What's happening: Ellison charts post‑$110B Warner Bros. Discovery merger, uniting HBO Max and Paramount+
Paramount Chairman David Ellison detailed a plan to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ following Warner Bros. Discovery’s $110 billion acquisition, creating a streaming service with over 200 million subscribers. The merged entity will retain blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mission: Impossible and Top Gun while preserving HBO’s editorial independence.

The Premier League will debut Premier League Plus, a dedicated streaming app that offers live coverage of all 380 matches, initially limited to Singapore and delivered in partnership with Starhub. Launched before the 2026‑27 season, it marks the league’s first direct‑to‑consumer offering, allowing it to own the customer relationship and experiment with pricing and promotion. Richard Masters framed the rollout as a learning exercise that could be replicated globally, while broadcast revenues have risen 27% in the latest rights cycle. The move also coincides with renewed debate over parachute payments and financial redistribution across English football.

iam8bit has teamed up with WaterTower Music to issue two Adventure Time soundtracks: the series finale "Come Along with Me" on a 1‑LP/CD set and the "Fionna and Cake" collection on a 2‑LP/CD set. Both releases feature original songs by series...

The Television Bureau (TVB) released its latest cross‑platform measurement, finding that traditional broadcast television viewed on a TV set still commands the greatest audience reach and the longest average viewing time among all media channels. The advantage holds true across...

HBO Max announced a global crackdown on password sharing, extending stricter enforcement beyond the United States. The new policy replaces the current optional pop‑up with a mandatory prompt that requires non‑household users to create their own accounts. The rollout coincides...

The U.S. hosts over 202 million adult YouTube users, 177 million on Instagram and 105 million on TikTok, creating massive ad‑supported audiences for creators. While a few, like Markiplier’s promotion of *Iron Lung*, have turned social clout into box‑office hits, most creators struggle to...

Sony has ordered 24 additional episodes of the Reading Rainbow reboot, now hosted by Mychal Threets, following a successful four‑episode digital release in 2025. The original series, led by Levar Burton, ended two decades ago, and the new shortened episodes...

Sundance‑premiered road‑trip comedy *The Shitheads* has landed a U.S. distribution deal with IFC, slated for a theatrical summer release. The film stars Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Kiernan Shipka and Nicholas Braun, with a supporting turn by Peter Dinklage. Written, directed...

Media Res has entered a first‑look distribution agreement with Fifth Season, designating the Swedish thriller *Summer of 1985* as the inaugural project. The series, based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, follows a group of friends whose summer turns deadly after...

Deadline’s new column Rendering highlights a podcast, Films Not Made, launched by producers Amy Hobby and Avi Zev Weider that uses generative AI to resurrect abandoned Hollywood pitches. The show runs AI‑enhanced scripts, storyboards and even AI‑generated trailers for projects...

Sky has secured a first‑look agreement with Starz for the 50 Cent‑produced boxing drama Fightland, which will debut on Sky and Now TV in the UK. The series, shot in London, follows a disgraced champion seeking revenge and is executive‑produced by Curtis Jackson’s...

Apple TV announced the debut of *Star City*, an eight‑episode spinoff of the acclaimed *For All Mankind*. The series launches globally on May 29, 2026 with two episodes, then releases a new episode each Friday through July 10. Set in...

Brands that authentically engage Black audiences can unlock significant economic upside, as Black consumers are projected to wield $2.1 trillion in buying power by 2026. They are four times more likely than average shoppers to follow the WNBA and spend roughly...

Content Partners announced the appointment of former WME business‑affairs executive Benjamin Kram as Vice President. Kram will lead business development, expanding the firm’s content investments and strategic partnerships. He brings extensive negotiation experience across film, television and digital media from...

Nexstar Media Group posted its fourth‑quarter 2025 results, beating Wall Street revenue forecasts while slipping into a net loss. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow fell sharply compared with the prior year. CEO Perry Sook highlighted the company’s aggressive...

Starboard Entertainment has secured North American distribution rights to Mark Pellington’s experimental documentary *This Is Buzz*, which premiered at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival. The film, a music‑driven exploration of the 1990s MTV cult series *Buzz*, will open theatrically in...

Atresplayer, the streaming arm of Spain’s Atresmedia, has broadened its partnership with Claro Video, embedding its entire video‑on‑demand catalog and four flagship linear channels into the Claro platform across 14 Latin American markets, including Mexico. The deal upgrades the 2021...
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the 2026 NewFronts event, scheduled for March 23‑26 in New York, spotlighting AI‑driven video, streaming, and CTV innovations. The four‑day conference will feature live and virtual sessions from tech giants like Google, Meta, and...

Warner Bros. Discovery announced it will shift its reporting focus from raw subscriber counts to monetisation metrics as it pushes HBO Max’s global expansion. The company currently serves 132 million streaming users and projects more than 140 million by the end of...
Queensberry Promotions, led by Frank Warren, is preparing to sue Saudi‑backed events firm Sela and its partner TKO Group over an alleged breach of contract related to the newly formed Zuffa boxing promotion. The dispute centers on Zuffa’s recent signing...

RTL Deutschland has signed a new agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment Deutschland, delivering a substantial package of Sony films to its streaming platform RTL+ and free‑TV channels. The deal covers the second pay‑window, granting RTL+ early and exclusive access to...
Governments in the UK and US are weighing new rules to safeguard live sport on free‑to‑air television. In Britain, Labour MPs are pushing to broaden the ‘crown jewels’ list of protected events, a framework unchanged since 1998. In the United...
Artificial intelligence has become inseparable from media strategy, yet a pronounced syncing gap threatens its impact. Consumers adopt generative AI tools at breakneck speed, while media firms struggle to translate that demand into sustainable revenue. AI shows clear productivity gains...

Connected TVs now reach over 85% of U.S. households, with roughly 60% of Gen Z streaming on them, and have surpassed cable as the primary source of video consumption in 2025. Advertisers are shifting focus to CTV because it gathers the...

Live streaming generated roughly $78 billion in 2025 and approaches $100 billion by 2024, yet most platforms delete recordings within days or weeks. Twitch, Instagram Live, and TikTok Live automatically purge VODs, while YouTube’s archival is optional and often de‑prioritized. This creates...
Altman Solon’s seventh Annual Global Sports Survey warns that linear TV can no longer anchor sports consumption. Executives are urged to shift toward multi‑format, multi‑channel offerings that blend live games, highlights, and interactive content. The report highlights a 6 percent rise in...

AdPlayer.Pro has rolled out new configuration capabilities for its ad‑enabled video player, targeting both instream and standalone video placements. The updates expand ad‑interval settings and aim to boost performance amid a market slowdown reported by over 40% of its users....

In this episode of The Town, host Matt Bellany talks with veteran TV producer John Wells about the unconventional production model behind HBO Max’s procedural drama “The Pit.” Wells explains how the show revives the classic broadcast‑style format—15 episodes per...

beIN Asia Pacific has extended its exclusive Formula 1 broadcast partnership through the 2030 season, covering ten Asian territories. The agreement secures live transmission of every Grand Prix, practice, qualifying, Sprint and related feeder series such as Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy...
Sky Media’s Addressable Advantage study of 2,400 campaigns shows addressable TV generates a 121% lift in aided ad recall and delivers three times more incremental web traffic than linear TV. The analysis, based on household‑level data from a five‑million‑home panel,...

JioStar has appointed Sagar Kadam as Senior Director of Ecosystem & Subscription Partnerships, placing him in charge of partnership strategy for its flagship streaming service, JioHotstar. Kadam joins from SonyLIV, where he drove subscription‑revenue growth through telecom, fintech, and device...

The 22nd Video Broadcast and Broadband Tech Summit (VBS 2026) will convene India’s media and technology leaders on 27 February in Mumbai under the theme “Managing the Great Tech‑celeration.” The event is co‑powered by JioStar and ZEE, with Amagi as...

The BBFC’s 37‑year analysis shows a widening split between UK box‑office hits and BAFTA Best Film nominees. Over the last decade, top‑grossing titles are dominated by U, PG and 12A ratings, while 74% of BAFTA nominees carry 15 or 18...

CBS launched *Beyond the Gates* in February 2025, marking the first new network‑daytime soap in over 25 years. The series follows the affluent Dupree family in Maryland and features a large ensemble cast. While it has not become a breakout hit, the...

CBS renewed The Young and the Restless in February 2024 for four additional seasons, extending the series through the 2027‑28 broadcast year and its 55th anniversary. The show continues to dominate daytime television, posting a 0.26 rating in the key...

General Hospital’s 2024‑25 season posted a 0.20 rating in the 18‑49 female demographic and averaged 1.87 million total viewers, the latest data point for the long‑running ABC soap. The show remains ABC’s sole daytime drama after years of cancellations, but the...

Gold Wars: DownUnder, a new observational series from FredBird Entertainment, begins streaming on 10.com.au on February 27, 2026. The show follows three prospecting teams competing on a 15‑square‑kilometre plot in remote North Queensland that holds an estimated gold reserve exceeding $750 million. Beyond...

NBC’s "Sunday Night Basketball" returned alongside the Winter Olympics and posted a multi‑year high audience. The Celtics‑Lakers matchup earned a 2.5 Nielsen rating, 4.52 million viewers on NBC and 5.6 million when Telemundo and streaming data are added. This marks the largest...
Magnite reported Q4 revenue of $205 million, a 6% year‑over‑year increase, driven largely by its fast‑growing connected‑TV (CTV) segment. While the DV+ platform’s display revenue grew modestly 4% to $101.5 million, CTV revenue surged 32% to $93.6 million, representing 48% of the quarter’s...

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron highlighted the growing partnership with Netflix, noting that exclusive theatrical events such as the KPop Demon Hunters premiere and the Stranger Things series finale drove 35% of the film's total audience and generated $15 million in...

MGM+ announced the renewal of its romantic adventure drama "Robin Hood" for a second season. The series, led by Australian actor Jack Patten and featuring Sean Bean as the Sheriff, will return with ten episodes. Season two expands the narrative...

Monday, February 23, 2025 fast‑affiliate ratings were released for CBS’s Monday lineup, covering new episodes of shows such as CIA, The Voice, The Rookie, Wild Cards, and American Idol. The CIA drama showed a modest dip in viewership, sparking speculation about its renewal...

ABC has launched a revival of the medical comedy Scrubs, reuniting original leads Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke for a first season. Nielsen’s final national live‑plus‑same‑day ratings, which include DVR playback, are being tracked to gauge the show’s...

Netflix’s unscripted live events division is undergoing a leadership change as Sahara Bushue, the director of unscripted series, has left the company. Bushue was responsible for recent projects such as the Star Search reboot, Rhythm & Flow, and Building the...
Comcast is now granting eligible Xfinity TV customers free access to ESPN Unlimited, the sports network’s direct‑to‑consumer app, once they authenticate their subscription. The offering unlocks the full suite of live sports, original shows, and on‑demand content without an additional...
Paramount Skydance argues that the Discovery Global spinoff would not add value for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders, positioning itself as the stronger bidder against Netflix. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, also CEO of Discovery Global, highlighted the global reach of DG's linear...
Broadcasters are buoyed by FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s hints of relaxed ownership rules and a Trump endorsement of Nexstar’s $6 billion Tegna acquisition. Nexstar, Scripps and Sinclair all highlighted this regulatory optimism in recent earnings calls, stressing strategic M&A and operational...

Tony Dungy is likely to exit NBC’s ‘Football Night in America’ after 17 years as the network prepares a major revamp of its NFL pre‑game show. The Athletic reports that NBC may drop Dungy’s regular analyst slot amid criticism of...

PMK Entertainment announced two senior hires: Leah Sparkes as Vice President of Television, Film and Premium Content, and Ulisses Rivera as Senior Account Director in its Strategic Communications Group. Sparkes arrives with more than two decades of high‑profile publicity experience...

Jake Johnson has been cast as Mickey, a down‑on‑his‑luck private investigator, in an untitled NBC comedy pilot created by Brooklyn Nine‑Nine writers Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici. The half‑hour series continues the Los Angeles private‑eye tradition and received a pilot...
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos is urged to abandon his $27.75‑per‑share cash offer for Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming and studio assets and let Paramount Skydance’s $31‑per‑share bid win. The author argues that Netflix would face intense regulatory scrutiny, higher financing costs, and...