Ticketmaster Partners with CashorTrade to Expand Face Value Resale
Ticketmaster announced a partnership with fan‑to‑fan resale platform CashorTrade to list eligible tickets at their original price. The integration combines Ticketmaster’s verification technology with CashorTrade’s marketplace, automatically capping listings at face value for select tours. The move expands Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange program, first launched in 2019, and arrives as Live Nation faces an ongoing antitrust trial and a recent DOJ settlement. Both companies say the collaboration will give fans more choice while preserving artist‑approved pricing terms.
The National Enquirer’s Archives to Be Mined for Microdramas in New Deal (Exclusive)
MediaCo and micro‑drama platform GammaTime have signed a deal to turn the National Enquirer’s historic archives into short‑form vertical series, debuting with a true‑crime drama about Drew Peterson. The partnership leverages the tabloid’s sensational stories, from infamous murders to celebrity...
Upfront 2026-27: 'What's A Network?'
At MediaPost’s Upfront 2026‑27 forum, Carat CIO Carrie Braverman Drinkwater highlighted that even consumers no longer recognize a traditional TV "network" concept. The panel revealed a shift from rigid budget registrations to more flexible "intent‑to‑spend" conversations with networks. While Nielsen’s audience‑rating...
How the CAA Vs. Range Brawl Was Destabilized By a Leak
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) lost an arbitration ruling that it breached contracts with four former agents who left to launch Range Media Partners, opening the door to multi‑million‑dollar awards for the agents. CAA’s counterclaims alleging trade‑secret theft were also dismissed....
Zixi To Feature IP-Based Alternative To Satellite Distribution At 2026 NAB Show
Zixi will demonstrate an IP‑based alternative to satellite distribution at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, highlighting how broadcasters can modernize live‑video workflows. The company’s booth and partner stations will showcase centralized orchestration, dynamic market switching, and end‑to‑end IP contribution...
Janelle Monáe Signs With UTA For Global Representation In All Areas
United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed multihyphenate star Janelle Monáe for global representation across touring, media, film, television, brand partnerships and more. The partnership gives UTA access to Monáe’s Wondaland ecosystem, which includes a record label, production company and a first‑look...
APM / Streamguys Join to Launch New Marketplace for Podcasting and Livestreaming
American Public Media (APM) has teamed with streaming specialist Streamguys to launch the Inform Media Network, a private marketplace for digital underwriting and sponsorship across podcasts and livestreams. The network already includes at least 30 non‑commercial stations, delivering roughly 55 million...
Peak Co-Developer Landfall Might Finance Your Next Indie Game
Swedish studio Landfall has launched Evil Landfall, a publishing offshoot that will provide project‑based funding and advisory support to indie developers. Led by CEO Kirsten‑Lee Naidoo, the label can invest up to $1 million per year in a handful of games that...
The Ever-Changing Role Of The Upfront In 2026
The 2026 upfront season marks a shift from a broadcast‑centric ritual to a multi‑platform marketplace that includes major streaming services. Streaming commitments surged to $13.2 billion, a 61% jump, while linear TV sales slipped to $17.8 billion, narrowing the gap. Live sports...
Gray Media Selects Its Q1 2026 Earnings Reveal Date
Gray Media announced the date for its Q1 2026 earnings conference call, slated for early May. The company, the second‑largest holder of UHF and VHF broadcast licenses in the United States, will use the call to detail results for the...
PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Skillz, Beamable and the Live Ops Shift
Skillz announced the acquisition of Beamable, aiming to transform its competitive‑gaming platform into a full‑service business operating system for game studios. The deal will combine Skillz's tournament infrastructure with Beamable's live‑ops and backend tools, enabling developers to focus on gameplay...
20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash” Bows No. 1 on U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart
Disney‑owned 20th Century Studios saw its new release *Avatar: Fire and Ash* debut at No. 1 on the Official Film Chart, the United Kingdom’s weekly home‑entertainment sales ranking, for the week ending April 8, 2026. The film outperformed Warner’s *Wuthering Heights* and Sony’s...
Media Planners: The Streaming TV Content Guessing Game Is Getting Easier
DoubleVerify launched its Authentic Streaming TV™ solution, featuring a content‑discovery dashboard that provides program‑level intelligence for streaming ads. The tool leverages licensed IMDb data and an AI assistant to let planners filter shows by granular genres, premiere dates, maturity ratings,...
Patreon Says Podcasters Earned $629 Million in 2025, Up 33%, as Platform’s Biggest Content Category Keeps Growing
Patreon reported that podcasters earned $629 million in 2025, a 33% year‑over‑year rise, making podcasts its top‑grossing category. More than 47,000 creators now earn on the platform, supported by 7.6 million paid memberships. The company’s 10% fee model and new podcast tools,...
Kalshi NJ Court Win Puts Prediction Markets on Supreme Court Radar
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed that New Jersey cannot regulate prediction‑market platform Kalshi under state gambling laws, citing the Commodity Exchange Act’s preemption of state authority over derivatives. The panel held that Kalshi’s sports‑related event contracts...
BBDO Chicago Creative 'Protects' M&M's Peanuts
BBDO Chicago’s new "Protect the Peanut" campaign spotlights the genetic fragility of peanuts, noting that only one in 100 meets M&M’s quality standards. The documentary, released on M&M’s social channels, follows the brand’s partnership with the University of Georgia to...
Toronto’s Rogers Stadium Generates $500m in First Year
Toronto’s temporary Rogers Stadium delivered more than $500 million (≈ €427.5 million) in economic activity during its inaugural season, according to Live Nation Canada. The 50,000‑seat venue hosted 14 concerts for roughly 700,000 fans, generating $388 million in GDP and $115 million in tax revenue,...
Huge Changes Coming to VCT in 2027
Riot Games will overhaul the Valorant Champions Tour in 2027, replacing its franchise league with an open tournament structure. Teams will start in open qualifiers, progress to regional events, then to international Masters and Champions stages. The new model introduces...
Study Shows Economic Impact Of Movistar Arena Madrid
A new OJD economic impact study shows Movistar Arena contributes €577 million ($667 million) to Madrid’s GDP each year. The venue hosted 381 events in 2025, drawing 2.1 million attendees and ranking second globally among arenas. It directly and indirectly sustains 13,661 jobs,...
Hazelight Studios Celebrates 50 Million Game Sales Milestone
Hazelight Studios announced that its three games have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, with *It Takes Two* contributing 30 million units. The milestone underscores the studio’s success in the cooperative‑gaming niche since its 2018 debut with *A Way Out*. Hazelight’s consumer‑friendly...
Bluefin Pairs With Agile on a Ticketing Point-of-Sale Service
Bluefin Payment Systems has expanded its partnership with Agile Ticketing Solutions to include the PAX A35 Android point‑of‑sale terminal, adding support for EMV, NFC, magstripe and QR code payments. Agile will also offer the PAX A77 device through Bluefin accounts,...
Spain’s Last Tour on Scaling without Compromising Values
Last Tour, the Bilbao‑based live‑music promoter, has renewed its B Corp certification, placing it in the top 10% of over 10,000 certified companies worldwide and near the top 30 in Spain after a 40% score boost. The firm, which runs...
HMPG Deal Beckons YouTube, Facebook Content Expansion
Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) announced a strategic partnership with digital distributor Merzigo to broaden its unscripted content across YouTube, Facebook and other social video platforms. The collaboration will leverage Merzigo’s proprietary technology and data insights, which span more than...
A Swift Closing For NRG Media’s Sale Of Six Nebraska Stations
NRG Media has completed the sale of six radio stations in Nebraska, exiting three local markets. The transaction, brokered by Kalil & Co., closed on April 7 and follows an earlier agreement to sell its Omaha‑Council Bluffs cluster to the...
BBC Rules Airing BAFTAs’ N-Word Outburst by Tourette’s Activist Was an Editorial Breach
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit concluded that the uncensored N‑word uttered by activist John Davidson during the BAFTAs was a breach of editorial standards, even though the network operated with a two‑hour delay. BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips said...
OGM Universe’s The Gentleman Scores Successful Debut on Show TV
OGM Universe’s new drama series *The Gentleman* premiered on Turkey’s free‑to‑air Show TV, delivering a 2.90 rating in Total, 3.42 in AB and 3.66 in ABC1. The episode sparked immediate buzz, trending for hours on X (formerly Twitter). The series,...
From Printing Press to Podcast to Digital Mind: Delphi CEO on the Next Form of Media
Delphi, founded by Dara Ladjevardian and backed by Sequoia, Founders Fund, and Lux Capital, offers creators a platform to build AI-powered digital versions of their minds. By ingesting existing content—videos, podcasts, documents—the system creates a conversational interface that answers questions...
Publicis, Microsoft Partner On Agentic Marketing
Microsoft and Publicis Groupe have deepened their alliance to create a full‑stack marketing platform that unites legacy software, AI agents and identity‑based data. Leveraging Microsoft Azure AI, Office 365 and Copilot tools, the solution will run on Publicis’ cloud‑native Slingshot...
The Living Room’s Front Page: Why Home Screen Ads Matter
Home screen advertising is becoming the new front page of television, offering advertisers a high‑attention, native environment. Studies from LG, Omnicom and Telly show double‑digit attention gains, lower media waste and up to a 250% lift in brand recall versus...
T-Mobile Promises Free Netflix Even After Its Recent Price Hike
T‑Mobile confirmed that its Netflix On Us benefit will stay free for eligible unlimited plans, even though Netflix raised the price of its ad‑supported Standard plan to $8.99 per month. The carrier will absorb the incremental cost, shielding customers from...
Caroline Beasley: ‘A Year of Meaningful Transformation’ Concludes
Caroline Beasley, CEO of Beasley Media Group, announced the conclusion of a year‑long transformation aimed at reshaping the company’s cost structure and balance sheet. The firm executed strategic divestitures in the Fort Myers‑Naples and Tampa‑St. Petersburg markets, trimming its asset...
Creator Television to Launch Pickleball Tour at VidCon Anaheim, Testing Live Event-to-Streaming Format
Creator Television, the creator‑focused streaming network owned by Sabio Holdings, will debut the Creator Pickleball Tour at VidCon Anaheim from June 25‑27. The three‑day activation features a 16‑player creator tournament in front of more than 55,000 attendees and will be...
Fanatics Inks Wide-Ranging Sponsor Deal With AT&T
Fanatics announced a broad sponsorship agreement with AT&T that will embed the telecom brand in Fanatics' emerging media and entertainment content, make AT&T an official partner of Fanatics Fest in New York, and power joint watch parties for marquee sporting...
Ausha Expands Its Growth Suite with Paid Visibility Ads on Spotify and YouTube – Open to All
Ausha announced the beta launch of Ausha Visibility Ads, a paid promotion tool that lets podcasters run campaigns directly on Spotify and YouTube. The solution builds on Ausha’s existing Podcast Search Optimization technology and incorporates Base for Creators’ ad‑tech platform....
VCT 2027 Gives More Teams a Shot at Masters and Champions with Open Qualifiers
Riot Games unveiled VCT 2027, a unified VALORANT esports tier that replaces regional leagues with open‑qualifier VCT Cups and accelerates progression to Masters and Champions. The new format offers multiple qualification windows, over 20 tournaments across 16 cities, and cash incentives for...
The 10 Fastest-Growing U.S. Instagram Accounts of March 2026
March 2026 saw a surge of Instagram follower gains among U.S. celebrities and brands, led by Megan Fox’s 2.8 million new followers after a high‑profile comeback. Event‑driven accounts such as Jason Derulo, Alysa Liu, and “The Tonight Show” each added over a million followers,...
Scorbit Launches Real-Money Arcade Tournaments at Bars and Arcades | Exclusive
Scorbit, a smartphone‑based tournament platform, has launched real‑money arcade, pinball and barcade competitions that award cash prizes. The feature lets players compete in physical venues while wagering through the app, merging classic arcade gameplay with a connected, monetized experience. By...
Beasley’s Delayed Q4, FY 2025 Results Reflect Sharp Downturn
Beasley Media Group, the publicly traded radio broadcaster, released its delayed Q4 and full‑year 2025 results, revealing a sharp revenue downturn. The company has already sold its Naples‑area stations and is negotiating a Transaction Support Agreement that offers an exchange...
CBS Is Basically Leasing the Late Show Slot to Byron Allen
CBS has entered a time‑buy agreement with media entrepreneur Byron Allen, handing the network’s former Late Show slots to his productions, *Comics Unleashed* and *Funny You Should Ask*. Under the deal Allen pays CBS tens of millions of dollars and...
Universal Music Group Plans to Review Pershing Square Takeover Bid
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square has submitted a non‑binding, $60 billion offer to acquire Universal Music Group, nearly double its recent market price. The proposal, which would need two‑thirds shareholder approval, promises to keep CEO Lucian Grainge in place while leveraging AI...
UK Games Sector Loses 1,537 Jobs as 14-Year Growth Streak Ends
The UK video‑games industry shed a net 1,537 development jobs between April 2024 and September 2025, marking a 4.5% annualised decline and ending a 14‑year growth streak. Medium‑sized studios (16‑40 staff) bore the brunt, losing 21.6% of their workforce, while very large...
Walter Kolm’s Blueprint for Latin’s Global Domination
Walter Kolm, CEO of WK Entertainment, is redefining Latin music management by blending data analytics with global touring and brand partnerships. He recently launched a joint‑management deal with Massivo Entertainment to expand Puerto‑Rican star Farruko’s international presence using a 360°...
How $65 Can Get You Into Eight Theme Parks -Enchanted Parks Pass Details
Enchanted Parks unveiled its 2026 season‑pass lineup, granting unlimited access to eight parks. The entry‑level Hero Pass starts at $65 and includes general parking, a 10% discount and one Fast Lane use. The $90 Legend Pass adds preferred parking, a...
Samba TV and TiVo Strike UK CTV Advertising Partnership
Samba TV and TiVo have launched a strategic partnership in the United Kingdom, effective April 1, to combine Samba's cross‑platform audience intelligence with TiVo's owned‑and‑operated CTV inventory. The deal makes TiVo Samba's preferred managed‑service advertising partner and positions Samba as the...
New Capcom Sale Features Almost Every Fighting Game You Can Think of, Including Street Fighter 6 DLC Passes
GamersGate is running a limited‑time Capcom sale that slashes prices on virtually every fighting title the publisher has released for PC. Street Fighter 6 is now $20, with Year 1 DLC passes 35% off and Year 2 passes 20% off, while the Capcom...
Easter Box Office Takings Twice that of 2025 Break Despite Exodus of Hongkongers
Hong Kong's Easter box office more than doubled year‑on‑year, pulling in HK$25.93 million (≈US$3.31 million) as family‑friendly releases like *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* drove attendance. Despite a net outflow of 193,136 residents, inbound trips reached 2.56 million, with mainland visitor numbers up...
Major Brands Back Tesco Premium Video Ad Placements
Diageo and PepsiCo have endorsed Tesco Media's new premium video ad placements after successful trials, highlighting the formats' ability to drive brand awareness at a crucial consideration stage. The Grocery Homepage slot reaches over 12 million unique monthly visitors, while the...
Leyra Selected by RÚV for Smart TV Streaming Rollout
Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV has chosen Leyra's OTT platform for its new smart‑TV streaming service on Samsung and LG devices. Leyra, a joint venture of Accedo and Magine Pro, will deliver live and on‑demand TV and radio with full Icelandic language...
Niche, Cryptic, Trippy: Coachella’s Billboards Are a Preview of Music Branding in 2026
Coachella 2026’s desert billboard campaign features cryptic, font‑driven visuals for headliners such as Justin Bieber, Katseye, Karol G and others. The ads replace traditional copy with niche aesthetics—gooey neon fonts, emoji mosaics, and minimalist typography—turning each sign into a brand signal...
After Cox Ruling, Supreme Court Wipes Out Grande Communications’ $47M Music Piracy Verdict
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 6 vacated a $46.7 million copyright‑infringement judgment against Grande Communications, sending the case back to the Fifth Circuit for review under the new Cox v. Sony standard. The Cox decision held that internet service providers are...