Newest

1. Mar 2•Media Play News: Cineverse Buys Its Way Into End-to-End Streaming Infrastructure

   The article profiles Cineverse CEO Chris McGurk and describes Cineverse’s strategy combining a network of 30+ streaming channels with a proprietary streaming technology stack (Matchpoint) that supports distribution, analytics, and AI-based QC/metadata, and is being positioned for SaaS licensing. It highlights Cineverse’s recent acquisitions of Giant Worldwide (media services, localization, OTT testing and delivery) and IndiCue (CTV monetization and ad tech stack including SSAI), along with financial expectations for the acquired businesses and Cineverse’s FY2027 revenue/EBITDA outlook. The piece also notes Cineverse’s experimentation with short-form “micro-drama” content via a joint venture (MicroCo) and its AI-driven search/discovery product Cinesearch, pitched to OEM and smart-TV partners.

2. Feb 27•TheWrap: Paramount + WBD bet $110B on theaters, bundles, and scale

   Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery boards approved a $110 billion merger, with the companies outlining plans for theatrical-first releases (minimum 45-day global window before PVOD, with many titles targeted for 60–90+ days before streaming) and continued third-party licensing. The combined company would unite Paramount+, HBO Max/Discovery+, and Pluto TV, alongside a 15,000+ title film library, major TV franchises, and broad live sports rights, while targeting over $6 billion in synergies including consolidation of streaming technology stacks. The deal is structured as Paramount paying $31 per share for WBD, backed by $47 billion in equity and $54 billion in debt commitments, with a targeted close in Q3 2026 subject to approvals.

3. Feb 27•Broadcast: FIFA Makes TikTok Official: World Cup Rights Now Include the Feed

   FIFA has named TikTok its first-ever “Preferred Platform” for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, positioning short-form social video as a formal part of the tournament’s distribution and fan-engagement strategy alongside traditional broadcast. The article argues that the commercial value of live sports increasingly depends on an end-to-end viewer journey (discovery clips, social conversation, live viewing, and post-match engagement) supported by coordinated data, measurement, and multi-channel ad execution. It also warns that expanding platform presence without a unified strategy can fragment rights and experiences, reducing value for fans, broadcasters, and sponsors.

4. Feb 27•Broadcast: London TV Screenings becomes the year’s first real dealroom

   The article reports that 2026’s London TV Screenings drew strong international buyer attendance and became a prominent early-year marketplace for global content acquisition and distribution discussions. It highlights increasing industry consolidation (including talk of a Paramount bid for Warner Bros. Discovery and potential deals involving All3Media, Banijay, Sky and ITV), alongside shifting licensing/windowing practices and distributors expanding into direct-to-consumer models such as FAST channels and YouTube. The piece also notes growing attention to hybrid broadcaster-streamer partnerships like Netflix’s deal with TF1 and similar arrangements involving French broadcasters and Amazon, with uncertainty centered on second-window rights value.

5. Feb 26•Deadline: Microdrama Apps Quietly Outwatch SVOD on U.S. Phones

   An Omdia study reports that U.S. cellphone users are spending more viewing time on microdrama apps than on subscription streaming services. The finding highlights a shift in mobile video consumption toward short-form, app-native serialized content relative to traditional SVOD viewing on phones.

6. Feb 26•Broadcast: Paramount’s streaming grows, but TV slide keeps losses piling up

   Paramount reported Q4 results showing streaming revenue up 10% year-on-year to $2.2bn, with Paramount+ revenue up 17% to $1.8bn and subscribers rising 4% to 78.9m, while overall the company posted a $339m operating loss amid continued TV segment declines. Executives provided limited commentary on Paramount’s ongoing pursuit of a full acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), as WBD continues to recommend Netflix’s offer for its streaming and studios business and prepares for a shareholder vote on 20 March. Paramount’s TV segment revenue fell 5% to $4.7bn, including a 10% drop in advertising revenue, and shares fell 2.2% on the day.

7. Feb 26•State of Streaming: YouTube’s TV Crown Holds—ESPN’s Playoff Punch Shrinks the Gap

   The post states that YouTube maintained the largest share of TV viewing for the 11th consecutive month at 12.5%. It adds that The Walt Disney Company narrowed the gap to 0.6 percentage points, driven largely by an 82% ESPN viewership increase attributed to the College Football Playoff.

8. Feb 23•Deadline: Could Netflix Win European Olympic Rights Through WBD Deal?

   The article poses the question of whether Netflix could secure European television rights to the Olympic Games if it completes an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. This speculation is framed in the context of Italy preparing to host the Winter Olympics.

9. Feb 16•Occupy Cinema: Nolan to Lead DGA Talks on AI, Streaming Pay

   The Directors Guild of America will begin contract negotiations on May 11 ahead of its June 30, 2026 contract expiration, with Christopher Nolan serving as chair of the negotiating committee. Key priorities include AI protections for directors' creative control, streaming residuals, and preservation of final cut rights, building on the DGA’s 2023 deal that helped set patterns for WGA and SAG-AFTRA talks on AI and streaming compensation.

10. Feb 16•TV[BE]urope: Terrestrial switch‑off threatens Arqiva’s value

    Digital 9 Infrastructure has written down the value of its roughly 52 per cent stake in UK broadcast infrastructure operator Arqiva to zero, citing expectations that its equity will fall below the value of the vendor loan note used to fund the 2022 acquisition. Macquarie has also exited its 26.5 per cent holding as the UK advances plans to switch off terrestrial TV and radio, although broadcast TV is legally guaranteed until at least 2034 and reports suggest up to 10 million people could lose TV access if transmission ends in 2035.

11. Feb 13•Broadcast: Sky–ITV £1.6bn Talks Slow — Deal Still on the Table

    Talks over a proposed £1.6bn takeover involving Sky and ITV have slowed in recent weeks, according to sources. Despite the slowdown, parties reportedly still hope a deal can be reached.

12. Jan 30•Digital TV Europe: Charter Leverages Video to Stabilize Broadband; Stock Pops

    Charter Communications reported a rare quarterly gain of 44,000 video subscribers and narrower broadband losses, driven by lower churn, new pricing and packaging, use of the Xumo Stream Box, and bundling of programmer streaming apps at no added cost. The company continues to invest heavily in its HFC network to enable symmetrical multi-gig service, expand Spectrum Mobile via a new T-Mobile MVNO deal, and deploy CBRS offload, while signaling that capex will peak in 2025 and then decline. Charter’s mixed but improving metrics and strategy to use video as a tool to support broadband helped lift its stock nearly 12%.

13. Jan 26•Verve (VER): Verve Q4 revenue rose 9.9% as margins expanded

    Verve Group SE released preliminary Q4 2025 financial results, reporting a 9.9 percent like-for-like revenue increase to EUR 193.8 million and stable adjusted EBITDA at EUR 48.3 million. The company attributes its strong operational performance and gross margin expansion to the successful completion of platform unification and improvements in its AI-driven technology stack. Verve also provided financial guidance for 2026, anticipating revenues between EUR 680-730 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 145-175 million.

14. Jan 14•Semafor: Netflix and Paramount press regulators on Warner Bros. bid

    Netflix and Paramount executives met separately with European Commission officials to discuss antitrust approvals for their bids for Warner Bros. Discovery. Regulators expressed concerns about Netflix's potential scale post-merger in the EU but were generally receptive. Paramount received a "second request" from US regulators, while Netflix may raise its offer to an all-cash bid.

15. Jan 6•Axios: Meta taps Mahoney for legal overhaul under Zuckerberg

    Meta has appointed C.J. Mahoney, formerly a senior legal executive at Microsoft and deputy U.S. trade representative, as its new chief legal officer, replacing Jennifer Newstead. Mahoney will oversee Meta's global legal strategy, focusing on issues such as data privacy, security, and online safety for teens.

16. Sep 11•BCG Global: In Europe, algorithms replaced the channel lineup—now broadcasters must merge

    BCG reports that in a survey of 3,500 consumers across the UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland, streaming and social video platforms reach 97% of viewers and account for 64% of weekly viewing time, with Gen-Z spending far less time on linear TV and heavily using algorithm-driven discovery. The article argues European broadcasters face subscription saturation, rising competition for advertising, and pressure from global streamers and YouTube/social video, and outlines six strategic imperatives including cross-border partnerships/M&A, broader distribution (including on social platforms), hybrid monetization, GenAI adoption, and regulatory modernization.

17. Jan 6•Business Standard: Streaming becomes Pay TV 2.0—revenue crown flips in 2025

    Citing Omdia’s 2025 trends report, the article forecasts that global streaming video revenue will surpass pay-TV revenue in 2025 ($213B vs. $188B). It highlights a shift toward ad-supported tiers, sports, and bundling among major US streaming services, projecting 818M combined paid subscriptions for Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Max, with ~30% on ad tiers. The report also notes India is expected to differ, with pay-TV forecast to remain the dominant revenue sector through the late 2020s while streaming partnerships and ad-driven models expand.

18. Aug 29•TVREV: Paramount weighs selling a dozen local stations for up to $1B

    Paramount Global is reportedly exploring the sale of up to a dozen of its independent major-market local TV stations, valued between $500 million and $1 billion. This potential divestiture highlights questions about the economic viability of local broadcasting and could lead to further media consolidation among companies already near FCC ownership caps.

19. Jun 11•AP News: TNT Sports wins 10-year U.S. French Open rights deal

    Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT Sports has secured a 10-year deal to broadcast the French Open in the United States, starting in 2025. This agreement is valued at an average of $65 million per year, a significant increase from the previous rights holder, NBC. The French Open coverage will be available on TNT, TBS, truTV, and stream exclusively on Max, along with additional content on Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and HighlightHER.

20. Jun 6•OMB: OMB Partners with Abrans Group for 5G Broadcast Expansion

    OMB and Abrans Group have announced a partnership to advance 5G Broadcast technology for direct-to-mobile content delivery. This collaboration will leverage OMB's infrastructure in Spain and the USA. The objective is to expand wireless broadcasting services across markets in America, Africa, and Asia.

21. May 14•OMB: OMB, Cable AML, Comartel Form ABRANS Group for Wireless Broadcast Tech

    OMB, Cable AML, and Comartel have formed the ABRANS Group, a strategic consortium focused on wireless and broadcast engineering. This alliance will collaborate on research, development, and marketing of technologies for studio-to-transmitter links and broadband wireless products.

22. Feb 20•TheWrap: Disney moves Moana 2 from Disney+ to Thanksgiving theaters

    Disney announced that "Moana 2," initially planned as a Disney+ streaming series, will now be released theatrically. This decision reflects CEO Bob Iger's strategy to move content previously slated for streaming to cinemas, aiming to leverage the full revenue lifecycle of theatrical releases and capitalize on familiar intellectual property. The shift also follows similar moves by other studios and is intended to boost Disney's stock price and restore its standing in the animated film market.

23. Dec 20•The Hollywood Reporter: David Nevins exits Paramount Global after underestimating Yellowjackets

    David Nevins, the chief of Paramount Global, is departing the company in December. In an exit interview, he discussed lessons learned during his tenure, including an initial underestimation of the value of "Yellowjackets."

24. Nov 30•Deadline: Deluxe buys Post Haste Digital to expand dubbing services

    Deluxe has acquired Post Haste Digital, a media services provider specializing in English-language dubbing. This acquisition continues Deluxe's ongoing strategy of M&A deals.

25. Aug 1•Deadline: Deluxe buys CSC to expand German dubbing operations

    Deluxe Media, a tech services firm, acquired German dubbing studio CSC. This acquisition follows Deluxe's previous acquisition by Platinum Equity, indicating a strategy of global growth.

26. Jun 22•Deadline: Samantha Kim joins Deluxe to lead APAC localization expansion

    Deluxe appointed Samantha Kim, former Netflix Korea executive, to oversee its localization and mastering growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Kim will be responsible for operations across Korea, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Her role focuses on expanding Deluxe's services in these key Asian markets.

27. May 17•Encoding.com: Telestream acquires Encoding.com to bridge on-prem and cloud VOD workflows

    Telestream has acquired cloud-native media processing platform Encoding.com for undisclosed financial terms. The acquisition integrates Encoding.com's cloud VOD encoding technologies with Telestream's file-based on-premise and hybrid systems, with Encoding.com's founders taking on leadership roles within Telestream.

28. Apr 15•Amazon News: Bezos says Amazon created $301 billion in 2020 value

    Jeff Bezos's final annual letter to shareholders as Amazon CEO reflects on the company's 2020 performance, highlighting financial metrics across various stakeholders including shareholders, employees, third-party sellers, and customers. It reported $21.3 billion in net income for 2020 and emphasized the value creation for its 200 million Prime members worldwide. The letter also outlined Amazon's commitments to becoming "Earth's Best Employer" and pursuing its Climate Pledge goals.

29. Jul 6•Vulture: Quibi’s $1.75B Bet Meets the Pause Button

    The article examines Quibi’s early post-launch performance and strategic challenges, including a rapid decline in App Store ranking, limited transparency on viewership, and concerns about conversion from 90-day free trials to paid subscribers. It details Quibi’s business model (mobile-only premium shortform video at $4.99 with ads / $7.99 without), heavy content spending and fundraising (~$1.75B), launch advertising commitments, and subsequent pivots such as adding TV casting and enabling screenshots. The piece also covers operational tensions, executive turnover, advertiser renegotiation pressure, and a lawsuit alleging Quibi’s Turnstyle technology was misappropriated.