Know What's Happening in Media
Know What's Happening in Media
Indian TV market braces for sales dip as production costs surge
Rising RAM prices, higher plastic and ocean‑freight costs linked to the West Asia crisis, and a weakening rupee have pushed entry‑level 32‑inch TV prices up about 20% to $133, up from $108 six months ago. Counterpoint Research expects shipments to fall 5‑6% as consumers down‑trade to smaller screens.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-Love seeks FCC approval to acquire radio station WFCC
Netflix veteran Steven Maeda, known for steering the One Piece live‑action series, is now helming Amazon MGM Studios' adaptation of the award‑winning comic *Monstress* into an adult animated series for Prime Video. He will co‑run the project with fellow One Piece alum Tiffany Greshler. The source material, created by writer Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda, has earned multiple Eisner, Hugo and British Fantasy awards since its 2015 debut. Production is in early development, with no casting or release date announced, but the animation pipeline suggests a multi‑year timeline.
Kochava has launched an open‑source StationOne AI workspace that incorporates IAB Tech Lab’s AAMP Buyer Agent SDK, moving the platform out of closed beta. The workspace, hosted in the StationOne Gallery, lets enterprises run AI‑driven campaign, measurement and compliance workflows...
Netflix announced it will stream the South Korean espionage action film *Humint* globally on March 31, 2026, after acquiring the exclusive rights in a surprise last‑minute deal. The movie, written and directed by Ryoo Seung‑wan, concludes his unofficial “Overseas Location”...
Tommy Little is set to host a one‑off interview‑show pilot taped on Friday, 27 March, at Network 10’s Pyrmont studios in Sydney. The secretive taping follows a limited‑seat audience call‑out and mirrors the interview style of Sam Pang Tonight, which has been absent...
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered the owner of a cluster of Spanish‑language evangelical stations, led by Maria Guel, to settle overdue regulatory fees or face revocation of KZAM‑FM’s broadcast license. The Wichita Falls Class A FM, purchased for $122,000 in...
The Substack post curates the 20 most powerful AI‑driven video tools for 2026, ranking them after hands‑on testing by content creators. Each tool is evaluated on criteria such as ease of use, output quality, automation features, and pricing tiers. The...
Finalists for the 2026 Digiday Video and TV Awards highlight a shift toward immersive, audience‑driven storytelling, with brands treating video as a core business engine. Adobe’s “Great Big Giant MAX Creator Challenge” earned 36.3 million interactions and a 6 % engagement rate,...
Australian Idol’s Tuesday episode featured a double elimination, sending Harry Lamb and Wanwue Tarpeh home and cementing a Top 8. The show has now shifted entirely to public voting, removing judges from the final decision‑making process. The remaining contestants—Charlie Moon, Harlan...
OpenAI announced it will discontinue its AI video‑generation product Sora, shutting down both the consumer app and the developer API. The decision follows low user adoption, high compute costs, and mounting controversy over harmful deep‑fake content. OpenAI is redirecting resources...
Tubi unveiled a suite of new ad formats at IAB NewFronts, including the interactive Scene Sense overlay and pause‑time carousel ads that tie messaging to on‑screen content. The streamer also announced original creator‑driven series aimed at Gen Z and a partnership...
Early‑bird applications for the Melbourne International Film Festival’s 37°South Market are now open until 13 April, with discounted rates for producers seeking financing. The four‑day market will take place in August in Melbourne, offering one‑on‑one meetings, pitch sessions, and roundtables that...
Roku Channel will air a Laguna Beach reunion on April 10, marking the series' 20‑year anniversary. The special is moderated by Casey Wilson and features most of the original cast, including Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari. Notable absences are Spencer...
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has appointed Samantha Turi, former Director of Business & Legal Affairs at Matchbox Pictures, to lead its newly created commercial strategy role. Turi brings over a decade of experience negotiating rights and structuring deals across scripted...
Netflix has officially entered development on a reboot of the 2004 rom‑com *13 Going on 30*, attaching rising stars Emily Bader and Logan Lerman as leads and enlisting original star Jennifer Garner as an executive producer. Veteran Netflix director Brett...
Linktree’s new AI tool gives creators real, personalized growth recommendations @linktr.ee has upgraded Insights Chat with personalized, AI-powered, data-driven recommendations The new tool pulls real performance data across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Creators using Linktree can ask for post ideas, traffic tips, and top-performing...
Crunchyroll revealed its Spring 2026 anime slate, debuting on March 28 with more than 30 titles across genres. The lineup mixes heavyweight continuations—including One Piece’s Elbaph Arc, Dorohedoro Season 2, and Re:ZERO Season 4—with fresh series such as Witch Hat Atelier and Snowball Earth. Weekly simulcasts...
Broadcast Bionics, the maker of audience‑engagement platform BionicStudio, is gearing up for the 2026 NAB Show with several product upgrades. The company has embedded Augmented Intelligence tools that automate transcription, summarization and topic detection, and is rolling out BionicStudio on...
Gerran Howell, who played DC Simon Evans in BBC's crime‑drama Ludwig, has confirmed he will not return for season two. The first season, debuting in 2024, earned praise and drew comparisons to the classic Inspector Morse series. BBC has confirmed...
In June 2023 independent journalist Andrew Quemere sued Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan to compel the release of police officers' names and misconduct records. After a Superior Court order, Sullivan finally produced the Brady‑type documents on March 13, 2024—two and...
Plimsoll Productions has appointed veteran executive producer Paul Wright to spearhead its live programming across adventure, factual entertainment, and natural history. Wright arrives fresh from Netflix’s high‑profile "Skyscraper Live with Alex Honnold," a technically demanding event that showcased Plimsoll’s production...
Philo has expanded its free, ad‑supported streaming lineup by adding six new channels from Lionsgate and Blue Ant Media, bringing the total to over 130 channels. The additions—Heartland, The Conners, Nash Bridges, Caught in Providence, True Crime, and Shockwave—cover a mix...
Spectrum News has entered a multi‑year partnership with Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, announced on March 23. The collaboration will give students hands‑on newsroom experience, internships across the country, and joint coursework beginning in the 2026‑27 academic year. In...
The ProPublica Guild, representing roughly 150 journalists and newsroom staff, voted 92% to authorize a strike as contract talks stall. Union members are demanding a clause that bars layoffs caused by AI adoption, as well as just‑cause firing protections and...
Disney+ has begun production on "The Koreans," a Korean‑language reimagining of FX’s award‑winning series "The Americans." Set amid South Korea’s early‑1990s democratization, the drama follows a middle‑class family whose parents are covert North Korean spies. The series stars Lee Byunghun...
AMC’s noir drama *Dark Winds* returned for a fourth season on February 15, 2026, delivering eight hour‑long episodes that shift the hunt from the reservation to 1970s Los Angeles. The series, already a Netflix staple after the 2024‑2025 licensing deal, logged 19.2 million viewing equivalents...
CBS News recently added neuroscientist Andrew Huberman to its contributor roster, and he sparked controversy by stating on Bill Maher’s *Club Random* podcast that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered, not a suicide. Huberman also referenced other deaths he deemed suspicious, including...
Apple Music announced a partnership with Ticketmaster to power its concert discovery feature, embedding ticket links directly within the streaming app. The integration adds a dedicated Concerts tab, homepage carousel, artist‑page badges, and push notifications that surface nearby shows based...
The Open Letters is calling for essay submissions for its April, May and June issues, with three slots in April and eight slots each in May and June. Writers must submit original, unpublished work of at least 900 words in...
PMG, the agency behind Hearst’s recent newspaper campaigns, has launched a new multimedia effort titled “This Is Home” for its newly acquired Dallas Morning News. The campaign combines out‑of‑home, television and cross‑media video spots that spotlight veteran Dallas journalists such...
Paramount+ has renewed the long‑running procedural "Criminal Minds" through a landmark 20th season while announcing a May 28, 2024 premiere for Season 19. The upcoming season returns the core ensemble—Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, among others—and adds a star‑studded roster of...
Network‑management specialist MNC Software has named Heartland Video Systems as its authorized North American reseller, a partnership that will be showcased at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The deal centers on MNC’s newly launched Tapestry broadcast automation and...
Victory+ has launched a free, ad‑supported streaming service called “NWSL Sunday Night Soccer,” delivering live coverage of 99 matches—including 57 national broadcasts—for the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season. The platform pairs live games with on‑demand replays, creator‑led content, and...
Hey.Cafe, a Canadian‑built social network launched in 2001, has seen a surge in users after a recent “buy Canadian” push, jumping from roughly 5,000 to over 40,000 members in two weeks. Founder Anthony Lee positions the platform as an ad‑free,...
Netflix announced the upcoming drama series 'Straight to Hell,' a dramatization of Japan’s notorious fortuneteller Kazuko Hosoki. The trailer depicts Hosoki’s harrowing childhood, ascent to Ginza nightlife queen, and eventual downfall, while following ghostwriter Minori Uozumi’s quest to chronicle her...
Netflix ended its DVD‑by‑mail service on September 29, 2023, leaving millions of U.S. movie fans without a physical‑media option. DVD Inbox launched to fill that void, offering a subscription model that mirrors Netflix’s former system, including the ability to import...
Google will tighten political content rules for Shopping ads starting April 16, requiring merchants in nine countries to verify as election advertisers and banning certain political ads in India. The policy expands Google’s election‑integrity efforts from search and display into commerce...
Tom's Hardware is inviting U.S. and U.K. readers to shape its Premium subscription by completing a 10‑15 minute survey, with a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card (≈$96 for UK participants). The service, launched last year, offers exclusive...
Esports has transitioned from niche arcade contests to a mainstream cultural force, with professional gamers now cast as the new sports heroes. Counter‑Strike 2 (CS2) anchors the competitive scene, fueling a sophisticated betting ecosystem that mirrors traditional sports wagering. Global audiences...
Help me out here. Doesn't Canal+ $CAN looks pretty mispriced right now. The market is basically valuing MultiChoice (plus all the expected synergies) at less than zero. MultiChoice is already profitable and Canal+ is targeting €400m in annual synergies over the...
Tubi Unveils Formula 1 Altcasts Under Deal With Apple TV, New Interactive Ad Formats https://t.co/QJTdPgk926 via @variety
A comprehensive FAQ on AI‑assisted publishing released by legal analyst Jane Friedman outlines U.S. copyright rules, while Hachette withdraws the AI‑generated novel Shy Girl after readers denounce it. The twin developments underscore a clash between legal certainty and market acceptance.
In its flagship Welt, Springer, owner of Politico, B.I., and now the Telegraph, slams Germany's president for his criticism of the war on Iran. "His moralizing pose merely masks his lack of a moral compass." https://t.co/ShsFTlbj60
Nielsen data shows a 5% jump in viewership for the 2026 NCAA March Madness opening, the best start since 2011. The surge coincides with record betting payouts and a wave of upsets in both men’s and women’s brackets, fueling fan...
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights will hit premium‑digital rental and purchase platforms on March 31, followed by DVD, Blu‑ray and 4K Ultra HD disc releases on May 5 through Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. The film has already amassed $234.4 million worldwide at the box...
WorldCast Systems has launched a new Kybio cloud‑monitoring service in partnership with Broadcast Supply Worldwide. The subscription‑based solution lets radio stations track up to 25 devices—including transmitters, STL links and environmental sensors—through a secure dashboard. Real‑time alerts and performance insights...
HBO Max has signed a first‑look content agreement with former Movistar+ chief Domingo Corral to produce original Spanish series, beginning with the in‑production drama “El Nani.” The partnership is part of HBO Max’s accelerated push into Europe, following recent launches...
Mary McCormack joins HBO Max’s Emmy‑winning drama The Pitt for Season 2, guest‑starring in Episode 13 as neurosurgeon Dr. Linda Conley. The episode also features Noah Wyle’s real‑life wife, Sara Wyle, playing ER patient Ashley Davis. The episode streams Thursday, April 2, and...
Google is adding three Gemini-powered features to Google TV: richer visual answers, interactive deep‑dive learning modules, and concise sports briefs. The updates deliver live scorecards, video tutorials, narrated educational walkthroughs, and quick league highlights directly on the big screen. Rollout...
Netflix France has begun filming the romantic comedy "Promets‑Moi" in Lyon, with principal photography starting March 3. The story follows Nina, a piano prodigy battling an autoimmune disease, who finds hope through Gabriel, a medical intern. Directed by Nicolas Cuche, known...
London‑based The Podcast Guys are hiring an Audience Development Executive to drive growth for client podcasts and expand the agency’s own brand. The entry‑mid level role blends strategy implementation with hands‑on execution across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and dynamic ad...
