Unfiltered Media Podcast
Barb CEO Justin Sampson appeared on the Unfiltered Media podcast on 25 February 2026 to examine mounting pressures on traditional media measurement currencies. He explained how fragmented consumption across streaming, social and gaming platforms is eroding legacy TV‑rating models. Sampson outlined the need for real‑time, cross‑platform metrics that can keep pace with digital ecosystem shifts. He also described Barb’s initiative to create a unified measurement framework that satisfies both platforms and advertisers.
F1 CEO: Audience Reach on Apple Will Be ‘Even Bigger’ than ESPN
Formula One has signed a reported $150 million per‑year deal with Apple, ending its ESPN partnership that delivered a record 1.32 million U.S. viewers in its final season. Apple TV+ will stream every practice, qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix at no extra cost, while...
ITV Studios Produces the Spanish Version of Parents’ Evening for Atresmedia
ITV Studios announced that its hit UK celebrity game show Parents’ Evening will be adapted for the Spanish market by Atresmedia, with production handled by ITV Studios Iberia. The format, created by Ranga Bee Productions and hosted by Romesh Ranganathan...
TV Media Buyers Want Outcomes – So Nielsen Is Introducing More Advanced Audiences
Nielsen announced the addition of more than 200 advanced audience segments to its Nielsen ONE cross‑platform dashboard, drawing on Scarborough’s extensive U.S. consumer surveys. The new segments span demographics, purchase behavior and lifestyle categories, and are intended to improve TV...
Week of Feb. 9 Evening News Ratings: Nightly News Gets Olympic Boost
NBC Nightly News anchored from Milan posted week‑to‑week gains in both total viewers and the coveted Adults 25‑54 demo, buoyed by its Milano‑Cortina 2026 Olympic coverage. The broadcast recorded 7.797 million total viewers and 1.24 million demo viewers, up 8% and 13% respectively,...
Dystopian Drama with "Gut-Wrenching Twists" Said to Be 'Unlike Anything on TV' Is Coming to Netflix
Amazon Prime’s acclaimed dystopian series The Man in the High Castle will debut on Netflix on March 11, nearly seven years after its original finale. Created by Frank Spotnitz and starring Rufus Sewell, the show reimagines a world where the Nazis...
Banijay Entertainment and Talpa Studios Present New Format, The Bycicle Race
Banijay Entertainment and Talpa Studios have unveiled "The Bicycle Race," an eight‑episode adventure‑reality format created by EndemolShine Nederland and Talpa Studios for Dutch broadcaster SBS6. The series follows six celebrity duos as they bike across India, facing tactical challenges and...
TelevisaUnivision Narrows Q4 Net Loss Even With US Ad Decline
TelevisaUnivision reported Q4 revenue of $1.323 billion, a 2% decline year‑over‑year, while operating expenses rose 4% to $926.4 million. The company narrowed its net loss dramatically to $234.7 million from $809.7 million a year earlier. US advertising revenue fell 9% (6% excluding political ads),...
AWS Introduces New AI Service for Vertical Video Viral Moments
Amazon Web Services launched Elemental Inference, a fully managed AI service that automatically converts live or on‑demand horizontal video into vertical formats in real time. The platform leverages multimodal AI to analyse both audio and video, delivering converted streams with...
Digest: UK VOD Services to Face New Ofcom Regulation; Canva Buys Animation and Marketing Startups; OOH Hit Record Revenue in...
The UK government is extending the Media Act 2024 to bring major video‑on‑demand services under Ofcom’s oversight, designating platforms with over 500,000 users as Tier 1 providers. New rules will enforce a broadcasting‑style code, introduce a complaints channel, and impose accessibility quotas...
Paramount Welcomes WBD Talks, Details New Elements Of Sweetened $31-A-Share Offer
Paramount has sweetened its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the cash offer to $31 per share and adding several protective clauses. The revised terms include an accelerated quarterly ticking fee, a $7 billion regulatory termination fee, and a commitment to...
Home & Away Nudges 1m Viewers, MAFS on Top.
Australian television ratings for Tuesday, 24 February 2026 show Nine’s reality hit Married at First Sight dominating the night with 1.86 million viewers. Home & Away nudged 975,000, climbing to second place in its timeslot, while Seven News led the news segment with 1.37 million. Other...
‘Wicked: For Good’ Spends Third Week at No. 1 on Disc Sales Charts
Universal's "Wicked: For Good" topped the Circana VideoScan combined disc sales chart for the third consecutive week ending Feb 7, 2026. It also retained the #1 spot on both the dedicated Blu‑ray and 4K disc charts. The companion Wicked collection moved...
Frisco King: Taylor Sheridan To Write All Episodes Of Retitled Tulsa King Spin-Off
Paramount+ confirmed that acclaimed creator Taylor Sheridan will pen all eight episodes of the new spin‑off series "Frisco King," starring Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Lee Washington Jr. The show, originally titled "NOLA King," shifts its setting from New Orleans...
Men’s Gold Medal Hockey Game Averaged 18.9 Million Viewers Across NBC, Peacock
Team USA secured a 2‑1 overtime victory over Canada to claim its first men’s Olympic hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The game averaged 18.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, peaking at 26 million during Jack Hughes’ winning goal,...
Braves Embracing Solo Field
The Atlanta Braves announced BravesVision, a proprietary broadcast platform designed to replace third‑party distributors amid the decline of Main Street Sports. The move leverages the club’s expansive multi‑state television territory to capture more advertising and subscription revenue. MLB’s national media...
FCC Takes a Swing at the State of Sports Broadcasting
The FCC’s Media Bureau issued a public notice seeking comment on the evolving live‑sports distribution landscape, highlighting concerns over consumer access and the ability of local broadcasters to fulfill public‑interest duties. The notice asks whether market fragmentation—driven by streaming platforms...
Netflix: Tyra Banks’ ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’ Topped Weekly Streaming Through Feb. 22
Tyra Banks’ three‑part documentary "Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Model" topped Netflix’s weekly overall streaming chart with 14.2 million views through Feb. 22, becoming the platform’s most‑watched title. The series offers candid interviews with former contestants and judges, revisiting the controversial legacy...
Casting News: Girls5eva Reunion On Cupertino, Aimee Lou Wood Is Jane Eyre, And More
Busy Philipps joins CBS’s upcoming legal drama "Cupertino" as Natalia, the ex‑wife of an AI billionaire seeking revenge. The series, created by Robert and Michelle King, pits two fired attorneys against Silicon Valley tech titans and received a series order...
Jim Broadbent Joins ‘The Wingfeather Saga’ Season 4 Cast
Angel Studios announced the Season 4 cast for the animated series *The Wingfeather Saga*, adding Academy‑Award winner Jim Broadbent as Bonifer Squoon. The show, now owned by Angel after a recent acquisition, will debut in Fall 2026 following a successful crowdfunding drive...
ZDF Studios Brings Premium Drama & Factual to London
ZDF Studios showcased three flagship titles at MIP London, highlighting the detective drama Benidorm Is Murder, the true‑crime series Take the Money and Run, and the docuseries Mammals: Life before Dinosaurs. The company used the event to promote its premium...
Banijay Rights’ Cathy Payne Shares Shares View of the European Market
Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne says the European scripted market is grappling with a shrinking U.S. co‑production pipeline, forcing distributors to be more selective about financing risk. Buyers now demand projects anchored by recognizable on‑ and off‑screen talent and strong,...
Netflix Ad Revenue Set to Soar Past $8bn by 2030, Outpacing CTV Rivals: Warc
Netflix’s ad‑supported tier is on track to generate $8 billion in advertising revenue by 2030, far outpacing the broader connected‑TV (CTV) market. The company posted $1.5 billion in ad sales in 2025, more than 2.5 times its 2024 figure, and aims to double...
Instagram’s TV App Is Launching on Google TV Devices
Instagram’s Instagram for TV app expands to Google TV devices in the United States, following its December launch on Amazon Fire TV. The TV version lets users watch Reels and browse their Instagram feed on a large screen, with auto‑playing...
Kantar Media Rebrands as Fifty5Blue Post-PE Carve-Out
Kantar Media has completed its private‑equity carve‑out and rebranded as Fifty5Blue, retaining its core products Ibope, TGI and TechEdge while keeping its 4,500‑person workforce in London. CEO Patrick Béhar positions the new name as a signal of transparency and independence...
Cookbook Media, David Marshall and Todd Gallina Launch ‘Force 5’
Cookbook Media has been named the global agent for content distribution and consumer‑product licensing of the new CG animated series *Force 5*, created by veteran animators David Marshall and Todd Gallina. The series is in development as a 13‑episode, 22‑minute format...
Study: Premium Video Ads Outperform YouTube
A new Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) study, conducted with TVision, finds premium video platforms on connected TV outperform YouTube in key engagement metrics. Across Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max and other services, premium platforms deliver 33% higher co‑viewing, 49% longer session...
Why Does BritBox Still Delay so Many Titles to Australia?
BritBox’s Australian catalogue continues to lag behind UK premieres, with Season 15 of Death in Paradise arriving two months after its BBC debut, a stark contrast to the 11‑day gap for the previous season. While the service fast‑tracks select titles—Call the...
Production Begins on ‘The Saddle Club’ CG Animated Series
Frog Box and Red Monk Studio have launched production on a 26‑episode CG adaptation of Bonnie Bryant’s bestselling The Saddle Club series. The European co‑production, backed by France Télévisions, Rai and ZDF, will be split between France and Italy, with Superprod...
CBS Sports Reaches Agreement for Paramount+ to Become Exclusive U.S. English-Language Home of All CONCACAF Women’s Competitions Through 2030
CBS Sports has secured exclusive English‑language U.S. rights to all CONCACAF women’s competitions through the 2029‑30 season, delivering more than 250 matches via Paramount+ and select broadcasts on CBS Sports Network and Golazo. The agreement covers the W Qualifiers and...
Stingray Launches FAST Channels on Whale TV+
Stingray has launched a suite of free ad‑supported streaming (FAST) channels on Whale TV+, the free streaming platform operated by Singapore‑based Whale TV. The new lineup includes eight video channels—covering nature, wellness, art and ambience—and four audio channels ranging from...
How CBS Survived and Thrived With a 50-State Scavenger Hunt for Survivor 50
CBS celebrated Survivor's 50th season with a real‑world scavenger hunt called the Survivor 50 Challenge, hiding 50 immunity idols across all 50 states. The two‑year‑long effort, led by Tool and Paramount, attracted roughly 40,000 participants who solved clues, completed one‑day adventures...
Sony Pictures Networks India Names Shruti Aneja as Lead – Agency Partnerships & Key Network Initiatives
Sony Pictures Networks India appointed Shruti Aneja as Lead – Agency Partnerships to deepen agency collaboration and drive ad‑revenue growth across its channel suite. Aneja, with 12 years at SPNI, will steer integrated sales and brand‑integration initiatives. Meanwhile, Raj Cooling Systems launched...
DD Free Dish E-Auction Revenue Dips to Rs 642 Crore as Slot Sales Fall
Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish completed its 8th e‑auction, collecting Rs 642 crore for FY26‑27, down from Rs 780 crore the prior year. Only 55 MPEG‑2 slots were sold, compared with 61 previously, reflecting a slimmer inventory and a revamped auction framework. The new...
Antenna: New U.S. SVOD Subscribers Fell 33% in 2025
U.S. subscription video‑on‑demand (SVOD) growth stalled in 2025, with new subscriber additions dropping 33% to 18 million versus 27 million in 2024, according to Antenna data. Quarterly growth slowed to 7% in Q4, down from 12% a year earlier. Netflix remained the...
SkyShowtime to Premiere New Spanish Original, El Homenaje
SkyShowtime announced that its new Spanish original, *El Homenaje* (The Tribute), will debut on April 23 with four of its eight episodes, followed by the remaining four a week later. The psychological‑thriller series, produced by Secuoya Studios and Stellarmedia in...
The Trade Desk Launches ‘Ventura Ecosystem’ to Further Optimize CTV Advertising
The Trade Desk unveiled the Ventura Ecosystem, a collaborative framework linking global TV operating systems and streaming platforms to streamline connected‑TV (CTV) advertising. The initiative offers participants access to The Trade Desk’s ad‑tech suite—including OpenPath, Unified ID 2.0/EUID, OpenAds, and upcoming...
How Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Used XR to Bring the Peaks of the Dolomites Into View
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports faced a visual gap when studio cameras cut off the snow‑capped Dolomite peaks visible from its Cortina studio. Director of Graphics Alex Dinnin solved it with extended reality, stitching live PTZ footage into a virtual scene that restores...
BBC Shrinks IBC Footprint as Remote Production Takes Center Stage
The BBC is scaling back its on‑site IBC presence for the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Games, opting for a leaner, remote‑production model anchored in Cortina, Livigno and its Salford headquarters. By consolidating editorial decisions in Salford and trimming infrastructure in Milan,...
ViX Announces the Premiere of Polen
ViX announced that its new psychological thriller series Polen will debut on March 6 on the platform's Premium tier, with the entire first season released at once. The show, produced by 11:11 Films, stars Ana Brenda Contreras, Claudia Ramírez and...
Beta Film’s Patience to Air in Latam Through AMC Networks
Beta Film has expanded the distribution of the British hit series *Patience* to over 100 territories, adding AMC Networks as the Latin American broadcaster. The drama, produced by Eagle Eye Drama, saw record‑breaking viewership on Channel 4, with 4.2 million viewers in...
BBC Studios’ Ghosts Lands Czech Adaptation
BBC Studios announced a Czech version of its hit scripted comedy Ghosts, joining six other territories that have adapted the series. The format, praised for its ability to embed local heritage into a house‑mate sitcom, will be produced by TV...
Opinion: Enough Is Enough—Broadcasters Don’t Own the Airwaves
Michael Petricone argues that legacy broadcasters are receiving an outsized public subsidy by retaining exclusive rights to underused spectrum, even as fewer than 9% of Americans watch over‑the‑air TV. He cites the $95.8 billion annual economic value of unlicensed spectrum and...
A Strong Start To 2026 For ABC, Disney-Owned TV Platforms
In January 2026 television viewing hit a 12‑month peak, and Disney emerged as the biggest month‑over‑month gainer in Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge report. The gain reflects a notable rise in total TV consumption attributed to Disney’s owned‑and‑operated properties, especially ABC....
Herat Panchal Joins First Economy as Chief Growth Officer
First Economy has created a chief growth officer role and appointed Herat Panchal to lead it. Panchal will design integrated growth frameworks that unite brand, media, partnerships, and performance functions. He brings dual expertise from the publisher and agency sides,...
YouTube ‘in Talks’ to Stream Four More Live NFL Games
YouTube is in advanced talks to add four live NFL games to its platform, a package previously carried by the NFL Network and now part of the league’s broader media‑rights reshuffle following the $3 billion sale of its media division to...
ITV and Disney Expand Partnership with Primetime Hulu Originals Window
ITV and Disney have deepened their UK partnership by adding an exclusive primetime linear window for two Hulu Original dramas on ITV1. The arrangement builds on the Disney+‑ITVX content‑sharing deal launched in July 2025 and introduces a branded slot called...
NEM Dubrovnik Gears Up for a New Edition
NEM Dubrovnik, the largest TV market in Central and Eastern Europe, will take place from June 8‑11 2026 in Dubrovnik. The four‑day event features panel room sessions with industry experts, case studies, special presentations, and exclusive screenings. Three market areas – Sunset,...
Sporticast 530: How ESPN Unlimited Impacts You, Existing Subscribers
ESPN launched ESPN Unlimited in 2025, bundling its traditional TV networks with ESPN+ and the newer ESPN Select service into a single direct‑to‑consumer offering. The tiered structure has confused many users, especially as some content that was previously free on...
Ofcom to Regulate Major UK VoD Services
The UK government is moving to bring the most popular video‑on‑demand services under Ofcom’s regulatory umbrella through secondary legislation to the Media Act 2024. Platforms with more than 500,000 UK users—including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4—will be classified...