Today's Television Pulse
Disney vows to fight FCC's early ABC license renewal demand
The FCC has ordered Disney to submit early renewal applications for ABC’s eight broadcast stations, citing possible anti‑discrimination rule violations. Legal experts say the 1996 Telecommunications Act makes outright license denial extremely hard without willful or repeated violations. Disney has indicated it will contest the politically‑motivated action.
"Genius" Sitcom Branded "Simply the Best" Is Leaving Netflix Very Soon
The hit Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek will disappear from Netflix on May 15, ending its streaming run of all six seasons and 80 episodes. Created by brothers Eugene and Dan Levy, the series earned a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating and an 8.5/10 score on IMDb from over 173,000 users. Critics praised its humor and heartfelt storytelling, with many fans calling it “simply the best.” Viewers who want a final binge must act quickly before the licensing window closes.
Televisa-Univision Faces Pressure From Sports on Rival Networks
Televisa‑Univision posted Q1 revenue of $1.075 billion, a 5% increase year‑over‑year, helped by a 13% rise in Mexican advertising. U.S. ad sales slipped 12% to $310 million, pulling overall ad revenue down 3% to $546 million. Subscription and distribution fees offset some weakness,...
FCC Orders a Review of ABC’s Licenses Amid Feud Between Trump and Kimmel
The Federal Communications Commission ordered a comprehensive review of all broadcast licenses owned by ABC, marking an unprecedented regulatory move. The review is officially linked to an investigation of ABC's diversity and inclusion policies but coincides with President Trump’s public...
Disney Will Not Spin Off ESPN, per Report
Disney has decided against spinning off ESPN, keeping the sports network within its portfolio as part of a broader streaming push. CEO Josh D’Amaro dismissed spinoff rumors, emphasizing ESPN’s role in bolstering Disney+ and ESPN+ offerings. While ESPN’s operating income...
‘Ultraman: Towards the Future,’ ‘Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero’ Complete Series Combo on Blu-Ray May 12 From Mill Creek and Alliance
Mill Creek Entertainment and Alliance Home Entertainment will issue a Blu‑ray combo set on May 12, 2026 that bundles the complete runs of “Ultraman: Towards the Future” and “Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero.” Both series are among the few Ultraman titles produced...
Wasserman Deal: Final Bidders, Front-Runners Emerge
Casey Wasserman’s entertainment and sports conglomerate, known as The Team, is now the focus of a high‑stakes sale after an initial $4 billion asking price was trimmed to roughly $3 billion. The portfolio spans talent representation in sports, Hollywood, music, media, brand...
Stranger Things Fans Get Exciting Renewal Update From Netflix
Netflix announced that the animated spin‑off "Stranger Things: Tales From ’85" has been renewed for a second season, just days after its first‑season debut. The series is set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live‑action hit, following the core characters as...
FCC Orders Early Renewal of Bridge News Stations
The Federal Communications Commission ordered low‑power broadcaster Bridge News to renew its TV station licenses ahead of schedule, citing an investigation into alleged unauthorized transfers of control. Bridge News, which operates stations formerly affiliated with the defunct NewsNet, must comply...
Charlize Theron Hits Netflix’s ‘Apex’ With 38.2 Million Views
Netflix’s new mountaineering action film *Apex*, starring Charlize Theron, recorded 38.2 million global views for the week ending April 26, making it the platform’s top‑performing English‑language movie. The thriller pits Theron’s bereaved climber against a serial‑killer antagonist played by Taron Egerton. Theron’s...
ESPN Locks In Wall-to-Wall Lacrosse Coverage for 2026 PLL & WLL Season
ESPN will stream every 2026 Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) game on its app, while airing select marquee matchups on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The five‑year rights deal, signed last year, also gives ESPN a minority...
Oprah Winfrey's Podcast Joins Amazon's Streaming Suite in Multiyear Deal
Oprah Winfrey has signed a multiyear licensing agreement to bring her twice‑weekly podcast to Amazon’s streaming ecosystem, including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Fire TV and Audible. The deal also licenses all 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show, positioning Amazon...
Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Renewed For Season 2 At Netflix
Netflix announced that its animated spin‑off *Stranger Things: Tales From ’85* has been renewed for a second season, slated to premiere in the fall of 2024. The series, set in the winter of 1985 between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live‑action...
MPN Video Podcast: Akta Tech’s Matt Smith Talks About Producing AI-Powered, Cloud-Based OTT Video at Scale
At NAB 2026, Akta Tech chief evangelist Matt Smith explained how artificial intelligence is transforming broadcasting and over‑the‑top (OTT) video production. He highlighted AI‑driven metadata tagging, automated workflow orchestration, and cloud‑native delivery that together cut costs and speed up content...
FCC Orders Early Review of Disney’s ABC Licenses Amid Trump-Kimmel Feud / Netflix Renews Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 /...
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered an accelerated review of the eight ABC broadcast licenses owned by Disney, a move that comes amid President Trump’s public feud with late‑night host Jimmy Kimmel. The FCC says the review focuses on ABC’s...
Braves Say New TV Network Is on Pace to Beat Old RSN Revenue
The Atlanta Braves launched their own regional sports network, BravesVision, in February after cutting ties with Main Street Sports. Team president Derek Schiller says the venture is already on track to equal or exceed the $188.6 million broadcasting revenue the club...
Is Film and TV Production in Los Angeles Starting to Turn the Corner?
Los Angeles film and TV production is showing early signs of recovery after a steep decline, driven by California's expanded tax‑credit program. FilmLA reported a 10% increase in shoot days in Q1 2026, with feature filming surging 52% year‑over‑year while TV...
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Suffers A Major Viewership Drop
Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again season 2 recorded a sharp viewership decline, with Luminate Data reporting only 4.5 million views and 10.8 million hours watched across the first five episodes. Compared with season 1’s 8.3 million views and 24 million hours in the same period, the series...
Disney to Share ‘Cars: Lightning Racers’ and Other First Looks at Annecy
Disney Television Animation is using the Annecy Festival (June 21‑27) to unveil first looks at three upcoming Disney+ series. The preschool‑focused "Cars: Lightning Racers," slated for a 2027 Disney Jr. debut, will be featured in the festival’s Work‑In‑Progress program. "The Doomies," a...
Toronto Tempo TV Deal Details Expected This Week
Some of you asked about this. From everything I heard, I would expect details about the @torontotempo's Canadian TV deals to come very soon and I'll predict this week.
Fans Prefer TV; ESPN Must Justify Streaming Cost
…because nobody wants overpriced sports rights deals. The real challenge now is how to convince fans that the ESPN streaming service is something they need, with backdrop of proposed Nielsen data suggesting they still prefer TV to streaming. Messy stuff.
Adam Gyngell & Fred Fernandez-Armesto Tapped To Pen Netflix’s English-Language Remake Of French Thriller ‘Black Box’
Netflix has commissioned an English‑language remake of the French thriller "Black Box," originally titled "Boîte Noire." Veteran UK writing duo Adam Gyngell and Fred Fernandez‑Armesto will pen the screenplay, while Tim Fehlbaum, director of the Oscar‑nominated "September 5," is set to...
Tempo Basketball's Canadian TV Deal Details Expected This Week
Here's viewership info on tomorrow's game. Some of you asked about this: From everything I've heard, I would expect info/details about @TempoBasketball 's Canadian TV deals to come out very soon and I'll predict this week.
Official Update Confirms Far Cry TV Series Is Coming
Highly Anticipated 'Far Cry' TV Adaptation Gets the Official Update Fans Have Been Waiting For [Exclusive] https://t.co/Kl5XBHylbR
NASCAR Family Drama ‘Godspeed’ In Works At Amazon From Joe Pokaski, Scott Stuber & Sugar23; Writers Room Underway
Amazon is developing “Godspeed,” a one‑hour NASCAR family drama created by Underground co‑creator Joe Pokaski and produced by Scott Stuber’s United Artists alongside Michael Sugar’s Sugar23. A writers’ room is already active, and the series could begin principal photography in...
Disney Asserts FCC Record Proves Continued Licensing Qualifications
Disney on FCC licenses: 'We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels....'
FCC Forces ABC to Renew License After Kimmel Joke
Trump’s FCC Orders ABC to File Broadcast TV License Renewals Within 30 Days in Wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s Melania Joke https://t.co/XAtl8VE6ko via @variety
Cyle Zezo Used To Run Unscripted At The CW, Now He Wants Reality Producers To Protect The Climate
Cyle Zezo, former head of unscripted at The CW, founded Reality of Change in 2023 to embed sustainability in reality television. The company has unveiled new climate‑storytelling guidelines and launched the Create the Conditions program to help producers integrate environmental...
FCC Summons Disney for Early License Renewal, Cites Public Interest
FLASH: The FCC is officially calling in Disney's broadcast licenses for early renewal, citing the public interest standard and "the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination."
Sneak Preview: Creating Lean-In Engagement With Personalized, Next-Gen Sports Streaming Experiences
On May 13, Chris Pfaff moderated a Streaming Media Connect panel titled “Fans Forward: Creating Lean‑In Engagement With Personalized, Next‑Gen Sports Streaming Experiences.” The discussion featured leaders from Tiledmedia, Team Whistle (DAZN), Bulldog DM and Play Anywhere, who examined AI‑driven commentary, multiview...
Ted Lasso Season 4 Debuts Aug 5 on Apple TV
Season 4 of #TedLasso will premiere on #AppleTV on Wednesday, August 5. Subsequent episodes will drop weekly. #Apple #streaming $AAPL $CMCSA $WBD
Free TV Networks Strikes Fourth Deal Under Versant, Expands FAST Distribution Push
Free TV Networks (FTV), a Versant division, sealed its fourth free‑ad‑supported streaming (FAST) distribution agreement of 2024, adding its channels 365BLK, Outlaw and Pam Grier’s Soul Flix to Philo’s platform. The partnership expands FTV’s reach to Philo’s millions of viewers...
NAB Show 2026: AI, Vertical and BPS Dominate Broadcasters’ Discussions
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, roughly 58,000 attendees—half of them first‑timers—convened to discuss AI, vertical video, and next‑generation broadcast technologies. Major vendors unveiled AI‑driven tools such as AWS Elemental Inference for automatic 9:16 cuts and TVU Networks’...
FCC Probes Bridge News for Unauthorized License Control Transfer
Isn't it clearer than that @brianstelter? @FCC Media Bureau said it was investigating Bridge News "for possible violations of the @FCC’s prohibition on unauthorized transfers of control of the station licenses." https://t.co/G9yDWJxuX7
KEET PBS Deploys PMVG TechBundle Services To Modernize Operations
KEET PBS in Eureka, California has adopted two components of the Public Media Venture Group TechBundle—PMM Cloud and Transmission Services Group’s managed transmission and monitoring. The cloud‑based master‑control platform lets the station shift from multiple on‑premises racks to a streamlined,...
Seth MacFarlane Says Ted Season 3 or Film Hinges on Peacock’s Deep Pockets
Seth MacFarlane told a Deadline Contenders panel that a third season of the live‑action‑comedy series Ted—or a new movie—will only move forward if Peacock invests its “vast amounts of big Scrooge McDuck money.” The plea follows Season 2’s record‑breaking streaming minutes, which topped...
Pinterest Teams with tvScientific to Tap High‑intent CTV Audiences
Pinterest has joined forces with tvScientific to deliver high‑intent, purchase‑ready audiences to connected‑TV (CTV) devices. The partnership extends Pinterest's ad inventory beyond its traditional web and mobile properties, giving advertisers a new channel to reach shoppers as they stream video....
Los Angeles Mayoral Candidates Pitch New Incentives to Reignite Film and TV Production
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and challengers Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt unveiled detailed proposals—including a 20% parking discount and expanded tax credits—to reverse a 16% drop in Los Angeles shoot days and recover over 40,000 lost entertainment jobs.
Cracking Apple TV: The Shows It Wants Now
Apple TV’s acquisition strategy is now laser‑focused on premium, populist content that features recognizable movie or TV stars, a shift driven by the post‑WGA‑deal environment where buyers only green‑light projects with clear production paths. The streamer celebrated a record Emmy...
FCC Moves to Challenge ABC Licenses After Kimmel Monologue
FCC plans to challenge ABC’s broadcast licenses after Kimmel monologue, sources tell me & @rogoswami https://t.co/HAi0WLFXfZ
Spotify Posts Record Operating Income, Adds 3 Million Quarterly Subs to 293 Million, Stock Tumbles
Spotify reported a record operating income of €715 million ($837 million) in Q1 2026, adding 3 million paid subscribers to reach 293 million worldwide. Monthly active users rose to 761 million, a 12% year‑over‑year increase. Subscription revenue grew 10% to €4.15 billion ($4.86 billion), while ad‑supported revenue...
The Live Revenge: Sports Are Taking Back Power in the Age of Infinite Content
Live sports have become the scarcest, highest‑value asset as AI turns scripted content into a commodity. Record‑breaking viewership—Super Bowl LIX’s 127.7 million audience and Netflix’s 65 million NFL stream—show live events command attention like no on‑demand format. In Latin America, 76% of...
Streaming Is Starting to Look a Lot Like Broadcast TV
Streaming platforms are abandoning the serialized prestige dramas that defined the Peak TV era and are instead embracing procedural formats that echo 1990s‑2000s broadcast TV. Luminate data shows serialized drama premieres dropped from over 250 in 2022 to fewer than...
Thursday TV Ratings: Going Dutch, Elsbeth, Scrabble, Law & Order, 9-1-1
The latest Thursday TV ratings, compiled using Fast Affiliate Numbers, show viewership performance for new episodes of shows such as Going Dutch, Law & Order, and Scrabble, alongside the NFL Draft Round 1 sports broadcast. Percent changes reflect each program’s audience...
Monica Albuquerque, New Head of Original Content for Disney+ Brazil
The Walt Disney Company Latin America has appointed Monica Albuquerque as Head of Original Content for Disney+ Brazil. Reporting to Daniel Burman, she will steer creative strategy and development of Brazilian original productions. Albuquerque brings more than three decades of...
FreeWheel Launches New Partner Portal
FreeWheel unveiled Partner Portal, a unified hub that lets approved partners create, test and scale applications on its Streaming Hub for premium publishers. The portal streamlines API access, sandbox environments and deployment, cutting the need for bespoke integrations. Early adopters...
House of the Dragon: Season Three — Has the HBO TV Series Been Cancelled or Renewed?
HBO has officially confirmed that House of the Dragon will return for a third season, extending the prequel to Game of Thrones to a planned four‑season arc. Season two delivered a 0.35 rating in the coveted 18‑49 demo and attracted...
Spotify Reaches 293M Premium Users, 761M MAU
Earnings: Spotify Hits 293 Million Premium Subscribers in Q1 PRO The music streaming giant reaches a total of 761 million monthly active users @TheWrap
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Returns This August — Watch the Gang Reunite in New Teaser
Apple TV+ announced that "Ted Lasso" returns for a fourth season, debuting with a single episode on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, and then airing new episodes weekly through October 7. The streamer released a fresh teaser and first‑look image, confirming...
FCC May Accelerate TV License Renewals Despite 2028 Deadline
.@Reuters first reported last month that @FCC could speed up broadcast license renewals (Remember no broadcast TV licenses are up until October 2028) https://t.co/OevSp8KKaZ
Roku Adds First Cloud DVR Features to Peacock Premium Plus Live Streaming
Roku announced the rollout of its first Cloud DVR capabilities for Peacock Premium Plus, letting ad‑free subscribers pause, rewind and replay live streams, including sports. The feature is part of a broader five‑year partnership with NBCUniversal and arrives as Peacock Premium Plus...