Television News and Headlines
Television News and Headlines
Vodafone TV will add three BBC Studios thematic channels—BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and BBC History—on 1 April, offering them to all customers at no extra cost. The new channels broaden Vodafone's factual and lifestyle portfolio, moving the service further into premium pay‑TV territory. BBC Studios gains wider distribution for its branded content in the Spanish market. Vodafone positions the expansion as part of a strategy to deepen its premium catalogue amid intensifying competition among TV platforms.
Moscow Film Cluster and Mumbai’s Film City have signed a cooperation agreement to boost film production between Russia and India. The memorandum, signed at the India International Film Tourism Conclave, highlights Moscow’s 45% rebate program and a $255,000 Image Grant...
Salem Media announced a partnership with The Roku Channel, placing its Salem News Channel directly in Roku’s ad‑supported FAST lineup and Live TV guide. The move follows a recent launch on Amazon Prime Video’s free FAST service and comes as...
Fox Corporation unveiled Fox One, a streaming‑first sports platform designed to capture the roughly 60 million U.S. households that have left the traditional pay‑TV bundle. The service complements, rather than replaces, existing pay‑TV offerings, bundling live sports, news and entertainment while...
Recent EMARKETER data shows Americans now spend more than five hours daily on mobile video, while TV accounts for under 40% of total viewing time by 2026. Chinese‑origin microdrama apps, delivering 60‑90 second episodes for a $15‑$25 series fee, generated...
Disney+ has inked a content agreement with Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE, bringing a curated slate of the network’s titles to the streaming service a day after their linear broadcast. The lineup includes the thriller series *Rojo sobre blanco* and the...
At Streaming Media Connect 2026, leaders from Fuse Media, Disney, Spaceback and LG outlined the next wave of shoppable CTV innovations. They highlighted homepage tile ads as a low‑funnel performance tool, Roku’s phone‑number‑linked click‑to‑buy flow, and LG’s Shop Time platform that leverages...
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has taken down AnimePlay, a major illicit anime‑streaming app operating from Riau, Indonesia. The service, launched in 2020, attracted over 5 million registered users and stored more than 60 TB of pirated content. ACE seized...
Shoppable TV has leaned on QR codes to turn viewers into shoppers, but industry data shows click‑through rates hovering around 0.03%, far below expectations. While 62% of consumers discover new brands on television and spend roughly $290 annually on TV‑inspired...
Virgin Media O2 is giving all Virgin TV customers free access to its Ultra HD channel (228 and 999) from March 28 through April 12, covering the Easter half‑term break. The promotion features a curated slate of movies, documentaries and live‑music performances, including titles...
Movistar Plus+, Telefónica’s Spanish pay‑TV and streaming service, announced a restructuring that merges its rights‑acquisition function with the Global Partners management under the Business and Sports Management Division. The Partnerships Division will now report directly to Enric Rojas, who also oversees...
Google’s YouTube is piloting an AI‑driven Auto speed feature that dynamically changes video playback speed in real time. Available to Premium members on Android and iOS until April 27, the tool speeds up low‑information segments and slows down dense parts, aiming...
FCC Chair Brendan Carr defended the FCC’s approval of the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑Tegna merger, arguing it supports a healthy, thriving local broadcast TV market. He also detailed an ongoing enforcement action against Disney’s ABC station for not filing the required equal‑time...
Austrian broadcaster ServusTV will cease streaming Formula 1, MotoGP and other premium sports on the joint platform Joyn, moving all live rights to its own service ServusTV On from 1 January 2026. Joyn will retain only the on‑demand library without live sports. The shift...
Fubo, majority‑owned by Disney, has secured a deal with Spectrum SportsNet LA to live‑stream every Los Angeles Dodgers game in the 2026 season. The agreement covers more than 140 regular‑season contests, pre‑ and post‑game shows, and the network’s “Backstage: Dodgers” series....
Three major studios are bidding on "The Comebacker," a baseball‑themed drama that reunites Tom Hanks with director Marielle Heller. The film, based on a Dave Eggers short story and scripted by Heller, follows a major‑league pitcher whose life changes after...
Veteran sports journalist Michele Steele has left ESPN after a 14‑year stint to become a contributor for the Big Ten Network. She will serve as a sideline reporter for Nebraska’s Red‑White spring game and anchor studio shows alongside BTN’s veteran...
Roku announced a dedicated live channel (5270) featuring the Property Brothers, delivering 24/7 home‑renovation content on Roku TVs and streaming players. The launch follows the addition of 16 other new channels, expanding Roku’s free, ad‑supported live TV portfolio. By bundling...
Production on season five of Hulu’s reality series *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* was halted on March 16 after Utah police opened a domestic‑violence investigation involving star Taylor Frankie Paul and co‑star Dakota Mortensen. Jeff Jenkins Productions has launched a...
Amazon MGM Studios’ limited series "The Glass House" debuted as the closing gala of Series Mania, marking the first French‑language scripted series produced by the studio’s Canadian unit and the first Canadian Prime Video Original to secure that slot. The...
Anna M. Gómez, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, issued a public dissent on the Nexstar Media Group‑TEGNA merger after Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone approved the deal with rule waivers. Gómez criticized Chairman Brendan Carr and the Trump‑era leadership for politicizing...
Peacock, the Comcast‑owned streaming service, will start posting new episodes of Saturday Night Live UK at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT instead of the previous 9 p.m. ET slot. The change, announced for this weekend, shortens the U.S. audience’s wait time by eight hours....
Netflix announced a second price increase this year, raising its Standard With Ads tier from $7.99 to $8.99, the Standard Without Ads tier from $17.99 to $19.99, and the Premium tier from $24.99 to $26.99. The new rates take effect...
Amazon Prime Video has added the full nine‑season run of the landmark sitcom *All in the Family*, making all 208 episodes instantly streamable for subscribers. The series, which first aired in 1971 and dominated U.S. ratings for five straight seasons,...
The 2026 NAB Show will feature a high‑profile session on NextGen TV, bringing Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty together to discuss ATSC 3.0 deployment. The two‑hour panel will examine Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. rollout...
Uproxx TV debuted at NewFronts, positioning itself as a top‑10 entertainment property on connected TV with over 160 million monthly viewers, more than half of whom watch on traditional TV screens. The company is launching creator‑driven shows like “Love, Songs,” leveraging...
Foxtel Business has signed an exclusive agreement with beIN SPORTS to distribute its three linear channels across Australian pubs and clubs, ending a six‑month blackout of major European football and top‑tier tennis. The package restores live rights to LaLiga, Serie...
Baobab Studios announced it has secured exclusive film and television rights to three of Roblox’s most‑visited titles—Natural Disaster Survival, Barry’s Prison Run, and Deepwoken. The trio accounts for nearly 10 billion visits, demonstrating sustained, multi‑generational engagement. Baobab will develop animated feature...
ESPN has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 Pakistan Super League across Australia and New Zealand, delivering all 44 matches live on Disney+ and through Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch TV and Sky NZ. The T20 tournament features a host of Australian...
Three‑time Emmy winner Judd Apatow is joining Utopia Originals to produce a documentary titled “The Way I Was Made: The Story of a Man Called E,” chronicling Mark Oliver Everett, the founder of indie‑rock band Eels. Directed by music‑video veteran...
WEBTOON Entertainment is rolling out a unified international CANVAS platform beginning in spring 2026, merging its regional user‑generated content services into a single global hub. The platform will support seven languages—English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese and German—allowing creators...
Piracy has outpaced the streaming industry, evolving into a commercial operation that rivals legitimate platforms. In Japan, illegal distribution cost roughly $38 billion in 2025, and when counterfeit media are included the damage approaches $67 billion. Modern pirates sell turnkey streaming services...
Google will retire its free Widevine Cloud License Service in April 2027, forcing every OTT platform that relies on it to migrate to a new DRM license infrastructure. The shutdown impacts key DRM workflows, including key exchange, entitlement checks, and...
2025 reshaped streaming video economics as content‑side patent pools and high‑profile settlements brought codec royalties into the CFO’s purview. Access Advance launched a VDP pool with capped fees and de‑minimis waivers, while Nokia’s settlement with Amazon proved that patent owners...
The 2025 Streamticker roundup chronicles a wave of high‑value mergers reshaping streaming, advertising, and infrastructure. DIRECTV’s acquisition of INVIDI strengthens addressable TV ad solutions, while Outbrain’s $1 billion purchase of Teads creates a $1.7 billion omnichannel ad platform. DAZN’s $2.2 billion buy of...
In 2025 YouTube cemented its role as the dominant TV platform in the United States, overtaking mobile devices and capturing 12.5% of all TV usage, while its Shorts, live streams, and licensed long‑tail titles attracted a broad demographic. Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance...
Digital i’s 2025 study reveals that women aged 35‑44 and 45‑54 dominate YouTube micro‑drama consumption, accounting for 20.8% and 15.7% of streams respectively, far above their overall platform share. Male viewers, especially those 18‑24, are markedly under‑represented, contributing only 6%...
The podcast highlighted the demise of regional sports networks after Sinclair’s $9 billion overpay and Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy, reshaping MLB local broadcasts. Disney announced Josh D’Amaro as its new head, sealed a $1 billion OpenAI partnership, and faces waning Fortnite engagement. The...
Warner Bros. Discovery launched HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 26, 2026, adding an ad‑supported tier that is free for Sky TV subscribers and available via Prime Video Channels. The rollout also introduced the service to...
PBS and ITVS have launched PBS Documentaries, a rebranded YouTube channel that expands the former PBS Voices hub to include full‑length documentary films. The channel inherits more than 316,000 subscribers and 52 million views, and will roll out over 100 new...
College swimming and diving officials say they have secured a commitment from ESPN to air at least one day of next season's NCAA Championships on linear television. The agreement comes amid heated debate over the NCAA's new championship format, which...
Attiya Henry has been appointed executive vice president of Production for Disney Branded Television, reporting to Carol Turner and joining Ayo Davis’s senior leadership team. She will oversee production of animated and live‑action programming across Disney+, Disney Jr. and Disney Channel,...
Fred Media has appointed Jamie I as its new sales manager for the Asia‑Pacific region, bringing over 20 years of distribution experience from her previous role as VP of Asia‑Pacific at Amazon MGM. She replaces long‑time representative Jimmy Elkington, who...
Atresmedia closed a distribution deal for its hit drama Entre Tierras with Italy’s Mediaset at the Series Mania festival in Lille. The series, which has been the most‑watched TV show in Spain in 2024, consists of ten 50‑minute episodes and...
ProSiebenSat.1 reported a 6% drop in total revenue for 2025, with advertising revenue falling 8% in German‑speaking markets, but the broadcaster is betting on a multi‑platform "total reach" strategy to reverse the trend. CEO Marco Giordani outlined a plan that...
The BBC’s Annual Plan outlines a digital‑first agenda for the next year, emphasizing iPlayer upgrades, short‑form video experiments, and expanded YouTube distribution. It arrives alongside the appointment of Matt Brittin as director‑general and the looming renewal of the corporation’s Royal...
In the latest VideoWeek podcast, ITV’s Director of Advanced Advertising, Rhys McLachlan, detailed the broadcaster’s evolving programmatic strategy. He highlighted ongoing challenges such as fraud and waste in the ecosystem and warned about the "enshittification" of social media platforms. The conversation...
Vodafone TV Spain has partnered with Rakuten TV to embed its Videoclub rental service into the operator’s set‑top box platform. The integration adds roughly 6,000 titles, from new releases to catalog films, available for rent and billed through the monthly...
SPI International has renewed its distribution agreement with Orange in Spain, extending carriage of Fast&FunBox, FightBox and Gametoon through the end of 2026. The channels remain in Orange TV’s Sports Pack and Basic Pack and will also be available on...
Riedel Communications announced that its end‑to‑end solution will power CS live’s newest outside‑broadcast (OB) truck, targeting high‑profile sports such as football, hockey, and MMA. The truck integrates MediorNet media networking, the hi human‑interface control system, Artist intercom and Bolero wireless,...
