Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández Joining Fox Sports as Analyst for 2026 World Cup
Fox Sports announced that Mexican soccer legend Javier “Chicharito” Hernández will serve as a studio analyst for its FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage. Hernández, Mexico’s all‑time leading scorer with 52 goals, retired in 2025 after a 17‑year career spanning clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, and LA Galaxy. This marks his first on‑air analyst role, joining a roster that already includes Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Fox will broadcast all 104 tournament matches across three host countries from June 11 to July 19.
Bollywood Is Running Hollywood's Forbidden Experiment
Bollywood studios are rapidly deploying AI to create, dub, and recut films, turning India into the world’s largest testbed for AI‑driven entertainment. With 958 million active internet users—over half in rural areas—the market is hungry for low‑cost, multilingual content. Companies like...
The WGA Had Three Years to Think About AI. They Didn’t
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) unveiled a new contract that, despite three years of opportunity, contains no concrete provisions governing the use of artificial intelligence in screenwriting. Instead, the agreement relies on a task‑force report and vague language, leaving...
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Builds on Momentum From "Countdown to the Oscars" - Scores Big with Show's Post-Oscars Week
"Live with Kelly and Mark" leveraged its "Countdown to the Oscars" lead‑in to post its strongest ratings in seven weeks, with total viewers rising 6% to 2.71 million and a 5% lift in household ratings. The after‑Oscars episode delivered double‑digit gains...
How France Télévisions Is Defying Budget Cuts to Dominate European Public TV
France Télévisions is outperforming its European peers despite a 15% reduction in its public‑service budget, according to a new NPA Conseil study. The report finds the broadcaster holds roughly a 30% audience share and ranks highest for audience efficiency across the continent....
Defending French 'Soft Power': Arte and TV5Monde Bosses Face Parliamentary Inquiry
On April 7, Bruno Patino, president of Arte France, and Kim Younes, chief executive of TV5Monde, appeared before a parliamentary commission investigating public broadcasting. The inquiry, led by Jérémie Patrier, is probing governance structures, funding mechanisms, and potential political interference at the...
The Cost of Cutting Corners: French Producers Warn That TV Budget Slashes Are Driving Viewers Away
French producers Vincent Gisbert and Jérôme Caza warn that France Télévisions' 5% budget cut to unscripted ("flux") programming announced in September 2025 is eroding production quality and alienating viewers. They argue that treating unscripted shows as a cost‑adjustment lever jeopardizes...
CNC Indefinitely Suspends Social Media Creator Fund Amid Targeted Threats
On April 8, France’s National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) announced the indefinite suspension of its newly created Social Media Creator Fund. The program, launched earlier this year with a €10 million (≈$10.8 million) budget, was designed to support 150‑plus...
From TikTok to Television: How 'Les Groos' Made the Jump to Arte
TikTok duo "Les Groos" leveraged a decade‑long social media following to land a prime‑time slot on European public broadcaster Arte. The creators, David Mirailles and his partner, turned their short‑form sketches into a six‑episode series that debuted in spring, reaching...
Women Drive the Housemaid to Record-Numbers as Starz's Best-Performing Pay 1 Film Ever
STARZ announced that the psychological thriller *The Housemaid* became its best‑performing Pay 1 title ever, setting a record for acquisition cost and streaming viewership. The film, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, premiered on the STARZ app on April 1 after a...
Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas: Paramount+ to Release New Episodes of Drama Series
Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas returns on Paramount+ with the second half of its first season. The eight‑episode conclusion launches April 15 with two episodes, then rolls out weekly through May 27. The series, which debuted on BET+, follows five Black women navigating post‑marriage life...
ESPN, APX Content Ventures, Rich Eisen Productions, Firefly Studios and Hello Sunshine Announce "Women's Sports Now" Premiering April 16
ESPN announced the debut of Women’s Sports Now, a weekly digital series premiering April 16, featuring Emmy‑winner Suzy Shuster, WNBA champion Renee Montgomery, broadcaster Colleen Wolfe and comedian Sarah Tiana. The show, produced with APX Content Ventures, Rich Eisen Productions, Firefly Studios, Hello Sunshine and Miller Lite’s sponsorship,...
Disney To Lay Off Staff Ahead Of Disney+ & Hulu Merger
Disney announced it will combine Hulu with Disney+ in the United States later this year, creating a single streaming hub that mirrors its international model. The consolidation will trigger the elimination of roughly 1,000 positions across the company, including the...
CBS’s Late-Night Exit Leaves Affiliates Holding The Bag
CBS has handed its 11:35 p.m. and 12:35 p.m. late‑night slots to Byron Allen, effectively exiting the daypart for the first time since David Letterman’s 1993 debut. The network will lease the hours as a time‑buy, swapping high‑cost production for guaranteed revenue....
Monday TV Ratings: Memory of a Killer, The Neighborhood, American Idol, Wild Cards, St. Denis Medical
Monday, April 6, 2026 TV ratings were released for Fox’s primetime lineup, covering new episodes of American Idol, The Rookie, The Neighborhood, CIA, Wild Cards, Extracted, Memory of a Killer, St. Denis Medical, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and The Voice. The Neighborhood aired a farewell special, while Penn & Teller: Fool Us reran. All figures use Fast Affiliate...
NCAA Men’s Title Game Audience up Despite Move From Broadcast to Cable
The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball championship, aired on TBS, TNT, truTV and HBO Max, attracted 18.3 million viewers—up 1% from the 2025 CBS broadcast despite a 4% rating dip. The game posted an 8.8 rating, the highest since the 2019 CBS...
‘Mario’ and the New Fandom Flywheel Upending Hollywood
The Super Mario Galaxy movie earned $372.5 million worldwide in its five‑day opening, the highest opening tally of the year. Its success is attributed to a fan‑first strategy that leveraged nostalgia, Easter‑egg reveals, and massive online fan engagement. The article argues that Hollywood’s...
‘The Eternaut’ Season 2 Gets Disappointing Release Date Update
Netflix confirmed that *The Eternaut* Season 2 remains in advanced development, with filming yet to begin. The sequel’s budget and visual‑effects scope have ballooned, pushing the production timeline back well beyond the originally expected 2026 window. Executives also hinted that the...
Paramount And WB Are Competing For The Same Audience — And That Audience Is Stretched Thin
Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery seeks to unite two streaming platforms that already share 17.7 million U.S. adults. Those dual subscribers are financially constrained—59% have household net worth under $50,000—and are also subscribed to Hulu and Netflix, stretching...
Tube Trends: Eventful Q1 Fuels Cable News YouTube Views Increases
Fox News logged nearly 600 million YouTube views in March 2026, a 60.7% month‑over‑month rise and its highest total since mid‑2023. The surge stemmed largely from extensive coverage of the Iran war, with 58% of uploads focused on the conflict and...
ESPN Delivers Stellar 2025-26 Women's College Basketball Campaign
ESPN’s coverage of the 2025‑26 women’s college basketball season culminated in a championship game that attracted 9.9 million viewers, a 15% rise over the prior year and the third‑most‑watched title on its networks. The tournament averaged 1.3 million viewers across 58 games,...
Firefighter Drama Series ‘Rescue Me’ Set to Hit Netflix in International Regions
All seven seasons of the FX drama *Rescue Me* will debut on Netflix across Canada, Israel, India, South Africa, the Nordic countries, the Czech Republic and mainland Europe starting April 26, 2026. The series, praised for its raw post‑9/11 storytelling, remains exclusive...
Prime Video Reveals "Fresh Look" At Family Drama Series Starring Scott Foley, "It's Not Like That"
Prime Video unveiled a refreshed look at the family drama series “It’s Not Like That,” starring Scott Foley, with a global launch slated for May 15, 2026. All episodes are already streaming in the U.S. through Wonder Project’s subscription on...
The Importance of Live in the Age of AI and Content-Everywhere
The post argues that live content is becoming a strategic asset as audiences fragment and AI‑generated material muddies the line between real and synthetic. It cites lower viewership for online‑only award streams versus traditional broadcast, YouTube’s new FAST service "Stations"...
Concacaf Renews Key Mexican TV Rights with Fox for Men’s Club Competitions
Fox Latin America and CONCACAF have extended their broadcast partnership for four years, securing Fox as the exclusive home of CONCACAF men’s club competitions in Mexico through 2030. The renewal covers the next four editions of the CONCACAF Champions Cup...
LG Uplus Exits Mobile Streaming to Focus on IPTV Services
LG Uplus announced it will discontinue its in‑house mobile streaming platform, U+ Mobile TV, by the end of May. The company will replace the service with a new offering tied to its IPTV infrastructure. This follows similar withdrawals by SK...
Saturday TV Ratings 4/4/26: Saturday Night Live Rises As Jack Black Joins Five-Timers Club, The Ten Commandments Up From 2025,...
Saturday night television ratings for April 4, 2026 show a mixed performance across networks. NBC’s Saturday Night Live rebounded, posting a 0.76 rating and 4.5 million viewers in its 11:30 p.m. slot, while ABC’s The Ten Commandments climbed to 3.06 million viewers. Cable sports dominated...
Oscars to Stay in March for ABC’s Final Two Ceremonies, in 2027 and 2028
The Academy has confirmed that the 99th Oscars will be held on March 14, 2027 and the centennial 100th ceremony on March 5, 2028. Both events will air on ABC, marking the network’s final two broadcasts of the awards. The...
FOX Set to Pick up Big Ten Title Game Shopped by NBC
Fox Sports is set to acquire the 2027 Big Ten football championship from NBC for an estimated $45‑55 million. NBC will retain an additional regular‑season game as part of the compensation package. The transaction corrects a 2023 rights mishap where NBC...
Byron Allen's Late Night
Byron Allen’s comedy‑talk series "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen" will take over the 11:35 PM slot formerly held by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which ends in six weeks. The move transitions the show from syndicated distribution to a network‑wide...
ESPN Launches On Disney+ Across Europe & Asia
Disney announced that ESPN will launch on Disney+ across Europe and select Asia‑Pacific markets, expanding the sports hub to 53 new countries and bringing the total reach to roughly 100 markets worldwide. The initial rollout will feature live events such...
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord: Season Two; Disney+ Animated Series Gets Early Renewal
Disney+ confirmed a second season for its animated series "Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord" the day after the premiere. The show follows the ex‑Sith Lord Maul as he attempts to rebuild his criminal empire following the events of The...
Virtual Stages, AI, and the Creator Economy: Cannes Film Market Massively Scales Up Its Innovation Hub
The Cannes Film Market (Marché du Film) is expanding its Innovation Hub for the May 12‑20 edition, adding virtual stages that let filmmakers pitch projects to global buyers without traveling. AI‑driven matchmaking and analytics tools will pair content with the most...
VFX Giant Rodeo FX Consolidates European Hub in Massive New Paris Studio
Rodeo FX, the Montreal‑based visual effects leader, has opened a new, purpose‑built studio in Paris, bringing together all of its French operations under one roof. The move follows Rodeo FX’s recent acquisition of French VFX house Mikros, marking a decisive...
From ‘Monte-Cristo’ to Medical Dramas: Inside Itinéraire Productions' Aggressive Expansion
Itinéraire Productions, the UGC group’s content arm, used the TF1 showcase at Series Mania on March 26 to debut footage from several new series currently in production. The slate ranges from a literary‑inspired drama echoing Alexandre Dumas’s *Monte‑Christo* to a high‑stakes...
'The Airbus of Production': Mediawan Backers Defend French Identity and Independence at Parliamentary Hearing
Three of Mediawan’s principal investors—Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and KKR’s Jérôme Nommé—appeared before a French parliamentary inquiry on April 2 to address accusations of editorial interference after the group’s €1 billion‑plus acquisition of production assets from France Télévisions. The witnesses denied...
French Animation Giant Xilam Bets Big on Original IP to Rebound From 2025 Revenue Slump
French animation studio Xilam reported a 12% drop in 2025 revenue, falling to €120 million (approximately $130 million). The company’s CEO Marc Bourdeaux announced a strategic pivot toward developing original intellectual property to revive growth. Xilam is allocating €30 million ($33 million) for new studio...
Europe's Biggest Music Show Goes East: What's at Stake for the New Eurovision Song Contest Asia?
The European Broadcasting Union is launching Eurovision Song Contest Asia, slated for a 2025 rollout across roughly 30 Asian markets. The move follows the lukewarm performance of NBC’s American Song Contest, which failed to capture U.S. audiences despite heavy promotion....
'Controlled Cost' Production: The Secret Weapon Keeping French TV Afloat
French television is grappling with a roughly 10% budget contraction, forcing producers to reinvent financing and production methods. A growing number of creators have adopted a "controlled‑cost" model that trims locations, crew sizes, and shooting days while leveraging tax credits...
Is the Family-Friendly Box Office Revival for Real?
Family‑friendly releases are driving a noticeable box‑office resurgence this spring. Universal’s “Super Mario Galaxy” opened with $191 million domestic, slightly ahead of forecasts and close to the original’s $205 million Easter debut. The sequel’s success sits alongside strong performances from Pixar’s “Hoppers”...
ESPN Reportedly Set for Another Round of Layoffs
ESPN is preparing a new round of layoffs, targeting roughly 30 off‑camera employees in the coming weeks. The cuts stem largely from a $100 million revenue shortfall tied to last year’s YouTube TV blackout of ESPN networks. Sources say the reductions...
So You Made a Hit. Now the Real Hustle Starts
The Ankler column breaks down the post‑hit playbook for unscripted producers, using Jason Beekman’s Netflix No. 1 as a case study. It gathers advice from veteran creators like Mary Robertson, Anthony Carbone and Jen O’Connell on how to capitalize on momentum,...
Thursday TV Ratings: Law & Order: SVU, 9-1-1, Going Dutch, Ghosts, Trivial Pursuit
Thursday, April 2, 2026, featured a full slate of new episodes across major broadcast networks, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 9‑1‑1 and its Nashville spin‑off, Grey’s Anatomy, Ghosts, Trivial Pursuit, and several other series. The Fast Affiliate Numbers...
Zendaya Makes Her Case as A24’s Box Office Queen
Zendaya headlined A24’s romantic‑comedy *The Drama*, which opened to $14.4 million, placing it near the high end of pre‑release forecasts and among the studio’s three biggest openings behind *Civil War* and *Marty Supreme*. The film’s secret twist generated strong word‑of‑mouth, earning...
CBS Sells Byron Allen the 11:35 P.m. Timeslot Stephen Colbert Is Exiting / Jessica Lange Returns to American Horror Story...
CBS announced that media entrepreneur Byron Allen will take over the 11:35 p.m. slot on its late‑night block, a time previously anchored by Stephen Colbert, who is exiting the network. The move positions Allen’s company to program a two‑hour stretch of...
FOX's "Memory of a Killer" Renewed for Season Two
Fox has renewed the thriller series *Memory of a Killer* for a second season after the show amassed 16.2 million viewers across broadcast, streaming and encores, making it the network’s most‑streamed series ever. The premiere became the highest‑rated drama telecast of...
Savannah Guthrie Returns to Anchor Today: "Ready or Not, Let's Do the News" / Coca-Cola Remakes Classic 1971 “Hilltop” Ad...
Savannah Guthrie announced her return to NBC’s Today show, resuming her co‑anchor duties after a personal hiatus. Coca‑Cola unveiled a refreshed version of its iconic 1971 “Hilltop” commercial, blending nostalgic messaging with contemporary visuals. The Writers Guild of America reached...
My Lottery Dream Home, Zillow Gone Wild: HGTV Announces Premiere Dates for Reality Series
HGTV announced that its reality‑home‑tour series My Lottery Dream Home and Zillow Gone Wild will return on Friday, May 1, with back‑to‑back episodes at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. My Lottery Dream Home, a top‑5 program for adults 25‑54, attracts about 15.2 million...
Big Data Sports Viewership for the Week of March 23
TV Media Blog released its weekly sports viewership report for the week of March 23, ranking the top 75-plus telecasts using Nielsen's Big Data methodology. The list reflects linear television audiences and deliberately omits viewership from streaming platforms such as...
20th Television Developing “Girls Trip”
20th Television is developing a drama series titled “Girls Trip” in partnership with Kim Kardashian, who holds a first‑look deal with the studio. The show is co‑created and headlined by La La Anthony, with Tracy Oliver attached as writer. It follows a...