WSJ: Rupert Murdoch Spoke to White House About NFL Streaming Deals
Rupert Murdoch recently spoke with senior White House officials about the NFL's upcoming five‑game media rights package, which is attracting interest from both traditional broadcasters and streaming giants. The league is reportedly weighing a split that could see YouTube and Netflix each secure a portion of the games, while keeping broadcast TV in the mix. NFL leadership has publicly praised streamers as potentially more fan‑friendly than cable, signaling a shift in distribution strategy. The discussion underscores the political and commercial stakes of the league’s evolving media model.
Warner Says Linear Is A Millstone, Disney Says It’s Not; Vertical Short Form’s Next Play
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a 20% jump in streaming ad revenue and a rise in streaming EBITDA to $438 million, but its linear TV segment continued to erode, with global linear revenue down 8% and distribution revenue falling 7%. The decline...
Fox's Rupert Murdoch Lobbied Trump to Act over NFL Streaming Deals / Jersey Shore Will Live on, Creator Predicts /...
Rupert Murdoch met with President Trump in February to warn that allowing streaming services to acquire more NFL game rights could undermine traditional broadcast networks. Murdoch argued that a shift toward digital platforms would erode Fox's advertising revenue and audience...
"Forever" Season 2 Starts Production in Los Angeles
Netflix has begun filming season 2 of its drama series “Forever” in Los Angeles. The eight‑episode season introduces three new regulars—Malaika Guttoh, Avery Wills Jr., and Tre McBride—while retaining the original core cast. Grammy‑winning Khris Riddick‑Tynes joins as executive music producer, with Kier Lehman returning as...
Law & Order: Season 26; NBC Police Drama Getting Renewed for 2026-27
NBC has officially renewed Law & Order for a 26th season slated for the 2026‑27 broadcast year. The 25th season, concluding next Thursday, posted a 0.24 rating in the 18‑49 demographic and attracted 3.66 million viewers, marking a 20% dip in...
Netflix Reportedly Closing in on Five-Game NFL Package, YouTube Could Wind up with ‘Nothing’
Netflix is reportedly close to securing a five‑game NFL package for the 2026 season, covering two Christmas matchups, the Week 1 Australia game, a Thanksgiving‑Eve contest and a Week 18 Saturday game. The deal would extend Netflix’s growing partnership with the league,...
Law & Order to Be Renewed by NBC for Season 26 After Finding Itself on the Bubble
NBC announced a renewal of the flagship procedural drama Law & Order for a 26th season, slated for the 2026‑27 broadcast year. The series, which has hovered on the renewal "bubble" amid modest ratings, secured the order after internal negotiations...
Tuesday TV Ratings: Farmer Wants a Wife, NCIS, Will Trent, NBA Playoffs, WWE NXT
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 saw a mixed lineup of new episodes and sports, including fresh installments of Will Trent, NCIS, Farmer Wants a Wife, and Bear Grylls is Running Wild, alongside the 2026 NBA Playoffs and WWE NXT. Ratings were compiled using Fast Affiliate...
“Messi: The Forgotten Tape” Coming Soon To ESPN & Disney+
Disney announced a new documentary short, “Messi: The Forgotten Tape / Messi: La Cinta Olvidada,” set to debut on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. ET. The film revisits a little‑known 2004 episode when a VHS highlight reel was shipped to...
🎧 Disney’s Super App Era Arrives. What Does It Mean?
Disney’s earnings call revealed a strategic push toward a "super app" that bundles Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, park ticketing, merchandise and gaming into a single platform. New CEO Josh D’Amaro emphasized data‑driven personalization and cross‑selling to deepen subscriber engagement. The move...
“Hamilton” Coming Soon To 4K UHD Blu-Ray For The First Time
Disney announced that the filmed Broadway production of "Hamilton" will debut on 4K UHD Blu‑Ray on June 16, 2026, after years of exclusive streaming on Disney+. The Collector’s Edition bundles the performance with a new documentary, sing‑along track, art cards,...
More Netflix-NFL Footsie & Deal Extensionitis
The NFL is actively pursuing a new streaming partnership with Netflix as it eyes the next season’s rights package. Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly defended the move in a Vanity Fair interview, emphasizing Netflix’s distribution power. The league is also facing...
Disney Bets on AI -- and the Backlash Against It
Disney announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI to license its characters for the AI video app Sora, positioning generative AI as a long‑term strategic opportunity. However, OpenAI abruptly shut down Sora in March, prompting Disney to suspend the planned investment....
Netflix Tests Its Own AI-Powered Voice Search
Netflix has begun beta testing an AI‑powered native voice search, letting users press the remote’s Netflix button and speak natural‑language requests for recommendations. The feature offers preset prompts such as “I need a good cry” and an “Ask” option that...
If Wishes Could Kill Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date
*If Wishes Could Kill* has surged to the top of Netflix’s non‑English chart, logging 7.5 million weekly views and ranking #1 in 24 countries. The Korean YA horror mystery blends supernatural scares with high‑school drama across eight episodes. While the series...
Crowdfunding: A New Alternative to Financing Difficulties in French Animation
A French animated feature, Jim Queen, turned to community crowdfunding to cover a shortfall in its budget and premiered a partially funded cut at Cannes’ midnight slot. The film raised roughly €200,000 (about $215,000) from fans, supplementing traditional tax credits...
"Etty" (Les Films Du Poisson): Arte's New Series Hits Cinemas Before TV Broadcast
Arte’s upcoming flagship series "Etty," written by Israeli screenwriter Hagai Levi, has secured CNC approval for a limited theatrical run before its television debut. The co‑production with Les Films du Poisson will see the show screened in cinemas this spring,...
Relations Between Distributors and Exhibitors: Why Are Tensions Rising?
A leaked internal email, first reported by Le Monde, has highlighted growing friction between film distributors and theatrical exhibitors. The correspondence reveals disputes over shrinking theatrical windows, revenue‑share formulas, and the impact of streaming platforms on traditional box‑office earnings. Industry...
Narrativ Nation: Producing Without Imposed Formats
Narrativ Nation, a Brussels‑based production house, has finished shooting its 90‑minute TV movie Le Sein de Jupiter in Lille. The film is a majority‑French co‑production that originated in Belgium, reflecting the company’s cross‑border financing model. Co‑founder Dylan Klass says the...
Product Placement in Unscripted Programs: A Growing Debate
Product placement remains prohibited in all French television formats except cinematic works, audiovisual fiction, and music videos. On April 30, Jérôme Caza, a producer at 2P2L and president of the Syndicate of Producers and Creators of Audiovisual Programs (SPECT), published...
SNL UK Renewed for a 12-Episode Season 2, Will Return in the Fall
Sky has green‑lit a second season of Saturday Night Live UK, expanding the order to 12 episodes slated for a fall 2026 launch. The decision comes despite the show’s modest live ratings, which were offset by strong online engagement and...
DAZN’s ViewLift Bet Is A Play To Control Local TV’s Post-RSN Future
DAZN has acquired streaming platform ViewLift for $100 million, turning the company into a full‑stack provider for local sports distribution. The deal equips DAZN with technology to build, bill and stream team‑specific services, offering a single‑vendor alternative to the fragmented post‑RSN...
NBA First-Round Viewership Makes Expected Jump as Broadcast Exposure Pays Dividends
The NBA’s first‑round playoffs averaged 4.0 million viewers, a 22% jump from the prior year and the highest‑rated opening round since 1993. NBC’s new partnership delivered 15 broadcast games that averaged 5.5 million viewers, up 61% year‑over‑year, highlighted by a Game 7 between...
Shrinking REALLY REALLY Wants That Emmy Nod
Apple TV+ drama "Shrinking" has intensified its Emmy push, staging two additional For Your Consideration events after earlier screenings. The series, starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, has garnered strong critical praise but remains on the fringe of major awards...
James Murdoch’s School of Hard Vox
James Murdoch is close to finalizing a deal with Jim Bankoff to acquire New York magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network for well over $300 million. The acquisition would combine a premium print title with a fast‑growing audio portfolio, creating a...
Highway to Heaven Reboot Ordered by Fox for the 2027-28 Season
Fox has ordered a straight‑to‑series reboot of the 1980s drama "Highway to Heaven," tapping Jason Katims' production company to shepherd the project. The original series, starring Michael Landon, was a top‑20 hit in its first two seasons before ratings slipped...
Tube Trends: How YouTube Has Turned Itself Into a Sports Hub
YouTube has evolved from a distraction to a central hub for sports content, with viewership exploding worldwide. Tubular Labs data shows sports videos on the platform rose from 1.2 trillion views in 2024 to 1.7 trillion in 2025, a 42% increase, while...
Fox Orders Highway to Heaven Reboot From Jason Katims
Fox has ordered a reboot of the classic NBC series "Highway to Heaven," with acclaimed creator Jason Katims attached to helm the project. The new version will be produced in partnership with Amblin Television and is slated for a 2027...
Oscar Isaac Is Set to Lead Netflix’s Las Vegas Casino Drama / James Marsden to Star in Apple TV Thriller...
Oscar Isaac will headline Netflix’s upcoming Las Vegas casino drama, developed by the creators of “Billions” with Martin Scorsese attached as executive producer. Apple TV+ announced James Marsden as the lead of a new thriller series, adding to its push...
Netflix, Obamas & the Death of Vanity Deals — Yes, Writers Win
In 2018 the Obamas launched Higher Ground with an exclusive Netflix overall deal, but the streaming giant has now reduced it to a first‑look arrangement, allowing the company to shop projects elsewhere. Similar downgrades have hit Prince Harry and Meghan’s...
Would Ted Turner Have Prevented the Downward Spiral of Television’s Economic Value, Reputation, and Advertiser Commitment?
Ted Turner's failed 1985 bid to acquire CBS marked a turning point, as the broadcast industry chose preservation over the disruptive vision that had built CNN and cable networks. The ensuing decades saw a cascade of mega‑mergers—Viacom‑Paramount, AOL‑Time Warner, AT&T‑Time...
Claim of the Day: All Finns Watch Classical Concerts
Finnish Radio extended British conductor Nicholas Collon's contract and reported that 4.3 million viewers tuned in to Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra concerts in 2025. With Finland’s total population at roughly 5.7 million, the outlet suggested that almost every Finn watches classical concerts....
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins: Season Two Renewal Set for NBC Comedy Series
NBC has officially renewed the sports‑centric sitcom *The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins* for a second ten‑episode season, extending the story of disgraced football star Reggie Dinkins into the 2026‑27 broadcast year. The first season, created by Robert Carlock...
Wednesday Briefing: Serie A Consider Media Company for International TV Rights Sale
Serie A is evaluating the creation of a stand‑alone media company to sell its international television rights, potentially bringing in financial investors while keeping governance separate from the league. The proposal is in an early exploratory phase and follows earlier...
When IP Travels, Where Does Value Go?
The column argues that intellectual property (IP) is evolving from static formats into an operating system that circulates across broadcast, streaming, FAST, YouTube and social channels. As IP travels, value can be extractive, transitional or compounding, with each movement either...
Saturday TV Ratings 5/2/26: Saturday Night Live Ratings to Come, NBA Playoffs Hit 27-Year High for First Round Game, Kentucky...
Saturday night television on May 2, 2026 delivered a standout performance for NBC as the NBA playoff matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics drew 8.86 million viewers, registering a 2.16 rating and a 30 share in the coveted 18‑49...
Saturday TV Ratings: 48 Hours, The Go-Gos, NHL Hockey, NBA Playoffs, MLB Baseball
Saturday, May 2, 2026 TV ratings show CBS’s true‑crime series 48 Hours maintained steady viewership amid a busy sports lineup that featured MLB, the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs and NBA playoffs. The Go‑Go’s special attracted a modest audience, while reruns...
NBC Renews The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins for Season 2
NBC has renewed the sports‑mockumentary comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" for a second season, announced roughly a month after its debut. The series stars Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe, mixing scripted humor with documentary‑style sports storytelling. Strong...
The Summer I Turned Pretty Creator Jenny Han and Amazon Urge Fans to Stop Visiting and Filming the Movie Set
Creator Jenny Han and Amazon have publicly asked fans to stop visiting and filming the set of the upcoming "The Summer I Turned Pretty" movie after several users posted behind‑the‑scenes footage on social media. The appeal highlights concerns over safety,...
‘Swapped’ Hits For Netflix and Skydance Animation With 15.5M Views In Opening Weekend
Netflix and Skydance Animation’s new film Swapped opened to 15.5 M views and 26.4 M hours watched in its first three days, landing at #2 on the platform’s global weekly top‑10 chart. The debut is the second‑best Friday opening for a Netflix animated...
Goodell Praises Streamers, Suggests Netflix “Bigger” Than some Nets
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised streaming platforms as potentially more fan‑friendly than traditional cable, highlighting Netflix’s reach as larger than several regional broadcast affiliates. The league is actively exploring a new five‑game streaming rights package and has been meeting with...
Inside Netflix: How to Sell a Show There Right Now
The post breaks down how creators can successfully pitch shows to Netflix, outlining the streamer’s current content appetite and spending outlook. It highlights that under content chief Bela Bajaria, Netflix continues to chase female‑driven thrillers, action series, YA dramas, and...
RSNs Are Crumbling—Now What? The New Playbook for Local Sports
The traditional regional sports network (RSN) model is collapsing as leagues renegotiate distribution and streaming platforms step in. Local broadcast stations are attempting to fill the void, while direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) services launch their own sports streams. Madhive’s VP Anthony Campanella...
Comcast Concerned About Future of Exclusive NFL Network Games Amid Carriage Dispute
Comcast’s Xfinity has blacked out NFL Network for five days as it renegotiates carriage terms with Disney, the network’s new owner. The dispute centers on Comcast’s demand for a binding guarantee that NFL Network will continue to air at least...
"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" Renewed for Season Two
NBC has renewed the freshman comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" for a second season after its debut episode drew over 14 million viewers, making it the #1 comedy telecast of the 2025‑26 season across broadcast networks. The show...
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
NBC and its streaming arm Peacock delivered a record‑breaking 11.0 million total audience for the 76ers‑Celtics Game 7, the most‑watched first‑round matchup in NBA history. The broadcast also logged a 9.2 million TV‑only average and a 1.8 million average‑minute audience on Peacock, underscoring the...
NHL Digital Ad Infiltrates Man’s Skull on ESPN Broadcast
During the third period of the Flyers‑Hurricanes playoff game, ESPN’s digital ad overlay malfunctioned, projecting a rotating board advertisement onto a fan’s head as his shadow blocked the camera. The glitch placed the ad directly over the fan’s skull, creating...
Son of a Critch: Season Four — Has the CW TV Series Been Cancelled or Renewed?
Son of a Critch, a coming‑of‑age comedy based on Mark Critch’s memoir, airs on The CW and CBC. Season three delivered a 0.05 rating in the 18‑49 demo with 304,000 live‑plus‑same‑day viewers, a modest rise in demo but an 8%...
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
FOX Saturday Baseball attracted 2.13 million viewers on May 2, highlighted by the Cardinals’ 3‑2 win over the Dodgers. That figure represents a 9% increase over last year’s full‑season average of 1.96 million. Across the season to date, the broadcast averages 2.16 million viewers,...
MGM+ Releases First Look at "American Hostage" Starring Emmy Award Winner Jon Hamm
MGM+ unveiled a first‑look trailer for "American Hostage," an eight‑part psychological thriller starring Emmy winner Jon Hamm. The series adapts the acclaimed true‑crime scripted podcast about 1970s Indianapolis reporter Fred Heckman and hostage‑taker Tony Kiritsis. Co‑created by Shawn Ryan and...