Australia’s Creative and Media Sectors Unite at Parliament House to Make the Case for Licensing in the Age of AI
Australia’s creative and media industries convened at Parliament House to press for a licensing‑based approach to AI training data, reaffirming the government’s decision to reject a broad Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception. Speakers from Universal Music Group, The Guardian, and academia highlighted existing licensing models in music, journalism and visual media, arguing they protect creators and fund quality content. The event underscored Australia’s $67 billion (≈$44 bn USD) creative sector contribution and cited global AI‑media licensing agreements as proof the market can work. Policymakers were urged to preserve strong copyright safeguards while fostering responsible AI innovation.
Genius Sports Opens up Real-Time Live Sports Targeting to Brands
Genius Sports unveiled its Moment Engine, a real‑time targeting platform that matches live‑sports data—such as player stats and scorelines—to addressable CTV, display and upcoming social inventory. Partnering with major ad exchanges, the tool lets brands trigger ads during high‑engagement moments...
‘The Processes Are Continuing Forward’: Advertising’s Dealmakers Press on with M&A Despite Iran Uncertainty
Advertising M&A remains active despite the Iran‑related geopolitical shock, with advisors reporting no immediate slowdown in deal flow. Executives note that while negotiations are proceeding, larger transactions are being approached more cautiously due to heightened risk perception. Private‑equity firms are...
Inside The Daily Mail’s Creator-Led Content Playbook
DMG Media has hired more than two dozen creators to run its creator‑led social channels, producing ten to twenty original videos daily across topics from football to youth issues. The in‑house model generates 250,000‑350,000 views per video, outpacing the Daily...
TikTok Boasts Of Joint Venture And Improvements For Advertisers
TikTok unveiled a new News Front showcase highlighting its two‑month‑old joint venture with USDS, promising richer storytelling formats and a more secure, creative advertising platform. The partnership is positioned to give advertisers advanced tools and stronger data protection. Meanwhile, Tennessee lawmakers...
Red Sea Global Launches ADRENA Adventure District
Red Sea Global has launched ADRENA, a new adventure and entertainment district near its Shura Island resorts in Saudi Arabia. The complex boasts more than 20 land and water experiences, including the kingdom’s largest 215‑metre saltwater surf pool with 2.1‑metre...
Colebourn Named BBC News Regional Director for Europe
Richard Colebourn has been named Regional Director for Europe for BBC News and the World Service, becoming the corporation’s most senior representative across Europe and Central Asia. He will oversee editorial and operational duties, including BBC News Russian, Ukrainian, and...
New Business Structure for Movistar Plus+
Movistar Plus+, Telefónica’s Spanish pay‑TV and streaming service, announced a restructuring that merges its rights‑acquisition function with the Global Partners management under the Business and Sports Management Division. The Partnerships Division will now report directly to Enric Rojas, who also oversees...
Newsmax Posts 11 Percent Revenue Growth, Digital Declines Weigh on Profitability
Newsmax reported a 10.7% revenue increase to $189.3 million for 2025, driven primarily by a 17.3% rise in broadcast earnings. Carriage fees from cable, satellite and streaming partners jumped 20.2% to $14.9 million, boosting advertising revenue 16.7% to $104.3 million. In contrast, the...
Carr Defends Nexstar/Tegna Merger, Provides Details on Disney-Owned Station Enforcement Action
FCC Chair Brendan Carr defended the FCC’s approval of the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger, arguing it supports a healthy, thriving local broadcast TV market. He also detailed an ongoing enforcement action against Disney’s ABC station for not filing the required equal‑time...
ServusTV Pulls Formula 1 and Other Premium Sports From Joyn
Austrian broadcaster ServusTV will cease streaming Formula 1, MotoGP and other premium sports on the joint platform Joyn, moving all live rights to its own service ServusTV On from 1 January 2026. Joyn will retain only the on‑demand library without live sports. The shift...
¡Viva Cachorros! Spanish Play-by-Play Goes HD
The Chicago Cubs Spanish-language broadcast returns to TelevisaUnivision’s TUDN Radio Chicago on WPPN‑FM 106.7 HD2, covering every home game starting with the 2026 season. The deal revives a partnership that began in 2009 after a 14‑year hiatus. Veteran announcer Miguel Esparza will handle...
Fubo to Live-Stream All 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Games
Fubo, majority‑owned by Disney, has secured a deal with Spectrum SportsNet LA to live‑stream every Los Angeles Dodgers game in the 2026 season. The agreement covers more than 140 regular‑season contests, pre‑ and post‑game shows, and the network’s “Backstage: Dodgers” series....
Dplus Kia Partners with AndaSeat for Gaming Chair Collaboration and Fan Products
South Korean esports organization Dplus Kia has announced a partnership with global gaming‑chair manufacturer AndaSeat to co‑develop a line of co‑branded chairs and fan merchandise. The collaboration blends Dplus Kia’s design and lifestyle branding with AndaSeat’s ergonomic engineering, marking the...
Hot Package: 3 Studios Battle For Tom Hanks & Marielle Heller Baseball Re-Team ‘The Comebacker’
Three major studios are bidding on "The Comebacker," a baseball‑themed drama that reunites Tom Hanks with director Marielle Heller. The film, based on a Dave Eggers short story and scripted by Heller, follows a major‑league pitcher whose life changes after...
TikTok for Business Introduces Campaign to Drive In-App Shopping
TikTok for Business launched the “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” campaign to promote its expanding in‑app shopping experience. The platform reported a 40 % year‑over‑year increase in search activity, with billions of daily queries, and one in four users searching...
Sandbox VR Hits $300M in Lifetime Sales and Grows to 80 Locations
Sandbox VR, the location‑based virtual reality operator, announced it has reached $300 million in lifetime sales. The company now runs more than 80 venues across five continents and 13 countries, a rapid expansion since its 2016 launch. This milestone underscores growing...
Mardi Gras Drives Audience Surge Across QMS Sydney Network
QMS reported a 9% rise in audience across its City of Sydney digital street‑furniture network during the 2026 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, with interstate viewership up 16%. The Oxford Street precinct saw a 23% overall increase and a...
Thailand Vows to Host 1st Disneyland in Region
Thailand’s government is pushing to host the region’s first Disneyland within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Capital City, designating about 2,700 rai—comparable to Shanghai’s park—for the project. Deputy Prime Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has written to Walt Disney’s new CEO and highlighted...
Ex-ARN Boss Lauren Joyce Heads Back to Audio
Abe’s Audio has hired former ARN chief strategy officer Lauren Joyce on a project basis, branding her role as a “Gun For Hire.” The partnership aims to accelerate new client partnerships and steer the company’s next growth phase through high‑impact...
Miami Marlins Return to Home Plate with WQAM Reunion
The Miami Marlins have signed a multi‑year broadcast and streaming agreement with Audacy, designating Sports Talker WQAM‑AM/FM as the team’s new flagship across South Florida. The partnership replaces WINZ‑AM 940, whose nighttime power is being reduced, and restores the Marlins...
Spotify Seeks $300M From Anna's Archive, Which Ignores All Court Proceedings
Spotify and a coalition of major record labels have filed for a $322 million default judgment against Anna’s Archive, accusing the shadow library of scraping millions of music files from Spotify’s platform. The lawsuit also seeks a permanent injunction to force...
America250 Prepares For ‘Celebration’ As iHeartMedia Partners Up
America250 has appointed iHeartMedia as the official audio partner for the United States’ semiquincentennial, streaming July 3‑4 festivities via the iHeartRadio app and over‑the‑air broadcasts. With more than 800 radio stations, iHeartMedia can reach roughly 90% of Americans each month, promising...
Dissent Discontent: FCC’s Gomez Shares Anti-Nexstar Statement
Anna M. Gómez, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, issued a public dissent on the Nexstar Media Group‑TEGNA merger after Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone approved the deal with rule waivers. Gómez criticized Chairman Brendan Carr and the Trump‑era leadership for politicizing...
AirWatch 365 Launches Globally From GatesAir
GatesAir has taken its AirWatch365 managed‑service platform global, adding the Edge Gateway appliance that links FM, DAB and TV transmitters to a 24/7 NOC. The service, delivered through the GatesAir Care program, aggregates telemetry, alarm data and analytics in a...
USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab
USSI Global has opened its Media Transport Solutions Lab in Melbourne, Florida, offering a platform‑agnostic environment to test alternatives to the FCC’s C‑Band media transport. The lab lets broadcasters, MSOs and network operators configure and re‑configure satellite, IP and cloud...
Netflix Increasing Prices Again for All Plans, Including Ad-Supported
Netflix announced a second price increase this year, raising its Standard With Ads tier from $7.99 to $8.99, the Standard Without Ads tier from $17.99 to $19.99, and the Premium tier from $24.99 to $26.99. The new rates take effect...
Global NextGen TV Takes Center Stage at 2026 NAB Show
The 2026 NAB Show will feature a high‑profile session on NextGen TV, bringing Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty together to discuss ATSC 3.0 deployment. The two‑hour panel will examine Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. rollout...
Album-Centric Record Deals Come Under Growing Scrutiny
The music industry is re‑examining album‑centric record contracts as streaming platforms and social media prioritize single tracks. Data shows that hit singles now generate a larger share of revenue than full‑album sales, prompting labels to question the profitability of traditional...
Uproxx Makes Play for TV Ad Spend With TikTok-Ready Shows
Uproxx TV debuted at NewFronts, positioning itself as a top‑10 entertainment property on connected TV with over 160 million monthly viewers, more than half of whom watch on traditional TV screens. The company is launching creator‑driven shows like “Love, Songs,” leveraging...
European Football Returns to Aussie Pubs in New Broadcast Deal
Foxtel Business has signed an exclusive agreement with beIN SPORTS to distribute its three linear channels across Australian pubs and clubs, ending a six‑month blackout of major European football and top‑tier tennis. The package restores live rights to LaLiga, Serie...
Baobab Studios Acquires Roblox Title Rights for Film and TV Development
Baobab Studios announced it has secured exclusive film and television rights to three of Roblox’s most‑visited titles—Natural Disaster Survival, Barry’s Prison Run, and Deepwoken. The trio accounts for nearly 10 billion visits, demonstrating sustained, multi‑generational engagement. Baobab will develop animated feature...
Where to Stream the PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE 2026 in Australia
ESPN has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 Pakistan Super League across Australia and New Zealand, delivering all 44 matches live on Disney+ and through Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch TV and Sky NZ. The T20 tournament features a host of Australian...
Instagram to Sell Reels Ads for Viral TV and Movies Content, ‘Cultural Moments’ Like NFL Games and Black Friday
Meta announced that Instagram’s Reels Trending Ads will now include a "TV & movies" category and dedicated line‑ups for cultural moments such as NFL games, Black Friday and Fashion Week. A limited‑alpha reserve‑buy option will let brands secure up to...
WEBTOON Unifies CANVAS with New Creator Tools and Translation Program
WEBTOON Entertainment is rolling out a unified international CANVAS platform beginning in spring 2026, merging its regional user‑generated content services into a single global hub. The platform will support seven languages—English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese and German—allowing creators...
Why Streamers Must Become?Proactive About Piracy?Before It Is Too Late
Piracy has outpaced the streaming industry, evolving into a commercial operation that rivals legitimate platforms. In Japan, illegal distribution cost roughly $38 billion in 2025, and when counterfeit media are included the damage approaches $67 billion. Modern pirates sell turnkey streaming services...
View From the Top: What Google?s 2027 License Service Deadline Means for Streamers
Google will retire its free Widevine Cloud License Service in April 2027, forcing every OTT platform that relies on it to migrate to a new DRM license infrastructure. The shutdown impacts key DRM workflows, including key exchange, entitlement checks, and...
Prism Quattro Is a New Distribution Option
Adventure 33 introduced Prism, a purpose‑built global audio broadcasting ecosystem designed to replace traditional satellite distribution. The flagship Quattro receiver is a four‑channel, stereo‑capable 1RU appliance co‑engineered with Angry Audio. Prism’s architecture routes audio across five independent network layers, eliminating single...
A Praiseworthy Deal Gives Great Plains A Big Bump
Great Plains Christian Radio Inc., owner of KJIL‑FM 99.1 in Copeland, Kansas, announced a pending purchase of nine full‑power FM stations and five translators from The Praise Network Inc. The assets span small towns across Eastern Colorado and Kansas, extending the...
The State of Streaming Codecs 2026
2025 reshaped streaming video economics as content‑side patent pools and high‑profile settlements brought codec royalties into the CFO’s purview. Access Advance launched a VDP pool with capped fees and de‑minimis waivers, while Nokia’s settlement with Amazon proved that patent owners...
Streamticker: The Biggest Streaming Mergers and Acquisitions of 2025
The 2025 Streamticker roundup chronicles a wave of high‑value mergers reshaping streaming, advertising, and infrastructure. DIRECTV’s acquisition of INVIDI strengthens addressable TV ad solutions, while Outbrain’s $1 billion purchase of Teads creates a $1.7 billion omnichannel ad platform. DAZN’s $2.2 billion buy of...
Australia’s GYRO Group Expands Into Latin America with New Office in Brazil
Australian music services firm GYRO Group announced the launch of its first Latin American headquarters in Santos, Brazil, partnering with local operator MusicStream. The new office will serve as a hub for its DistroDirect distribution platform, extending support to artists,...
This Week’s MPN Video Podcast: RSNs Are Dead, Disney’s New Era and Fortnite’s Fade
The podcast highlighted the demise of regional sports networks after Sinclair’s $9 billion overpay and Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy, reshaping MLB local broadcasts. Disney announced Josh D’Amaro as its new head, sealed a $1 billion OpenAI partnership, and faces waning Fortnite engagement. The...
Sony Pictures to Shutter VFX Firm Pixomondo In Production Shift
Sony Pictures announced it will wind down its visual‑effects and virtual‑production subsidiary Pixomondo, moving remaining projects and talent to its Vancouver‑based Sony Pictures Imageworks. The closure affects Pixomondo’s studios in the U.S., Canada, Europe and its LED‑volume division PXO Clara,...
NEOWIZ’s IDOLY PRIDE to Go Offline on April 26, 2026, Marking the End of Its Idol Management Run
NEOWIZ announced that its idol‑management RPG IDOLY PRIDE will cease operations on April 26, 2026, ending service on both Korean and global servers. The title, which debuted in South Korea in 2021 and expanded worldwide in 2023, will remain playable...
Why TapNation Is Banking on Rewarded Play
TapNation and payments platform ZBD are championing rewarded play as a growth engine for mobile games. TapNation’s data shows real‑world rewards can lift day‑7 and day‑30 retention, while ZBD reports that allocating 10‑20% of ad revenue to players yields 80‑200%...
HBO Max Launches Service in the U.K., Ireland, 12 Asia-Pacific Countries
Warner Bros. Discovery launched HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 26, 2026, adding an ad‑supported tier that is free for Sky TV subscribers and available via Prime Video Channels. The rollout also introduced the service to...
PBS, ITVS Partner on YouTube Channel for Long-Form Documentaries
PBS and ITVS have launched PBS Documentaries, a rebranded YouTube channel that expands the former PBS Voices hub to include full‑length documentary films. The channel inherits more than 316,000 subscribers and 52 million views, and will roll out over 100 new...
Musixmatch Launches ‘Sentinel’ Service to Detect when Copyrighted Music and Lyrics Are Used in AI and User-Generated Content
Musixmatch has introduced Sentinel, a music‑fingerprinting service that can identify copyrighted lyrics used in AI‑generated and user‑generated content within milliseconds. The tool integrates via API, allowing platforms to detect and mitigate infringement risk in real time. Sentinel builds on Musixmatch’s...
Content Creator Alanah Pearce Launches Charred Pictures in Partnership With Game Devs; ‘Faith: The Unholy Trinity’ Film Adaptation, Two More...
Content creator Alanah Pearce has founded Charred Pictures, an indie production company that partners directly with game developers on film and TV adaptations. The debut slate includes three projects: a pre‑production adaptation of the survival‑horror game Faith: The Unholy Trinity,...