Week of April 27 Morning News Ratings: Numbers Tighten Between Today and GMA
Nielsen’s live‑plus‑same‑day data for the week of April 27 shows NBC’s Today maintaining a narrow lead over ABC’s Good Morning America, with a margin of just 56,000 total viewers. Today posted 3.014 million viewers and 597,000 adults 25‑54, while GMA recorded 2.961 million viewers and 475,000 in the key demo. All three morning shows added total viewers week‑over‑week but saw declines in the Adults 25‑54 segment. CBS Mornings lagged with 1.815 million viewers and experienced the only year‑over‑year total‑viewer drop.
Jake Johnson and David Boreanaz to Have a Schlubby Detective-Off on NBC's Fall Schedule
NBC announced that four of its eight recently ordered pilots will move forward to series for the 2026‑27 season. The lineup includes Sunset P.I., a single‑cam comedy starring Jake Johnson as a Los Angeles private detective, a reboot of the...
CEO: AMC Global Media Shopping ‘The Walking Dead’ Franchise to Major Streamers
AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan announced the company is actively shopping the "The Walking Dead" franchise to major streaming services. The studio is focusing on co‑exclusive licensing deals while keeping some content in‑house. Dolan said several large platforms are...
Warner Bros. Expected to Return Atop Weekend Box Office With ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Debut
Warner Bros. Pictures is poised to reclaim the weekend box‑office crown with the May 2026 debut of New Line Cinema’s sequel Mortal Kombat II. BoxOfficeReport.com projects a $44 million domestic haul, enough to displace The Devil Wears Prada 2’s $41 million second‑week earnings. The figure represents more...
Oklahoma Governor Vetoes OETA Continuation, Objects to Publicly Funded Broadcasting
Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed Senate Bill 1461, which would have extended the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) through July 2031, and also rejected HB 3320 that sought to make the station permanent. The veto leaves OETA facing a sunset date of July 1,...
Documentary ‘Looking Up’ Available Digitally and on Disc June 9
The documentary *Looking Up* follows 20‑year‑old Eitan Armon, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, as he trains to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan despite losing 95% of his central vision. Directed by Elena Neuman, the film captures his ascent, a night on a 1,500‑foot...
Ocilion to Host Innovation Breakfast at ANGA COM 2026
Ocilion will host its annual Innovation Breakfast at the ANGA COM 2026 congress in Cologne on 20 May, assembling senior executives from IPTV service providers, network operators, and content platforms. The half‑hour session, titled “Growth engine IPTV,” will feature a panel discussion on...
Amazon Data Will Be Available on Netflix Inventory in the UK May 18
Amazon’s demand‑side platform will let UK and EMEA advertisers overlay Amazon shopping data onto Netflix’s connected‑TV inventory starting May 18. The feature, first rolled out in the United States on April 13, enables Amazon Audiences to be applied to Netflix campaigns via...
Rohit Sharma Makes His Entertainment Debut on Sony Platforms
World Cup‑winning captain Rohit Sharma is stepping onto Sony Pictures Networks India’s entertainment stage, debuting in a teaser that will run on Sony Entertainment Television and the streaming service Sony LIV. The teaser, released on May 8, showcases Sharma in a non‑cricket...
Good News for South Africans Who Watch Rugby on DStv
Canal+ confirmed a multi‑year renewal of its domestic broadcast rights agreement with the South African Rugby Union, keeping SuperSport as the exclusive carrier for all SARU domestic competitions, women’s and junior matches across Sub‑Saharan Africa. The deal is the first...
STARZ Ending Pay-2 Deal with Universal
STARZ announced it will terminate its Pay‑2 licensing agreement with Universal, cutting off access to Universal’s film library after the studio’s Pay‑1 window. The deal, originally slated to run through 2028, is ending because Universal’s four‑month Peacock exclusivity and subsequent...
Ease Live Granted US Patent for Interactive Streaming Overlay Technology
Ease Live, an Evertz subsidiary, has been granted U.S. Patent No. 12,556,777 for its interactive streaming overlay technology. The patented method synchronizes graphics such as stats, quizzes, replays, and sponsor ads with the video frame in real time, even when viewers...
UFC and Joe Hand Promotions Launch Championship Rounds Commercial Subscription Package
UFC and its exclusive U.S. commercial distributor Joe Hand Promotions have unveiled "Championship Rounds," a subscription service delivering UFC’s 13 numbered events, 30 Fight Nights, Zuffa Boxing, UFC BJJ and Power Slap to bars, restaurants and other out‑of‑home venues. The package...
Netflix Reportedly Snags 2 Additional NFL Games
Netflix is set to double its NFL portfolio from two to four games for the 2026‑27 season, adding the league’s first international contest in Australia and a new Thanksgiving Eve matchup. The Australia game features the Los Angeles Rams versus...
Save Now: MLB.TV Gets a Mid-Season Price Cut on ESPN
ESPN has cut the price of its MLB.TV seasonal packages, lowering the cost to $139.99 for new subscribers and $124.99 for existing ESPN Unlimited members, down from $149.99 and $134.99 respectively. The discount applies to the remainder of the 2026...
Chris Coelen Is Ready to Make 40 More Seasons of Love Is Blind
Reality‑TV veteran Chris Coelen announced he is prepared to produce up to 40 more seasons of Netflix’s hit dating series Love Is Blind. The show’s wall‑to‑altar format has become a cultural touchstone, driving high engagement and social‑media buzz. Coelen’s broader...
Paramount+ and HBO Max Set to Merge Into Single Streaming Platform – Here Is Everything We Know
Paramount Skydance’s $77 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming service, aiming to serve more than 200 million subscribers. The combined platform will unite extensive libraries—from NFL and Star Trek to Game of Thrones and DC titles—while retaining...
Talpa Studios’ The House of Hide & Seek Heads to Spain with RTVE
Talpa Studios announced that its family‑entertainment format The House of Hide & Seek will receive its first international adaptation in Spain, produced by public broadcaster RTVE in partnership with Warner Bros. ITVP Spain. Recording will occur in the Netherlands ahead of the...
ESPN Pieces Together Production Strategy After WNBA’s Unsettled Offseason
ESPN is rolling out a full‑season, native 1080p HDR production slate for all 29 2026 WNBA regular‑season games, including a double‑header and the All‑Star weekend. A delayed schedule release forced the network to finalize mobile‑unit contracts and staffing at the...
Anime Growth Helps Offset Sony Losses From Pixomondo Shutdown, Bungie Troubles
Sony’s FY2026 earnings show a 13% rise in operating income to ¥1.45 trillion ($9.6 billion), driven largely by booming anime assets. Crunchyroll subscriber growth and the record‑breaking theatrical run of *Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle* lifted anime‑related revenue. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures suffered an...
Paramount and Warner Music Team up to Make More Music-Focused Movies
Paramount Pictures and Warner Music Group have inked a multi‑year first‑look agreement to develop music‑focused feature films, leveraging Warner’s catalog and Paramount’s theatrical expertise. The partnership will spotlight icons such as Madonna, David Bowie and Frank Sinatra alongside contemporary stars...
TV 2 Play Clamps Down on Password Sharing
TV 2 Play is rolling out a new "TV 2 Play households" system that automatically identifies a subscriber’s home based on devices sharing the same internet connection. When a login is detected on a device outside that household, the service displays a warning that...
France: YouTube Accused of Being TV Market “Free Rider”
France’s CNC tax body says video‑sharing platforms like YouTube pay only about $32 million in taxes, roughly one‑third of what broadcasters contribute. By contrast, French TV channels remit around $270 million, while paid video services pay $173 million. YouTube, which attracts over 26 million...
Netflix Awards India Media Mandate to Omnicom Media Group
Netflix has transferred its India media planning and buying mandate from Wavemaker to Omnicom Media Group after a multi‑agency pitch. The new contract covers both traditional and digital media channels, reflecting Netflix’s broader strategic overhaul of its Indian market approach....
Scripps Narrows Q1 Loss as Local TV Revenue Offsets Decline at National Networks
The E.W. Scripps Company reported a narrower first‑quarter loss of $18 million, or 20 cents per share, compared with $18.8 million a year earlier. Total revenue slipped 1.4% to $516.9 million, but local‑media revenue rose 5% to $341.6 million, cushioning an 11.1% drop in its...
Roku Delivers Upfront Dinners With A Side Of Full-Funnel
Roku has replaced traditional TV upfront presentations with a series of intimate client dinners, gathering about 70 marketers per event. The company uses the gatherings to promote its full‑funnel advertising proposition, emphasizing programmatic options, custom brand integrations, and measurable performance....
Sony Pictures Quarterly Operating Income Falls 25%, Revenue Up 10%
Sony Pictures reported fourth‑quarter operating income of $268 million, a 25% decline, while revenue topped $3 billion, up more than 10% year‑over‑year. For the full fiscal year, operating income fell 11% to $687 million, largely due to an $87 million non‑cash impairment from winding...
Sony Pictures Full-Year Sales Boosted by Anime But Profit Slips Due to Pixomondo Shutdown
Sony Pictures Entertainment reported FY 2026 sales of $9.92 billion, essentially flat year‑over‑year, while operating income fell 11% to $687 million due to the shutdown of visual‑effects firm Pixomondo. Excluding the Pixomondo impairment, profit actually rose 11% to $858 million, highlighting underlying strength....
Crunchyroll Surpasses 21m Subs
Crunchyroll announced it now has 21 million paid subscribers worldwide, up from 17 million in May 2025. The platform’s catalog exceeds 50,000 anime episodes, movies and specials, and it is available in more than 200 countries and territories. In the United Kingdom the...
TV Ratings (7/5/2026): Nine’s Tipping Point Edges Out The NRL
Nine’s prime‑time game show *Tipping Point* drew 1.5 million national viewers and an average audience of 783,000, outpacing the network’s own NRL broadcast. The NRL match between the Canterbury‑Bankstown Bulldogs and the Dolphins attracted 1.4 million viewers with a 601,000 average, placing...
Oasis Reunion Documentary Coming to Cinemas and Disney+
Disney, Magna Studios and Sony Music Vision are releasing an untitled Oasis documentary that will debut in select IMAX cinemas on September 11 before moving to Disney+ later in 2025. The film, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace and written...
Law & Order Renewed For Season 26 At NBC (Report)
NBC is reportedly renewing Dick Wolf's flagship procedural Law & Order for a 26th season, according to Deadline. Season 25 wraps on May 14, featuring the addition of David Ajala as Det. Theo Walker. The renewal slots the series alongside...
Rupert Murdoch’s High-Stakes Blitz Against the NFL
Rupert Murdoch warned President Trump that expanding streaming rights for the NFL could cripple traditional broadcast networks. Fox, the league’s smallest broadcast partner, faces the prospect of losing game packages to deep‑pocketed streamers like Amazon and YouTube. The NFL is...
Reports: Karl Stefanovic Forced to Withdraw From NRL 360 by Nine
Today host Karl Stefanovic was forced to withdraw from Fox League’s NRL 360 after Nine’s senior management intervened. The appearance, already promoted by Matty Johns, was replaced with a slot on Nine’s own rugby league show, Freddy and the Eighth, where...
Disney by D’Amaro: Earnings, AI, Parks & 88% Streaming Boom
Disney reported a strong second‑quarter beat, with streaming profit soaring 88% to $873 million and the segment finally breaking a 10% operating‑margin threshold. Total revenue climbed 7% to $37.8 billion, propelled by resilient theme‑park attendance. New CEO Josh D’Amaro outlined a "One...
Scripps Talks Comcast, Mum on Sinclair
Scripps disclosed that its carriage dispute with Comcast forced its stations off‑air from March 31 to May 5, creating a short‑term hit to second‑quarter gross distribution revenue. CFO Jason Combs highlighted a 5% year‑over‑year increase in Local Media revenue to $342 million, driven...
AMC Global Media Inc (AMCX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
AMC Networks reported $2.3 billion revenue for 2025 and generated $272 million free cash flow, surpassing its raised outlook. Streaming revenue grew 12% year‑over‑year, becoming the company’s largest domestic revenue source and driving the highest‑ever streaming engagement. The firm reduced gross debt...
Agencies Push Video Futures Collective to Simplify Buying and Unify Data
The Video Futures Collective (VFC), a coalition of eight streaming and ad platforms including Amazon Prime, Disney Advertising, Foxtel Media, Netflix, Samsung Ads, SBS, Vevo and YouTube, is under pressure from agencies to simplify the buying process and deliver consistent,...
Nielsen: HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ Remained No. 1 Across Weekly U.S. Streaming Television Households Through April 12
Season two of HBO Max’s medical drama “The Pitt” stayed atop Nielsen’s weekly streaming chart through April 12, logging 1.13 billion minutes and marking its ninth straight week above the billion‑minute threshold. Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” held the No. 2 spot with 899 million...
Dems Blast FCC Disney Probe As `Egregious Abuse of Power’
A coalition of senior Democratic senators sent a sharply worded letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, condemning the commission’s recent order that forces Disney’s eight ABC broadcast stations to file early license renewals. The senators labeled the action an “egregious...
Starz Exits Universal Pictures Pay-2 Deal After 5 Years
Starz announced it is terminating its five‑year Pay‑2 licensing agreement with Universal Pictures, ending exclusive access to Universal theatrical releases after their run on Peacock, Prime Video and Netflix. The decision, explained by CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, targets cost reduction amid...
New ITV Show Hosted by Graham Norton Gets Schedule Shake-Up Following Disappointing Ratings
ITV’s new reality series "The Neighbourhood," hosted by Graham Norton, is moving to later evening slots as its debut season nears its end. The show, which pits households against each other for a £250,000 (≈$310,000) prize, saw viewership dip below...
Sama Jordan TV Joins Es’hailSat Video Neighborhood at 26° East
Qatar’s Es’hailSat has added Jordanian news channel Sama Jordan TV to its 26° East video neighborhood, broadcasting via the Es’hail‑2 satellite across the Middle East and North Africa. The direct‑to‑home service is uplinked from the Tier 4‑certified Al Ghuwayriyah Teleport in Doha. This...
NFL’s Next Media Move Could Put More Games on YouTube & Netflix
The NFL is set to allocate four of its streaming‑rights games between YouTube and Netflix, while adding a fifth game for a major global streamer. Netflix will air two Christmas Day games in the final year of its three‑year deal...
UK Thriller THE REVENGE CLUB Arrives on BritBox in Australia
BritBox has launched the six‑part UK thriller *The Revenge Club* for Australian subscribers. The series follows newly divorced strangers who turn therapy sessions into elaborate revenge schemes, blending dark comedy, suspense, and relationship drama. It features a star‑studded ensemble including...
Coastal Crime Series MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN Scores Third Season
Fox has renewed the Canadian‑produced crime drama “Murder In A Small Town” for a third season, adding a 10‑episode run and bringing Peter Gallagher on board as a series regular. The show, which premiered in Australia on Seven and 7plus...
Who Should Host the Emmys on NBC? Keke Palmer, Alan Cumming or — Wait for It — the Cast of...
Variety editor Michael Schneider notes that NBC’s current Emmy broadcast agreement ends after the September 14, 2026 ceremony, leaving the future of the primetime awards uncertain. He proposes a “roadblock” simulcast that would air the show simultaneously on all broadcast networks and...
Starz Extends First Quarter Loss on Lower Revenues
Starz Entertainment reported a first‑quarter loss for 2026, with revenue slipping to $307 million, down from $330.6 million a year earlier. Streaming revenue fell to $211.1 million while linear TV revenue dropped to $95.8 million, contributing to an operating loss of $152.8 million and a...
This Week’s MPN Video Podcast: Big Media Earnings, Vertical Drama Market, OpenAI Trial and the Future of Hollywood
The Media Play News podcast highlighted Disney’s strong Q1 results, Paramount’s aggressive 30‑film‑a‑year plan, the launch of the LA Vertical Drama Market, and the escalating legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI. It also examined shifting ad spend as social...
NBC Sports, Peacock Scale Vertical-Video Production Across Sports — and Beyond — Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
NBC Sports and Peacock are scaling 9:16 vertical‑video production for live sports, debuting formats like Courtside Live for the NBA All‑Star Game and Rinkside Live for the Milano‑Cortina Olympics. The workflow relies on FOR‑A/Nippon TV’s AiDi AI, which automates cropping,...