Allen Media Channels Coming to Lower-Priced YouTube TV Packages
YouTube TV and Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group have renewed a multi‑year carriage agreement that places Allen’s national cable networks, including The Weather Channel and Comedy.TV, in YouTube TV’s base package priced at $83 per month. The deal does not immediately extend those channels to the lower‑priced, genre‑based Entertainment ($55) and Sports ($65) plans, which currently omit several Allen Media, Paramount, AMC and Scripps networks. Google confirmed the channels will eventually appear in “select” plans, but gave no timeline. The announcement comes as Allen Media works to sell its local‑TV station portfolio to reduce debt.
Refuge Add Key Hires, Expands to California, New York, and New Jersey
Visual effects studio Refuge announced a strategic expansion into California, New York, and New Jersey, adding three new offices to its existing sites in Portland, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. The company also appointed four senior leaders: Jason Sperling as VFX Supervisor, Matthew...
CANAL+ App to Be Pre-Installed on Sharp TiVo TVs
CANAL+ announced a strategic partnership with Sharp Consumer Electronics to pre‑install its streaming app on Sharp Smart TVs powered by TiVo in Europe. The app will be pre‑loaded on models sold in France, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary,...
NBC Sports’ NBA Playoff Viewership Up 58%
NBC Sports reported that its NBA playoff coverage on NBC and Peacock averaged 4.9 million viewers during the first 13 games, a 58% increase over the same period last year. The surge created the most‑watched comparable playoff window since 1996 and...
YouTube TV Will Keep The Weather Channel in New Deal
YouTube TV has reached a new long‑term agreement with Allen Media Group that keeps The Weather Channel on its lineup, along with niche channels Comedy.TV, Justice Central and Recipe.TV. The Weather Channel was reportedly at risk of removal before negotiations...
Study: Paramount-WBD Deal Signals New Era of Streaming Scale
Parks Associates' latest research indicates that the proposed Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger would extend the combined company's reach to 57% of U.S. internet households, putting it on a level with Netflix, Google, Amazon and Disney. The study shows the four current...
AI Brands Are Pumping Ad Dollars Into Linear TV
Leading AI companies are pouring tens of millions of dollars into linear television advertising to shape public perception and drive adoption. By April 20, 2026, OpenAI has spent roughly $64.9 million, Google $81.7 million, Microsoft $34.4 million and Meta $64.2 million, amounts that nearly...
SEX PISTOLS Bassist GLEN MATLOCK's Autobiographical Documentary 'I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol' Set For Digital Release
The punk documentary "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol" will be available for purchase or rental on U.S. digital platforms starting May 26, with pre‑orders on Apple TV beginning May 12. Based on Glen Matlock’s memoir, the film details his role in the...
More Eye-Popping Mergers Ahead: Comcast And Charter?
Comcast and Charter are exploring a merger that would unite roughly 26 million video subscribers, representing about 20 percent of U.S. households. The deal is driven by two forces: a 15‑year decline in traditional pay‑TV subscriptions and the need to bolster weakening...
All William Hill SPFL Play-Offs to Be Streamed Live
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) will stream every play‑off match live for the first time through the Premier Sports Player platform. Matches not already on Sky Sports, BBC Scotland or BBC ALBA will be available on a pay‑per‑view basis at...
Roku’s New Home Screen Won’t Let You Go Back To The Old Version on Roku TVs & Roku Players, Over...
Roku announced a mandatory redesign of its home screen that will display larger, persistent ads and prioritize subscription apps, aiming to boost ad revenue and user engagement. The company also launched its first cloud DVR‑like features through a partnership with...
Zattoo Upgrades SRG Channels to Full HD
Zattoo is upgrading its Ultimate tier in Switzerland to stream all seven SRG SSR channels in Full HD, expanding its premium offering to 118 Full HD and 202 HD channels out of a total of 374. The enhancement arrives ahead...
Upfronts Advertisers Say They Want Outcomes – And Amazon Licks Its Chops
Amazon Ads is pivoting to outcome‑based TV advertising as advertisers demand measurable sales impact. The company unveiled upgrades—including an expanded Prime Video Insights beta, a new long‑term sales metric, and longer measurement look‑back windows—leveraging its proprietary Authenticated Graph. This graph...
Upfronts Advertisers Say They Want Outcomes – And Amazon Licks Its Chops
Amazon Ads is rolling out a suite of measurement upgrades aimed at TV and streaming advertisers who are demanding outcome‑based buying. The new Prime Video Insights beta lets brands match first‑party data to specific genres and shows, while a long‑term...
Vodafone Idea Forays Into Micodramas with Bullet Microdrama App
Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has partnered with Bullet Microdrama to add the latter’s short‑form library to its Vi Movies & TV OTT service. This marks the first telecom‑level microdrama deal in India and makes the content available to users at no charge. India accounted...
Women-Centered, Artist-Owned: A Q&A With Chera TV
Chera TV debuted this spring as the first artist‑owned vertical streaming platform, launching its inaugural drama *To Her Beat* for a one‑time price of $14.99. The service forgoes a subscription model, instead offering a gamified points system where 15,000 points...
The Kitchen: 25 Years of Serving Innovation
The Kitchen marks its 25th anniversary, having grown from a three‑person startup to a global localization powerhouse that serves major studios such as NBCUniversal, Paramount and the BBC. The company’s early software suite earned two Primetime Emmy Awards, cementing its...
SVG Sit Down: NEP America’s Mike Werteen on How Great Tech, Better People Drive Success
Mike Werteen, president of NEP Americas and global chief commercial officer, discussed how the company balances cost‑effective production with heavy capital investment amid a packed event calendar that includes the Super Bowl, Olympics, NBA All‑Star Weekend, World Cup and the...
Weekend Ratings (1-3/05/2026): Game Shows Outperform Sport
Australian free‑to‑air networks saw game shows eclipse sport in the weekend of May 1‑3, 2026. Seven’s "The 1% Club" attracted over 1.7 million viewers with 852,000 staying for the full hour, while Nine’s "The Floor" logged 1.59 million reach and ranked fourth‑most watched. Both formats outperformed...
Adeia Inc (ADEA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Adeia Inc. reported record 2025 results, posting $443 million in annual revenue and $182.6 million in Q4, surpassing the high end of its guidance. The quarter featured nine new licensing deals, including marquee agreements with Disney, Microsoft, and Major League Baseball, expanding...
7plus Tops April BVOD Rankings as Audience Climbs 50%
Seven’s free streaming service 7plus led Australia’s commercial BVOD market in April, securing a 43.4% share of viewing. The platform’s audience swelled 50.5% year‑over‑year, delivering more than 3.6 billion minutes of content, with live streaming—particularly AFL matches—showing the strongest growth. Strong...
2026 BAFTA TV Awards to Stream on HBO Max Australia
The 2026 BAFTA Television Awards will be streamed live on HBO Max Australia, debuting at 4:03 am AEST on Monday, 11 May. The ceremony, filmed at London’s Royal Festival Hall, is hosted by comedian Greg Davies. Warner Bros. Discovery secured five nominations, including The...
Horror ‘Hokum’ Leads Indie Weekend With $6.4 Million, No. 5 Spot — Specialty Box Office
Neon’s horror‑comedy *Hokum* opened on 1,885 screens, pulling in $6.4 million and landing at No. 5 in the North American box office behind four wide‑release blockbusters. The film was produced on a modest $5 million budget and has earned an 86% Rotten Tomatoes...
39 Seasons on, Home & Away Just Pulled Off a Most Impressive Feat.
Australian soap Home & Away delivered an unexpected ratings coup in its 39th season, topping all entertainment programs on Seven for four consecutive nights. Monday’s episode attracted 1.011 million live viewers, a 5 percent increase over the same week in 2025, while...
CEOs Welcome Extension of Commercial Broadcasting Tax Freeze
The Albanese government will extend the suspension of the Commercial Broadcasting Tax (CBT) for another two years, pushing the deadline to 8 June 2028. Free TV Australia estimates the measure will save the sector roughly $111.3 million Australian dollars (about $73 million USD). Industry...
Week 18 in TV Ratings
Week 18 of Australian TV ratings showed Seven dominating the week, driven by the long‑running drama Home & Away which broke the one‑million‑viewer mark and helped Seven win four entertainment nights. Seven News topped the news slot on Monday with 1.57 million viewers, while...
Roku and TCL Hit with Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Defective Roku TV Software Updates That Brick Smart Televisions
A federal class action has been filed against Roku Inc. and TCL North America alleging that automatic software updates have bricked thousands of Roku‑powered smart televisions. The complaint targets Roku Select and Plus series as well as TCL 3‑Series through...
Something Nefarious Is Happening in Your Living Room Every Time You Watch TV
Tech giants are turning smart TVs into extensions of smartphones, adding apps like Google Photos, YouTube summaries, and Instagram Reels to living‑room screens. This shift lets manufacturers and advertisers harvest detailed viewing data from the 77% of U.S. households with...
Dish Network Reaches Deal to Carry Gray Media TV Stations, Ending Dispute
Dish Network announced a new carriage agreement that restores dozens of Gray Media local TV stations, ending a dispute that began in March over an undisclosed demand. The settlement brings the stations back to Dish’s satellite lineup, though financial terms...
Pluto TV Adds 3 New Channels
Pluto TV announced three new free streaming channels—Adventure, Hometown Drama, and a dedicated Battlestar Galactica hub—bringing its linear lineup to roughly 403 channels. The Adventure channel delivers nonstop high‑stakes action, while Hometown Drama offers character‑driven stories set in small‑town America....
"Engrossing" British Crime Thriller with Perfect 100% Rating Jumps up Netflix's Trending Chart
British crime thriller *Prey* surged onto Netflix’s UK platform after its recent addition, climbing to the #5 spot on the streamer’s UK TV chart. The two‑season ITV series, starring Rosie Cavaliero, John Simm and Philip Glenister, has drawn strong viewership in...
Netflix Delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Movie for Big Theatrical Push in 2027
Netflix has postponed the theatrical debut of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s *The Magician’s Nephew* from Thanksgiving 2026 to February 12, 2027, with IMAX previews beginning on February 10. The film will enjoy a full theatrical window before arriving on Netflix’s streaming platform...
Dwayne Johnson & Kevin Hart’s Epic 2016 Comedy Is Coming To Hulu
Hulu will stream the 2016 buddy action comedy Central Intelligence on May 11, coinciding with the film’s 10th anniversary. The movie, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, originally grossed $216.9 million worldwide against a $50 million budget. It holds a 71% Rotten...
Netflix Touts Fiscal Impact on U.S. Economy to Lawmakers
Netflix hosted a bipartisan briefing at its Beverly Hills office on May 1, led by co‑CEO Ted Sarandos, to showcase the streamer’s fiscal footprint. The company reported a $225 billion contribution to the U.S. economy and the creation of over 150,000 jobs...
Beloved Sitcom with Near-Perfect Seasons Once Branded 'Funniest Show on TV' Gets New UK Home
Parks & Recreation, the acclaimed seven‑season sitcom starring Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt, is now streaming in the UK on Channel 4 and Sky. The series, which concluded in 2015, boasts a 93% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating and multiple seasons with...
FCC Tosses DirecTV Effort to Block Gray/Allen Media Deal
Gray Television completed a $171 million acquisition of ten full‑power stations from Allen Media Group, expanding into three new markets and consolidating in seven overlapping ones. The deal, initially slated for a year‑end close, faced a petition to block from satellite...
Gray Media, Dish Agree To Fresh Retrans Deal
Gray Media and Dish reached a new retransmission‑consent agreement, restoring Gray’s broadcast channels to Dish just before the Kentucky Derby. The blackout, which began on March 10, affected 113 DMAs and removed 54 NBC affiliates, including Louisville’s WAVE‑3, from Dish’s lineup....
BBC Studios, Lego Group Reveal New Lego Bluey Playsets
BBC Studios and the Lego Group announced four new Bluey playsets that will hit shelves worldwide on June 1. The range expands across Lego Duplo, 4+ and 5+ lines, targeting children aged 2 to 5+. Each set recreates iconic scenes from...
Harsh Deep Chhabra Joins Sony Pictures Networks India as Head – Strategy & New Business
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has appointed Harsh Deep Chhabra as Head of Strategy & New Business, reporting to CEO Gaurav Banerjee. Chhabra will shape SPNI’s long‑term direction, drive enterprise‑wide priorities and incubate new growth opportunities. He arrives with more...
Roku Adds 34 New Free Channels Featuring Beloved Classic TV Shows
Roku has added 34 new free, ad‑supported channels to its Roku Channel, each dedicated to a classic TV series. The lineup ranges from black‑and‑white staples like *Leave It to Beaver* to 2000s hits such as *Bones* and recent sitcoms like...
Near-Perfect "Twisted" Thriller Finally Confirms UK Release Date for New Season Branded 'Best Yet'
The sci‑fi thriller *From* has locked in its UK launch, with Sky One airing season 4 on Thursday, 14 May as a double‑bill. After the premiere, episodes will roll out weekly, giving UK fans a schedule distinct from the US MGM+ rollout. The...
Sneak Preview: Ultra-Low-Latency Sports Streaming From Stadium to Screen at Streaming Media Connect
On May 14, Elecard’s Victoria Tuzova will moderate a Streaming Media Connect panel titled “Need for Speed: Ultra‑Low‑Latency Sports Streaming From Stadium to Screen.” The discussion brings together senior leaders from Servers.com, Vindral, Stats Perform and Synamedia to dissect the full...
Japan Entertainment Startups Unlock Value by Fusing AI with Fan Culture
Japanese entertainment startups are merging artificial intelligence with the country’s deep‑rooted fan culture, creating platforms where users can design and converse with custom AI characters. Meltly’s Days AI app exemplifies this trend, offering personalized chatbot idols that blend conversational tech with...
10 Local ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC Are Getting New Owners
Gray Media and Allen Media Group have completed a $171 million deal to transfer ten television stations across ten U.S. markets. Gray acquired three new‑market stations in Mississippi and Indiana on March 26, 2026, and closed on seven overlapping stations on May 2,...
Radial Entertainment Releasing ‘Signal One’ in Theaters and On Demand June 5
Radial Entertainment will launch the sci‑fi drama “Signal One” in select theaters and on‑demand on June 5, 2026. Written and directed by Jonathon Sobol, the film stars Isabelle Fuhrman as a computer scientist hired by a tech billionaire to communicate with...
Fire Country, 3 More CBS Dramas To Get Reduced Episode Orders Next Season
CBS announced that four returning dramas will receive shorter seasons for 2026‑27. "Fire Country" drops from 20 to 13 episodes, while the NCIS spin‑offs "Origins" and "Sydney" will each run 10 episodes, down from 18‑20. "Matlock" also shrinks to 13...
Stumble Canceled At NBC
NBC announced the cancellation of the mockumentary comedy "Stumble" after just one season. The series, which debuted in November on NBC's Friday night slot, concluded its storyline with the Season 1 finale on March 13, effectively serving as a series finale. Starring...
Brilliant Minds Canceled At NBC
NBC announced the cancellation of the medical drama “Brilliant Minds” after two seasons. The series, starring Zachary Quinto as neurodivergent neurologist Oliver Wolf and loosely based on Dr. Oliver Sacks, had its final six episodes set for a May 27 release. The...
Save The Dates: J.Lo's Office Romance On Netflix, My Adventures With Superman Season 3, And More
Netflix is set to debut the romantic comedy "Office Romance" starring Jennifer Lopez as airline CEO Jackie Cruz and Brett Goldstein, a "Ted Lasso" favorite, on June 5. The film pairs the two leads in a high‑stakes office love story that...
Screen Forever 2026: “The Entire Pie Has Shrunk”
Helium CEO Mark Fennessy warned that independent producers face the toughest commissioning climate in years, with free‑to‑air scripted orders collapsing and streaming services yet to fill the gap. He noted that the overall “pie” of available work has shrunk worldwide,...