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.
Sling TV, a DISH/EchoStar subsidiary, introduced low‑cost daily Passes in 2025, attracting budget‑conscious cord‑cutters. Despite strong subscriber numbers—over 1.5 million—the parent’s strained balance sheet and costly 5G rollout have made Sling a non‑core asset. Analysts predict DISH may put Sling TV up for sale as early as 2026 to raise capital. Potential acquirers include Comcast, Paramount and Roku, who seek to strengthen live‑TV streaming portfolios.
YouTube TV has launched a personalized subscription system that lets users build their own channel packages from 12 genre‑based bundles. The web‑only tool analyzes viewing history and suggests mixes of sports, entertainment, news and family channels, allowing customers to drop...
Patrick Dempsey’s new crime drama *Memory of a Killer* has surged to #7 on Prime Video’s UK TV streaming chart, indicating strong viewer uptake since its January‑February rollout. The two‑part series follows Dempsey as Angelo Doyle, a photocopier salesman‑by‑day and...
Tip of the hat to Eddy, Oliver and the Apple team on their approach to distributing the new F1 rights. Fan first strategy, unlocking availability beyond their owned and operated platforms is good for everyone. Excited that @Tubi is part...
Paramount Global agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a $110 billion deal, one of the largest media mergers in recent memory. The transaction arrives amid slowing subscriber growth and rising content costs, prompting heightened scrutiny from U.S. federal, state and...
The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s 2025 report shows free‑to‑air (FTA) TV viewership rebounding to 52 % of adults, driven by younger audiences, while subscription streaming remains stable at 68 % usage. ABC iview continues to dominate FTA catch‑up but its share fell...
Roku introduced a dedicated search function within its Live Guide, letting users locate free‑live channels by name, genre or keyword via on‑screen typing or voice. The update also blends over‑the‑air antenna signals with streaming, streamlining the viewing experience for budget‑focused...
President Donald Trump’s media arm has introduced Truth+, a live‑TV streaming service that combines a free tier with a $9.99 premium Patriot Package. The free tier provides 21 live channels, over 1,000 on‑demand titles, DVR capabilities and multi‑device support, while...
Disney’s 20th Century Studios saw Predator: Badlands retain the No. 1 spot on the Circana VideoScan overall disc sales and Blu‑ray charts for the week ending Feb. 28, marking its second consecutive week at the top. The sci‑fi action title slipped to No. 2...
The Writers Guild of America released its Pattern of Demands ahead of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, a step approved by 97.4% of its members. The document outlines broad objectives on health and pension contributions,...
The NHL’s post‑Olympic slate is showing an early ratings lift, with the first eight telecasts on ABC, ESPN and TNT averaging 603,000 viewers – a 23% increase over the pre‑Olympic baseline. ESPN’s coverage now averages 785,000 viewers, up 17% year‑over‑year,...
The *Scrubs* revival premiered to 11.36 million cross‑platform viewers, becoming ABC’s highest‑rated comedy debut in 17 years and the network’s top streaming launch in over a year. The show leads the network’s linear adults 18‑49 ratings after three episodes and holds 90%...
SAS Airlines has become the first carrier to launch a dedicated BBC Nordic on‑demand channel, thanks to a partnership brokered by Touch Inflight Solutions. The new offering provides passengers with a curated selection of British titles, ranging from murder mysteries...
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, TV ratings show new episodes across major networks, featuring Chicago PD, Survivor, Abbott Elementary, The Masked Singer and Police 24/7. Percent changes from each show’s previous original episode are reported, though exact numbers are omitted. The article links...
America’s Culinary Cup premiered on CBS as the network’s first cooking‑competition series in over a decade, featuring host Padma Lakshmi, judges Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne, and a $1 million prize for the winner. Sixteen chefs compete across ten culinary commandments...
ABC’s long‑running reality series Shark Tank entered its 17th season with a schedule shift from Friday to Wednesday nights, prompting speculation about its ratings impact. Season 16 averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18‑49 demographic and attracted 2.81 million viewers, providing...
The Federal Court of Appeal rejected Rogers' challenge to two CRTC decisions that barred the cable operator from repackaging or removing Corus Entertainment’s Slice, Home and Flavour channels. The court interpreted the regulatory "standstill" rule as freezing all contract terms,...
Survivor’s Spring 2026 season posted an average of 5.0 million viewers and a 0.95 rating in the coveted 18‑49 demographic across its first two episodes. Both metrics represent double‑digit year‑over‑year growth, with total viewership up 44% and the demo rating climbing...
SpotVault’s Spring 2026 ratings show ABC’s new drama RJ Decker premiered Tuesday, March 3, at 10 p.m. with a preliminary rating of 3.692 and a 0.21 lead. The key 18‑49 demographic registered only 0.3 viewers, reflecting a 79% drop compared with earlier benchmarks....
Terra Nil, the acclaimed reverse city‑builder from Free Lives, will exit Netflix Games on March 27, 2026, exactly three years after its debut. The departure is part of a broader wave of over 50 third‑party titles leaving the platform as...
ESPN has officially taken over NFL Network, absorbing all existing on‑air talent contracts as of April 1. Employees will remain under their current deals until expiration, after which they must negotiate new agreements with Disney’s ESPN division. The transition has sparked...
The Media Ratings Council (MRC) has raised concerns about Nielsen’s National Big Data + Panel TV measurement after detecting a more than 10% decline in 25‑54‑year‑old audience impressions in the first half of 2025. MRC identified four priority areas –...
Last month @AppMagicRocks released its annual mobile market report. Three things stood out. AI apps like ChatGPT tripled their market to $3 billion. Mobile gaming barely grew at all, which explains why Netflix is getting out. And "Drama Slop" apps...
Sons of Anarchy’s entire seven‑season run is currently available on the free UK streaming service U, but the catalogue will be removed shortly. The FX crime drama, which aired 92 episodes between 2008 and 2014, holds an 87% Rotten Tomatoes...
Netflix has added the 3DCG animated feature *In Your Dreams* to its streaming catalog, accompanied by two exclusive behind‑the‑scenes VFX breakdown videos. The featurettes, hosted by VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender, showcase Sony Pictures Imageworks’ work on the film’s surreal Breakfast...
Quentin Rigaux’s first feature, *Cosmo Princess*, is a 90‑minute 2‑D sci‑fi family film that fuses 1970s‑80s anime aesthetics with classic French animation influences. The project is being shepherded by Academy Award‑winning producer Ron Dyens of *Flow* and debuted at the 2026...
The Next TMT Talks panel examined how connected‑TV operating systems have become the primary gateway for streaming content, advertising, and data collection. Panelists from The Trade Desk’s Ventura TVOS, Whale TV, and ViewLift discussed their strategies to challenge incumbent platforms and capture...
Midco Sports, a 95‑year‑old Upper Midwest technology firm, has turned its regional sports network into a national‑minded streaming platform, Midco Sports Plus, now reaching viewers in nine U.S. states. A new partnership with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) brings...
Riedel Communications showcased a suite of new products at the 2026 NAB Show, emphasizing simplified, scalable production workflows across video, audio, intercom, and networking. Highlights included the browser‑based hi human interface control system, the MediorNet HorizoN ST 2110 MultiViewer app,...
Live sports broadcasters are moving core production to cloud workflows, replacing on‑site hardware with scalable, remote infrastructure. The shift reduces capital expense, improves agility, and supports the growing demand for multi‑language, regional, and platform‑specific feeds. Modern encoding, bandwidth, and latency...
Salem Media announced its Salem News Channel is now available on Amazon Prime Video. The addition places the channel within Prime Video’s growing free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) portfolio. Salem’s VP Cary Pahigian highlighted the move as a way to...
Ratings Roundup shows a surge in live sports viewership across major leagues. ESPN’s MLB spring‑training broadcast between the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers attracted 468 K average viewers, a 54 % increase over last year and the most‑watched spring‑training game in a...
Netflix will live‑stream BTS’s comeback performance on March 21 from Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, coinciding with the release of their fifth studio album ARIRANG. The event airs at 7 a.m. ET (4 a.m. PT) in the United States and spans multiple global time zones. BTS, holder...
India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered the Broadcast Audience Research Council to suspend television news ratings (TRPs) for four weeks, citing concerns that sensational coverage of the US‑Iran conflict is stoking public panic. The pause aims to remove the...
The Council of Europe has opened two 2026 calls under its Pilot Programme for Series Co‑productions, allocating roughly €2.1 million to support high‑quality scripted fiction, animation, or documentary series that involve cross‑border collaboration. Awards range from €150,000 to €300,000 and can...
"Nobody wakes up in the morning and goes, 'Oh, let me go see what's on @paramountplus' the way they check out what's on @YouTube or what's on @netflix," Greenfield said. "I think he is, directionally, spot-on," said media analyst Rich Greenfield...
⚡️ Netflix Will Use AI to Increase the Velocity of Content Creation ⚡️ $NFLX @netflix released a short five minute explainer video with InterPositive founder and actor Ben Affleck, Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, and Netflix Chief Product and...
The BBC warned that declining licence‑fee revenue and rising streaming competition threaten its funding model, and proposed opening iPlayer to other public‑service broadcasters while keeping BBC content ad‑free. Meanwhile, UK digital video advertising grew 20 % to £9.3 billion, now accounting for...
CNN C.E.O. Mark Thompson emails staff: “On U.S. cable, we’ve had our best weekend in four years and have been #2 in all of cable (news and non-news) since the conflict started.” Here’s his note: https://t.co/FNhiGsX819
⚡️ Premium-Priced AI Tier Coming to @Spotify ⚡️ $SPOT Spotify will transform from AI loser to AI winner over the course of 2026 https://t.co/DgqxhetIEf
In the early 1950s CBS executives balked at casting Cuban‑born Desi Arnaz opposite Lucille Ball in the new sitcom that would become *I Love Lucy*. Ball threatened to quit unless her husband was kept, and the couple’s successful vaudeville tour proved audiences would accept...
The layoff math looks scary at the combined WarnerMount studio. Or does it? Crunching the numbers with the company's top dealmaker. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/W35ws7KiGx
Radial Entertainment Shops for Content Libraries as Pluto TV and Paramount Alum Jeff Shultz Takes Over as CEO https://t.co/sLDEtVhxNj via @variety
At the 2026 NAB Show, Tedial will showcase its AI‑driven media asset management platform, highlighting new agentic AI capabilities integrated via the Model Context Protocol. The solution blends pervasive AI, composable architecture, and NoCode workflow design to boost operational efficiency...
Discounting is NOT a growth strategy @DisneyPlus and @hulu are starved for fresh content $DIS https://t.co/gVtGO3UCZZ
🧵On @thewrap this morning: the new Paramount has been hiring a lot of men with troubled #MeToo pasts including screenwriter Max Landis, actor Johnny Depp, animation chief John Lasseter, director Brett Ratner and former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell,...
The Kitchen, a Food Network staple since 2014, was cancelled in October 2025 after 490 episodes and 14 specials. Hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian announced a surprise special slated for later this month. The...
'We expect HBO Max to essentially be shut down at the end of 2027 ' -- MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman in a research note today...
Byron Allen Acquires 10.7% Stake in Starz From Steve Mnuchin’s Investment Firm for $25 Million https://t.co/uuDK84OBQW via @variety
Disney will retire the standalone Hulu app by 2026, moving its on‑demand library into Disney+. Hulu + Live TV will stay as a separate subscription but its future home is unclear, with options including the Disney+ app or the merged Fubo platform....
