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.
Canal+ and PPF, each holding roughly 29.3% of Viaplay after a €0.36 billion recapitalisation, are exploring a joint move to take the Nordic streamer private. The proposal would give the two investors close to 60% combined control, consolidating their influence over Viaplay’s strategic direction. Viaplay has recovered its market value from distressed lows, though it still trades below pre‑crisis levels, and has been trimming its geographic footprint to focus on profitability. Recent full‑year results also highlighted the completion of the Allente acquisition, underscoring ongoing portfolio reshaping.
"there is tremendous power in owning a consumer’s journey from the moment he or she powers up the TV, to the content that’s displayed, to what they end up watching." “If I were David Ellison, I would have bought Roku,” Greenfield...
Vivacom has expanded its EON television platform in Bulgaria by adding BBC First and BBC Earth. BBC First, positioned as a Bulgarian premiere, joins the EON Premium package on channel 63, delivering British drama and crime series such as *Death...
The Video Advertising Bureau’s new survey of 2,300 U.S. adults finds that most committed or prospective voters regularly watch ad‑supported television and streaming services. TV and linear‑plus‑streaming platforms remain the primary discovery channel for political candidates, with voters turning to...
Setplex will debut its fully integrated Zapflex platform at the 2026 NAB Show, highlighting new AI‑driven search and a super aggregation engine that merge internal libraries with third‑party content. The AI search combines keyword precision with intent‑based semantics, while the...
Y+X Entertainment, led by former FremantleMedia China CEO Vivian Yin, will debut LumiView in August as a premium vertical IP platform. The service emphasizes an IP‑first development strategy, creator‑aligned infrastructure, and a franchise‑oriented expansion model rather than volume‑driven content. LumiView...
English Club TV, a global educational channel, has launched on Yettel Hungary’s platform. Starting April 15, the channel will be included in Yettel’s TV Plus package for subscribers. The partnership aligns with English Club TV Group’s plan to broaden its...
Boat Rocker Studios announced two senior director appointments to bolster its creative teams. Vanessa Esteves joins as senior director of creative affairs for kids and family, bringing 19+ years and experience at Nelvana with brands like Thomas & Friends. Joey...
Glenn Haygood, President and General Manager of Hearst’s WLKY-TV in Louisville, announced his retirement later this year, concluding a broadcast career spanning more than four decades. He has overseen WLKY’s editorial and business operations since 2008, guiding the CBS affiliate...
STV reported a 6% drop in group revenue to £176.9 million for 2025, with advertising revenue falling 10% to £89.3 million and adjusted operating profit plunging 44% to £11.6 million. The decline was driven by weaker national linear ad sales, while studios revenue...
Arte France announced that Clémence Marty‑Chastan will serve as Managing Director in charge of resources, effective March 23. She also joins the network’s Executive Board, taking over from the previous director. Marty‑Chastan will oversee human resources, finance, and operational budgeting across...
France Télévisions has unveiled a new “Transparency” portal on its corporate website, granting French citizens direct access to detailed information on the broadcaster’s operations, finances, and governance. The platform reveals a cumulative €175 million reduction in public funding between 2017 and...
Éric Brion, leader of ACCES, announced that Q1 2026 audience ratings confirm a surge in thematic channels’ performance. The latest data show a 12% year‑over‑year increase in viewership, pushing total weekly reach past 10 million for the first time. Advertiser demand has...
French broadcasters report declining linear ratings for new seasons of flagship unscripted series such as Koh‑Lanta, Pékin Express, Top Chef and The Voice. Year‑over‑year viewership fell roughly 8%, dragging associated advertising revenue. The slump coincides with accelerating audience migration to...
Un Pour Tous Productions announced significant progress on three flagship properties: a new Lucky Luke animated series slated for global streaming, a reboot of The Mysterious Cities of Gold in partnership with French broadcasters, and an expanded English digital release of the Hunter x Hunter manga. The...
Documentary networks are experiencing a resurgence, with the latest Mediamat’Thematik ratings released on March 10 showing a notable uptick in viewership. While audiences are tuning in, the financial model remains precarious as advertising revenues fail to keep pace with audience...
Nielsen has delayed the March edition of its flagship The Gauge report to March 24, citing the integration of new DASH data into its streaming measurement methodology. The delayed release follows streamer anxiety that the updated metrics will reveal a...
Vuelta, founded three years ago by Jérôme Lévy and David Atlan Jackson, unites eleven leading European film companies into a single production and distribution network. The consortium pools capital, talent and market access, targeting roughly €500 million of content investment each...
France Télévisions, the exclusive French broadcaster of the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games, reported a historic 28 million viewers across its channels. The figure represents a record for parasport coverage in France and outperformed previous Paralympic broadcasts by a wide margin. The...
Tubi’s new "Stream 2026" report shows streaming is the most engaging entertainment channel, with 90% of viewers reporting higher attention than live events or social media. The ad‑supported service leverages fandom‑driven identity, nostalgia, and creator‑led content to attract a younger, on‑demand...
🔥 The most interesting/exciting part of Disney's leadership reorg that is not getting talked about is that former Google/YouTube chief product officer Adam Smith has been elevated to co-head of Disney's DTC businesses. Placing a tech/product person, without legacy...
Sarandos: "One of the things we saw in recent months is a real deep misunderstanding about what YouTube is and isn’t... YouTube is in the same exact game that we are... About 55% of all YouTube engagement now is on...
Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros creates a streaming powerhouse that combines HBO Max, Paramount+, Discovery+ and legacy cable brands, targeting roughly 200 million global subscribers. The merger boosts negotiating leverage against rivals like Amazon and Netflix but saddles the new entity...
🏀 That’s Billion With a B 🏀 March Madness Broadcast Rights Top $1 Billion for First Time https://t.co/wV2UeL7y93 via @sportico @novy_williams
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Warns EU Regulators: YouTube Isn’t a ‘Bunch of Cat Videos,’ It’s a ‘Straightforward Direct Competitor’ https://t.co/r4CVEqxuMc
Nielsen’s latest trend report highlights that ad‑supported TV now accounts for 74% of total TV viewing time. The landscape is increasingly fragmented, with each platform—broadcast, streaming services, and FAST channels—offering distinct audience profiles. Nielsen positions the guide as a roadmap...
Roku is scaled, growing, and profitable, so why hasn't anyone bought it? Via @loudmouthjulia. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/dyvtlQl7RB
As Disney CEO Bob Iger Steps Aside, a Look at His Tenure as a Dynamic, Transformative Leader — With an Asterisk or Two https://t.co/zmQnYUUxDV via @variety
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will headline Walmart and Vizio’s first joint NewFront presentation on March 23. The event, titled “Content to Commerce,” will feature top executives from Walmart Connect, Vizio, L’Oreal, NBCUniversal and Universal Studios. It will provide the first look...
What's $1 Billion More, if NFL Certainty Through 2033 is of Paramount Importance? Ultimately, each NFL media rights partner will have to decide whether they can envision life without the NFL beginning in 2030 (TLDR: doubt it) https://t.co/sBcrU0H3Og
Since SMPTE launched its AI Taskforce in 2020, AI adoption in broadcast has accelerated dramatically, prompting an updated Engineering Report in 2024 that highlights emerging standards. The report recommends standardising on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) frameworks,...
A recent article claimed Yo‑Yo Ma signed a $10 million Netflix deal for a seven‑episode scripted series slated for 2026. The story was later retracted, with the outlet confirming it was a hoax generated by AI‑driven rumor sites. No official announcement...
Sky has integrated Disney+ into its core TV subscription, offering the Standard with Ads tier (valued at £5.99 per month) at no extra charge to eligible customers. The service is now accessible via Sky Glass, Sky Stream, and Sky Q,...
Netflix will hold limited theatrical screenings of the first two episodes of its new animated series "Stranger Things: Tales from ’85" on April 18 across 34 U.S. theaters and select venues. Tickets become available March 18 at 8 AM PT through AMC, and...
Netflix announced a new true‑crime documentary titled “The Crash,” premiering on May 15, 2026. The film recounts a 2024 Ohio crash where 17‑year‑old driver Mackenzie Shirilla collided with a brick building, killing two passengers. Directed by Gareth Johnson and produced by RAW,...
Antonio G. Corrado, founder and CEO of MainStreaming, splits his day between shaping long‑term strategy, overseeing day‑to‑day operations, and engaging with customers, partners, and investors. He emphasizes the impact of AI, edge computing and distributed architectures on the future of...
UKTV announced that Sam Tewungwa will assume the role of chief executive on April 1, succeeding his tenure as Managing Director. Tewungwa will steer the broadcaster’s strategic direction, emphasizing growth of its free streaming service U and deepening distribution partnerships. He...
Hulu has renewed the political thriller “Paradise” for a third season after Season 2 delivered over 30 million streaming hours and nearly 12 billion minutes worldwide. The series generated a 25 million‑hour lift to Season 1, showing strong back‑catalog discovery. It streams on Hulu and...
Spanglish Movies has launched FLOUtv, a free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) platform delivering Spanish‑language films, series and cultural programming across the United States and Latin America. Powered by FAST Channels TV’s white‑label infrastructure, the service offers more than 80 linear...
Mediaset España has imposed new playback restrictions on its channels across major Spanish pay‑TV platforms, disabling fast‑forward, pause and rewind functions in catch‑up, recorded and live‑restart viewing. The policy, already in place on Movistar+, Orange TV and Vodafone TV, forces...
BritBox confirmed the start of production for the third season of Jimmy McGovern’s BAFTA‑winning drama “Time,” adding a slate of new actors alongside returning stars David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran. Filming kicks off in Belfast with BBC Studios Fiction co‑producing for BBC...
FIFA has named YouTube as a Preferred Platform for the 2026 World Cup, allowing media partners to stream the opening ten minutes of every match and select full games on their own channels. The deal also unlocks FIFA’s Digital Archive...
The Oscars aired on Australia’s Seven Network attracted a Total TV National Reach of 1.254 million and an average audience of 488,000, despite the late‑night time slot. A same‑day encore captured an additional 1.074 million reach with 231,000 average viewers, while the...
South Korean broadcaster MBC C&I’s AI Contents Lab showcased its most ambitious slate at Hong Kong FilMart, headlined by “Raphael,” an 80‑minute feature billed as one of the world’s first fully AI‑generated movies. The lineup also includes AI‑driven dramas such...
Bluebells Studios’ horror feature *Phi Phong: The Blood Demon* has been sold to more than ten territories through Mockingbird Pictures, launching in Vietnam on April 24 to coincide with the Reunification Day holiday. The film, directed by Do Quoc Trung and...
Nielsen released an audience guide focused on growth audiences, highlighting the significant role of Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) platforms. The guide reveals that FAST services account for one in three ad-supported streaming minutes among Black women aged 18 and...
CBS News 24/7’s 60‑person unionized staff will stage a 24‑hour walkout on Tuesday after contract talks with editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss broke down over raises, defined schedules and severance. The unit, which rebroadcasts flagship CBS programs and produces original digital shows,...
Hong Kong’s Filmart 2026 has turned into a showcase for generative AI, featuring 28 dedicated AI sessions that eclipse traditional studio panels. The convention’s focus spans screenwriting, animation, pre‑visualization and workflow optimization, reflecting rapid adoption across Asian productions. Major tech...
Animation has become a dominant force in China’s box office, with 2025 revenues reaching $3.57 billion and accounting for roughly half of all ticket sales. The breakout success of Beijing Enlight Pictures’ *Ne Zha 2*, which earned $2.2 billion worldwide, underscores the genre’s commercial...
Refinery Media and COL Group International have partnered to launch "SupermodelMe: Make It or Break It," the first reality franchise reimagined as a vertical‑format microdrama on the FlareFlow mobile platform. The series, announced at Hong Kong FilMart, will debut mid‑year...
