Know What's Happening in Television
Know What's Happening in Television
PBS renews new period drama “The Forsytes” for two more seasons
The six‑part series “The Forsytes,” which debuted on PBS in September 2025 as a prequel to the Forsyte Saga, has been renewed for two additional seasons. The second season was already filmed before the show’s North American premiere, underscoring the network’s confidence in the period drama’s appeal.
USA Sports, the Versant sports division spun off from NBCUniversal, is expanding its inaugural WNBA coverage by adding former players Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw, both Hall of Famers, to its broadcast team. The network has assembled a 16‑person crew, including veteran commentators, to air more than 50 regular‑season games, plus select playoff and Finals matchups, primarily on Wednesday night doubleheaders in 2026. By positioning the WNBA alongside the English Premier League as a year‑round flagship property, USA Network aims to bolster cable viewership amid ongoing cord‑cutting trends. The coverage will be available exclusively on traditional cable, as Versant does not operate a streaming platform.
Moscow Film Cluster and Mumbai’s Film City have signed a cooperation agreement to boost film production between Russia and India. The memorandum, signed at the India International Film Tourism Conclave, highlights Moscow’s 45% rebate program and a $255,000 Image Grant...
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...
CBS News has reportedly recorded its lowest viewership numbers ever, according to recent ratings data. The decline follows the appointment of columnist Bari Weiss as head of the division, a move critics say has altered editorial tone. The ratings slump...
The NFL is reportedly evaluating a rule change that would allow individual teams to sell the broadcast rights to their preseason games to streaming services. While the league has not released specifics, the move could create a new revenue source...
Warner Bros. Discovery announced that shareholders will vote on its proposed merger with Paramount Global and Skydance Media, a transaction underpinned by a $40 billion commitment from Larry Ellison. The vote date was not disclosed, but the move pushes the deal...
In this episode of Creator Upload, Tubi’s GM of Creator Programs, Rich Bloom, explains the new partnership with TikTok to develop long‑form series starring TikTok creators. The deal leverages TikTok’s Spotlight and marketing tools to promote the shows while Tubi...
FOX Sports unveiled its 2026 Major League Baseball broadcast lineup, featuring Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz alongside Emmy‑winning play‑by‑play talent Joe Davis. The network will begin coverage on March 28 with a day‑night doubleheader, supplementing...
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...
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...
OpenAI has discontinued its Sora video‑generation app after user retention collapsed, showing that AI novelty tools struggle without a creator‑centric focus. The shutdown highlights the broader shift toward professional creators on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, while OpenAI hints at...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Deloitte’s latest Digital Media Trends report shows 68% of streamers are prioritizing ad‑supported SVOD plans while 61% say they would cancel a service if monthly fees rose by $5. Disney has scrapped its $1 billion investment in OpenAI after the AI...
Senator Adam Schiff is pushing a federal tax credit for film and TV production to counteract the exodus of U.S. projects to the United Kingdom, where incentives can cut costs by up to a third. The proposal enjoys bipartisan Senate...
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...
Movistar Plus+, Telefónica’s Spanish pay‑TV and streaming service, announced a restructuring that merges its rights‑acquisition function with the Global Partners management under the Business and Sports Management Division. The Partnerships Division will now report directly to Enric Rojas, who also oversees...
Tuesday’s March 24, 2026 ratings show CBS’s NCIS leading scripted programming with a 0.35 rating and 5.55 million viewers. ABC’s RJ Decker trailed closely, drawing 3.11 million viewers, while the new NCIS: Sydney posted 2.63 million. Fox’s Best Medicine and Doc both slipped, registering 0.20 and 0.15...
The 2025‑26 TV season reached week 26, revealing early live‑plus‑same‑day ratings for dozens of new network series. Networks such as ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX and NBC listed their fresh titles, but advertisers focus on demo ratings that capture younger,...
HBO confirmed that its Harry Potter adaptation will debut on December 25, 2026, and will span a decade‑long, eight‑episode‑per‑season run covering each book. The streamer revealed an all‑new cast, writer Francesca Gardiner and executive producer Mark Mylod, while also sparking...
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger, granting a waiver of the 39% national ownership cap. Governor Gavin Newsom and a coalition of state attorneys general have launched a political and legal offensive, calling the approval an outrage.
Google’s YouTube is piloting an AI‑driven Auto speed feature that dynamically changes video playback speed in real time. Available to Premium members on Android and iOS until April 27, the tool speeds up low‑information segments and slows down dense parts, aiming...
In this episode, Senator Adam Schiff discusses a proposed federal tax credit aimed at halting the exodus of film and TV production from Los Angeles. He explains that a 15% baseline credit, stacked on top of state incentives, would make...
The counterargument is stronger. * Blaming Wall Street's infamous "streaming multiple" ignores every studio executive who convinced themselves that they could go from creative executives to tech executives in the blink of an eye w/o a background in DTC... they...
Netflix invested in a lightweight MLB package to see whether it could fully eventize the industry’s most tonnage-friendly sport. So far, the jury’s out. https://t.co/bK2iTNXxhY
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 saw a full slate of new episodes across major network dramas, including Will Trent, Doc, and multiple NCIS spinoffs. Sports programming featured WWE NXT and an NBA matchup between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. Ratings were reported using Fast...
Will the new indie distributor make it to CinemaCon? hard to say. @thewrap @elmayimbe reports that the two top execs Megan Colligan and Ben Carlson have left amid reports of a cash crunch. https://t.co/nKEXo2sOCd https://t.co/jw7X7RJqK1
Who left the gun shell on Kayce's porch? And when does Marshals: A Yellowstone Story episode 5 hit CBS and Paramount+? https://t.co/qViY9brzZW
FCC Chair Brendan Carr defended the FCC’s approval of the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger, arguing it supports a healthy, thriving local broadcast TV market. He also detailed an ongoing enforcement action against Disney’s ABC station for not filing the required equal‑time...
Austrian broadcaster ServusTV will cease streaming Formula 1, MotoGP and other premium sports on the joint platform Joyn, moving all live rights to its own service ServusTV On from 1 January 2026. Joyn will retain only the on‑demand library without live sports. The shift...
Studio N CEO Mikyung (Michelle) Kwon told Variety that Western studios are beginning to grasp the commercial value of webcomic properties after a string of successful adaptations on Netflix, Disney+ and Crunchyroll. The Korean studio cites Emmy nominations and record‑breaking box‑office...
Fubo, majority‑owned by Disney, has secured a deal with Spectrum SportsNet LA to live‑stream every Los Angeles Dodgers game in the 2026 season. The agreement covers more than 140 regular‑season contests, pre‑ and post‑game shows, and the network’s “Backstage: Dodgers” series....
FWIW: The state AGs' lawsuit attempting to block the @NXSTMediaGroup-@TEGNA merger is under the care of Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley, whose office is located in the Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento. https://t.co/oNkplxefAw
Three major studios are bidding on "The Comebacker," a baseball‑themed drama that reunites Tom Hanks with director Marielle Heller. The film, based on a Dave Eggers short story and scripted by Heller, follows a major‑league pitcher whose life changes after...
Nielsen ratings for network TV for the week ending March 26, 1989 and for syndication for the week ending March 19, 1989 https://t.co/KQhMHH897o https://t.co/RTaN3qwMop
Veteran sports journalist Michele Steele has left ESPN after a 14‑year stint to become a contributor for the Big Ten Network. She will serve as a sideline reporter for Nebraska’s Red‑White spring game and anchor studio shows alongside BTN’s veteran...
Roku announced a dedicated live channel (5270) featuring the Property Brothers, delivering 24/7 home‑renovation content on Roku TVs and streaming players. The launch follows the addition of 16 other new channels, expanding Roku’s free, ad‑supported live TV portfolio. By bundling...
Production on season five of Hulu’s reality series *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* was halted on March 16 after Utah police opened a domestic‑violence investigation involving star Taylor Frankie Paul and co‑star Dakota Mortensen. Jeff Jenkins Productions has launched a...
Amazon MGM Studios’ limited series "The Glass House" debuted as the closing gala of Series Mania, marking the first French‑language scripted series produced by the studio’s Canadian unit and the first Canadian Prime Video Original to secure that slot. The...
Anna M. Gómez, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, issued a public dissent on the Nexstar Media Group‑TEGNA merger after Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone approved the deal with rule waivers. Gómez criticized Chairman Brendan Carr and the Trump‑era leadership for politicizing...
HBO unveiled the first teaser for its multi‑season Harry Potter adaptation, confirming a Christmas 2026 launch and introducing a brand‑new ensemble that includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu as Snape. The announcement has ignited both excitement over the franchise’s...
OpenAI announced the shutdown of its viral AI video generator Sora and confirmed that a pending partnership with Disney was among the projects being abandoned. The move underscores a strategic shift for OpenAI toward enterprise services and leaves Disney without...
The Needle column dissects NBA versus MLB television ratings, showing that when only exclusive national telecasts are considered, the NBA averages 2.7 million viewers and MLB 2.6 million – a razor‑thin gap. While MLB’s regional broadcasts inflate its daily audience, the NBA...
Kevin Williamson, the creator of the original *Scream* and hit TV dramas, confirms he will not direct *Scream 7* but remains available for future franchise work. The film opened with a record $64 million weekend, while his recent Netflix series *The Waterfront*...
Peacock, the Comcast‑owned streaming service, will start posting new episodes of Saturday Night Live UK at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT instead of the previous 9 p.m. ET slot. The change, announced for this weekend, shortens the U.S. audience’s wait time by eight hours....
Netflix announced a second price increase this year, raising its Standard With Ads tier from $7.99 to $8.99, the Standard Without Ads tier from $17.99 to $19.99, and the Premium tier from $24.99 to $26.99. The new rates take effect...
Amazon Prime Video has added the full nine‑season run of the landmark sitcom *All in the Family*, making all 208 episodes instantly streamable for subscribers. The series, which first aired in 1971 and dominated U.S. ratings for five straight seasons,...
The 2026 NAB Show will feature a high‑profile session on NextGen TV, bringing Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty together to discuss ATSC 3.0 deployment. The two‑hour panel will examine Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. rollout...
