Know What's Happening in Television
Know What's Happening in Television
China regulator cracks down on TV dramas obsessed with beauty
China’s National Radio and Television Administration warned that domestic TV dramas are overly fixated on physical beauty and traffic‑driven popularity, urging producers to prioritize stronger acting and storytelling. The directive was delivered at a conference attended by major streamers including iQIYI, Tencent Video, Mango TV and Youku.
In 2023 WWE was sold to Endeavor for $9.3 billion, creating the TKO holding company that now combines WWE with UFC. During the sale process several parties submitted cash bids, including AE & E owner Tony Khan’s Base 10 vehicle, which offered $76.83 per share – the lowest of the four offers. Competing bids from KKR and Liberty Media ranged between $90 and $100 per share, while Endeavor’s all‑stock proposal valued the company at $95.66 per share. Post‑sale, TKO shares have risen to roughly $200, effectively doubling the 2023 cash offers.
Paramount+’s espionage thriller *Special Ops: Lioness* will leave Netflix in Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico in mid‑April 2026 after a one‑year licensing window. The series logged over 100 million hours watched in 2025, roughly 18.3 million views, underscoring strong international...
Nathan Fillion announced an animated revival of Joss Whedon's cult series *Firefly*, but clarified it will not continue the story after the 2005 film *Serenity*. The new series is planned as a pre‑Serenity bubble where all original crew members are alive,...
Veteran sportscaster Kevin Harlan balances three high‑profile gigs—CBS, Prime Video and Westwood One—by structuring staggered contracts that keep him employed continuously. CBS holds a contractual "first‑position" priority, meaning Harlan schedules its assignments before any others. His Prime Video NBA deal...
Prime Video has ordered a limited‑series drama titled "The Challenger," dramatizing the 1986 shuttle disaster and its aftermath. Kristen Stewart will portray astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, highlighting her personal and professional journey. The series will...
Netflix is turning the high‑viewership Extraction franchise into a multi‑year franchise, with Extraction 3 slated to begin filming in June 2026 and likely debuting in 2027. The streaming giant is also launching an eight‑episode Mercenary series starring Omar Sy and a South...
California and seven other states filed an emergency motion to block the FCC‑approved $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna by Nexstar. The attorneys general argue the deal violates antitrust law, could raise consumer costs and shrink local newsrooms, while the FCC says...
Actor John Stamos, now chief innovation officer of streaming startup Zeam, used his SXSW appearance—where he debated live‑streaming his first tattoo—to illustrate the company’s mission of delivering authentic, real‑time content. Zeam equips local TV stations with technology to broadcast events...
Prime Video’s senior leadership announced at the 2026 Mumbai event that India is the streamer’s most important global market. The company unveiled tiered subscription options, expanded ad‑supported MX Player, and a push to export Indian originals worldwide, signaling a strategic...
Sega has released the three‑episode live‑action drama *Yakuza Powered by Nihon Touitsu* on its official YouTube channel, making it available worldwide for free. The series is a joint effort between Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio and the creators of the...
Paramount+ has officially renewed the neo‑western series The Madison for a second season. Production wrapped in September at a 450,000‑sq‑ft campus in Fort Worth, Texas, and the episodes are considered a continuation, possibly labeled as “Part 2.” While the streaming service...
HBO revived Lisa Kudrow’s satire *The Comeback* for a third season, debuting 11½ years after its second installment and more than two decades after the original. The new season tackles AI‑generated scripts and the 2023 WGA strike, positioning the show...
CBS’s new drama ‘Marshals’ again led all broadcast and streaming series in cross‑platform audience measurement for the week of March 2‑8, pulling 17.2 million viewers after seven days. The strong showing helped CBS post a powerful Monday primetime block, outpacing rivals in...
While working on Bachelorette story I went down the rabbit hole of reality casting debacles and found this oldie but goodie from 2000. Fox Says 'Multimillionaire' Show Probe Absolves It Concerning Groom's History https://t.co/gsft3sAS5x
“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul was supposed to return an aging “Bachelorette” franchise to glory. That decision blew up on ABC and cost it tens of millions of dollars. W/@wongalum https://t.co/DilR3zuVRQ
Starz announced a 7% workforce reduction, affecting fewer than 40 employees, as it continues to reshape after its 2025 spinoff from Lionsgate. The cuts are part of a broader effort to reallocate resources toward a pure‑play streaming model and lower...
A wave of layoffs continues to sweep Hollywood and the broader media sector, with companies from Amazon and Warner Bros. to smaller studios like Blocks shedding tens of thousands of jobs since early 2025. The cuts, driven by lingering pandemic...
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has officially endorsed the Trump administration’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, praising its focus on strong copyright protections. The White House’s six‑pronged plan seeks uniform national AI standards and preempts state‑level regulations. Hollywood studios...
"Telling your entertainment news program that they’re gone the weekend before the Oscars is very weird," one insider told Status Hollywood correspondent Brian Lowry. Lowry details what the cancellation of "Access Hollywood" says about the state of linear television—and why Trump’s...
Netflix is reviving the comic‑book series Powers as an animated series. The property previously aired two seasons on Sony’s PlayStation Network, starring Sharlto Copley and Susan Heyward. Creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming are attached to write and...
This could be the least credible thing @AGomezFCC has ever said in public office, but I’ll defer to the experts: “Despite hundreds of billions in free cash flow, Nexstar recently made numerous cuts to its newsrooms nationwide.” If @NXSTMediaGroup CEO...
Simpson Street Productions, founded by Kerry Washington and Pilar Savone, selected Apple TV’s thriller “Imperfect Women” as its latest project, drawn by the novel’s specific character focus that enables universal storytelling. The series, adapted from Araminta Hall’s 2020 novel, follows...
Disney-owned ABC pulled Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette after new domestic‑violence allegations and a viral bar‑stool incident. The network now faces a vacant Sunday night slot and must quickly replace the show to protect advertising revenue. The article...
ABC announced the cancellation of the next season of The Bachelorette after a video surfaced showing lead Taylor Frankie Paul physically assaulting ex‑boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in the presence of her young daughter, who was also reportedly struck. The network cited...
Pluto TV is celebrating William Shatner’s 95th birthday with a week‑long Star Trek takeover, launching a pop‑up category from March 20 to April 3 that features six dedicated channels. On March 22, the Star Trek Channel runs an all‑day marathon, the Motion Pictures...
Newsmax founder Chris Ruddy testified at a February Senate Commerce Committee hearing to oppose Nexstar Media Group’s $4.5 billion merger with TEGNA. He aimed to present himself as a Capitol Hill influencer after failing to sway President Trump and FCC Chairman...
The irony of the $PSKY CBS news cuts are that news does not drive retrans and should be sold or shuttered entirely to help fund NFL costs CBS already shuttered late night, news should be next to go - makes you...
A TripleLift study finds that 49 % of connected‑TV (CTV) ads still use traditional 15‑ and 30‑second spots designed for linear television, despite record streaming viewership and ad spend. High‑impact formats such as pause ads, overlays, and native units boost brand...
Peacock leveraged three major live‑sports events in February— the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and the NBA All‑Star Game—to drive a surge in subscriptions. The streamer added 5.2 million U.S. sign‑ups and a record 4.9 million paid subscribers, accounting for 34 % of...
This weekend’s streaming charts were dominated by animation, with Netflix’s anime‑style series *Steel Ball Run* topping its series list, Amazon Prime Video’s superhero cartoon *Invincible* leading its own chart, and Disney+ streaming the family‑friendly sequel *Zootopia 2* as its number‑one movie. All three...
The Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) unveiled its 2026 Excellence in Sound nominations, spotlighting five television drama episodes—including two from Netflix’s *Adolescence*—and five factual film entries from broadcasters such as BBC and Disney+. Apple TV and Netflix each lead...
Graham Media Group has promoted Stephanie Slagle to vice president, chief revenue officer and general manager of Detroit’s NBC affiliate WDIV Local 4. Slagle, who previously served as the company’s CRO, brings more than three decades of experience building digital agencies...
The Television Bureau’s 2026 Sports Survey shows 90 % of U.S. sports fans deem free local broadcast TV essential, with three‑quarters watching broadcast sports at least twice a week. Preference spans football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, auto racing and tennis....
California’s SB 576 now obliges streaming ads to match the perceived volume of surrounding content, shifting compliance responsibility to the platforms that deliver the ads. The rule exposes a split in ad‑tech workflows: client‑side insertion (CSAI) offers little control over audio,...
Filmart and EntertainmentPulse concluded after four days, drawing roughly 8,000 industry professionals from 53 countries. The fairs hosted a record 790 exhibitors representing 38 nations, featuring an AI Hub with 19 workshops and a Producers Connect program that gathered over...
Netflix and Warner Music Group announced a strategic partnership to produce documentary series and feature films centered on WMG’s artists and songwriters. The collaboration will be executed through Unigram, WMG’s production arm, which will develop each project with the artists...
Electric Entertainment will relaunch its ElectricNOW app on April 16, adding a suite of new features and a broader content catalog. The upgrade introduces the platform’s first original scripted series, *The Poly Couple*, a half‑hour comedy about a polyamorous couple in...
Lion Forge Entertainment announced it has acquired the television rights to Kimberly Ann Harrison’s debut novel *Beyond the Paddock* and will develop it into a young‑adult series. The story follows two foster‑care teens who move from Los Angeles to Kentucky,...
Tubi and TikTok announced a Creatorverse Incubator that will convert TikTok creators into long‑form series exclusive to Tubi’s free‑ad‑supported platform. The program targets the service’s 100 million monthly active users and will reveal its first cohort this summer, signaling a deeper...
UEFA is planning a direct‑to‑consumer Champions League streaming platform for Asia, targeting a launch as early as the 2027‑2031 media rights cycle. The initiative, developed with partner Relevent, could debut in markets such as Indonesia or India, either supplementing or...
SeriesMakers, the Series Mania Institute’s talent incubator partnered with Beta Group, has unveiled the ten projects selected for its fourth edition. The slate includes dramas, comedies, thrillers, fantasy and political series from Brazil, Canada, Spain, France, Ireland, the Czech Republic,...
Canal+ and private equity firm PPF, each holding about 29.3% of Viaplay after a 2024 rescue recapitalisation, are exploring a joint move to take the Nordic streamer private. The speculation lifted Viaplay’s share price by roughly 5% despite its four‑year...
IMO: Highly leveraged @NXSTMediaGroup could be buying a melting ice cube that can’t withstand fierce competitive Big Tech vectors that result in diminished ad and retransmission consent revenue fueled by rampant cord cutting. If things like the 39% cap get...
Scoop: Nielsen continues to grapple with 'Gauge' rage and is delaying even further the release of the monthly viewer snapshot after streamers grew riled by reports of a downturn in their ratings... https://t.co/c5ggPzpYln via @variety
Sen. Adam Schiff Touts Federal Film Incentive to Counter Hollywood Job Losses: ‘It Needs to Be Bipartisan’ https://t.co/eHLQkdZ8QS via @variety
I’m obviously not unbiased here, but good on Disney to bring on Sara/CNBC talent to The View. Helps to expand all of our worlds.
Making the hard, unpopular decisions that MUST be made 👏👏 @bariweiss $PSKY Paying for the NFL means a lot of existing money losing programming needs to be shuttered
An in-depth look at how the death of the monoculture hit the movie industry harder than other media in today's @TVREV Week In Review. https://t.co/HcFn5mLebG
The offices of the state AGs and DirecTV said their lawsuits seeking to block the Nexstar-Tegna merger will continue to move forward, notwithstanding Nexstar’s announcement that the deal has closed. https://t.co/2Y4mvyhfS4 via @variety
Netflix is paying the KPop Demon Hunters directors like elite TV showrunners AND giving them a share of merch sales to return for a sequel. All the details ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/nO22PPaCo7
