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.
Fox’s Tubi Taps YouTubers Michelle Khare, Scott Mansell for Live F1 Altcasts
Fox's ad‑supported streaming platform Tubi will launch creator‑led live altcasts of select 2026 Formula 1 races, beginning with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. The series, called “The Fast Lane,” pairs YouTube personalities Michelle Khare, Jeremiah Burton, and former driver Scott Mansell with real‑time telemetry, onboard footage, and commentary. Produced by Live Digital Entertainment, the free altcasts will be available to Tubi’s roughly 100 million U.S. monthly active users and will complement Apple TV’s exclusive F1 rights.
Blink49 Studios Launches Creator Studios Division, Names Mickey Meyer as President
Blink49 Studios announced a new global Creator Studios division aimed at turning creator‑built audiences into scalable intellectual property across scripted, unscripted and digital‑first formats. The division will provide end‑to‑end services including development, financing, production and worldwide distribution. Mickey Meyer, a...
Fox’s ‘Fear Factor’ Reboot Scores 16.5M Viewers, Secures Second Season
Fox’s revived “Fear Factor” delivered 16.5 million viewers across broadcast and streaming platforms during its January launch, making it the network’s top new unscripted series among adults 18‑49. The strong performance prompted an immediate renewal for a second season, signaling a...
Integral Ad Science Unveils IAS Total TV Suite, Bringing Linear‑TV Transparency to CTV
Integral Ad Science rolled out IAS Total TV, a new measurement suite that delivers show‑level transparency for connected‑TV ads on Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Prime Video. The platform combines content insights, media‑quality verification and supply‑path data, aiming to curb $1 billion...
NFL Teams Up with Skydance to Launch First Scripted Series and Feature Films
The National Football League has partnered with Skydance Sports to create its first scripted streaming series, "The Land," and a slate of feature films, including a John Madden biopic and a Christmas‑day Giant‑hero movie. The move seeks to turn the...
Pixalate’s March 2025 Top Grossing CTV Apps
Pixalate released its March 2026 Global Top Grossing Connected TV (CTV) Apps report, covering the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico. In the U.S., Hulu topped open‑programmatic ad revenue on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV, with $70 M on Roku alone....
Metaprofile Rolls Out metaADS For Scene-Level Contextual Ad Targeting In CTV
Metaprofile has launched metaADS, an AI-driven contextual ad placement engine that scans dialogue and narrative structure to identify high‑value ad moments at the scene level in film and TV content. The platform delivers scene‑level metadata—including emotional tone, narrative significance and...
Dude Perfect Wants to Graduate Beyond Being a "Creator Company"
Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffe announced the group is shifting from a creator‑centric model to a full‑fledged media business, highlighted by their upcoming appearance at YouTube’s Brandcast upfront. The company now treats brand partnerships like long‑term sports sponsorships, leveraging its...
EXCLUSIVE: TONY DOKOUPIL FURIOUS NORAH GOT TRUMP INTERVIEW — CBS NEVER TOLD HIM IT WAS TO SAVE HIM
CBS assigned the highly coveted Donald Trump interview to Norah O'Donnell instead of daytime host Tony Dokoupil, sparking Dokoupil’s fury. Executives said the decision was a protective measure, fearing the interview could devolve into a volatile exchange that would damage...
Netflix Co‑Founder Reed Hastings to Exit Board, Raising Questions on Future Strategy
Netflix announced that co‑founder Reed Hastings will leave the board in June, coinciding with a $25 billion share‑repurchase program and a Q1 revenue jump to $12.25 billion. Investors are weighing the leadership change against the company’s growth outlook and competitive pressures.
Meet the… Chief Marketing Officer
Simon Frost, newly appointed chief marketing officer at Appear, links the company’s long‑term strategy with evolving market demands. He emphasizes customer councils as a key feedback loop shaping product roadmaps, development priorities, and brand positioning. Frost’s background spans broadcast hardware,...
Netflix Expands Ad‑supported Tier, CPMs Fall to $20s, Ad Revenue up 16%
Netflix has rolled out a broader ad‑supported subscription tier, cutting CPMs to the low $20s and prompting a 16.2% jump in quarterly revenue to $12.25 bn. The move signals the streamer’s shift from experimental ad sales to a core revenue pillar.
V Expands Rakuten TV Ad Partnership Across Europe
V, the maker of the VIDAA smart‑TV platform, has broadened its advertising partnership with Rakuten TV Enterprise to cover Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The agreement adds targeted in‑stream video ads and native home‑screen display placements across the VIDAA...
Philo Elevates Laura Dechant to COO as It Scales Streaming Service
Philo announced Laura Dechant as its new chief operating officer, promoting her from head of business operations. The move follows a broader executive reshuffle that includes Tom Tidgwell as CFO and signals a push toward greater operational agility and AI...
The Doom-Scroll Drama: France.tv Swipes Up on Its First Vertical Series
France.tv has debuted its first vertical series, a 20‑part micro‑drama titled “P*tain de soirée.” Each episode runs about three minutes and was filmed exclusively in a 9/16 portrait format to suit smartphone screens. Produced by La Méridienne and directed by...
The Shrinking Set: 6 Hard Truths About the French Production Crisis
The French audiovisual sector faces a deepening crisis, highlighted by a roundtable hosted by the Assistant Directors & Associates (ARA) on April 27. Industry leaders from the CNC, Ficam and other bodies warned that production budgets have shrunk dramatically, shooting...
Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Christy’ Flops at Box Office, Becomes HBO Max Hit
Sydney Sweeney’s R‑rated boxing biopic ‘Christy’ opened to $1.3 million and plunged to $108,487 in its second weekend, marking one of the steepest drops in modern cinema. The film has since resurfaced as a top‑trending title on HBO Max, underscoring how...
CANAL+ Holds Revenue Steady After MultiChoice Integration
Canal+ posted flat first‑quarter 2026 revenue of €2.17 billion (≈$2.37 bn), a 0.4% decline on a comparable basis but a 41% rise on a reported basis after adding MultiChoice. Excluding the African business, European revenue slipped 1.6% to €1.13 bn, while Africa and...
The €1 Billion Axe: Leaked Parliamentary Report Proposes Gutting French Public Broadcasting
A leaked parliamentary report, championed by Conservative MP Charles Alloncle, calls for a €1 billion (≈$1.08 billion) overhaul of France's public broadcasting system. The proposal mandates merging major TV channels, imposing strict editorial controls, and reinstating state‑appointed executives to run the outlets....
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third upfront event in New York, positioning its DSP as a one‑stop shop for premium TV advertising. The company will showcase cross‑publisher reach through Fire TV, shopper data from its e‑commerce platform, and an identity graph...
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third annual upfront event in New York, joining Netflix as a digital‑first challenger to traditional broadcasters for premium TV ad budgets. The company will showcase a full‑stack offering that combines Fire TV inventory, Amazon’s e‑commerce shopper...
Setplex Secures Top Honors with NAB Show Project of the Year Award for UVOtv
Setplex won the NAB Show Project of the Year award in the Distribution category for its deployment of UVOtv, a free, ad‑supported live‑TV platform targeting North America’s 70 million diaspora viewers. The service streams over 700 premium channels from Latin America,...
Stephen Colbert Gets Ready to Hang It Up
Stephen Colbert announced that his final episode of "The Late Show" will air on May 21, ending an 11‑season, two‑decade run. CBS confirmed the cancellation last summer, attributing it to the show losing tens of millions of dollars annually. The...
IBC2026 Innovation Awards Open for Nominations
IBC has launched the IBC2026 Innovation Awards, inviting media and entertainment organisations to nominate projects that showcase breakthrough advances. The programme sits alongside the IBC Accelerator and Technical Papers initiatives, creating a broader innovation ecosystem. A new Social Impact category...
Obligatory Registration at Radio-Canada: A Successful Gamble
Radio-Canada rolled out a mandatory registration wall across its iOS, Android, TV and web platforms on July 3 2024, becoming the first public broadcaster to do so. One year later the move delivered an 83% jump in monthly active accounts and a...
Screen Forever 2026: Australian Stories, Australian Voices and a “to Do List” That Never Gets Any Shorter.
Screen Forever 40 opened on the Gold Coast, drawing more than 1,000 producers, creators and executives. The conference celebrated the passage of Australia’s local‑content quotas for streaming platforms, a goal that took a decade of lobbying. SPA chief Matthew Deaner...
The Hail Mary WarnerMount Resistance & Ovitz’s Hollywood Revival
David Ellison, son of Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison, is pressing a hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, sparking fierce resistance from the studio’s board and regulators. The effort has drawn criticism from a senior Warner executive who doubts California’s...
How Netflix Is Rewriting the Streaming Ad Playbook
Netflix’s advertising arm is shedding its experimental image, posting $12.25 billion in revenue—a 16.2% rise from the same quarter last year. The turnaround began in 2024 with sold‑out NFL ad slots and has accelerated through joint‑business‑planning deals that lock inventory for...
TV Ratings (27/4/2026): Game Shows Battle As The Floor Leads Ratings Run
Australian TV ratings for the night of April 27, 2026 were dominated by game shows, with Nine’s "The Floor" topping the non‑news slot at 1.84 million national reach and 901,000 average audience. It was followed by Seven’s "Tipping Point" (1.59 million reach,...
Monday Surprise Results: Home & Away, MasterChef, 10 News+.
Monday 27 April 2026 TV ratings in Australia showed several unexpected outcomes. The soap "Home & Away" topped entertainment with 1.01 million viewers, while Seven News led the news segment with 1.57 million. 10 News+ recorded its highest audience in months at 210 k,...
Philo Elevates Laura Dechant to COO to Accelerate Scaling and AI Integration
Philo announced Laura Dechant's promotion to chief operating officer, adding to a leadership overhaul that also includes Tom Tidgwell as CFO. The move is designed to sharpen operational agility, expand AI integration, and support the company's growth among price‑conscious viewers.
Peacock Needs Profitability; Netflix Churn Threatens Valuation
For sure but the real question for Peacock is can it ever make a meaningful margin as at some point streaming has to at the very least replace at some of the declining economics from PayTV. Regarding Netflix, if...
Teads and LG Ad Solutions Expand CTV Partnership Across APAC and Europe
Teads and LG Ad Solutions have renewed and broadened their connected‑TV partnership, making Teads the exclusive gateway to LG HomeScreen inventory in nine APAC markets and adding Italy, Greece and Cyprus in Europe. The deal gives advertisers a single‑buy platform...
Streaming Can't Replace PayTV; Consolidation Wave Begins
As I’ve been saying, long form streaming is a not great mature business with only one entity able to make meaningful NOI. In aggregate, streaming cannot replace the current economics from the in-secular decline PayTV bundle of today let...
ARN Makes Kyle & Jackie O Show Director Bruno Bouchet Redundant
Australian Radio Network (ARN) has made show director Bruno Bouchet redundant following the abrupt removal of the Kyle & Jackie O Show from its Kiis FM lineup. Bouchet, who rejoined ARN for a third stint in 2024, had previously served...
Disney+ Debuts Episodes 7‑8 of 'Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord' Amid Early Screenings
Disney+ released the seventh and eighth installments of Lucasfilm Animation’s new series 'Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord' on Thursday, providing early screeners to the entertainment site Laughing Place. The review notes a bleak narrative shift for the titular Sith,...
Methodology Changes Inflate Nielsen Ratings; Full-Year Data Pending
Yeah. And keep in mind, some of those viewing increases are driven by folks who were always watching and have just within the past two years been measured thanks to strategic methodological changes in Nielsen’s viewing currency…And come this fall...
Paramount‑WB's New Media Venture Majority Foreign‑Owned
Our new state media of Paramount-WB--including CNN and CBS--will be half-owned (49.5%) by foreign interests, 38.5% by Middle Eastern funds. https://t.co/zNAPjHjnc0
Stagwell, FreeWheel Unveil Unified TV Ad Platform for CTV, Linear & Sports
Stagwell announced a partnership with Comcast‑owned FreeWheel to launch a unified TV advertising infrastructure that spans connected TV, linear broadcast and live sports. The integration gives Stagwell agencies direct access to FreeWheel’s premium video supply, aiming to lower ad‑tech fees,...
Spotify Shares Dip as Subscriber Growth Disappoints
Spotify Stock Falls As Subscriber Target Comes In Light After In-Line Q1 https://t.co/nbYssbrHfS $SPOT https://t.co/4uxtY5aR1G
Google Is Testing AI Chatbot Search for YouTube
Google is piloting an AI‑driven conversational search tool for YouTube called “Ask YouTube.” The feature, similar to Google’s AI Mode in Search, generates a page that mixes text summaries, long‑form videos, Shorts and curated galleries. It is currently available only...
Dolan on AMC’s Streaming Era
AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan outlined the company’s streaming‑first strategy, noting that roughly 80% of AMC+ distribution comes through partner bundles such as Charter Spectrum. The firm now runs seven niche streaming services, including Shudder and Acorn TV, each...
Vix Boost, World Cup Worries
TelevisaUnivision reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $1.1 billion, up 5% year‑over‑year, propelled by strong performance of its Vix direct‑to‑consumer platform. Vix subscription and licensing revenue rose 15% to $505 million, with $385 million generated in the United States after adding its channels to...
TRP Blackout During Election Season: How Advertisers Are Navigating without Ratings
India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting extended the Broadcast Audience Research Council's directive to withhold television rating points (TRPs) for news channels until the end of May, covering the entire state‑election season. The blackout, originally imposed in March over concerns...
JustWatch: HBO Max’s ‘Marty Supreme’ Reigns No. 1 Across Streaming Through April 26
HBO Max’s critically acclaimed film “Marty Supreme” topped the U.S. feature‑length movie streaming chart for the week ending April 26, according to JustWatch data. Prime Video’s sci‑fi horror series “From” surged to No. 1 on the TV streaming leaderboard, overtaking HBO Max’s...
Marvel Still Scores Massive Openings Despite Post‑Endgame Doubts
This is a massive oversimplification, but for all the hand-wringing about the post-Endgame MCU box office, Marvel still delivered the 12th (Doctor Strange 2) and 14th (Wakanda Forever) biggest openings ever. Impressive.
Taylor Sheridan's 'The Madison' Eyes 20 Emmy Categories
EXCLUSIVE: Coming off its first season #TheMadison, the Taylor Sheridan-created neo-Western will submit across 20 Emmy categories via 27 total bids. https://t.co/v9R50CDknK via @variety https://t.co/5kSuz9EcFn
Peacock’s Battle for Survival and the Catch 22 of Streaming
The episode dissects Peacock’s ongoing financial woes, noting a $432 million loss this quarter and a cumulative $11 billion deficit since its 2020 launch, despite reaching 44 million U.S. subscribers and strong sports viewership spikes from events like the Winter Olympics and the...
Middle Eastern Funds to Own 38.5% of Paramount‑WBD
Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be 38.5% Owned by Middle Eastern Funds Following Close: Filing https://t.co/mg2Z2deDyN via @variety
FOX Adds Viral Comedy Hit ‘Kill Tony’ to Its Streaming Platforms, Deepening Its Podcast Push
Fox announced a multiyear deal to bring the comedy podcast “Kill Tony” to its streaming services, including Tubi, FOX One, and YouTube. The show, hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, draws over 2.6 million YouTube subscribers and roughly 3 million downloads per episode...