagship radio agreement with Cumulus Media’s KNKN (KNBR) sports talk station. Veteran play‑by‑play duo Greg Papa and Tim Ryan will continue calling every game, plus pre‑ and post‑game shows. The partnership spans AM,...
Plaiced CEO Kaaveh Shoamanesh on Building a Network Inside the Internet’s Closed Doors
Plaiced, led by CEO Kaaveh Shoamanesh, has built an ad network that taps into the "gated web"—private groups, niche apps, newsletters and Discord servers—offering brands access to over 50,000 curated communities and roughly 500 million high‑intent users. The platform promises engagement...
Locality and Nielsen Announce Landmark Integration of Media Data Engine, Transforming Local TV Measurement
Locality and Nielsen announced the integration of Nielsen’s Media Data Engine (MDE) into Locality’s broadcast advertising platform. The partnership makes Locality the first broadcast sales organization to deploy Nielsen’s MDE at scale, delivering demographic audience data across all 210 U.S....
Aptoide Sues Google over Alleged Android App Store Monopoly
Aptoide has filed an antitrust lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court accusing Google of maintaining an anticompetitive chokehold on Android app distribution and in‑app billing. The complaint says Google forces developers onto the Play Store, limiting rival stores even though...
David Ellison Won’t Appear at Senate Hearing Over Warner Bros. Deal Due to a Death in the Family
Paramount Pictures has secured a $111 billion agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the largest media merger in recent U.S. history. CEO David Ellison will miss the Senate antitrust hearing after notifying Sen. Cory Booker that a family death prevents his attendance....
Forecasting Mobile Game Profitability: How Publishers Predict UA Performance
AppQuantum’s head of marketing analytics, Iaroslav Kobozev, outlines a profit‑forecasting system that projects annual ROAS from a single week of D7 performance. By updating coefficient models weekly and enforcing a minimum cohort of 300 installs or 10 payers, the framework...
Dice Throne Launches $100k Kickstarter for Digital Adaptation
Dice Throne has opened a $100,000 Kickstarter to fund Dice Throne Digital, a PC, mobile, and mixed‑reality adaptation of its tabletop hit. The digital version targets a February 2027 release on Steam and mobile, with a Meta Quest version slated...
Panasonic, NEP Partner on IP-Based Live Production
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America has partnered with NEP Group to integrate Panasonic’s Kairos IP live‑production system with NEP’s software‑orchestration platform. The certified interoperability creates a unified control and data plane, allowing broadcasters and live‑event providers to manage...
Video Game Lawyer Implores Devs to Understand Ownership and Swerve Generative AI
At the London Game Festival, lawyer Nick Allan warned indie developers that without clear contracts, IP created by contractors remains owned by them. He urged studios to register trademarks and copyrights in key markets such as the UK, EU, and...
Eccho Rights Announces that Behind the Veil Will Have a Fourth Season on Kanal 7
Eccho Rights confirmed that Turkish daily drama *Behind the Veil* will return for a fourth season on Kanal 7, keeping its original cast and production crew. The series has consistently broken audience records for the modest‑budget channel, outpacing flagship shows...
Prasar Bharati Enters Race for FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Rights
India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is positioning itself as the likely sole bidder for the 2026 FIFA World Cup TV rights after private players JioStar and Sony walked away. The tournament’s U.S.-centric schedule and cricket‑dominated ad market have deterred commercial broadcasters,...
TelevisaUnivision Joins The Streaming Self-Service Bandwagon
TelevisaUnivision has partnered with ad‑tech firm fullthrottle.ai to make its streaming inventory available through a self‑serve platform. The integration adds a dedicated ad bidder, clean‑room data matching and ZIP‑code level targeting for U.S. Hispanic audiences. Fullthrottle reports a 90% match‑rate...