Fixated buys Studio71, forms 1,000-plus creator network
Variety’s Todd Spangler reports that Fixated has acquired Studio71’s North American creator business from ProSiebenSat.1, combining talent representation, production, distribution and monetization under one roof to form a network of more than 1,000 creators.
Workweek raises $17M to build B2B creator platform, ad network
A Media Operator’s Shannon Thaler Cherry reports that Workweek raised $17 million to let professionals in its five industry verticals launch their own newsletters, with a 2027 ad network matching advertisers to those creators, pushing it toward Substack, Beehiiv and Passionfroot territory.
Paramount-WBD streaming merger faces 28% subscriber overlap, Morgan Stanley says
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that Morgan Stanley pegs subscriber overlap between HBO Max and Paramount+ at 28%, complicating plans to merge the platforms as the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal proceeds.
Reacher and spinoff Neagley take top two Samba streaming spots
TheWrap reports Prime Video’s “Reacher” topped the Samba Weekly Wrap Report chart for a sixth straight week, while spinoff “Neagley” debuted at number two, a rare one-two finish for Amazon’s streaming service.
Agencies swap hourly fees for opaque AI platform and tech charges
MediaPost’s Maarten Albarda writes that labor-based agency compensation fell from 54% fifteen years ago to just 17% today, as AI erodes billable hours.
Meta pushes Muse AI tool into retail commerce
eMarketer’s Rachel Wolff reports that Meta is expanding its Muse AI ad tool into commerce through new retailer partnerships, positioning the tool to help merchants generate product listings and ad creative directly on its platform.
Parks Associates: 10 US streaming apps folded into bigger platforms in Q2
Advanced Television reports Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker found ten US streaming service profiles phased out in Q2 2026, with Paramount Skydance folding BET+ into Paramount+ under a dedicated BET Hub.
Best Buy pitches itself as media production company at retail media upfront
Adweek’s Mitchell Parton reports that Best Buy held an upfront presentation for its retail media business in Midtown Manhattan, featuring top executives including incoming CEO Jason Bonfig, CRO Patrick McGinnis, CMO Marty Senn, and chief ads and media officer Lisa Valentino.
The7stars exec: AI media planning needs algorithmic transparency, not just spend transparency
ExchangeWire is running a column from the7stars managing partner Helen Rose arguing that as AI automates media planning, advertisers need to understand why a recommendation was made, not just where money went.
A24, New York Times join bidders for Letterboxd at $300M-plus valuation
TheWrap’s Umberto Gonzalez reports that A24 and The New York Times have entered talks to buy Letterboxd for more than $300 million, joining Sony, Netflix, Paramount, RedBird, TPG and Alexis Ohanian as suitors for the 29 million-member platform.
Leaked memo warns Disney TV staff of a ‘much smaller organization’
The Ankler’s Lesley Goldberg reports that an internal Disney memo tells television staffers to stop “clinging to the old way” as the company pushes to get “more efficient and cost-effective,” warning one division could shrink sharply.
Federal film & TV tax credit bill introduced in Congress
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that Congress has introduced legislation for a federal film and TV tax credit: a 20% credit on labor costs, including above-the-line costs, stacked on top of any state incentives, with projects needing a $1 million budget minimum and 75% U.S. shooting.
Netflix takes pause ads programmatic across UK and EMEA
eMarketer’s Marisa Jones reports that Netflix will make pause ads available programmatically across the UK and wider EMEA region starting next month, unveiled at its first UK Upfront, with expanded demographic targeting by household composition and income.
Horizon Commerce, Pacvue deepen retail media data partnership
MediaPost’s Steve McClellan reports that Horizon Commerce and Pacvue are expanding their alliance, linking Horizon’s Blu Commerce analytics to Pacvue’s commerce media software so brands can plan, buy and measure retail media campaigns in one workflow instead of juggling disconnected systems.
AHS reruns racked up 7 billion Hulu minutes during the 29-month gap
Nielsen reports that Americans streamed more than 7 billion minutes of “American Horror Story” on Hulu during the 29-month wait between installments, the equivalent of 13,000 years. Coven and Murder House alone drove a third of all that engagement.
MS NOW and CNN gain on Fox News in weekly cable news ratings
Adweek’s Mark Mwachiro reports MS NOW and CNN both posted week-over-week gains in total viewers and the A25-54 demo during the week of September 14.
Netflix’s ad tier heads to nine more European markets next March
VideoWeek’s Tim Cross-Kovoor reports that Netflix used its first UK Upfront to confirm its ads tier launches in nine new European markets next March, plus programmatic pause ads and expanded income and consumption targeting.
California AG drops opposition to Paramount-Warner deal
TVREV’s Alan Wolk reports that California AG Rob Bonta backed off his antitrust challenge to the Paramount-Warner merger after unions, theater chains and state political figures sided with the deal over fears of losing 30,000 jobs to another state.
CIMM recap: AI agents now negotiating TV ad buys, identity gaps threaten the model
The Measure’s Jason Damata reports that CIMM speakers described AI agents already handling ad buying, planning and negotiating, while bad identity data and exploding creative variants threaten to undermine measurement across TV, streaming and social.
JIC re-certifies iSpot, ComScore and VideoAmp through 2028
The Measure reports that the U.S. Joint Industry Committee re-certified iSpot, ComScore and VideoAmp as national TV currencies through 2028, even as the JIC already turns its attention to a next phase built around outcomes measurement.
Buyers blast Nielsen’s rushed rollout of new TV measurement changes
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that at CIMM’s Summit, buyers from WPP Media, Publicis and Omnicom Media Group said Nielsen’s shift to the Advertising Research Foundation’s DASH universe estimates was implemented too fast this season.
The CW is becoming Nexstar’s affiliate insurance policy
TVREV’s Tim Hanlon reports that Nexstar has pushed its CW ownership stake past 81 percent and swapped CBS affiliations for CW ones in four markets, while citing the network’s contribution to distribution revenue growth in SEC filings.