Media News and Headlines
Media News and Headlines
Warner Bros Discovery will launch HBO Max direct‑to‑consumer in twelve Asia‑Pacific island markets on March 26, 2026. The rollout follows recent European launches in Italy and Germany and precedes the UK and Ireland debut. The service will bundle HBO, Harry Potter, DC, Cartoon Network, Max Originals and Discovery titles under one subscription. Pricing and local partnership details remain undisclosed, with announcements expected in the weeks leading up to launch.
Samsung Ads introduced an Immersive Carousel ad unit on its European Smart TV home screens, supporting up to five rotating tiles per placement. The format appears on more than 70 million Samsung TVs, auto‑rotating every five seconds and also navigable via...
ITV and Disney have extended their UK partnership by bringing two Hulu Original series to ITV1’s primetime linear schedule. The first, “The Stolen Girl,” premieres on February 25, followed later by “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.” The titles will air under...
Portland’s WNBA expansion team, the Fire, and NWSL club, the Thorns, have signed a multi‑year media partnership with Gray Media’s KPDX (FOX 12 Plus). All Fire games will air on FOX 12 Plus with select simulcasts on FOX 12, while the Thorns continue their expanded...
Live sports remain the last true appointment viewing in an on‑demand world, delivering real‑time, unscripted emotional moments that cannot be paused or replayed. Over the past decade, cloud production, remote workflows and hyper‑personalized streams have broadened access and lowered costs....
Journalists probing the Rubaya coltan landslide that killed more than 200 miners were barred by M23 rebels on Jan. 28, highlighting a tightening media blackout in eastern DRC. The disaster, tied to unsafe artisanal mining, underscores the mineral‑fuelled conflict between rebel...
DMG Media CEO Danny Groom told The Definitive AI Forum that AI is reshaping the Mail’s content model, moving from mass‑reach to targeted, personalized output. The company is piloting an AI‑powered dynamic paywall in Australia and has cut article volume...
BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 presenters dominate the audio categories at the 52nd Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. The shortlist includes Sara Cox, Trevor Nelson, Anna Foster, Sue Mitchell and Jamie Theakston for Audio Presenter of the Year. Radio 4’s...
GoWit, a commerce‑enablement platform, has entered a strategic partnership with Publicis Media Middle East to expand its retail‑media solutions across the MENA region and Turkey. The collaboration will combine GoWit's AI‑driven shopping tools with Publicis' extensive media network, enabling brands...
Audible Australia’s new research shows audiobooks are eclipsing music as the preferred soundtrack for morning routines and workouts. Thirty‑two percent of Australians consider audio essential for setting the day’s tone, while 34% specifically choose audiobooks over playlists during exercise. Among...
Samsung Ads has introduced an Immersive Carousel ad unit for Samsung Smart TV home screens across Europe, allowing up to five interactive tiles that rotate automatically or can be navigated with the remote. The format appears on the home screen,...
Menarini Asia‑Pacific has appointed Omnicom Media’s PHD as its regional media agency, expanding the partnership to seven additional markets—India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea—effective January 1 2026. The new remit consolidates media planning and buying across Menarini’s pharmaceutical and consumer‑health...
Conan O'Brien says his podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" and HBO Max travel series now reach more people than his former TBS late‑night show, which ended in 2021. He argues the traditional late‑night talk‑show format is fading, replaced by...
IKEA is returning as the principal sponsor for Australian Survivor: Redemption, extending its partnership with Network 10 and Paramount+. The renewed deal deepens in‑show integration, featuring IKEA‑branded food rewards, sleep solutions, and daily gift‑card competitions during pivotal moments. The brand cites...
The NAACP Image Awards kicked off their 57th ceremony with Night 1 winners, highlighting achievements across literature, short‑form media and digital creation. Michelle Obama captured the Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography award for her fashion‑focused book *The Look*, while producer Will Packer...
Maksim Chmerkovskiy, former *Dancing with the Stars* pro, headlines the vertical drama *Wild Silence* on Holywater Tech’s My Drama platform. The series marks the first U.S. vertical production to feature a reality‑TV star in a leading role and follows two...
JVC Broadcasting has promoted Scott Mallory to Operations Manager of its Fort Walton Beach radio cluster, formalizing his expanded duties overseeing programming, team coordination, and brand execution. The company also hired Brad Miller as Production and Promotions Lead, adding a veteran with...
Free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) has become the new normal in 2026, reshaping audience habits, advertising models, and content monetisation. International programming, especially Asian dramas and anime, generated $8 billion in streaming revenue between 2020‑2024, while FAST sports channels grew 105%...
Amazon Ads reports a surge in demand for UEFA Champions League advertising on Prime Video, attracting brands across automotive, financial services, lifestyle and travel. Brand‑lift studies show average lifts of 20% in favourability, 14% in familiarity and 21% in purchase...
McCann Group New Zealand announced Zac Stephenson as Managing Director, Media, effective 9 March, and promoted Terri Collier to the newly created Chief Client Officer role. The duo, who previously collaborated at DDB, will steer the agency’s shift toward a fully integrated,...
The Federal Communications Commission issued a Notice of Unlicensed Operation to Beacon Air Group, the fixed‑base operator at Billings‑Logan International Airport, for transmitting on the VHF aircraft band at 128.825 MHz without a license. The unauthorized signal interfered with a co‑located...
On Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks (20‑7, 10‑4) will host No. 5 Houston Cougars (23‑4, 11‑3) at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The game, a pivotal Big Monday showdown, tips off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Both programs are seeking to rebound...
Maureen McCollum has been hired as Vice President of Content for Milwaukee NPR affiliate WUWM 89.7. The former Wisconsin Public Radio journalist and host will steer the station’s editorial strategy and drive its shift toward a multi‑platform public media model. McCollum...
On Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, No. 18 North Carolina hosts Louisville in a pivotal ACC showdown at 7 p.m. ET in Chapel Hill. Both teams sit at 9‑5 in conference play, making the game critical for postseason positioning. The contest will...
Comcast’s FreeWheel has hired Woolworths senior media manager Alan Jenner as Director of Platform Partnerships for Australia and New Zealand. Jenner spent nearly five years leading programmatic at Woolworths and previously held senior roles at LiveRamp, Comscore, Optus and Telstra. FreeWheel,...
The New York Times now has more bundle subscribers than those who pay for news‑only, reflecting a strategic shift toward ancillary products such as Wordle, cooking guides, and The Athletic. The company has stopped offering a pure news subscription to new customers,...
102.7 KPGZ in Kearney, Missouri leveraged Comrex’s FieldLink sideline reporter codec to enhance its live coverage of the Bulldogs’ high‑school football playoff run. The FieldLink system, which uses the free FieldTap app on iOS and Android smartphones, provided crisp, wireless...
NewzDash’s early analysis of Google’s February 2026 Discover core update shows a shift toward locally relevant, in‑depth content and a drop in click‑bait style items. In California, local articles in the top 100 rose from 10 to 16, while Yahoo’s presence fell...
TEGNA has added two new 30‑minute “9News” broadcasts at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on its MyNetwork TV affiliate KTVD‑20 in the Denver‑Boulder market, also streaming via the 9News+ app. The 5:30 p.m. slot competes directly with NBC Nightly News on KUSA‑9. TEGNA...
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro told CNBC that rumors of a Disney spinoff are unfounded, emphasizing that ESPN is a core component of Walt Disney Company’s long‑term strategy. He highlighted the network’s integrated approach, linking ESPN’s content with ABC broadcasts and...
M&I Broadcast Services, part of Valsoft, has introduced OmniPlayer 3, its flagship radio‑automation platform, to the U.S. market. The software, already a staple in the Dutch radio sector and used by the BBC, promises to streamline workflows and future‑proof broadcast operations....
iHeartMedia filed an FCC minor‑change application to shift WROV‑FM’s city of license from Martinsville, Va., to New Castle, Va. The FCC’s Audio Division rejected iHeart’s claim that the move would serve a larger population, citing a staff engineering analysis that shows...
Kazakh authorities have fined journalists and a media outlet for conducting online polls about the March 15 constitutional referendum, citing violations of the country’s referendum‑survey law. The Prosecutor General’s Office requires pre‑approval for any poll, a rule that has blocked...
The Daily Express has launched a new Express Premium subscription, offering ad‑lite reading, exclusive journalism, and perks like the Daily Expresso newsletter and enhanced commenting. New subscribers can try the service for £1 in the first month and receive priority...
Boston native Evan George has built a daily news brand, Bostopia, delivering Boston headlines in 60‑second TikTok videos. Leveraging his background in political organizing and a graduate education in sociology, he walks the city, cites local journalists, and adds a...
Radio stations face mounting obsolete gear as technology advances, prompting a shift toward leaner facilities and consolidation. The article outlines a step‑by‑step plan for inventory audits, staff communication, and systematic removal of outdated equipment. It emphasizes documentation, recycling, and potential...
NBC’s new sitcom “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” stars Tracy Morgan as a disgraced former NFL star who hires Oscar‑winner Daniel Radcliffe to document his redemption. Created by Robert Carlock and Sam Means, with Tina Fey as executive producer, the series blends...
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution used this year’s London TV Screenings to debut three flagship series – the ensemble drama The Five-Star Weekend starring Jennifer Garner, the high‑octane thriller Prisoner featuring Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle, and the character‑driven comedy Dog Park....
HeartMedia’s new study defines a growing audience – bicultural Latinos who identify equally as American and Hispanic – and highlights their media habits. Radio remains dominant, reaching nine‑in‑ten of this group each month, while 90% regularly consume English‑language content and...
SPI International has rolled out its FilmBox+ streaming service in Bulgaria and Serbia through a partnership with telecom operator A1 Group. The launch builds on FilmBox+'s existing presence in Poland, Hungary and Romania, extending the brand’s reach in Southeast Europe....
ABC has ordered a six‑part crime drama titled Pilli Sisters PI, created and written by actress‑author Tasma Walton. The series follows Indigenous sisters running a private investigation firm in Fremantle, Western Australia, and will be filmed across the state. Production...
Cobalt Digital will unveil a suite of new end‑to‑end IPMX and SMPTE ST 2110 solutions at the 2026 NAB Show, including the blueCORE 1RU processor family, upgraded PACIFIC ULL‑DEC decoder with dual SDI/ST 2110 output, a factory‑installed DVB‑S/S2 demodulator, and hybrid satellite‑internet...
The BBC has commissioned a six‑episode drama titled “D‑Notice” from Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, the creators of the acclaimed police series Blue Lights. Filming will take place in Belfast and London, and the series will examine the UK government’s...
Netflix will debut the police sitcom “Good Cop/Bad Cop” on March 3, featuring Leighton Meester and Luke Cook as sibling detectives in a quirky Pacific Northwest town. The series, originally aired on The CW in 2025, earned a 91 % Rotten Tomatoes score and a...
Animaj, a digital‑first kids media company, has signed a global music partnership with Magic Star, The Orchard’s children’s division, and Sony Music Publishing. Magic Star will distribute Animaj’s recordings worldwide while Sony will administer publishing rights for its song catalog....
Star Trek producer Michael Sussman has outlined a new series centered on Scott Bakula’s Captain Jonathan Archer, envisioning the character’s later years as president of the United Federation of Planets. The concept, tentatively titled “Star Trek: United,” builds on a...
Waterloo Sparkling Water has appointed Dentsu Creative as its social agency of record, coinciding with the rollout of new flavors Banana Berry Bliss, Melon Medley and a year‑round Lemon Italian Ice. The partnership is timed to the opening of the...
Video game journalism entered 2026 under severe pressure, with widespread layoffs, shrinking freelance budgets, and shifting audience habits eroding traditional business models. At GamesBeat’s Hollywood & Games event, Alexander Lee interviewed Christopher Dring and Kaare Eriksen, who highlighted the sector’s...
Apple’s recent rollout of native video in Apple Podcasts marks a pivotal shift, turning video into a core podcast format and introducing Apple’s first large‑scale video ad revenue share. This move accelerates the “liquid content era,” where shows fluidly switch...
Lemonada Media is hiring a part‑time, temporary Video Growth Lead to boost its YouTube and short‑form video presence. The role, reporting to the SVP of Content & Production, will create, edit, and optimize video assets for shows like *Don’t Listen...
