Fortnite Returns to Google Play Worldwide This Week
Fortnite will return to Google Play on March 19, ending a six‑year absence after its removal for breaching app‑store rules. The comeback follows Epic Games' settlement with Google that reduces the standard 30% in‑app purchase commission to 20%, with an additional 5% fee slated for developers who use Google’s payment system. Google also introduced a Level Up program that can shave another 5% off fees for qualifying apps. The move reflects the broader fallout from Epic’s legal battles with Apple and Google over app‑store monopolies.
STV Revenue Falls 6% Amid Advertising Weakness
STV reported a 6% drop in group revenue to £176.9 million for 2025, with advertising revenue falling 10% to £89.3 million and adjusted operating profit plunging 44% to £11.6 million. The decline was driven by weaker national linear ad sales, while studios revenue...
Xbox Game Pass Loses Another Two Games in March 2026
Microsoft announced that two titles – Mad Streets and Peppa Pig: World Adventures – will exit Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on 31 March 2026. Both games were highlighted for their easy achievement paths, allowing players to earn full Gamerscore...
Nielsen's The Gauge Report Delayed over Streamer Concerns
Nielsen has delayed the March edition of its flagship The Gauge report to March 24, citing the integration of new DASH data into its streaming measurement methodology. The delayed release follows streamer anxiety that the updated metrics will reveal a...
Josh Pyatt Joins Patrick Whitesell’s WTSL as Firm Gets Into Management With WIN Artists (Exclusive)
WTSL, the Silver Lake‑backed firm led by Patrick Whitesell, has launched a new management division called WIN Artists, hiring former WME Sports co‑head Josh Pyatt as partner to lead the effort. WIN Artists will represent athletes and other talent, helping...
Shifts in Streaming: Competition, Collaboration, and Consolidation
Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros creates a streaming powerhouse that combines HBO Max, Paramount+, Discovery+ and legacy cable brands, targeting roughly 200 million global subscribers. The merger boosts negotiating leverage against rivals like Amazon and Netflix but saddles the new entity...
Ludus Hits $3m Monthly Revenue as Installs Surpass 8m
Ludus, Top App Games' PvP strategy title, achieved a 74.6% year‑over‑year revenue increase, reaching about $3 million in monthly revenue by March 2025. The growth was driven by scaled user acquisition and the addition of rewarded traffic, which now accounts for 25%...
Reinventing a 77-Year-Old Brand: NASCAR’s Modern Playbook with Tim Clark and Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR’s chief brand officer Tim Clark and champion Jimmie Johnson discuss a multi‑pronged strategy to modernize the 77‑year‑old sport. The plan includes staging races in unexpected locations, leveraging gaming platforms like iRacing for talent and fan acquisition, and shifting from...
Matt Young Named CEO of UMG’s Bravado, as Dan Goldberg and Eric Mackay Join Amy Zaglauer & Rachel Redfearn on...
Universal Music Group’s Bravado division has promoted President Matt Young to CEO, reinforcing its senior leadership with new hires across strategy, digital, and artist services. The team now includes Eric Mackay as General Manager, Dan Goldberg as SVP of Strategy...
An iCorporate Move to MediaCo For Díaz
MediaCo Holding Inc. has named Armando Diaz as Vice President of Operations & Efficiency, reporting to CRO Brian Fisher. Diaz will drive operational discipline, streamline processes, and support the company’s EBITDA‑centric growth plan. He arrives from iCorporate Marketing & Events,...
The Rebuilt Pac-12 Will Sell Its Data to Sportsbooks
The Pac‑12 announced a partnership with Genius Sports that will allow the conference to sell live game statistics and other intellectual property to sportsbooks starting next year. Genius Sports will act as the official gatekeeper, deploying its GeniusIQ capture technology...
MLB’s Highest-Paid Players 2026: Ohtani Earns $125M Via Sponsors
Shohei Ohtani is projected to earn $125 million in endorsements in 2026, bringing his total compensation to $127 million and making him the highest‑paid MLB player for the third time in four years. His endorsement haul eclipses the previous MLB record of...
Best Influencer Database Software in 2026
Influencer database software has become essential as brands scale creator programs, with 59.4% of marketers planning to raise influencer budgets in 2026. These platforms turn manual scouting into searchable, filterable datasets that include demographics, engagement, and cross‑platform reach. The article...
Trend Report
Nielsen’s latest trend report highlights that ad‑supported TV now accounts for 74% of total TV viewing time. The landscape is increasingly fragmented, with each platform—broadcast, streaming services, and FAST channels—offering distinct audience profiles. Nielsen positions the guide as a roadmap...
Trump Administration to Receive $10B Fee for Its Role in US TikTok Deal (Report)
The Trump administration will receive roughly $10 billion from investors who acquired TikTok’s U.S. operations, a fee‑plus arrangement reported by the Wall Street Journal. Investors initially paid $2.5 billion to the Treasury when the deal closed in January, but the larger payment...
Alibaba Wants to Be a Global Ticketing Player — Starting with Malaysia Tour Stop for Chinese Rap Superstar GAI
Alibaba’s live‑entertainment arm, through its ticketing platform MAISEAT, landed its first primary ticketing contract outside China for Chinese rap star GAI’s concert in Kuala Lumpur. The presale tickets sold out within days, underscoring strong demand for cross‑border events. MAISEAT, part...
EXCLUSIVE: Shaq Will Headline Walmart and Vizio’s First Joint NewFront Event
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will headline Walmart and Vizio’s first joint NewFront presentation on March 23. The event, titled “Content to Commerce,” will feature top executives from Walmart Connect, Vizio, L’Oreal, NBCUniversal and Universal Studios. It will provide the first look...
"Can We Meaningfully Predict How Things Go?" How AI Could Shape How Publishers Invest
Joost van Dreunen, co‑founder of Aldora, explains how small language models (SLMs) can replace slow, multi‑week market‑intelligence processes in the games industry. By fine‑tuning a 7‑billion‑parameter model on a decade of structured and unstructured data, Aldora aims to deliver on‑demand, secure...
Sky Integrates Disney+ Into Sky TV Subscriptions
Sky has integrated Disney+ into its core TV subscription, offering the Standard with Ads tier (valued at £5.99 per month) at no extra charge to eligible customers. The service is now accessible via Sky Glass, Sky Stream, and Sky Q,...
New 6-Month Programme From WAN-IFRA and OpenAI Supports AI-Native Product Development
WAN-IFRA and OpenAI have launched the AI Futures Lab, a six‑month accelerator for 24 news organizations across Asia‑Pacific and Latin America. Building on the earlier Newsroom AI Catalyst, the programme moves publishers from AI experimentation to fully‑scaled, AI‑native editorial and...
Meet the… CEO and Founder
Antonio G. Corrado, founder and CEO of MainStreaming, splits his day between shaping long‑term strategy, overseeing day‑to‑day operations, and engaging with customers, partners, and investors. He emphasizes the impact of AI, edge computing and distributed architectures on the future of...
"We Will Support Dead by Daylight as Long as We Can" – How Behaviour Evolved the Horror Hit Into a...
Behaviour Interactive’s horror‑multiplayer title Dead by Daylight exploded from a modest 300,000‑copy forecast to over 60 million copies sold in a decade. Originally a filler project born from the abandoned Naughty Bear prototype, it grew from a 30‑person effort to a studio‑wide...
Tewungwa Named CEO of UKTV
UKTV announced that Sam Tewungwa will assume the role of chief executive on April 1, succeeding his tenure as Managing Director. Tewungwa will steer the broadcaster’s strategic direction, emphasizing growth of its free streaming service U and deepening distribution partnerships. He...
Spanglish Movies Launches FLOUtv with FAST Channels TV
Spanglish Movies has launched FLOUtv, a free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) platform delivering Spanish‑language films, series and cultural programming across the United States and Latin America. Powered by FAST Channels TV’s white‑label infrastructure, the service offers more than 80 linear...
Spain: Mediaset Bans Fast-Forward
Mediaset España has imposed new playback restrictions on its channels across major Spanish pay‑TV platforms, disabling fast‑forward, pause and rewind functions in catch‑up, recorded and live‑restart viewing. The policy, already in place on Movistar+, Orange TV and Vodafone TV, forces...
FIFA, YouTube Sign World Cup 2026 Preferred Platform Deal
FIFA has named YouTube as a Preferred Platform for the 2026 World Cup, allowing media partners to stream the opening ten minutes of every match and select full games on their own channels. The deal also unlocks FIFA’s Digital Archive...
Taylor Swift Helps U.S. Vinyl Sales Surpass $1 Billion for First Time Since 1983
U.S. vinyl sales broke the $1 billion revenue barrier in 2025, the first time since 1983. The surge was driven largely by Taylor Swift’s *The Life of a Showgirl*, which moved 1.6 million units across eight specialty editions. Overall vinyl units rose 7.9%...
WBC Is Bigger Than You Think Now
Aaron Judge, a multiple‑MVP star, recently said the World Baseball Classic (WBC) has become bigger and better than the World Series. The latest tournament saw the United States nearly eliminated due to a coaching misstep and a complex tiebreaker, while...
Council of Europe to Unveil New TV and Streaming Co-Production Convention
The article argues that multilingual actors remain irreplaceable as artificial intelligence still fails to capture the cultural nuance, idioms, and emotional subtext essential to authentic performance. While AI can translate words, it cannot convey the layered meanings that actors embed...
Mediaplus Expands Into Asia with Singapore Joint Venture
Mediaplus Group has entered the Asian market through a joint venture with Singapore‑based The Media Shop, launching Mediaplus Singapore on 1 March 2026. The new entity serves as a regional hub for Serviceplan Group’s clients, offering media strategy, planning, buying and AI‑powered...
TV Ratings (16/3/2026): Aussies Turn To Seven As The Oscars Rolls Out Hollywood’s Red Carpet
The Oscars aired on Australia’s Seven Network attracted a Total TV National Reach of 1.254 million and an average audience of 488,000, despite the late‑night time slot. A same‑day encore captured an additional 1.074 million reach with 231,000 average viewers, while the...
Marilyn Monroe’s 100th Birthday Brings Official Coffee Table Book and Collectibles
Marilyn Monroe’s 100th‑birthday celebration, branded MM100, has launched an official merchandise line in partnership with the Marilyn Monroe Estate. The centerpiece is a 348‑page coffee‑table book, “Marilyn Monroe 100,” featuring 275 iconic photographs and slated for release on May 5 2026, now available...
Vietnamese Horror ‘Phi Phong: The Blood Demon’ Sells To Multiple Territories Through Mockingbird
Bluebells Studios’ horror feature *Phi Phong: The Blood Demon* has been sold to more than ten territories through Mockingbird Pictures, launching in Vietnam on April 24 to coincide with the Reunification Day holiday. The film, directed by Do Quoc Trung and...
Audience Guide
Nielsen released an audience guide focused on growth audiences, highlighting the significant role of Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) platforms. The guide reveals that FAST services account for one in three ad-supported streaming minutes among Black women aged 18 and...
AI Is Everywhere — All the Time — at Hong Kong’s Filmart
Hong Kong’s Filmart 2026 has turned into a showcase for generative AI, featuring 28 dedicated AI sessions that eclipse traditional studio panels. The convention’s focus spans screenwriting, animation, pre‑visualization and workflow optimization, reflecting rapid adoption across Asian productions. Major tech...
Filmart: Animation Takes Center Stage as Box Office Booms
Animation has become a dominant force in China’s box office, with 2025 revenues reaching $3.57 billion and accounting for roughly half of all ticket sales. The breakout success of Beijing Enlight Pictures’ *Ne Zha 2*, which earned $2.2 billion worldwide, underscores the genre’s commercial...
‘SupermodelMe’ Makes History as First Reality Franchise to Go Vertical With FlareFlow Microdrama Series (EXCLUSIVE)
Refinery Media and COL Group International have partnered to launch "SupermodelMe: Make It or Break It," the first reality franchise reimagined as a vertical‑format microdrama on the FlareFlow mobile platform. The series, announced at Hong Kong FilMart, will debut mid‑year...
Eddie Peng, Sean Lau’s Chinese-Language ‘Night Manager’ Adds to Cast Ahead of Filmart
The Ink Factory has announced a major cast expansion for its Chinese‑language adaptation of John le Carré’s *The Night Manager*, adding veteran and rising Asian actors ahead of Hong Kong’s Filmart. Leads Eddie Peng and Sean Lau join a supporting roster that...
Meta Switches up Its Ad Transparency Labels In-Stream
Meta is replacing the “Sponsored” label with a smaller “Ad” tag on Instagram, part of a broader UI refresh. The change is already live on Instagram and being piloted on Facebook in limited tests. By reducing label size, the disclosure...
Harry Styles' Concert Film Climbs Netflix’s Charts Ahead of BTS’ Reunion
Harry Styles' concert film "One Night in Manchester" surged to the top of Netflix’s domestic charts just as the streamer prepares to stream BTS’s highly anticipated reunion concert on March 21. Netflix secured exclusive rights to the BTS live event and...
China’s Hishow Seals Deals On Bosco Wong Series ‘My Dearest Stranger’; Launches ‘Mastermind’ Starring Louis Koo
China’s Hishow Entertainment sealed its first deals on the Bosco Wong‑led series My Dearest Stranger and launched sales for the Louis Koo action thriller Mastermind at Filmart. My Dearest Stranger, a 13‑part drama directed by Lin Yu‑Hsien, logged over 260 million...
Japan Pushes for a New Global Stage as Film Frontier Makes Its Debut at Hong Kong Market
Japan debuted a dedicated Film Frontier section at the Hong Kong‑Asia Film Financing Forum, placing emerging Japanese filmmakers directly in the market. Seven Japanese projects—spanning In‑Development, Work‑in‑Progress and the new Film Frontier showcase—highlight Unijapan’s outward‑facing strategy. Backed by the Japan...
Noah Wyle, Other Industry Figures To Testify At Adam Schiff Hearing On Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger, Tax Incentives
Senator Adam Schiff is convening a spotlight hearing in Burbank to scrutinize Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery and the broader push for federal film‑production tax incentives. Actor Noah Wyle, IATSE President Matthew Loeb, policy researcher Jax Deluca, and...
Live Entertainment Boosted After $2.89 Million in Grants Approved Across 39 NSW Venues
The New South Wales government has approved the second round of its Live Performance Venue Grant Program, distributing $2.89 million to 39 hospitality venues across regional and metropolitan areas. Grants of $15,000 to $80,000 will fund sound and staging equipment, performer...
A '90s Comic Book Movie Sequel Returned To The Top 10 At The Box Office
The 1991 sequel *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze* returned to the domestic top‑10 after a 35th‑anniversary re‑release, pulling $1.4 million on roughly 1,400 screens and landing eighth. The weekend was dominated by Oscar‑season releases, yet the...
Hasbro CEO Thinks the Video Game Industry Needs to "Think About Things Differently"
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks told The Verge that soaring development costs and modest industry growth require a new approach to video game production. He highlighted the need to tap talent in Southeast Asia, China, and Eastern Europe and to experiment...
‘Arkansas TV’ Pivot Away From PBS Placed On Hold
Arkansas PBS’s board voted 6-2 to let its PBS contract lapse, planning to rebrand the statewide network as “Arkansas TV” on July 1, 2026. The move would have stripped all PBS programming from the AETN stations, sparking concern among viewers...
The Bubble Bursts Onto the Scene At Connoisseur Columbia
Connoisseur Media has rebranded Columbia’s WARQ 93.5 as “93.5 The Bubble,” a feel‑good station that blends classic hits with today’s top tracks. The new format is aimed at thirty‑something women, a demographic the company says was underserved locally. Weekday programming...
Montreux Jazz Festival Names Gravity Media as A/V Production Provider
Montreux Jazz Festival has signed a multi‑year 3+2‑year agreement with Gravity Media to become its new audio‑visual production provider, succeeding Swiss broadcaster RTS. The partnership will see Gravity Media’s Nova 105 outside‑broadcast vehicle delivering IP‑based, UHD S‑Log3 master workflow and...
FloSports and Storied Sports Partner on Women’s and College Sports Content
FloSports announced a partnership with Storied Sports, a studio founded by former espnW and The Players’ Tribune executives, to produce sponsor‑oriented storytelling across its women’s and college sports programming. The collaboration will create original formats for live broadcasts, social platforms,...