TV Ratings (9/4/2026): 1.4M People Tune Into The NRL For A ‘Famous Night’
The NRL broadcast of the Canterbury‑Bankstown Bulldogs’ 16‑point victory over the Penrith Panthers attracted more than 1.4 million viewers, with a national average audience of 699,000. The upset ended the Panthers’ five‑game winning streak and marked the Bulldogs’ third win of the season, highlighted by the return of centre Bronson Xerri after captain Stephen Crichton’s injury. Seven’s AFL coverage still led the night with a reach of 2.0 million viewers and an average of 667,000, while Network 10’s Gogglebox drew 864,000. The ratings shift underscores growing competition for Australian sports audiences.
Sport Draws Crowds and a Drama Feat on Thursday
Thursday’s Australian TV ratings showed sport driving viewership, with the NRL broadcast attracting 699,000 viewers and narrowly surpassing the AFL Gather Round. Nine Network led the national audience tally at 699,000, just ahead of Seven’s 667,000. Seven’s entertainment flagship Home...
Sling TV Launches “Essential” Pack with ESPN, Disney Channel
Sling TV introduced a new $20 per month "Sling Essentials" package that bundles ESPN, ESPN2 and more than a dozen family and classic channels, including Disney Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The offering pulls content from the existing Sling...
Shudder Lands Streaming Rights to “Tales From the Crypt”
AMC Global Media, operating under the Shudder brand, secured domestic streaming rights to HBO’s classic horror anthology “Tales from the Crypt.” The series will launch on Shudder on May 1, marking its first appearance on any streaming platform. All seven seasons...
Series A Free Weekender on DAZN
DAZN is offering UK and Ireland viewers a free weekend of Serie A Matchday 32 from April 10‑13, covering seven live fixtures. The promotion includes high‑stakes games such as Inter Milan versus Como, a potential title‑clinching showdown, and a relegation battle featuring Jamie Vardy’s...
Disney+ Orders 3 More Seasons of Welcome to Wrexham
Disney+ has committed to three additional seasons of the Emmy‑winning docuseries *Welcome to Wrexham*, extending the show to an eighth season that will run through 2029. The renewal arrives as season five, which chronicles Wrexham AFC’s unprecedented chase for Premier...
Quiet Achiever Acast Says ‘Authentic Integration Is on the Rise’
Acast, the Swedish‑founded podcast network, has secured the return of Abbie Chatfield’s “It’s A Lot” podcast and highlighted a surge in “authentic integration” where ads extend beyond audio to social and video platforms. The company leverages its global footprint in...
CFX Download on the Vertical Video Revolution
Vertical video is rapidly becoming a staple in direct‑to‑consumer streaming, with ESPN, Fox One and Peacock now offering curated playlists of sports highlights in portrait mode. ESPN is pushing the envelope by using artificial intelligence to produce a bite‑sized, personalized...
GAM Going With CTS
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has signed a multiyear agreement with Great American Media (GAM) to provide managed channel origination, playout and transmission services via the Comcast MediaOrigination platform. The partnership will cover GAM's linear channels, including Great American Family and...
Chernobyl Making FTA Debut on Sky Mix
Sky will debut its original drama Chernobyl on free‑to‑air TV via Sky Mix (Freeview channel 11) starting April 10, marking the 40th anniversary of the nuclear disaster. The series, co‑produced with HBO, previously won nine BAFTAs, multiple Golden Globes and Primetime Emmys,...
TNT Sports, DAZN Launch US Boxing Partnership
TNT Sports and DAZN have formed a U.S.-only partnership to launch a monthly boxing series called "The Fight," debuting on July 4. The collaboration brings together top promoters such as Top Rank, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy and Queensberry, delivering marquee bouts...
Fastly, LaLiga Collaborate on Anti-Piracy Innovation
Fastly and Spain’s LaLiga have launched a joint anti‑piracy project that uses AI‑driven edge detection to spot illegal live‑stream copies in real time. LaLiga estimates piracy costs its clubs $700‑$800 million annually, and the partnership aims to shrink that loss by...
Ratings: One Piece Hits New High In Season 2, Virgin River Returns Strong
Netflix’s live‑action adaptation “One Piece” surged to a new series high in its second season, delivering 1.62 billion minutes of viewing and ranking No. 2 on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart for the week of March 9‑15. “Virgin River” held strong at No. 3 with...
Cord Cutting Today – Roku Expands Instant Resume, Another TV App Shuts Down & YouTube TV Hides a Key Feature
Roku announced it will extend its Instant Resume feature to additional streaming services, letting viewers pick up shows and movies where they left off on Roku TVs and players. Fox is pulling its sports app from Roku, Fire TV, Google...
Amazon Passes Masters Test During Debut
Amazon’s Prime Video made its live‑sports debut by exclusively streaming the first round of the Masters on Thursday, using CBS’s production crew and talent. The broadcast featured the standard CBS commentary team with Amazon’s branding limited to a logo overlay...
Portland Fire+ Streaming Platform Launches
Portland’s new WNBA franchise has launched Portland Fire+, a direct‑to‑consumer streaming service priced at $5.99 per month or $59.99 annually. The platform, built with Kiswe’s streaming technology and featuring live game broadcasts by Chime, offers original series, player features, and...
Nine Launches BBC News Channel on 9NOW to Boost Live News Offering
Nine Entertainment has added the 24‑hour BBC News channel to its free streaming service 9Now, expanding the platform’s live‑news portfolio. The move builds on a suite of BBC FAST channels launched in late 2024, including BBC Comedy and Top Gear. Executives...
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'The Rookie' Spin-Off Gets a Major Update as Pilot Order News Looms [Exclusive]
ABC has ordered a pilot for a new *The Rookie* spin‑off titled *The Rookie: North*, aiming to revive the franchise after the 2022 *Feds* series was cancelled after one season. The show will follow a middle‑aged man joining the Pierce...
DOJ Launches Probe Into NFL over Media Rights Packages and Antitrust Concerns
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an antitrust investigation into the NFL over its media‑rights distribution, citing concerns that the league’s model may limit competition and drive up consumer costs. The probe arrives as the NFL prepares to renegotiate...
The Trump Administration Is Setting Its Sights on TV’s Most Valuable Programming
The DOJ and FCC have opened investigations into the NFL’s broadcast agreements, questioning whether the league’s anticompetitive practices violate the Sports Broadcasting Act. The probes come as the NFL renegotiates its TV contracts, seeking higher rights fees from traditional broadcasters...
NEWstalgia: How the Return of the NBA on NBC Was Driven by a Bold and ‘Ownable’ Graphics Package
After a 20‑year hiatus, NBC Sports relaunched its NBA broadcast under an 11‑year deal, debuting a graphics package dubbed “NEWstalgia.” The system fuses 1990s visual DNA with modern motion and flat‑color design, delivering a medallion‑based scorebug with over 120 team‑specific...
I Use ChatGPT's New Tubi App to Find Free Movies and TV Shows to Watch - Here's How
ChatGPT has added Tubi TV as a native app, enabling users to locate movies and TV shows through conversational prompts. The integration is available to all ChatGPT users, regardless of subscription tier, and taps Tubi’s catalog of more than 300,000...
Lionsgate’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Reality Series Coming to Paramount+ on June 14
Lionsgate’s "The Ultimate Fighter" returns for its 14th season, debuting exclusively on Paramount+ on June 14, the same day UFC Freedom 250 airs. The 12‑episode run will drop new episodes each Tuesday, featuring former champions Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping coaching...
Govt Opens OTT Financial Bids to Formalise Digital Ad Partnerships
The Indian government has opened financial bids for the empanelment of over‑the‑top (OTT) platforms, aiming to integrate streaming services into a formal advertising ecosystem. Led by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s Central Bureau of Communication, the bids were launched...
Great American Family Selects CTS For Channel Origination, Playout, Transmission
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) announced a multi‑year agreement with Great American Media to provide end‑to‑end channel origination, playout and transmission services for the Great American Family network. The partnership will run the linear channels Great American Family East, West and...
Liza Burnett Fefferman Joins Anonymous Content In New Chief Comms Role
Liza Burnett Fefferman has been hired as Anonymous Content’s chief communications and marketing officer, reporting to CEO Darren Walker. The veteran executive leaves her EVP communications role at Paramount’s Showtime/MTV Studios after the Skydance merger. She will lead a centralized communications...
Tubi Strikes ChatGPT Deal that Cuts Out Human Movie Recommendations
Tubi, the ad‑supported streaming service owned by Fox, has launched a new app in the ChatGPT marketplace that lets users ask the chatbot for movie recommendations from Tubi’s catalog. The integration leverages Tubi’s personalization engine, trained on more than one billion...
Former UEFA, Orange Executive Nicolas Déal Launches OVERCAST Private-Cloud Production Service
Former UEFA and Orange executive Nicolas Déal has launched OVERCAST, a Swiss‑based private‑cloud platform tailored for live‑sports broadcasting. The service delivers IP‑native, micro‑service production, contribution and distribution capabilities from distributed European data centers, promising ultra‑low deterministic latency. OVERCAST’s data‑to‑data workflow...
HBS Leadership to Step Down After Landmark 2026 Global Broadcast Projects
Host Broadcast Services (HBS) announced that CEO Dan Miodownik and COO Luc‑Antoine Charial will step down on 30 September 2026, after overseeing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, US Open and the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. The duo has driven...
Rooster Renewed For Season 2 At HBO
HBO announced that the Steve Carell‑led comedy “Rooster” has been renewed for a second season. The decision came midway through the series’ first run, which continues to air Sundays at 10 p.m. through May 10. Created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses,...
YouTube 90-Second Unskippable Ads on TVs Spotted
YouTube is testing 90‑second unskippable ads on TV devices, extending the previous 30‑second limit. The ads appear before any content and can exceed 90 seconds before a skip button becomes available. The move creates premium, TV‑style inventory with digital targeting,...
Week of March 30 Evening News Ratings: NBC News and CBS News Grow
NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News both posted gains, moving into positive territory for total viewers and the key 25‑54 demo during the week of March 30, 2026. ABC World News Tonight’s demo lead narrowed to just 25,000 viewers, its smallest...
ADWEEK TV Advantage: Could Upfront Week Change Permanently?
Upfront week is returning with major players like Netflix, Disney, and Paramount showcasing ad inventory, but the format faces pressure from streaming entrants that have flooded the market with digital inventory. The traditional TV upfront, a fixture since the 1960s,...
CBS Atlanta Debuts A 5PM Local Newscast
CBS has launched a 5 p.m. local newscast on its owned‑and‑operated station WUPA‑69 in Atlanta, expanding the market’s news slate. The hour‑long broadcast, anchored by Sharon Lawson with meteorologist Dagmar Midcap and traffic reporter Orelon Sidney, joins existing morning, early‑evening and...
Week of March 30 Morning News Ratings: Today Stays in Lead
NBC’s Today retained the top spot in the March 30‑week morning news ratings, drawing 2.963 million total viewers and 615,000 adults 25‑54. ABC’s Good Morning America slipped 1% week‑over‑week to 2.904 million viewers but was up 5% year‑over‑year in total audience. CBS Mornings lagged...
KiKA Launches HbbTV-Enabled Smart TV App on StreamingOS
KiKA, the German children’s channel operated by ARD and ZDF, has launched a redesigned smart‑TV and HbbTV app built on the joint StreamingOS platform. The new offering features a unified video player, recommendation algorithms, and a child‑friendly interface with a...
Ninja Kiwi Is Turning Bloons Into an Animated Series
Bloons franchise is getting an animated series slated for late 2026. Ninja Kiwi is collaborating with production house Digital Smiles to create a 30‑minute pilot made up of ten three‑minute episodes that will flesh out the game’s lore and central...
IShowSpeed Anime Series in Development at Big Shot Pictures, ‘One Piece’ Showrunner Matt Owens to Write
YouTube star iShowSpeed is set to headline an original anime‑style series being developed by Big Shot Pictures, the new production company founded by former Paramount Global co‑CEO Brian Robbins. Veteran writer Matt Owens, who co‑showran Netflix’s One Piece, will write...
Spotify Now Lets Everyone Turn Off Videos in Its App
Spotify announced a new setting that lets any user turn off video content, including Canvas loops and video podcasts, across mobile, desktop, web, and TV. The control is now available to all plan types—Free, Premium, Duo, Family, and Student—while Family...
YouTube Launches Unskippable 90-Second Ads
Google’s YouTube is rolling out mandatory 90‑second ads for viewers using the platform on smart TVs, replacing the traditional skippable format. The move follows a March announcement about unskippable 30‑second spots and aligns with YouTube’s goal to treat TV viewers...
SITI Networks Reports Rs 435.69 Million Loss Amid Insolvency Process
India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform WAVES posted a Rs 435.69 million (≈ $5.3 million) loss in FY 24‑25, with revenue of only Rs 2.90 crore (≈ $350 k). The service boasts 13,608 titles, 10 lakh users and extensive live‑event coverage, but its subscription flow requires an external website, creating...
LTN Rolls Out IP-Based Improvements as Broadcasters Shift Away From Satellite Delivery
LTN Global announced a suite of IP‑video network upgrades aimed at broadcasters moving away from satellite distribution. The enhancements target reliability, visibility, reach and operational control, adding adaptive error recovery, expanded analytics, and new gateway configurations that can handle up...
Dentsu Says Advertisers Are Underinvesting in Video for Brand Building
Dentsu’s new "Brand Reset" report shows digital video, including short‑form and connected TV, can drive multi‑year brand growth, challenging the view that linear TV is the only long‑term channel. A single video ad exposure is estimated to lift sales 1‑5%...
Backed by Stars, Built for Scale: ISGL Sets Out to Build India’s First Real Esports Pathway for 500 Million Gamers
The Indian Super Gaming League (ISGL) debuted in March 2026, introducing a franchise‑based esports competition across eight teams with a prize pool of roughly $60,000 (Rs 50 lakh). Backed by Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan, the league spans titles such...
Yospace Tops 10 Billion Monthly Ad Insertions Amid Streaming Growth
Yospace reported a historic month, stitching over 10 billion ads and delivering 11.6 billion one‑to‑one addressable impressions—a 35% year‑on‑year rise. The growth was fueled by a dense international sports schedule, including Six Nations and the start of the 2026 Formula One season. Yospace...
BBC First to Rebrand as BBC Belgium in May
BBC Studios will rename its premium drama channel BBC First to BBC Belgium, effective May 5, 2026. The rebrand targets the Flemish market, offering British drama and light‑crime series with Dutch subtitles. The launch will feature both returning titles such as Call...
Media Distillery Targets Sports Streamers with New Engagement Platform
Media Distillery unveiled an AI‑driven Sports Engagement Suite that automates highlights, real‑time key‑moment detection, chapter navigation, and related shoulder content. The platform aims to ease the labor‑intensive workflow of packaging sports coverage for broadcasters and streaming services. Football will be...
Tubi Launches First ChatGPT Streaming Integration
Tubi has become the first streaming service to embed a native experience inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The integration lets users ask natural‑language queries for movies and TV shows, with recommendations displayed directly in the chat and linked to Tubi’s ad‑supported catalog....
How to Monitor Live Streams for Optimal Ad Server Performance
Industry leaders at Streaming Media Connect 2026 highlighted the observability gaps that can cripple live‑stream ad insertion. They stressed that encoding quality, manifest integrity, and SCTE‑35 cue signals are the first line of defense against broken ad breaks. Real‑time “eyes on...
2026 FIFA World Cup Viewing Set to Fragment Across Linear & Streaming in UK, Nexxen Forecast Finds
Nexxen released a forecast for UK audiences of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, showing that while TV remains dominant, viewing is increasingly split between linear and streaming platforms. The report finds 24% of fans will blend traditional TV and streaming,...