FCC Urges Appeals Court to Toss Challenges to Nexstar-Tegna Deal
The Federal Communications Commission is asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss antitrust challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger. The appeals were filed by broadband trade groups, DirecTV and Newsmax after a district court denied an emergency stay. The FCC argues that under 47 U.S.C. § 155(c)(7) the court lacks jurisdiction to review a staff order. A separate California court has already issued a preliminary injunction against the deal.
Warner Bros. Studios Balloons Q1 Operating Income 199% to $775 Million
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Studios segment posted Q1 operating income of $775 million, a 199% increase year‑over‑year, while revenue rose 35% to $3.1 billion. Content revenue jumped 37% to $2.93 billion, driven by theatrical and TV licensing gains linked to the rollout of HBO...
Beloved British Spy Thriller Branded "Gorgeous" And "Compelling TV" Lands New UK Home
The Night Manager, the acclaimed BBC spy thriller starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman, has been added to Disney+ and Prime Video in the UK, but only its first season is available on those services. Season 2 remains exclusive to BBC...
Warner Bros. Discovery Posts $2.91 Billion Q1 Net Loss Due to Paramount Skydance Transaction Costs
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a staggering $2.91 billion net loss for Q1, a sharp rise from the $453 million loss a year earlier. The loss stems primarily from refundable transaction costs tied to the pending Paramount‑Skydance merger. Total revenue slipped 1% to...
Paramount Australia Merges Sales Teams as GRANT MADIGAN Starts New Role
Paramount Australia has merged its linear TV and digital advertising sales into a single commercial unit, creating a unified sales proposition for advertisers. The restructuring follows the exit of longtime sales chief Rod Prosser after 15 years and introduces Grant...
Warner Bros. Discovery Ups Q1 Streaming Operating Income 29%, Revenue Increases 9% to $2.9 Billion
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a 29% jump in streaming operating income to $438 million in Q1, while total streaming revenue rose 9% to nearly $2.9 billion. Distribution revenue led the growth, increasing 9% to $2.53 billion, and advertising revenue from HBO Max’s ad‑supported tier...
Kara Lawson Took Amazon Job to Scout WNBA Players for Team USA
Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson has taken a WNBA analyst role with Amazon Prime Video for the 2026 season. The streaming service will broadcast 31 games, ensuring every WNBA franchise appears at least once. Lawson says the job lets...
Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans
Victory+ has secured a multi‑year partnership making it the first third‑party streaming home for Dallas Cowboys original programming. The free, ad‑supported platform will deliver live and on‑demand content, from draft coverage to weekly press conferences, to fans in North Texas...
FOXTEL Rollout Brings 4K Sport to Mining Camps Nationwide
Foxtel Group has deepened its partnership with mining giant Fortescue, rolling out its Business iQ platform to more than 10,000 employees across 11 remote accommodation villages. Approximately 11,500 screens will be upgraded to deliver 4K Ultra HD sport and entertainment via...
Cord Cutting Today: Roku Adds 15 Free Channels as Paramount Pushes Forward With Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
Roku announced the addition of 15 free live channels to its TV and player ecosystem, expanding its ad‑supported offering with niche feeds such as live police dispatch and Alaska State Troopers. At the same time, Paramount reported significant progress in...
CNN Has a New Suitor Who Wants to Buy It
Veteran media mogul Barry Diller told attendees at the WSJ Future of Everything Festival that he would purchase CNN "right now" if the chance arose. He highlighted the network’s strong brand but warned that its current trajectory risks losing relevance...
Peacock Says 152nd Kentucky Derby Most-Streamed Horse Race Ever
Peacock announced that the 152nd Kentucky Derby attracted an average minute audience of 1.9 million, a 28% rise from the previous year. The platform, together with NBC Sports, delivered a record total audience delivery (TAD) of 19.3 million, up 9% YoY. NBCUniversal...
Harry Potter Series Renewed At HBO Ahead Of December Premiere
HBO announced a second season of its Harry Potter series ahead of the show's December debut, accelerating the original 2027 timeline. Production on Season 2, which will adapt the second book, is slated to begin this fall. The series added Jon...
Clifford Is Coming Back… And Pbs Is Making Him Bigger than Ever
PBS Kids announced a new animated reboot of Clifford the Big Red Dog slated for 2027. The series, produced by 9 Story Media Group with animation by Brown Bag Films, will consist of 26 eleven‑minute episodes that emphasize comedy and...
FIFA World Cup 2026: Peacock Launches Visión De Campo (Aka Pitchside Live), Will Stream All 104 Matches in Spanish
Peacock will stream every one of the 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Spanish, pairing Telemundo's exclusive commentary with Dolby Atmos sound. The service debuts Visión de Campo, a vertically optimized, multi‑angle mobile view that lets fans watch the...
AFM Announces Theme for 2026 Event, With 90 Exhibitors Confirmed
The American Film Market (AFM) unveiled its first unifying theme, “The New Global Screen Economy,” for the 2026 edition. The six‑day event will run Nov 10‑15, 2026 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, with screenings at AMC Century City 15. Organizers...
Sky Extends Formula 1 Rights Deal Into Next Decade
Sky Group has extended its exclusive Formula 1 rights in the UK and Ireland through the 2034 season and in Italy through 2032, adding a five‑year extension worth roughly $254 million per season, up from about $164 million. The deal covers every practice,...
Fubo Integrates Hulu + Live TV Into Package Options On Its Homepage
Fubo has updated its homepage to showcase Hulu + Live TV as a selectable option alongside its own streaming packages. The Hulu bundle is priced at $89.99 per month and offers more than 95 channels, while Fubo’s plans range from $73.99 to $103.99...
CNN Legend Christiane Amanpour Expresses Concern About Ellison Takeover
Christian Amanpour warned that Paramount Skydance’s planned takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, which would merge CBS News and CNN, could jeopardize editorial independence. She cited the recent decline in viewers and revenue at CBS’s *60 Minutes* after Skydance assumed control, suggesting similar interference may...
"Moreish" Thriller Branded "Guaranteed, Preposterous Fun" Jumps to UK Streamer's Number One Spot
Channel 5’s new thriller *Number One Fan* has vaulted to the top of the broadcaster’s streaming chart, driven by the star power of Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay. All four episodes are now available on the 5 app, with the series...
Paramount+ and DSports Take the FIFA World Cup to Latin America
Paramount+ and DSports have forged a strategic alliance to broadcast every one of the 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across six key Latin American markets—Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. The partnership delivers 24/7 live streams...
Mourning 'The Mouth of the South'
On the day Ted Turner died, CNN’s chief correspondent Christiane Amanpour warned that the network’s independence could be compromised under new owner David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance. The Anti‑Defamation League reported a 33% decline in antisemitic incidents to 6,274 in 2025, though...
Teads & Lumen Research Bring Proven Attention Science to CTV for Omnichannel Impact
Teads announced an expanded partnership with Lumen Research to embed attention‑measurement technology into its connected‑TV (CTV) HomeScreen inventory. Lumen’s eye‑tracking models generate an industry‑first attention prediction for CTV, giving advertisers a quantifiable view of how viewers engage with ads across...
Nathan Little Hand-Animated Sydney the Song Cat For Four Years, Then YouTube Demonitized It As ‘Inauthentic Content’
Nathan Little, a veteran TV animator, has been producing hand‑drawn "Sydney the Song Cat" shorts on YouTube since 2022, amassing millions of views across platforms. On April 12, YouTube demonetized his channel, labeling the content "inauthentic" despite no AI involvement...
Co-Viewing For The Big Screen: How Big A Deal Is This Now?
Nielsen’s latest co‑viewing pilot, using wearable devices, recorded a 4.2% lift in total viewers for February—a month packed with marquee live TV events such as the Super Bowl, Olympics ceremonies, and the NBA All‑Star Game. The wearables provide a more...
Pixalate Releases Global Q1 2026 Rankings For Connected TV Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) Bundle IDs With Highest IVT Rates: ‘Sling...
Pixalate released its Q1 2026 rankings of Free Ad‑Supported TV (FAST) bundle IDs with the highest invalid‑traffic (IVT) rates across Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV and Amazon Fire TV. The study examined over 4 billion global impressions from more than 7,000 CTV apps. Sling TV led Roku...
Beta Film Announces Sales to Spain and Portugal for Empathy, Plus Negotiations in Latam
Beta Film has secured broadcast deals for the Canadian‑French series Empathy in Spain and Portugal, adding to recent premieres in Australia and Greece. The Crave and Canal+ original has already logged more than 10 million views on Canal+ France and collected...
Netflix Appoints Raghav Raj Kodesia to Original Films & Licensing Role
Netflix has named Raghav Raj Kodesia as head of its Original Films & Licensing division in India. Kodesia joins from Saregama, where he led artists and repertoire, and previously held senior roles at Team India Champions, Arré, and ZEE5. His...
Disney Tops Expectations as D’Amaro Spotlights Streaming Growth
Disney reported Q2 2026 revenue of $25.2 billion, up 7%, and adjusted EPS of $1.57, surpassing forecasts. Streaming operating income surged 88% as Disney+ and Hulu added new titles and expanded international originals. CEO Josh D’Amaro highlighted a strategy centered on streaming,...
‘The Amazing Maurice’ Outfit Cantilever Media & Architect Launch Sales On Family Animation ‘Christmas Inc.’ — Cannes Market
Cantilever Media and sales agency Architect have launched the family animation "Christmas Inc." at Cannes, marking the second film from their new joint venture to co‑sell and finance animated features. The movie, produced with ReDefine Originals and UK‑Ireland rights held by...
Keshet’s The Search Gets Two Further Adaptations in Spain
Keshet International’s game‑show format “The Search,” broadcast in Spain as “Sopa de Letras,” is receiving two new adaptations. Telemadrid will debut a €10,000 (≈$10,800) jackpot version hosted by journalist Jota Abril, while Aragón TV launches a children’s spin‑off, Sopa de...
New Disney CEO Reveals the AI Enhancements Coming to Disney+
Disney reported a 7% revenue rise to $25.2 billion in Q2, with SVOD revenue up 13% and Disney+ positioned as the digital centerpiece. New CEO Josh D’Amaro announced AI‑driven hyper‑personalized recommendations and ad‑targeting across Disney+ and ESPN, aiming to reduce churn...
Why Standards Rigour Remains Broadcast’s Most Important Asset and Its Most Under-Appreciated
Corporate buyers are demanding broadcast‑grade video quality, but broadcast vendors have been slow to simplify products for non‑specialist users. Recent introductions such as Kiloview’s AVX24‑4 MediaHub and AJA’s BRIDGE LIVE IP signal a tentative shift, yet most pro AV customers...
Mubi Selects Bitmovin to Power Cloud-Based VOD Platform
Mubi, the British curated‑film streaming service, has replaced its on‑premises encoding hardware with Bitmovin’s managed cloud‑based VOD platform. The new solution delivers three‑pass encoding, ultra‑HD output and a multi‑codec suite that includes AVC, HEVC and AV1. Migration was finished ahead...
This Chart Shows You Why the NFL Is the only Thing that Matters on TV
The NFL’s 2026 Super Bowl will be the year’s most‑watched TV event, and the league’s regular‑season games continue to dwarf all other programming. Nielsen data cited by the NFL shows an average of nearly 20 million viewers per broadcast, compared with...
Amazon Chairing RTS London 2026 With International Boss Kelly Day Set To Address The Convention
Amazon will chair the Royal Television Society’s London convention in 2026, with international VP Kelly Day delivering the keynote address. Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios are named principal sponsors for the first time, underscoring Amazon’s growing influence in UK...
Watch: Minister ‘Just Not in Favour’ of Regulating Social Media, Says BSA Axing ‘Simplest Thing to Do’
The New Zealand government announced plans to abolish the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), arguing that the regulator was designed for a bygone broadcasting era. Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith said extending the BSA to cover podcasts and social media would...
ARN Taps Shauna Anderson and Elle Bowles for iHeart Expansion
Australian Radio Network (ARN) has hired former Nine.com.au editor Shauna Anderson as Director of Content for its iHeart platform, while Elle Bowles joins as Senior Manager of iHeart LIVE. Anderson will oversee podcast strategy, talent development and branded content, reporting...
The Direct Supply Myth: Why CTV Inventory Looks Better Coming From A Streamer Than Directly From A Publisher
Industry advocates have promoted “direct supply” in CTV as a shortcut to transparency and efficiency. In practice, most impressions travel through OEM and streamer distribution agreements that grant those partners control over ad decisioning, signal access, and pod composition. This...
TV Ratings (5/5/2026): Nine Edges Ahead In Quiz Show Showdown
Nine Network dominated Thursday’s primetime ratings, with "Tipping Point Australia" pulling a national reach of 1.511 million and an average audience of 792,000, making it the top non‑news program. Close behind, Nine’s "The Hundred with Andy Lee" logged 1.508 million reach and...
WBD Talks Streaming Wins, Linear Outlook
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav confirmed the Paramount‑Skydance merger will close in Q3 2026, while sidestepping analyst questions. He highlighted that HBO Max already exceeded its 140 million subscriber guidance for Q1, driven by launches in the U.K., Ireland, Germany...
What D’Amaro Has in Mind for Disney
Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro is steering the company toward disciplined execution, targeting investments in storytelling, streaming, technology and live sports. He frames Disney+ as a strategic platform rather than a mere product, aiming to tighten the subscriber loop and...
Ted Turner: The GOAT of Cable
Ted Turner, the 87‑year‑old media pioneer who died this week, reshaped cable television through a string of groundbreaking ventures. He turned an Atlanta UHF station into the TBS SuperStation, used satellite to reach national cable operators, and launched CNN in...
Policy, Politics and Profit
FCC Chairman Jessica Carr abruptly ordered an early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses, compressing filings due in 2028‑2031 into a month‑end deadline. The move follows President Trump’s public demand that ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel after a controversial joke, marking the...
Disney’s Latest Takes on Linear, NFL Renewal
Disney’s CFO Hugh Johnston used the Q2 2026 earnings call to signal that the company now treats its linear TV networks as content brands rather than standalone businesses. He noted that linear revenue is shrinking, contributing less than half of...
Netflix Is Removing Jenna Coleman's "Stunning" British Crime Thriller Very Soon
Netflix will pull the British crime thriller Jackdaw from its catalog on May 26, ending the streaming window for the Jenna Coleman‑led film. The 2023 release, directed by Jamie Childs, follows a disgraced motocross champion entangled in a night‑long kidnapping...
NFL Schedule Release Timing Remains a Mystery as Ad Upfronts Loom
The NFL has not confirmed a release date for its 2026‑27 schedule, risking a delay beyond the May 11 deadline that NBCUniversal and Fox need for their upfront presentations. League VP Mike North hinted the schedule could emerge in the second...
Airdate: Media Movers
James Manning, former Mediaweek editor and veteran commentator, launches the revived Media Movers show on the Ticker platform. After a decade on SKY News Business, the series will air Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Australian time starting May 6, featuring in‑depth interviews with media executives....
Hit Show Tracker on the Run From Vancouver, Production Lured to California by Tax Credit
The CBS drama Tracker, starring Justin Hartley, will film its fourth season in Los Angeles after receiving a $48 million U.S. tax credit. The move ends three seasons of production in British Columbia, where the series generated $129 million in qualified spending...
Scripps Channels Restored to Comcast’s Xfinity TV Under New Deal
Comcast and the E.W. Scripps Company have reached a new carriage agreement that restores Scripps-owned local stations and national networks to Xfinity TV in markets such as Detroit, San Diego, Tucson and Baltimore. The blackout, which began in early April...