Disney Deepens Hulu‑Disney+ Integration, Denies App Shutdown
Disney Pulls Hulu Even Tighter Into Disney+ but Company Says ‘No Current Plans’ to Phase Out Hulu App https://t.co/dxJsEKNJcT via @variety
YouTube Reaches 3 Billion Users, 37% of Humanity
Sundar Pichai at I/O says that YouTube is one of five Google products with more than three billion users, or about 37% of the global population.
The Agency S2 Binge Drops June 21 on Paramount+
Season 2 of #TheAgency starring Michael Fassbender will premiere on Sunday, June 21 on #ParamountPlus. All of S2 will drop at once, which is a departure from S1 which was a weekly release model. #streaming $PSKY
Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Station Fees and Bottom Lines
Thanks for raising this question - seen numerous times. It's true. We've always noted stations relied more heavily on fed $, and that they pay us to air our big programs. If fed cuts mean they can't afford fees as much...
Sony Secures 80% of Peanuts Franchise for $457M
#Sony is in celebration mode, officially welcoming #Snoopy, #CharlieBrawn and their whole gang as their $457M deal to purchase the #Peanuts brand struck in the end of 2025 is now in full effect, as the Japanese conglomerate now owns 80%...
Advertisers Still Leverage Modern Family Stars for Ads
Advertisers keep counting on Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell to reach out from “Modern Family” to yours. The actors talk to @Variety not about the long-running comedy, but on commercials that rely on their association with it to stand out... https://t.co/d5ruDsEQiy
X Launches Creator Product to Boost Brand Ad Spend
Scoop: X (as in, this platform) is making a major creator push, rolling out a new product meant to entice big brands to spend more on ads, and to funnel more cash to creators in the process.
Amazon's Precise Ad Personalization Outshines Generic AI Ads
Amazon’s advertising advantages To the extent that consumers detect the AI-generated nature of ads — or even care about the provenance of ads in the first place — through genericity or contextual irrelevance, Amazon is certainly well-positioned to mitigate that penalty...
A24 Snags ‘Club Kid’ for $17M After Cannes Bidding War
A24 Takes Jordan Firstman’s ‘Club Kid’ For $17 Million After Cannes Bidding War @thewrap https://t.co/kZMLlG3YsX
Project Hail Mary Nears $700M Global Box Office
#ProjectHailMary refuses to die at Global #BoxOffice, after grossing STELLAR 3M on 9th weekend overseas, just a -21.1% drop, hitting a 333M intl. cume over 83 markets. Allied to its 334.9M cume in the US, the sci fi with a 190M price...
The Devil Wears Prada 2 Tops $500M, Outshines Mandalorian
#TheDevilWearsPrada2 surpasses $500M mark globally with $18M third weekend stateside Film has amassed $370.3M overseas, $175.9M stateside for $546.2M worldwide Could this actually be a bigger global film for Disney than #TheMandalorian? https://t.co/Uc6dCTo8sT
Michael Tops Box Office, Eyes $27M Fourth Weekend
#Michael took #1 spot on FRI over #TheDevilWearsPrada2 with $7M vs $5.3M. #MichaelMovie all set to hit the top of the charts and reclaim #1 spot in its FOURTH wknd with around $27M!
NFL Deploys Nickel Defense to Counter Streaming Disputes
NFL Brings in the Nickel Package as a Defense Against Streaming Beefs https://t.co/rqQGZD2flY via @sportico @crupicrupicrupi
Capcom Sells over 1M Games in Eight Key Markets
One of the more interesting slides from Capcom's financial report shows where it sells the most games. The United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, Germany, China and Japan are the markets where Capcom sold over 1 million games last year. This...
Curry Barker's 'Obsession' Poised for $14‑19M Opening
Positive momentum won’t stop at US #BoxOffice, as even #Focus’ new R-rated horror romcom #Obsession, directed by YouTuber #CurryBarker is poised to crush projections after grossing STRONG 2.6M on THU Previews which include WED early screenings (vs #M3GAN2.0 1.5M,...
AI Ads Match Human Performance—Unless Consumers Detect AI
AI-generated ads perform roughly as well as human-created ads, unless consumers suspect they were generated by AI. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich, Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, and elsewhere analyzed more than 16 billion ad impressions and 116...
ESPN's YouTube Clip Crew Generates Billions of Views
ESPN’s YouTube Clip Crew Built an Empire With Billions of Views https://t.co/h4m1USs4R8 via @sportico @JacobFeldman4
NFL Prioritizes Reach Over Regulation with New Media Deals
I spoke to NFL media COO Hans Schroeder about the league's expanded Netflix deal, and the move to sell more games to Fox and NBC. It's hard not to look at it through the prism of the regulatory investigations. Our...
TV Upfronts Shift Amid Leadership Changes and Deal Uncertainty
My newsletter is out for this week - I sensed a different feeling around this year's TV Upfronts than years past -- a combo of new leadership, a still-in-flux WBD deal that hasn't lifted industry multiples, and a general feeling...
Versant Investor Call Begins with CEO Lazarus, CFO Kini
Versant investor call is about to begin CEO Mark Lazarus and CFO/COO Anand Kini are on the call... $VSNT
YouTube Announces New Exclusive Shows at Brandcast Upfront
.@YouTube Unveils Exclusive Shows From Alex Cooper, Trevor Noah, Kareem Rahma and More at Brandcast Upfront https://t.co/Vn78Oyb0hE via @Variety
Disney Sells $9M Super Bowl Spots, Still Meets Buyer Resistance
Super Bowl Soap Opera: Disney Sells Some Commercials for $9 Million, But Still Faces Resistance From Large Ad Buyers https://t.co/rcnsdW7ISk via @variety
Netflix Release Adds $200M to Film Costs
Add $200 million or so ($125m in rentals and $75 in other window revenues) to the expense of making the movie by releasing it on Netflix
Monetization Tools Now Open to All Streamers Worldwide
Channel Points, Emotes, Subs, Bits, and Badges are now available to onboarded streamers worldwide. This was previously limited to certain regions.
Traditional Media Audience Plummets Across Major Outlets
Today's newsletter: WaPo's new opinion podcast has 515 YouTube subscribers. CBS News is at historic ratings lows. The Daily Wire is shedding audience. https://www.readtpa.com/p/nobody-asked-for-this-washington
RHCP Gets Quarter of $1.2B Catalog Fund, Proving Iconic Status
Warner Music Group and Bain Capital made a big bet on The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They allocated roughly 25% of a $1.2B catalog fund to buy the band’s recorded music catalog. The goal of the fund is to invest in “iconic”...
Netflix Ad Tier Hits 250 Million Viewers Globally
Netflix Claims Ad Tier Now Reaches 250 Million Viewers Worldwide, Up From 190 Million https://t.co/XJlY6rlKGz
Netflix Bucks Trend, Still Showcases NFL Lineup
Netflix’s Bela Bajaria says while most media companies are spending the bulk of their budgets on sports vs entertainment shows, “we’re not.” Then presentation goes right to NFL slate
Michael Jackson Biopic Tops Korea Box Office, Eyes Record
#MICHAEL crossed the 600M mark at Global #BoxOffice and arrives in #Korea’s #BoxOffice, where KING OF POP #MichaelJackson’s music biopic debuts in #1 with a $832k WED Opening Day (vs #BohemianRhapsody’s $737k WED Op Day, #Oppenheimer’s $4.3M TUE Holiday Op...
AI Advertising Splits Into Creation, Management, Targeting, Measurement
Components of AI-enabled advertising From my perspective, AI-enabled advertising pertains to the AI-enriched mechanisms used to generate advertising creative and to serve it to users: in other words, how ads are created, how ad campaigns are managed and optimized, how ads...
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Foreign Movies
Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on non-US movies. Will Rush Hour 4 be tariffed? #Cannesfilm2026
USA Network's
USA Sports' first-ever WNBA broadcast (Aces vs. Sparks) averaged 529,000 viewers on USA Network, up 18 percent vs. last year’s WNBA regular season cable average viewership. Network said the game had the youngest median age among all national WNBA broadcasts from...
Streaming Ads Overtake TV as Infrastructure and Patience Pay
From today's @WSJ featuring @AntennaData: The TV Ad Market Is Being Taken Over by Streaming Platforms. I wrote about this years ago when the industry was fretting that streaming had reached its cap: advertising revenue trails consumer behavior by 3-5...
Trailer Park Group Closes US Division, Cuts Hollywood Staff
Excl: Trailer Park Group, perhaps the biggest company in movie trailer marketing, is shutting down its US trailer division and enacting layoffs. It's also closing its Hollywood office. https://t.co/7YggpYE5Bb
Conan O’Brien Returns to Host 99th Oscars
Conan O’Brien will host the #Oscars for a third consecutive year. The 99th #AcademyAwards will be on #ABC and #streaming on #Hulu March 14, 2027. $DIS
Sega Cancels Long‑Teased 'Super Game' After Missed Deadline
NEW: The deadline for the release of Sega's "super game" was six weeks ago. Today, Sega said that the "super game" was no more. What was it? I've tracked five years of Super Game teases (including a now-deleted Super Game Q&A) Plus,...
Brands Can Pre‑Invest in YouTube’s New Creator Shows
Tomorrow at #Brandcast, we’re unveiling our first-ever slate of Creator Shows. YouTubers are the new stars and studios. To ensure @youtube remains the home for their most ambitious projects, we're shifting our model to connect @youtubecreators and brands more directly....
Netflix Teams up for “The Remembered Soldier” Adaptation
Excl: After the success of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, Netflix is getting back in business with the movie's director & producers to adapt acclaimed novel THE REMEMBERED SOLDIER. https://t.co/PcUUR8IV5w
Netflix Declines NFL’s Full‑season Streaming Package
“We're not bidding on whole seasons of sports, including the NFL.” Netflix head Ted Sarandos tells Fox Business his company doesn’t have interest in those sorts of packages. As @SBJ noted, NFL reportedly pitched Netflix on a Sunday morning package, but...
Analyzing Upfronts, NFL Broadcast Push, and World Cup
I joined @PeterHamby's excellent The Powers That Be to dissect the upfronts, the NFL's broadcast push and the upcoming World Cup. #AmericasPodcastGuest https://t.co/IHDe5VRLRa
ESPN to Air Two Spanish Super Bowl Broadcasts
Just in: ESPN says it will provide two different Spanish-language telecasts for Super Bowl LXI -- one on ESPN Deportes and one sublicensed to Univision...
YouTube Premium Prices Rise, Lite Upgrade Makes It Viable
YouTube Premium keeps getting more expensive. But the cheaper option, Premium Lite, recently got a major upgrade that makes it worth a second look. https://t.co/zcv4A4jsTw
GreaterThan Group Backs Star Wars Game and COD Shooter
Exclusive: Behind Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is a new video game holding company, GreaterThan Group. Led by a former NetEase exec, GTG is also funding a new shooter from COD legend David Vonderhaar https://t.co/Qq5xpEcpAw
Enhanced Games Inks $10M ZOOP Partnership for Global Streaming
Enhanced Games Secures $10 Million Partnership with ZOOP @ZOOP, the new social platform redefining creator-driven media, has signed a landmark $10 million partnership deal with $ENHA becoming the Official Creator Platform and Founding Partner of the inaugural @enhanced_games taking place May...
Netflix Acquires Diego Luna’s Cannes Film for Latin America
Netflix Buys Diego Luna’s Cannes Film ‘Ashes’ for Spanish-Speaking Territories, Including Latin America (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/fgBqxJ11bl via @variety
Publicists Blend Storytelling, Strategy, and Media Relationships
A publicist is part storyteller, part strategist, part relationship builder. The best ones have spent years cultivating the media contacts that get your music placed. 🤝 Ready to explore it? Eric@ThatEricAlper.com
Fox and NBC Expand NFL Broadcast Lineup
🚨New Episode🚨 w/ @kbadenhausen pinch-hitting for @novy_williams Sporticast: Fox, NBC Add More NFL Games https://t.co/PCxYAapEF3 via @sportico
Southern California Thrives on Attractions; Bay Area Struggles.
Why does SoCal have so much world class kids stuff (Disney, Legoland, Universal, Zoo, etc) but in the Bay Area we can't keep our only amusement park alive
Deep Dive Into NFL Media Rights and TV Future
Tomorrow on The Grill Room: The best (and most fun) analysis anywhere on this week’s NFL media rights deals, the Upfronts, and the future of football on T.V., with the @Ourand_Puck & @sherman4949… Follow here: https://t.co/OUrgd2dr7a @PuckNews https://t.co/9qkkEwBBZ1
Prime Video Greenlights Fourth Wing Fantasy Series
News: FOURTH WING, a series adaptation of Rebecca Yarros' best-selling novel universe, is greenlit at Prime Video. It's another big swing by the company in the fantasy realm. W/Rick Porter https://t.co/iAsaRnbcFO