Book-to-Screen at KVIFF Looks to Bring Central and Eastern European Stories to Viewers
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Book World Prague and the Moravian Library in Brno, backed by the PPF Foundation, launched the Book‑to‑Screen at KVIFF initiative. The program aims to create a market for film and TV rights of Central and Eastern European (CEE) books, mirroring the successful Books at Berlinale model. Publishers can submit titles with strong adaptation potential by April 30, 2026, and an international jury will select 5‑10 works for a showcase on July 7 during KVIFF Industry Days. The effort seeks to raise the profile of CEE literary voices on the global screen stage.
Vodafone TV Adds BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BBC History
Vodafone TV will add three BBC Studios thematic channels—BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BBC History—on 1 April, offering them to all customers at no extra cost. The new channels broaden Vodafone's factual and lifestyle portfolio, moving the service further into premium...
Edward Hardy Promoted to Head of Editorial at Air Cargo Week
Edward Hardy has been promoted to Head of Editorial at Air Cargo Week, after joining as editor in May 2022. During his tenure, the publication expanded its editorial team, launched the GATEWAY magazine, and adopted a digital‑first strategy. Hardy will...
Google Adds Seasonal Creative Theming to PMax Asset Groups
Google has introduced Asset Group Theming within Performance Max, allowing advertisers to apply seasonal motifs to existing asset groups without rebuilding them. The feature clones a high‑performing group, adds themed image backgrounds, and suggests matching headlines and descriptions while preserving...
Salem Media Adds Roku to FAST Partners
Salem Media announced a partnership with The Roku Channel, placing its Salem News Channel directly in Roku’s ad‑supported FAST lineup and Live TV guide. The move follows a recent launch on Amazon Prime Video’s free FAST service and comes as...
April 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – EEO Public File Reports, Comment Deadlines, Quarterly Issues/Programs Lists, Political Windows, and More
April 2026 brings a packed slate of FCC deadlines for U.S. broadcasters, including April 1 EEO public‑file reports for stations in Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, and the start of Mid‑Term EEO reviews for larger units in Delaware, Pennsylvania...
“That KEVIN Show” Adds Affiliate Stations
Salem Media announced that its flagship talk program, "That KEVIN Show" hosted by Kevin McCullough, will now air on three additional owned‑and‑operated stations—KDXE in Little Rock, KSLR in San Antonio, and KNTH in Houston. Both the Monday‑Friday weekday edition and...
AI Slop Is Flooding Streaming—And Musicians Are Fighting Back
AI‑generated music is flooding streaming services, with Deezer reporting 50,000 AI tracks uploaded each day, now representing 34% of all new releases. Artists such as Benedict Cork and Ormella have discovered unauthorized AI versions of their songs, prompting fan confusion...
Here's What Likely Put Michael Symon On Food Network's Radar
Michael Symon’s rise on Food Network stems from early culinary honors, notably being named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine in 1998 and winning a James Beard Award for Lola Bistro in 2009. His 2008 victory on *The Next...
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/greys-anatomy-2009-cast-031826-5e72168293fe437eb52ca9c97a248c87.jpg)
Where Is the “Grey's Anatomy ”Cast Now? See the Soapy Medical Drama's Stars over 20 Years After the Series' Debut
Grey’s Anatomy celebrates 21 years, with original stars charting new paths while the show remains a TV staple. Ellen Pompeo continues as narrator and executive producer, debuting the Hulu limited series Good American Family. Patrick Dempsey returns to primetime as...
BBC Makes Major Announcement About Popular Spin-Off of "Global Smash-Hit" Death in Paradise
The BBC confirmed that filming for the third season of the spin‑off Return to Paradise is under way in Australia, shifting the setting from the Caribbean to the Australian outback. The season will consist of six episodes and introduces new...
Austria Plans Social Media Ban for Children Under 14
Austria’s three‑party coalition announced plans to prohibit children under 14 from accessing social‑media platforms, citing concerns over addictive algorithms and harmful content. The ban will be based on the nature of a platform’s algorithm rather than naming specific services. Draft...
Spotify Opens Listening Room in London for Top 1% of Fans
Spotify has opened a dedicated Listening Lounge in London, reserved for the platform's top 1% of listeners. The venue features a lossless‑audio environment designed by Cake Architecture, complemented by a high‑fidelity sound system from Friendly Pressure. By offering an exclusive,...
Labour Under Pressure to Appoint Tory Ex-Minister as Next Ofcom Chair
Labour faces mounting pressure to name Conservative former culture secretary Jeremy Wright as the next chair of Ofcom, pitting him against Labour peer Margaret Hodge. The regulator is under scrutiny for stumbling over the Online Safety Act’s enforcement, prompting calls...
School Reports: EssenceMediacom Suffers Biggest Billings Percentage Drop in Top 10 Media Shops
Nielsen’s latest ranking shows only two of the top‑10 media agencies recorded year‑over‑year billing growth, while the rest contracted. EssenceMediacom suffered the steepest percentage decline, marking the biggest drop among the elite group. The data underscores a tightening advertising market...
EBU Warns Czech Funding Reforms Threaten Public Service Media Stability
The European Broadcasting Union and allied media groups warned that the Czech government’s proposed overhaul of public‑service funding could jeopardise both the financial stability and editorial independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The plan would slash licence‑fee contributions, exempting...
Bitmovin Upgrades Player Web X with Vertical Video Support and More
Bitmovin has launched major upgrades to its Player Web X, adding vertical video support and a flexible Load Control API for ad playback. The new architecture, powered by the proprietary WISH ABR algorithm, delivers up to 30% faster startup and...
Rights Roundup: Spring Brings Busy and Buzzy Book Fairs
Spring’s book‑fair circuit kicked off with a bustling London Book Fair, where U.S. publishers poured unprecedented cash into rights and inventory, favoring solutions‑based nonfiction and escapist fiction. The fair’s optimism foreshadowed a near‑term dollar rally that boosted buying power. Rights...
The Friday File: TIM; OpenAI; SpaceX
OpenAI abruptly shut down its Sora video‑generation app, terminating a $1 billion Disney content licence and shifting compute resources toward enterprise AI and robotics. Poste Italiane launched a €10.8 billion (≈$11.9 billion) bid for Telecom Italia, offering a 9 % premium and promising to...
Iwot Studios Partners with Initiate Entertainment to Expand The Wheel of Time Across Games and Animation
iWot Studios has teamed up with Initiate Entertainment to broaden the Wheel of Time franchise across games, animation, and television. The partnership will see a new PC and mobile game alongside an existing triple‑AA role‑playing title in development at iWot...
Meet Erich Bergen, Who Plays JFK Jr’s Royal Cousin Anthony Radziwill in Love Story
FX’s "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette" aired its season finale on March 26, 2026, dramatizing the high‑profile romance and tragedy of JFK Jr. and his publicist wife. The series casts Erich Bergen as Prince Anthony Radziwill,...
“Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” And Age of the Prestige Prank Show
The second season of "Jury Duty," retitled "Company Retreat," arrives on Prime Video with a fresh premise set at a Los Angeles hot‑sauce company’s staff retreat. Creator‑team Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky replace the courtroom backdrop with a sprawling corporate‑camp...
Fox One and the Future of Sports Streaming: Ten Insights From DTC Chief Pete Distad
Fox Corporation unveiled Fox One, a streaming‑first sports platform designed to capture the roughly 60 million U.S. households that have left the traditional pay‑TV bundle. The service complements, rather than replaces, existing pay‑TV offerings, bundling live sports, news and entertainment while...
Why Microdramas Are a Streaming Media Opportunity
Recent EMARKETER data shows Americans now spend more than five hours daily on mobile video, while TV accounts for under 40% of total viewing time by 2026. Chinese‑origin microdrama apps, delivering 60‑90 second episodes for a $15‑$25 series fee, generated...
New Apple Podcasts HLS Hosts, Targeting Podcasting’s Holdouts, & More
Apple released iOS 26.4, adding HLS video support to Apple Podcasts and onboarding four new hosting platforms—Podspace, Riverside, Ausha and Firstory. A March 25 report shows 48 podcasts already streaming HLS video, though full video remains unavailable on macOS and Apple TV. Research from...
TechnoSport Taps IPL Buzz with ‘Real Movement’ Campaign
TechnoSport unveiled a brand film titled “Real Movement” during the Indian Premier League, shifting its narrative from gym‑centric performance to everyday activity. The campaign, part of a broader identity refresh, will run on connected TV, digital platforms and transit media...
Disney+ Signs RTVE Content Deal
Disney+ has inked a content agreement with Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE, bringing a curated slate of the network’s titles to the streaming service a day after their linear broadcast. The lineup includes the thriller series *Rojo sobre blanco* and the...
How to Achieve Seamless Shoppable CTV
At Streaming Media Connect 2026, leaders from Fuse Media, Disney, Spaceback and LG outlined the next wave of shoppable CTV innovations. They highlighted homepage tile ads as a low‑funnel performance tool, Roku’s phone‑number‑linked click‑to‑buy flow, and LG’s Shop Time platform that leverages...
Three Talented New Compact Radios for Surfing the Airwaves in Style
Philips introduced the TAR3500, a rugged DAB/AM/FM radio with a 60‑hour lithium‑ion battery, solar panel, hand‑crank charger and built‑in flashlight, SOS siren and beacon, priced at £59.99 (≈ $76). The company also announced the retro‑styled MS60 Roller at €179.99 (≈ $196). Roberts...
Entertainment Industry Veterans Launch Unified Production Platform (UPP)
Entertainment veterans Mujeebur Rahmansaher, Greg Smith and An De Vooght have launched Unified Production Platform (UPP), a cloud‑native SaaS solution that consolidates casting, payroll, compliance, analytics and workflow management. The platform is AI‑powered and marketed as an open‑market alternative to...
MC-IF Targets Smaller-Scale Innovators to Accelerate Real-World Adoption of Versatile Video Coding in 2026
The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) is expanding its 2026 membership drive to include growth‑stage companies with less than $300 million in annual revenue. By lowering the entry‑level fee, MC‑IF aims to tap the agility of emerging innovators to speed up...
Popular YouTuber Kizuna AI Is Virtual. The Screaming Fans Are Not
Kizuna AI, the pioneering virtual YouTuber, staged two sold‑out concerts in Tokyo, drawing thousands despite being a 2D anime avatar. The shows rely on motion‑capture technology, with dancer Amika wearing a suit tracked by 28 cameras to animate the character....
ACE Dismantles AnimePlay
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has taken down AnimePlay, a major illicit anime‑streaming app operating from Riau, Indonesia. The service, launched in 2020, attracted over 5 million registered users and stored more than 60 TB of pirated content. ACE seized...
Has Dreaming Whilst Black Season 3 Been Canceled or Renewed?
Dreaming Whilst Black, the British comedy created by Adjani Salmon, Natasha Jatania, and Maximilian Evans, completed its second season on Paramount+ in March 2026. While the show has attracted a fresh U.S. audience, neither Paramount+ nor the producers have issued...
Inside ITV Digital’s Growth Surge Under CEO Akshansh Yadav
Akshansh Yadav, appointed CEO of ITV Network’s digital arm last year, has engineered a rapid turnaround of legacy news brands such as India News, NewsX and The Sunday Guardian. Leveraging a blend of editorial insight, product thinking and technology upgrades,...
Friday Flashback: 60 Minutes Lebanon Kidnapping
A decade ago, 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown and eight Nine staff members were detained in Lebanon on accusations of orchestrating a child abduction, allegedly paying $115,000 to a recovery agency. Lebanese prosecutors charged them with armed abduction, threats and physical...
Shoppable TV Has a QR Code Problem
Shoppable TV has leaned on QR codes to turn viewers into shoppers, but industry data shows click‑through rates hovering around 0.03%, far below expectations. While 62% of consumers discover new brands on television and spend roughly $290 annually on TV‑inspired...
Kim Nam-Gil Stars in Upcoming Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Nightmare’
South Korean actor Kim Nam-gil is set to star as Detective Kim Tae-yi in the upcoming sci-fi thriller series “Nightmare,” which blends crime drama with futuristic technology that imprisons criminals in their own nightmares. Co-star Lee Yoo-mi portrays Jang Gyu-eun,...
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,...
AFL Behind the Scenes on Seven: “After Boring Goal – Shot of Triple M.”
The AFL broadcast on Seven relies on a 75‑person crew to deliver 4.5 hours of live TV, using 25 cameras—including drones, 4K ultra‑zoom and Steadicam units—to capture every angle. Production is tightly linked to commercial imperatives, with six ads per quarter...
Shield Insurance Broker and VML Thailand Turn Hard Sell Into Binge-Worthy Micro Drama
Shield Insurance Broker, together with VML Thailand, launched an innovative social‑media campaign for its After Shit Happens Service, turning a traditionally hard‑sell insurance proposition into a binge‑worthy micro‑drama series. The series delivers every feature and benefit through fast‑paced, cliff‑hanger storytelling...
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...
Social Media Advertising Examples: 12 Ideas to Inspire You in 2026
The article catalogs twelve standout social‑media ads across Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit and Facebook, breaking down the tactics that made each piece effective. It highlights how brands like Apple, Notion and Google use pain‑point framing, user‑generated hashtags, bold dollar values and...
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...
Virgin TV Offers Free UHD Boost This Easter
Virgin Media O2 is giving all Virgin TV customers free access to its Ultra HD channel (228 and 999) from March 28 through April 12, covering the Easter half‑term break. The promotion features a curated slate of movies, documentaries and live‑music performances, including titles...
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...
Help Radio Ink Name The Most Influential Women In Radio
Radio Ink has opened nominations for its 2026 Most Influential Women in Radio list, a prestigious award that has highlighted female talent since 1999. The deadline is Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific). The list celebrates women across...
Can You TikTok Your Way Out Of A Comms Crisis?
Brands are moving from scripted press releases to rapid, real‑time engagement on platforms like TikTok when a crisis erupts. The recent lawsuit against US protein‑bar maker David, amplified by meme‑style TikTok videos, illustrates how humor can generate buzz but also...