LONDON—NEP Europe has announced a new multi-year agreement with Wimbledon Broadcast Services (WBS) to remain the broadcast services provider and detailed how it used a number of innovative technologies to produce The Championships, Wimbledon 2026, which continues at the All England Lawn Tennis Club through Sunday, July 12.

"What makes this relationship successful is a shared commitment to continually improving how The Championships is delivered," said Ed Tischler, managing director, NEP UK. "Working alongside WBS, we've evolved the host broadcast operation by finding smarter ways to work, embracing new technologies and giving both teams greater flexibility to innovate. This new agreement reflects the trust we've built together and, most importantly, the commitment of our people who continue to push the operation forward every year."

"Our focus is always on delivering the highest-quality coverage of The Championships for rightsholders around the world while continuing to evolve how the event is produced," added Paul Davies, associate director of broadcast, production, and media rights at The All England Lawn Tennis Club. "NEP has worked in close collaboration with our team to refine workflows, adopt new technologies and continually improve our production approach. That shared commitment to innovation has strengthened the host broadcast operation and provides a strong foundation as we continue to enhance coverage of The Championships in the years ahead."

In making the announcement, NEP also detailed a full range of technical services from across the content supply chain that are being used to deliver the broadcast feed to rightsholders around the world.

The 2026 deployment expanded the use of SMPTE ST 2110 infrastructure across The Championships grounds, with NEP's TFC broadcast control system serving as the central orchestration layer that coordinates workflows across the production. Together, they enable more agile production workflows, streamline replay operations and provide more efficient deployment of engineering and production resources.

Supporting the production are two IP-powered UHD HDR outside broadcast units, a large-scale IP flypack serving 11 production galleries and seven automated courts, and an integrated workflow featuring more than 150 cameras, 32 EVS replay servers, NEP's MediaBank media asset management solution, graphics, quality control and new video review capabilities. More than 350 engineering, operational and commercial specialists from NEP are supporting the delivery of The Championships, along with the Qualifying Competition at Roehampton.

Specialty cameras were also used to expand court coverage. NEP's AI-powered Tr-ACE robotic camera system provided automated capture across Courts 4–7 and 9–11 while enabling a single operator to manage complete on-court coverage. For the first time, Centre Court and No.1 Court also feature NEP's Nucleus camera system, delivering ultra-high-quality 4K super slow-motion images that bring fans even closer to the action.

In addition, Creative Technology (CT), NEP Group's live events solutions division, is delivering one of the largest visual technology deployments at The Championships, with 74 LED displays installed across multiple venues, including the iconic Henman Hill. CT also manages live content production for public viewing areas, helping create an engaging spectator experience throughout the grounds.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters has launched a redesigned Spot Center website that makes it even easier for local radio and television stations to access high-quality public service campaigns from trusted nonprofit organizations.

Local broadcasters have a long history of serving their communities beyond news and entertainment by being involved in local issues and organizations with PSAs, volunteer efforts, education or fundraising.

The NAB's Spot Center is designed to support that mission by providing stations with educational resources to inform and engage their audiences.

The improvements to the site aim to provide a cleaner, more intuitive experience where broadcasters can browse, download and voluntarily air public service announcements on issues affecting their communities, including heatstroke, Alzheimer’s and drug-impaired driving.

More specifically, the NAB’s Spot Center includes:

• Broadcast-ready public service materials for local stations.
• Free-to-use campaigns available at no cost to broadcasters.
• Credible content from established organizations on important public issues.

More information on the new Spot Center is available here.

A U.S. District Court yesterday denied a stay of the FCC Media Bureau’s approval of the merger of Nexstar and Tegna TV station groups, while a California judge set a trial date for lawsuits filed by DirecTV and state AGs, which are challenging the transaction.

Since announced in August 2025, the merger has faced opposition from other media companies, public interest groups and state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit in March, attempting to block the merger.

The merger, valued at $6.2 billion (when it was announced), would create a behemoth in the local broadcasting industry with 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and 132 of the country’s 210 television DMAs.

The acquisition closed in March after approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.

In its decision announced yesterday, the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. denied a request for stay of the FCC’s approval, noting that harms that could come to the Broadband Communications Association of Pennsylvania and other appellants were “either not irreparable or not certain.” The court noted that a separate preliminary injunction in the Eastern District of California already obligated Nexstar to hold Tegna assets separate, operate stations independently, and maintain existing MVPD relationships.

Meanwhile, a California judge set a trial date of July 9, 2027 in a case that combines appeals to nix the merger from DirecTV and by attorneys general from 12 states. The court also set for discovery to close April 15, 2027 and the final pre-trial conference and hearing for June 23, 2027.

In a tweet on X yesterday, Nexstar said it “looks forward” to having its day in court to defend the deal.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—Although CTV advertising continues to see rapid growth, a new survey indicates that buyers remain skeptical of some of the performance claims and increasingly are asking hard questions about measurement, accountability and business impact of their CTV ad campaigns.

These concerns stand in stark contrast to the longstanding claims that connected TV platforms can provide advertisers with clear and convincing data showing the impact of their ad campaigns.

While those claims have helped CTV platforms grab an every growing share of the ad market, new research from Jamloop, a performance CTV platform that connects streaming TV to real business outcomes, shows that CTV is winning a larger share of marketing budgets but not a lot of trust.

Based on a survey of 120 senior brand and agency marketers, the report, “CTV Is Winning Budget. Trust Is Still Catching Up” found that 50% of marketers say their CTV budgets increased year over year, and 63% say CTV already plays a strong performance role in their media mix or is becoming a more accountable performance channel.

However, only one in three buyers (33%) say they fully trust most platform-reported performance claims, while 62% express some level of skepticism.

Accountability standards also remain uneven: Only 42% say CTV is currently held to the same accountability standards as search and social. And, marketers still struggle to defend the spend internally. Only 39% say they feel very confident defending CTV investment to leadership based on current measurement and attribution.

The researchers suggest that better proof could unlock the next wave of growth: More than 70% say they would increase CTV investment if measurement, attribution, and proof of business outcomes improved. Respondents also said that trust concerns remain part of the performance story. More than 60% say they are concerned about fraud or misrepresented inventory in CTV environments.

“The industry has already proven that advertisers want CTV,” said Jeff Fagel, CMO at Jamloop. “What buyers are asking now is a tougher question: what business outcomes does CTV actually drive? Advertisers don’t need another dashboard. They need proof they can defend. The platforms that can prove business impact in ways marketers can actually see and feel, not just through dashboards showing media metrics moving in the right direction, will be the ones that win the next wave of CTV investment.”

The research also points to a broader shift in the media mix. More than 63% of respondents say they are seeing at least some diminishing returns from lower-funnel channels such as paid search and paid social, creating an opening for CTV to play a larger role in performance-focused strategies.

At the same time, marketers remain divided on what CTV performance should actually mean. While 35% prioritize qualified leads, 30% point to online sales and revenue, 30% define performance through revenue or sales lift, and 24% focus on store visits, appointments, or calls. That fragmentation makes it harder to establish common success metrics, compare results across campaigns, and build broader confidence in the category.

For many buyers, performance now means more than site traffic or media metrics alone. It means proving online sales, offline revenue, leads, visits, installs, or broader business impact in a way leadership teams can recognize and trust.

“CTV no longer needs to prove it belongs in the media mix,” Fagel added. “It needs to prove it belongs in the next wave of performance budgets.”

To download the full report, visit jamloop.com.

LONDON—Gravity Media, a global provider of production, content, media services and facilities, is powering an innovative reverse remote production setup for ITV’s FIFA Football World Cup coverage, connecting Gravity Media’s London Production Centre with ITV Sport’s live studio operations in New York through a fully integrated workflow.

In this three-hub production model, match feeds are received via the International Broadcast Center in Dallas and transmitted to Gravity Media’s London Production Centre, where production galleries are operated and enhanced with live editorial and presentation content.

Meanwhile, ITV Sport’s presenting team based in New York delivers the live studio segments, creating a seamless workflow across three international locations rather than a traditional single-site production. The result is a highly resilient, flexible production model that brings together transatlantic collaboration and state-of-the-art infrastructure.

The production also incorporates venue injects, with game-side presentation elements seamlessly integrated into Gravity Media’s London galleries, elevating storytelling and live coverage.

This project highlights Gravity Media’s continued investment in advanced remote production technologies and its ability to deliver complex, multi-location workflows at scale for major international sporting events, according to Kate Rendle, Global Sales Director at Gravity Media.

“This is a perfect example of how Gravity Media is redefining what’s possible in remote production. By integrating our London Production Centre with live presentation in New York, we’re able to deliver a seamless, resilient and highly creative workflow for one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Our investment in infrastructure ensures that we can support our clients with true operational flexibility and continuity, no matter what challenges arise. It’s about delivering innovation and reliability at scale, and we’re proud to be doing that for ITV.”

ITVX says it achieved its strongest monthly performance to date in June, crossing the 400 million monthly streams milestone for the first time in its history.

ITV Sport showed seven out of the top ten biggest matches in the group stages, including England's two winning games, with peak audiences of 16.4 million and 13.8 million respectively, as well as the opening match of the tournament, Mexico vs South Africa, Norway vs France, Netherlands vs Japan, Scotland vs Morocco, and Germany vs Cote D’Ivoire.

ORLANDO—Melissa Medalie has been promoted to senior vice president and regional general manager of Fox Television Stations’ Florida properties, which consists of WTVT Fox 13 Tampa Bay, WOFL Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 35 Plus WRBW, and WOGX Fox 51 in Gainesville.

Medalie assumes this position effective August 2026, reporting directly to Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations (FTS).

FTS also announced that current senior vice president and general manager of the Fox Florida stations, Jeff Maloney, who has been with FTS for over 30 years, will retire at the end of July.

In making the announcement, Abernethy stated, “We would like to thank Jeff for over thirty years of service to FTS and particularly his dedication as a true steward of the Florida communities. As we celebrate his tremendous impact on the stations, we are confident that Melissa’s proven knowledge of our business and dedication to both our teams and viewers will be instrumental in the continued success of WOFL and WTVT.”

Melissa Medalie has been with WOFL Fox 35 for 17 years. Since 2019, she has served as vice president and news director for the duopoly, as well as WOGX Gainesville. Throughout her tenure at the station, Medalie held the roles of assistant news director, senior executive producer and special projects manager, executive producer of “Good Day Orlando” and she began at the station as an executive producer for “Fox 35 News at 5 p.m.” and “Fox 35 News at 6 p.m.”

Before joining WOFL, Medalie served as managing editor and executive producer for Ivanhoe Broadcast News. Earlier, she was a reporter for WHP-TV in Harrisburg, PA, WTVH in Syracuse, NY, and WENY-TV in Elmira, NY. Medalie began her career in broadcasting as a morning anchor and producer for WENY Radio in Elmira, NY. A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication, Medalie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism.

“I am thrilled to lead these two powerhouse stations during such a dynamic time for our industry,” Medalie added. “By building upon the incredible success of the talented journalists and teams at WOFL Fox 35 and WTVT Fox 13, we will drive the next generation of innovation to better serve our communities across Florida.”

Jeff Maloney has been with FTS for 32 years, spending the last 23 with WTVT Fox 13 Tampa Bay. In 2024, he was named senior vice president and regional general manager for FTS’s Florida properties, adding WOFL Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 35 Plus WRBW, and WOGX Fox 51 in Gainesville to his responsibilities. Prior to that, Maloney spent 14 years as senior vice president and general manager of WTVT Fox 13 Tampa Bay, also overseeing the Fox Graphics Hub. Previously, he spent seven years as the station’s vice president of sales.

Prior to this, Maloney spent nearly ten years in sales positions for KSTU Fox 13, the then Fox-owned station in Salt Lake City, including roles as national sales manager, local sales manager and eventually, vice president and general sales manager. Earlier in his career, he was with Katz Communications in Los Angeles. Maloney began his television sales career as a Broadcasting Negotiator for the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.

A graduate of Pepperdine University’s Seaver College, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications.

“After 32 rewarding years of growth with the company, a journey with Fox from Salt Lake City to Florida, I am incredibly thankful for a career path that allowed me to learn from some of the industry’s finest leaders, including Jack Abernethy as he continues to guide us in connecting with our core customer. I leave immensely proud of our organization and the second-to-none dedication of our exceptional journalists at WTVT Fox 13 and WOFL Fox 35, confident that Melissa will build upon this legacy and drive us into the future,” Maloney said.

WTVT Fox 13 Tampa Bay, WOFL Fox 35/Fox 35 Plus WRBW Orlando, and WOGX Fox 51 Gainesville are part of the Fox Television Stations which owns and operates 29 full power broadcast television stations in the U.S. These include stations located in 14 of the top 15 largest designated market areas, or DMAs, and duopolies in 11 DMAs, including the three largest DMAs (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago). Of these stations, 18 are affiliated with the Fox Network. In addition to distributing sports, entertainment and syndicated content, the television stations collectively produce approximately 1,200 hours of local news every week. These stations leverage viewer, distributor and advertiser demand for the Fox Network’s national content.

With the fall football season only two months away, a major regulatory battle with far-reaching implications for the future of high-profile sports and the National Football League on TV is already well underway.

In what could be considered either a regulatory Hail Mary or a politically savvy power play to strengthen their negotiating position in upcoming NFL talks, broadcasters are pushing for legislative and regulatory changes that aim to reverse the ongoing shift of NFL rights from broadcast to streaming platforms.

“Games from the four major professional leagues are now spread across Amazon Prime [Video], Netflix, YouTube TV and Apple TV,” National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt told a House subcommittee in June. “Fans increasingly need multiple paid subscriptions to watch their favorite teams, and survey after survey shows fans are confused and frustrated. Some estimates suggest that accessing every NFL game over the course of a season would cost a consumer well over $1,000.”

Last Rallying Cry
How Congress or regulators might change current rules to address those complaints or how well any of the proposed changes might weather court challenges remains open to question. But there is little doubt that a powerful coalition of politicians, regulators and people who rarely agree on anything—President Donald Trump, Congressional Democrats and Republicans, the Federal Communications Commission, the Justice Department and long-suffering fans—are upset with the current system.

With the president and members of Congress openly criticizing the NFL, the FCC’s Media Bureau launched a public inquiry in March seeking public comments on how the changing broadcast and sports-rights landscape is impacting consumers. The DOJ followed in April with an antitrust probe of the league.

In a March interview on Fox News Channel, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the experience of watching sports “has become frustrating over the last several years…It’s more complex; it’s more costly.”

“We’re all for sports leagues getting fair-market value for their product, but right now, they’re benefiting from a very unique antitrust exemption to pool their bargaining together,” he added. “[W]e’re at a tipping point where these leagues can push it so far [in] putting games behind paywalls that they undermine their ability to claim that anti­trust exemption.”

The NFL has so far been keeping a low profile on the controversy. Commissioner Roger Goodell declined to appear in June beside LeGeyt and other witnesses testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust, which is probing the issue.

In a private meeting with FCC staffers in April, NFL executives argued that “100% of NFL games have aired on broadcast television in the home markets of the competing teams” and that their contracts with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC account for “more than 87% of all NFL games, a number that has varied little in the past two decades,” according to a letter describing the meeting.

In that letter, the NFL also insisted that ending antitrust exemption would mean “higher costs and confusion,” calling its current media distribution policy “good for our fans” and “for local broadcasters.”

Monopoly Money
While much of the consumer debate revolves around the larger issue of sports rights shifting to streaming TV platforms, many of the policy issues and recommendations stem from the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act. One of its key provisions gave the NFL,
Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League an antitrust exemption when negotiating broadcast rights. That exemption allows the leagues to negotiate deals on behalf of individual teams.

Such exemptions were not unprecedented. Nearly 40 years earlier, a 1922 Supreme Court decision gave MLB an antitrust exemption, and there is little doubt that the NFL’s ability to negotiate deals simplified the process of acquiring broadcast rights, which helped the sport and the networks. In 2025, 89 of the top 100 TV programs in the U.S. were NFL games, according to Nielsen.

Critics, however, argue that much has changed since the SBA was passed. In 1960, TV ad revenue (all of which went to broadcasters) totaled only $1.6 billion; this year, linear TV advertising for broadcast and cable is expected to hit $48 billion, a 2,900% increase, and connected TV ad revenues—which primarily go to streaming platforms—will total another $36.9 billion, according to ad agency Media Architects.

Data on the sports business of the late 1950s and early 1960s isn’t very reliable and estimates can vary widely, but the average NFL salary in 1960 was probably $12,000 to $15,000, and total NFL revenues were believed to be around $1 million, mostly from ticket sales. The league’s first post-SBA network deal with CBS in 1962 produced a massive increase in revenue but brought in only about $4.65 million a year, according to the Associated Press. That is a tiny fraction of the $111 billion in revenue produced by the NFL’s current TV contracts, which run through 2033.

Legislative Action Required
With the NFL pushing to extract many more billions from media outlets by renegotiating its current long-term deals, the league’s wealth has attracted increased political scrutiny. In the June House hearings examining potential changes to the SBA, Republicans and Democrats were united in their concerns about the NFL’s distribution strategy that has shifted more games to streaming.

During the hearing, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez expressed serious concerns about how the NFL has sold its media rights and handled its distribution strategy. “The economics of how fans actually watch have shifted in ways that deserve serious attention,” she said, praising the FCC’s decision to probe broadcast sports rights. “For a family trying to follow their team through a full season, the cost of piecing together access across multiple platforms adds up quickly.”

But Gomez, a Democrat, also cautioned the FCC has limited authority to change the current system. “The commission can gather information, raise concerns and call out fouls where it sees them, but any meaningful update to the Sports Broadcasting Act will ultimately require legislative action,” she said.

For its part, the NAB doesn’t want to abolish the antitrust exemptions in the SBA, given the confusion and difficulties that would result in having to negotiate separate deals with all the teams.

“NAB is not asking to eliminate the Sports Broadcasting Act,” LeGeyt told Congress in June. “But this Committee should reaffirm that the SBA applies only to league-wide negotiations with media companies that will distribute games through broadcast television, not lock games behind streaming paywalls.”

How that could work in terms of the media business or the legal system isn’t clear. The major media companies that own the Big Four broadcast networks and ESPN—The Walt Disney Co., Comcast, Fox Corp. and Paramount Global—don’t just have the biggest NFL deals; they also have large streaming subscription services that have bought exclusive rights to stream NFL games in recent years. If approved, Fox’s proposed $22 billion acquisition of Roku in June would allow it to move even more games to streaming.

Nor is it clear how the courts will react to legislation that favors one medium (broadcast) or another (streaming). And if the antitrust exemption is changed, the alternative of having teams negotiating deals rather than leagues could easily fragment rights and cause more confusion than the current system.

Either way, as the NFL pushes to renegotiate its current contracts, expect this regulatory battle to last well into 2027 and beyond.

Have you ever heard the old movie cliché, “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” Those of you who might recognize my name or byline from consumer and residential technology publications over the years might reasonably paraphrase that to ask, “What’s a consumer-centric journalist doing in TV Tech?” That’s a good question, but as an introduction to my new column, “The Other Side,” allow me to explain.

Over the years, I have been involved in exactly what the name of this publication is: TV technology. I’ve worked at post and duplication facilities, helping to initiate and market new technologies; spent more late nights supervising film-to-tape transfers back in the days of 3V film chains and quad recorders; and helped install and bring up and run massive RF distribution networks for early in-room hotel pay TV systems.

On the other side of the technology fence, I led teams that developed and marketed one of the first digitally converged three-tube video projectors; spearheaded one of the first complete home theater systems (including processors, amplifiers and speakers); and, more recently, helped lead product teams for immersive home audio products that play back the content TV Tech readers capture, edit and distribute.

‘Trickle-Up’ Electronics
That has given me a unique view of how both broadcast/professional and consumer electronics products are used and, often, misused for both their intended market applications but also as a physician might say when a drug is used for something other than its main intended use, for “off-label use.” As a good example, one need look no further than the use of DSLRs and even iPhones as production-level cameras for everything from local news to major sporting events and feature films. Let’s call that “trickle up,” as it is the use of consumer market products “off-label” in professional applications.

On the other hand, there has always been the opposite: “trickle down.” By that, I mean the use of professional products in a consumer environment. Back in the day, I recall more than a few high-end consumer installations where one might find those old Tektronix video monitors or “professional” video projectors in home theaters. Perhaps the ultimate trickle-down was the frequent use of the original Altec “Voice of the Theater” speakers in the home, or perhaps JBL and other studio speakers in home theaters. The same for high-end, high-power audio amplifiers or Ampex 300-series reel-to-reel tape machines. The best way to picture that is to do an online search for the classic image of Frank Sinatra’s home listening system.

The digitization of everything has meant that things are clearly blending together from both sides, and my goal here is to have you meet the technology in the middle. On one hand, you get maximum efficiency both in terms of time and costs by using things originally not meant for “pros,” while on the other hand consumers get to reap the benefits of “pro/commercial” products. I’m certain that most of you know nonindustry friends who use Resolve or similar video or audio production software tools for their vlogs, or what now passes for “home movies.”

Both Sides of the Fence
Last bit of my introduction to this space: As an industry professional, it would be astounding if each of you hasn’t been asked more than once by relatives or friends: “Hey, you’re in the TV business. Can you recommend a good display, camera, speaker or amplifier?” By jumping across both sides of the fence in this column, we’ll give you some answers to those questions.

Let’s start with something everyone has and needs, and which you use every day: video displays. For last-mile, precision applications there is still no substitute for a Sony BVM series or monitors from Eizo, Flanders, TV Logic, the Dolby PRM-4220 (as a successor to the now-discontinued Dolby Pulsar) and other brands. However, for noncritical use such as viewing rooms, offices and stages where image quality and price are key, but so is cost, there are new products from consumer brands that may fit the requirements.

You may not be as familiar with TCL and Hisense as you’ve been with the legacy brands such as LG, Samsung and Sony. However, keep in mind that from a global sales perspective, those two brands are right up at the top of the sales charts with LG and Samsung. In particular, the new TCL models with their SQD panel structure and the RGB MiniLED models from Hisense have an excellent price/value benefit. Similarly, the LG and Samsung Micro RGB models will also give higher-priced, “professional” models a run for their money. Just as I’ve seen high-end LG and Panasonic OLED models used as the main and “client” monitors for color grading, expect to see these in non-consumer use sooner than later.

As an aside, the Mini and Micro RGB backlit products—not to be confused with true direct-view LED display technology (dvLED) that is common for video walls, virtual production and staging—may just be the thing to recommend when your nonindustry friends ask you, “What should I buy?” Along with the standard set by OLED, these and the (non-RGB) TCL SQD won’t steer them wrong.

Crossover in Action
As one other example of where From the Other Side will take you going forward, let’s look at one other “trickle up” product drawn from the consumer/home office space that you might benefit from on the job and on the go.

TV technology professionals are often on the go, both traveling to and from gigs, at a remote event, or in recent times possibly even at home doing remote production. Particularly since the pandemic, we’ve all gotten used to multiple screens but what do you do when you have to finish an edit on the go at an airport lounge or coffee shop?

After all, taking a wall of monitors with you just doesn’t work in an era where, to paraphrase another now-obsolete advertising slogan, “bags don’t fly free” unless you have elite-level loyalty status. TSA wouldn’t like that too much, either.

One solution I have tested and used, courtesy of a sample provided by the manufacturer, is the Tri-Screen 3 from a company with the unique name of Xebec. It lists for $699 and consists of two 13.3-inch, 1080p/60Hz screens that fold up against one another to a compact form that isn’t much thicker than some larger laptops. It fits snugly to the laptop’s screen, has one USB-C connection and, after folding out the aluminum kickstand, you fold out the monitors. You then have three screens, counting the laptop or two screens facing you and one facing behind the laptop so others can see what you are working on.

Best example: sitting in a cold Boston airport this winter, having people wonder what I was doing with an edit on three screens. That’s nowhere near as interesting as continuing it with three screens on the plane and then uploading the job as soon as I landed.

These two examples are just a hint of the crossover potential between “work and play” or “home and office/studio/remote shoot” that this column will be bringing you as we all move forward into a future that is not only mixed in terms of media, but with respect to the tools and products we all use to navigate the ever-changing media landscape.

NEW YORK—Versant Media Group continues to make acquisitions following its spinoff from NBCUniversal earlier this year with a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a leading sports technology company with patented hardware and integrated software used by consumers, competitive athletes, coaches, and commercial venues for about $530 million from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investors.

Full Swing, which is best known for its golf simulators and its tracking and analytics software, will add an interactive sports platform to Versant’s portfolio, spanning immersive simulation, launch monitors, virtual greens, integrated software, and performance data.

Built first in golf and now extending into baseball and other sports, Full Swing supports data-driven practice, play, training, and entertainment across at-home, commercial and professional environments with simulated sports and family entertainment experiences.

At a time when traditional cable network brands are looking to expand their presence beyond the declining pay TV eco system, Full Swing will strengthen the company’s golf business, which includes Golf Channel, GolfNow and GolfPass, and will provide a new way to engage the growing golf community.

The acquisition will also create opportunities to develop content, commerce, training, and venues while supporting Full Swing’s continued growth as a sports technology company, Versant said.

“Full Swing is exactly the kind of strategic platform that reflects how we are building Versant: investing in our core markets, extending the reach of our iconic brands and creating new ways to serve passionate audiences,” said Mark Lazarus, CEO of Versant. “Sports are becoming more interactive, more data-driven and more connected, and Full Swing allows us to build on that momentum. Starting from our strength in golf, we see an opportunity to scale a multi-sports technology platform for athletes, coaches, consumers, and fans.”

"This is an exciting next chapter for Full Swing. Joining Versant gives us the scale and distribution to bring our technology to even more golfers, athletes and fans, while staying focused on what we do best — building the most connected and immersive way to play and train,” added Ryan Dotters, CEO of Full Swing. “We're proud of what our team has built, and we look forward to growing it alongside Versant's portfolio of iconic brands."

Following the closing of the transaction, Full Swing will operate within Versant’s Digital Platforms and Ventures portfolio, and Dotters will join Versant, reporting to McIntosh. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second half of 2026.

Gibson Dunn acted as legal advisor to Versant. Moelis & Company LLC. acted as financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Bruin.

NEW YORK—Fox Television Stations has named Robert Lydick senior vice president of engineering, operations and technology for Fox Television Stations.

Lydick will report directly to FTS CEO Jack Abernethy and oversee all engineering, operations, and technology functions for the station group.

Lydick assumes his new role July 13, succeeding Tim Joyce, who retired at the end of June.

“Robert has been a key player at Tegna for over a decade and is a great fit for this role,“ Abernathy said. æHe has tremendous knowledge of our core stations business and a deep understanding of how to manage engineering and technology operations. He is a terrific addition to an already strong FTS bench of executives.”

Lydick was an engineering, technology and operations executive with station group Tegna for 15 yeears, most recently as VP of station operations and technology.

Before that, he was VP of information technology and station operations, overseeing day-to-day station operations, enterprise IT, cybersecurity and special projects. Before his coroprate roles, he was regional head of technology for Tegna stations KSDK St. Louis and KARE-TV Minneapolis.

Lydick began his media career more than 24 years ago at USA Today (then Gannett) where he held the positions of information analyst, project and planning analyst, and project and planning manager. A graduate of the University of Lynchburg, he holds a bachelor’s in business administration.

“Joining the Fox Television Stations is an exciting opportunity,” Lydick said. “I'm looking forward to working with an amazing team on some of local journalism's biggest technical challenges. I'm humbled to be in the role and can't wait to get started.”

Joyce was senior vice president of engineering, operations, and technology for FTS since January. Before that, he was senior vice president of media and broadcast engineering for Fox Corp. for nearly three ears.

Previously, Joyce served as the senior vice president of technology business relations for Fox Networks Group in Los Angeles, and before that, as vice president of broadcast operations for Fox Networks Group in Europe and Africa. He spent 6 years as vice president of operations and production services for National Geographic Channels International. Joyce began his career as a senior editor for Fox Latin American Channels. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Spanish.

“Tim is an incredibly talented executive with experience across multiple roles and has been a vital part of transforming and advancing our engineering and technology systems," Abernethy said. "His intelligence, energy, and leadership skills have impressed me since his first day here and we wish him all the best on a well-deserved retirement even as we regret seeing him go.”

Added Joyce: “After 27 years at Fox—from Fox Latin American Channels to National Geographic, Fox International Channels Europe, Fox Tech, and Fox Television Stations—I've learned that while companies evolve and technology changes, it's the people who make the journey unforgettable. Thank you for being the best part of mine.”

FTS owns and operates 29 full-power U.S. television stations, including outlets in nine of the 10 largest DMAs and duopolies in 11 markets, including the top-3 DMAs of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Comcast’s Sky unit has announced that it plans to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment from ITV plc for roughly 1.6 billion pounds ($2.14 billion), comprising 1.2 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in cash, Love Productions, and up to 0.2 billion pounds ($0.27 billion) in performance-related earnout.

The announcement comes just a week after Comcast set plans to spin off its NBCUniversal and Sky operations into a separate company.

The proposed deal would create a U.K. media powerhouse and create the scale the companies say they need to compete effectively with global streaming players.

ITV already reaches around 40 million people every week and serves more than 16.5 million monthly digital users. Combined with Sky, the business would account for around 20% of all in-home viewing in the U.K.—second to the BBC and ahead of YouTube—and create a British commercial streaming champion.

But analysts point out that the combination would also control about 70% of the U.K. TV ad business and that the proposed deal will face extensive regulatory review.

The deal combines ITV’s ad-supported, free-to-air broadcast platform with Sky’s portfolio of pay TV, streaming, broadband, mobile and business services. Comcast and ITV said the combined entity’s diverse revenue streams would provide a resilient and durable business model.

“This is a defining moment for British media and an opportunity to build a stronger future for two of the U.K.’s most loved and trusted brands,” Sky Group CEO Dana Strong said. “We have huge respect for the transformation the ITV team has delivered, particularly its successful move into streaming through ITVX, which has brought fantastic British content to millions of viewers across the UK.

“Bringing Sky and ITV Media & Entertainment together combines the very best of free-to-air television, pay TV and streaming, ensuring viewers across the U.K. continue to enjoy outstanding British programming in a rapidly changing world,“ she added. “ITV will remain a public-service broadcaster at the heart of British life, and we’re excited about the future we can build together.”

The ITV channels and ITVX will remain free-to-air and will continue to meet their public-service broadcasting commitments, Sky said, with ITV’s entertainment and national and regional news programs remaining intact. ITV News and Sky News will also remain as distinct editorial voices, Sky said.

Sky also struck a five-year, 2.1 billion-pound ($2.8 billion) content supply deal with ITV Studios, effective upon the deal’s completion.

“ITV has successfully evolved in a rapidly changing media landscape—launching and scaling ITVX and developing ITV Studios into a major force in the global content market,” ITV plc CEO Carolyn McCall said. “This transaction builds on that momentum to deliver clear, tangible value for shareholders. At the same time, through the commitments made by Sky, the combined ITV M&E / Sky business will continue to deliver everything about ITV that our viewers and advertisers love and value and our people are hugely proud of—making programs that reflect and shape society, bringing people together for shared experiences and having the quality, diversity and plurality that are the hallmarks of our contribution to the U.K,’s creative industries. In addition, all of ITV’s PSB commitments, including regional and national news, are safeguarded under the terms of the Channel 3 Licences until 2034, which Sky is acquiring as part of the transaction.”

LOS ANGELES—Television City and Orbital Studios said they are collaborating on a new advanced virtual production facility on the lot in Hollywood’s Fairfax district.

The LED volume at 7800 Beverly Blvd. reflects Orbital’s steadfast commitment to providing best-in-class virtual production experiences for productions of all sizes, budgets, and creative aspirations, according to the companies.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Orbital Studios to Television City,” said Anthony Mazziotti, executive director of stage operations and marketing at Television City Studios. “Their work puts this lot among the most advanced production environments anywhere, while honoring everything these stages have stood for. This is exactly the kind of partnership that keeps Television City both iconic and essential.”

Originally CBS’s first West Coast videotape production facility, Television City opened on Nov. 16, 1952, at 7800 Beverly Blvd. in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Over seven decades, its soundstages produced “The Carol Burnett Show,” “All in the Family,” “The Price Is Right,” “The Young and the Restless” and many iconic programs. The city of Los Angeles designated the studio a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2018. That same year, CBS sold the property to Hackman Capital Partners for $750 million, and the lot remains an active production facility.

Founded in 2020 by A.J. Wedding, Orbital Studios is a Los Angeles virtual production company. The studio operates LED volumes with camera tracking and real-time rendering, supported by an in-house Virtual Art Department. Orbital develops virtual production workflows spanning mobile operations in the U.S. and worldwide, AI-assisted content creation, real-time rendering, and location reconstruction technologies such as 3D Gaussian Splatting.

Orbital is currently in production on the series “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,” and its recent credits include the Netflix series “Nemesis,” for which the team rebuilt portions of downtown Los Angeles from digital scans, “Justified: City Primeval,” “History’s Greatest Heists” and the recently released 20-part docuseries “World War II With Tom Hanks.”

“Walking these stages, you feel the weight of what was made here,” said A.J. Wedding, founder and CEO of Orbital Studios. “Generations of crews poured everything they had into these rooms. That legacy makes us determined to get it right. We’re bringing the latest in virtual production technology and the most talented virtual art and AI artists inside spaces that helped define American television, because the best way to honor a storied place is to make sure the next great stories happen there, too.”

LAS VEGAS—The Mountain West Conference has launched MW+, a direct-to-consumer streaming platform designed to give its member universities a new way to generate recurring subscription revenue directly from their own fans.

Unlike traditional conference streaming services, a majority of subscriptions purchased through a member school’s dedicated page flow directly back to that institution, creating a new revenue model as conferences navigate the changing economics of college athletics.

The launch reflects a broader shift toward schools and conferences building owned media businesses rather than relying solely on traditional broadcast partners. In addition to live events, MW+, which is powered by Kiswe, features original programming, athlete storytelling, and interactive fan experiences designed to deepen engagement while creating a scalable, year-round business.

With the addition of men’s soccer and men’s swimming and diving, the realigned Mountain West will now sponsor 21 sports. Its all-sports members — Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada-Reno, UNLV, New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEP and Wyoming — will continue to compete across the full Mountain West portfolio, including football.

UC-Davis joins Grand Canyon University, which just completed its first full year in the MW, as all-sport members outside of football, while Colorado College (women's soccer), North Dakota State (football), Northern Illinois (football and women's gymnastics) and Utah Tech (baseball and men's soccer) will compete as affiliate members in designated sports.

In February, the Mountain West announced a new media rights package featuring CBS Sports, Fox Sports, The CW and Kiswe. The agreements with CBS Sports, Fox Sports and Kiswe run for six years (2026-27 through 2031-32), while The CW has committed to a five-year partnership through the 2030-31 season.

In addition to the launch of the new SVOD service MW+, there is now a new conference website driven by SIDEARM that delivers improved navigation, enhanced storytelling, streamlined statistics and a modern user experience.

MW+ is available on a variety of platforms and devices, including web and mobile web, iPhone and Android mobile devices, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Amazon Prime Channels (coming soon) and more.

NEW YORK—BIScience’s AdClarity said it has expanded its connected TV (CTV) ad intelligence product to 19 new countries, bringing total tracked CTV ad spend to $70 billion across 20 markets.

With CTV now representing 10% of all tracked ad spend globally and 16% of the U.S. ad spent, BiScience has added CTV coverage in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Spain, New Zealand and Denmark.

Each market includes local platform depth. For example, the United Kingdom features Channel 4 and ITV, Germany includes Joyn and Sky, and Australia covers 10 Play, 7plus, 9Now and Stan.

With this release, BIScience reported that AdClarity now combines the industry's widest cross-market CTV coverage with AI-powered ad intelligence. Built on one consistent methodology across markets and media, including CTV, AdClarity gives teams a unified way to compare activity, uncover competitive shifts, and move from data to decisions faster. The company said that customers can now generate insights in under 10 seconds, reducing manual analysis by 85% through AI-driven automation, and saving an average of 7,980 hours annually per customer.

Currently, AdClarity's panel of 30 million opt-in users spans 132 streaming platforms, 5 million smart TVs, and 52 countries, with eight years of historical depth. AdClarity said it serves 27% of the Fortune 500, including Adidas, Amazon, Booking.com, Disney, Shell, Sony and Wix. The platform is also used by four of the five top global advertising agencies and seven of the top ten global market research companies.

"Global advertisers don't work in silos, and their intelligence tools shouldn't either. By expanding AdClarity's CTV coverage to 20 markets and integrating built-in AI, we've unified the cross-media view and bridged the gap between seeing data and taking action. One methodology, one platform. Total visibility across every screen," said Dorit Kaplan, VP Product and Strategy at BIScience.

To learn more, visit AdClarity’s website.

BINGEN AM RHEIN/MAINZ, Germany—Systems integrator Broadcast Solutions GmbH has announced that it is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal will strengthen Broadcast Solutions’ position as one of Europe’s leading providers of broadcast, media and communications systems, and expand its service portfolio to include in-depth expertise in the areas of studio and production technology, media IT, control center and control room systems, and customized hardware and software development.

“With the acquisition of BFE, we are consistently pursuing our strategic growth course,” said Stefan Breder, co-CEO of Broadcast Solutions. “In recent years, there has been only minimal overlap between the two companies’ service portfolios, but today they complement each other perfectly in technological terms. Together, we are creating the conditions to support our clients even more comprehensively in the future with the planning, implementation and further development of sophisticated broadcast, media and communications infrastructures.”

As an independent company with offices in Mainz and Vienna, BFE will become part of the Broadcast Solutions Group. The existing shareholders, Martin Dempf and Sven Hesselbach, will continue to jointly manage the company as managing directors. Peter Dinkel and Doris Hartl will continue to lead BFE in Vienna as managing directors.

In announcing the deal, the companies noted that the demands placed on technical infrastructure in the media industry are undergoing a fundamental shift and that the shift to IP-based production platforms, cloud technologies, automation and artificial intelligence are increasing the level of integration in modern systems as well as the complexity of projects.

That has created a growing need for technology partners who can cover all phases of a project—from consultancy and development through to system integration, implementation and continuing support—under one roof, the merger partners said.

With this deal, the two companies stressed their complementary areas of expertise and said merger creates an integrated offering that combines system integration, engineering expertise, vertical integration and long-term service.

As one of Europe’s leading system integrators, Broadcast Solutions will bring its extensive experience in the planning and implementation of complex broadcast infrastructures to the partnership. BFE complements this portfolio with its many years of experience in development and implementation of bespoke studio, production and media solutions. It also possesses particular expertise in media IT, workflow integration, control center and control-room systems, and the development of customized hardware and software solutions.

As a result, the combined company said it will be able to provide customers with a significantly expanded portfolio of technologies and solutions, additional engineering and development capacities, and greater implementation capabilities for complex national and international projects.

“Broadcast Solutions is the right partner for BFE to continue our development in the long term. Being part of an internationally successful group of companies opens up additional technological and international opportunities for us. At the same time, our brand, our corporate culture and our close relationship with our customers will remain intact,” said Martin Dempf, managing director of BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH.

TORONTO—Lumine Group said it has acquired Imagine Communications Holdings Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Dallas-based Imagine Communications is a global provider of video connectivity solutions, channel origination software and hardware, and AI-enabled advanced advertising solutions. Lumine Group, with a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, is a publicly traded Canadian company that specializes in acquiring and growing vertical market software companies specifically within the communications and media sector.

“Imagine Communications is an important addition to Lumine’s growing Media ecosystem,” said Tony Garcia, chief operating officer at Lumine Group. “The business will provide origination to our already extensive video processing capabilities, while complementing and expanding TV monetization with its Landmark Sales AI-enabled advertising product, among others.

“Consistent with Lumine’s decentralized operating approach, Imagine Communications will continue to operate as an independent business, and as a buy-and-hold forever owner, we are committed to giving them the stability to keep building on their depth of expertise in the industry,“ Garcia added. “We look forward to welcoming this global team and its customers to Lumine, to share our best practices and to learn from their decades of industry insight.”

Steve Reynolds, current Imagine CEO will continue to lead the division.

“We are excited to become part of the Lumine Group global media ecosystem,” Reynolds said. “Lumine Group’s acquisition approach and buy-and-hold philosophy provide us with a solid foundation on which we can continue to innovate, while providing certainty to our customers and employees. Operating as an autonomous business within Lumine Group, we have a clear path and excellent support to achieve our vision and serve our customers’ most critical needs.”

Imagine was born amid the ashes of the broadcast division of Harris Corp., created when the company spun off its transmission business, rebranded as GatesAir (acquired by Thomson Broadcast in 2022) and its software and networking division, which assumed the new name “Imagine Communications” in 2014.

This acquisition follows Lumine’s purchase of the video network business of U.K.-based Synamedia, a provider of video software technology to broadcasters and media production companies.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—The Florida Association of Broadcasters has named Heather Lomagistro president and Chief Executive Officer, effective today.

Lomagistro most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. She succeeds Pat Roberts, the association’s longtime leader, who will transition to the role of president emeritus.

“FAB is strong because of its people—the best executive committee, board and staff anywhere,” said Lomagistro. “My focus is on protecting what makes us special, sharpening how we operate, and making sure we are ready for whatever the future of broadcasting brings — with Florida’s broadcasters at the center of everything we do.”

She also paid tribute to her predecessor. “Pat leaves a legacy few in any industry will ever match. He has been the steady, fierce voice for Florida’s broadcasters, and he built something that will outlast us all,” she said.

FAB Chairman John Soapes and Immediate Past Chairman Lara Kunkler welcomed the transition on behalf of the Board and the Executive Committee.

Soapes reflected on both Roberts’ tenure and the Board’s confidence in his successor.

Roberts first joined FAB in 1987 as a consultant and became President in 1988. He has guided the Association ever since, helping grow it into one of the nation’s most respected state broadcasting associations and a leading voice for Florida’s radio and television broadcasters before state and federal lawmakers, the FCC, and emergency management partners. His nearly four decades of service make him the longest-serving president of any state broadcasters association in the country.

“Leading FAB has been the honor of my career, and it is a place I will always champion. What I’ll carry with me isn’t any one fight we won — it’s the people, the stations, and the communities they serve. Entrusting it to Heather makes this transition an easy one. FAB is in better hands than ever,” said Roberts.

As president emeritus, Roberts will serve in an advisory and advocacy-focused role, lending his decades of experience to support FAB during the transition.

More information is available on the association’s website.

LONDON—Synamedia appointed Dr Tzvi Gerstl Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, where he will continue to provide strategic guidance and support the company's long-term growth agenda.

The company said that the appointment marks the next step in Synamedia's development following the divestiture of its video network business.

Earlier in June, Lumine Group Inc. announced that one of its subsidiaries has entered into an agreement to acquire the video network business from Synamedia. As part of the agreement, Lumine is setting up a new independent company operating under the name of its primary product name, Quortex.

In the wake of the deal, which will give it a sharper strategic focus and a streamlined operating model, Synamedia said it will focus on helping operators and media companies attract, engage, and monetize audiences through exceptional video experiences.

Gerstl has played a central role in shaping and executing the strategy at the heart of Synamedia's next phase. He has driven significant improvements in innovation, execution, and customer outcomes. Under his leadership, the company has accelerated and established new momentum through customer wins with BFBS, MTN, Mileto, Partner Communications, and YES as well as the launch of GO Shorts and the award-winning Senza Ignite.

"We have spent the last several years transforming Synamedia, strengthening our portfolio and positioning the company around a clear strategy focused on our customers and the future of video," said Paul Segre, Executive Chairman of Synamedia. "With the simplification of our business model and strong momentum across the company, now is the right time to transition leadership to the person best positioned to accelerate our growth.

"Tzvi understands our customers because he spends time with them, our technology because he's helped shape it, and our business because he has been instrumental in its success," continued Segre. "The Board and I are confident there is no better person to lead Synamedia into its next chapter. I look forward to continuing to support Tzvi and the leadership team as Executive Chairman."

"The media industry is navigating profound change as audiences increasingly expect video experiences that are personalized, mobile, and available everywhere," said Gerstl. "At the same time, operators and media companies need to grow audiences, create new revenue streams, and reduce complexity. That is exactly where Synamedia can make a real difference.

"The future of video will be shaped by those who can attract audiences, monetize effectively, and simplify operations,” he added. “Synamedia brings together streaming, advertising, monetization, security, and audience engagement to help customers achieve those outcomes. I am proud to lead one of the most talented teams in the industry and excited about the value we can create with our customers and partners as we enter Synamedia's next chapter."

SEATTLE—Cascade PBS has launched Local Public, a wholly-owned public benefit subsidiary that will be offering app solutions to public media stations across the U.S.

Local Public enables stations to offer a locally-branded, locally-curated streaming video service across connected TV, web and mobile platforms.

Cascade PBS reported that Local Public currently supports 18 PBS stations across the country with streaming applications available on all major platforms. Additional stations will launch in the coming months.

“Public media has always been strongest when it is deeply rooted in the communities it serves,” Rob Dunlop, Cascade PBS president & CEO, said. “Streaming shouldn’t diminish that connection—it should strengthen it. Local Public gives stations the tools to create digital experiences that reflect their communities, deepen audience engagement and build a more sustainable future for public media.”

The launch grew out of an initiative by Cascade PBS to strengthen its own digital future that evolved into a standalone business. That business is now helping a growing coalition of stations nationwide build stronger connections with their communities in the streaming era.

Stations that have joined Local Public span the country include:

• Arizona PBS
• Buffalo-Toronto Public Media
• Cascade PBS (Seattle-Tacoma and Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick)
• Houston Public Media
• KPBS (San Diego)
• KVIE (Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto)
• Lehigh Valley PBS
• Nashville PBS
• OPB (Oregon)
• PBS Charlotte
• Rocky Mountain PBS (Colorado)
• SCETV (South Carolina)
• Vegas PBS
• WCTE (Upper Cumberland, Tennessee)
• WETA (Washington, D.C.)
• WHRO (Norfolk–Portsmouth–Newport News)
• WHYY (Philadelphia)
• WQED (Pittsburgh)

In launching the new company, Cascade PBS noted that local stations have long been the essential link between national programming (such as “Masterpiece” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”) and the communities they serve. Local stations curate schedules, produce their own shows and build relationships with viewers—who then sustain public media through their support of the station.

As audiences increasingly consume content through streaming platforms, maintaining that local connection has become both more challenging and more important.

Local Public aims to address this challenge by helping public media outlets deliver streaming experiences crafted for the audiences they know best. Rather than a one-size-fits-all experience, local outlets can showcase their own local stories, highlight community priorities, strengthen audience relationships and create a clearer pathway for viewers to directly support their local station.

“Local Public represents the possibilities when local public media organizations work together to build better products, faster, that meet the needs of our audiences and reflect what’s most important to our communities,” said Amanda Mountain, president & CEO, Rocky Mountain Public Media, which is already using their solutions.

Cascade PBS also stressed that its own Local Public-powered streaming products demonstrate the effectiveness of a local-first approach with:

• Higher Donation Revenue: Local Public-powered apps have increased contributions by 53%.
• Accelerated Donor Acquisition: Local Public apps have generated 30% more new supporters.
• Stronger Donor Retention: Donors acquired through Local Public apps have a 7% higher retention rate.

ATLANTA—Gray Media, Inc. has announced that it has concluded a deal with American Spirit Media, LLC (“American Spirit”) to acquire its six television stations for $50 million.

The deal builds on longstanding relationships between Gray and the stations. For more than a decade, Gray (and its predecessor company, Raycom Media) provided back-office services to five of these stations as well as local news to four of these stations.

The American Spirit being acquired are:

• DMA 81, Toledo, Ohio, WUPW (Fox)
• DMA 100, Jackson, Miss., WDBD (Fox)
• DMA 125, Wilmington, N.C., WSFX-TV (Fox)
• DMA 126, Columbus, Ga., WXTX (Fox)
• DMA 149, Wichita Falls, Texas, KAUZ-TV (CBS)
• DMA 176, Lake Charles, La., KVHP (Fox)

Gray also announced that the parties completed the first of two closings of the transaction with Gray paying $40 million to American Spirit and commencing a limited local management agreement for the stations. The consideration for the first of the two closings was funded with a portion of the proceeds of a private placement of $70 million of aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 7.250% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2033, which was completed on June 30, 2026.

As of May 15, 2026, prior to the deal, Gray owned 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Gravity Media USA, a provider of production, content and media services and facilities, has hired Brittney Boston as head of business development.

Based in Nashville, Boston’s charge is to lead its business development strategy and drive revenue growth across its RF and wireless solutions, production flypack services and production and managed services offerings, the company said. She’ll work closely with Gravity Media USA’s leadership team to focus on strengthening customer partnerships and developing new opportunities across the region, Gravity Media said.

“The opportunity to join the team at such an exciting stage of growth is incredibly exciting,” Boston said. “I'm looking forward to working with talented teams across the business to build new partnerships, expand our client base and help drive the next phase of growth for Gravity Media USA.”

Prior to Gravity, Boston had founded and operated Supreme Republic Entertainment, a consultancy serving major record labels, production companies and Fortune 500 brands, the company said. She brings 13 years of experience on such major events as the Grammy Awards, Oscars and Emmy Awards, as well as with the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers.

“Brittney joins Gravity Media as we continue to expand our U.S. operations and invest in the growing demand for RF, specialist cameras and live production services,” Nathan Spencer, managing director of Gravity Media USA, said. “Her extensive experience across sports and entertainment, along with her strong commercial track record, will be instrumental in strengthening customer partnerships and driving the next phase of the business’ growth.”

Gravity Media is a media services, facilities, production and content company that delivers end-to-end media services and solutions to broadcasters, rightsholders and production houses in 37 locations across 10 countries, including such highly watched events as the UEFA Euro Championships, Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Formula E, the Tour de France and the U.S. Open tennis tournament, as well as programs such as “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” and “I Kissed a Boy.”

WUPPERTAL, Germany—Riedel Communications says it's expanding its partnership with SKAARHOJ, a Danish provider of tactile controllers for media production, bringing official SKAARHOJ panel support to SimplyLive production workflows. Enabled through the latest SimplyLive 2.1 release, the integration expands SimplyLive’s control options with a tactile switcher panel experience, complementing both its touchscreen interface and existing RCU-based workflows.

The integration addresses customer demand for dedicated hardware control in live production environments where operators want the speed, confidence, and familiarity of a classic switcher panel, Riedel said. With SKAARHOJ panels, SimplyLive users can control key live production functions such as source switching, program output switching, transitions, auxiliary output control, keying, graphics, and macros.

“SKAARHOJ was the obvious partner for this integration because of their strong reputation for high-quality products designed with the user in mind,” said Paul Macklin, Senior Product Manager, SimplyLive at Riedel Communications. “Their collaborative approach allowed us to tailor the solution around the specific needs of SimplyLive operators, especially in single-operator environments where speed, confidence, and ergonomics are essential.”

This operator-focused approach extends beyond the panel integration itself. To support fast deployment, Riedel and SKAARHOJ said they provide a curated starting configuration that helps customers get up and running quickly while preserving the flexibility to adapt the setup to their preferred production workflows.

“We're excited to expand our collaboration with Riedel through the SimplyLive integration,” said Kasper Skårhøj, CEO, SKAARHOJ. “Having previously integrated with Riedel SmartPanels and MediorNet, this is another great example of how our technologies can come together to create new and flexible workflows. While the solution is tailored for the Master Key 48, users can choose any SKAARHOJ panel that best fits their production needs.”

SimplyLive 2.1 introduces official support for SKAARHOJ panels through a gRPC API, enabling responsive communication between the panel and the SimplyLive ViBox application. Alongside a range of other enhancements and new features, the release also adds a new Venue Gateway license for SimplyLive Production Suite Flex customers, allowing the same server hardware to support Venue Gateway applications in addition to All-in-One, Replay, Ingest, and Review workflows.

Additional SimplyLive resources, including the curated starting configuration, are available via the MyRiedel portal. Further guidance on SimplyLive 2.1 workflows, including instructions for implementing the SKAARHOJ configuration, is available in the SimplyLive 2.1 user guide.

WASHINGTON—Broadcast Management Group (BMG), a leader in live production, creative services, and broadcast managed services, has appointed Kathy Samuels as director of creative services.

In her new role, Samuels will lead BMG's growing Creative Services division, helping clients develop, execute, and distribute live broadcasts, streaming channels, sports programming, brand activations, live events, enterprise communications and audience experiences that combine compelling storytelling with Tier 1 broadcast production execution, the company said..

Over the past year, Samuels was strategic accounts manager for BMG, overseeing key client relationships across sports, entertainment, media and enterprise organizations. In that role, she worked closely with clients to align creative strategy, production workflows, and operational execution while supporting some of BMG's most visible and complex initiatives, the company said.

“Kathy brings an exceptional combination of creative leadership, production expertise, and show format development,” BMG CEO Todd Mason said. “Her experience launching shows, building show formats, building content teams, developing talent and leading complex productions makes her uniquely qualified to lead our expanding Creative Services division as we continue expanding our work across sports, entertainment, financial services, news, and enterprise clients.”

Samuels has spent nearly 30 years as a producer, showrunner, media executive and content strategist across broadcast television, digital media and live production. She has helped launch such nationally recognized programs as Access Hollywood, Rachael Ray, and Katie, while holding leadership roles at NBC, CBS, ABC, Hasbro, Joyus and other media organizations.

A Daytime Emmy, Telly and Davey Award-winning producer and showrunner, Samuels has built a reputation for creating content and audience experiences that connect across television, streaming, live events, branded content and emerging media platforms, BMG said. Her expertise spans creative development, talent strategy, show creation, content production, studio production, and multiplatform storytelling, according to the company.

MIAMI—WFOR-TV, branded on-air as CBS Miami, is partnering with Neighbors 4 Neighbors and Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), to launch “Hope 4 Venezuela,” a relief initiative supporting families impacted by the devastating earthquakes in that country.

Doral, Fla.-based WFOR’s coverage area is home to the largest Venezuelan population in the United States. The station is using its community connections to mobilize aid, elevate critical resources and serve as a central hub for information and support for people affected by the recent earthquakes, it said.

“As a local newsroom, our role goes beyond reporting—we are here to serve, inform and activate our community in moments of need,” said Miguel Fernandez, vice president and news director of CBS Miami. “South Florida’s connection to Venezuela is deeply personal, and we are committed to using our platform to help families facing unimaginable loss.”

The initiative combines storytelling, fundraising and community engagement to drive immediate relief. Donations will be distributed through Global Empowerment Mission and Neighbors 4 Neighbors, while CBS Miami amplifies awareness across its broadcast, digital and social platforms.

“This initiative reflects the power of local journalism to bring communities together and drive meaningful impact,” said Kim Voet, president and general manager of CBS Miami. “We are proud to stand with our viewers, partners and the Venezuelan community to provide support and deliver real help where it is needed most.”

The campaign will include a dedicated Hope 4 Venezuela special on July 1, when CBS Miami’s 7 p.m. newscast will be transformed into a focused broadcast driving awareness, donations and community participation as part of a broader daylong effort.

“Local media plays a critical role in moments like this, connecting people to trusted organizations and turning compassion into action,” said Katy Meagher, president and CEO of Neighbors 4 Neighbors. “Together with CBS Miami and GEM, we are working urgently to deliver life-saving aid to those who need it most.”

CBS Miami is also engaging local businesses, advertisers and community members to support donation efforts, while its editorial coverage will continue to highlight the ongoing impact of the earthquake and the response from South Florida’s Venezuelan community.

Donations can be made via the Neighbors 4 Neighbors website, with additional information found on the CBS News Miami website.

WASHINGTON—The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) in partnership with Hearst Television has announced the participants in the 2026 Emerson Coleman Fellowship, an immersive program designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in broadcast television programming and production.

Paid internships at local television stations are an integral part of the fellowship, where students receive hands-on experience in live programming and production environments. They also attend virtual learning sessions, complete a capstone project pitching their original show ideas and receive mentorship to support their professional development.

The foundation is announced these details about this year’s cohort and their internship locations:

• Alana McBean – WABC-TV, New York, N.Y.
• Amarion Weathersby – WFLD-TV, Chicago, Ill.
• Jauntre' Gray – WOFL-TV, Lake Mary, Fla.
• Victoria Marchetti – Hearst Media Production Group, Glendale, Calif.
• Miriam Galica – WABC-TV, New York, N.Y.

"We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of students and excited about helping them at the beginning of their career journeys,” said NABLF President Michelle Duke. “Over the past four years, this program has created new pathways for students pursuing creative opportunities in media and broadcasting.”

The program is made possible through the continued support of NABLF sponsors: Brooks Pierce, CBS Media Ventures, Comcast NBCUniversal, Debmar-Mercury, FOX, Hearst Television, Katz Media Group, Locality, Nielsen Foundation, SmithGeiger, Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Teen Kids News, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. and Weigel Broadcasting Co.

CAMBRIDGE, England—Adder Technology, an IP, KVM and connectivity solutions provider, has tapped Neil Hillier as CEO, effective July 1.

Hillier’s appointment to succeed Adrian Dickens atop the company is part of a planned leadership transition that also includes changes to Adder’s executive structure intended to support its continued growth, innovation and global expansion, the company said.

Dickens steps down as CEO after 42 years leading the business and will transition to founder and executive chair. Chief technology officer Nigel Dickens will also shift to emeritus CTO. Adder said the appointments align with the long-term stewardship principles established through its recently announced Employee Ownership Trust.

“I am honored to take on the role of CEO, and I recognize my responsibility is to build on the foundations established by Adrian and Nigel,” Hillier said. “Adder’s commitment to being at the forefront of technology innovation remains unchanged, with continued investment in engineering excellence and product development central to the company’s long-term strategy. We have a relentless focus on customer success and remain the trusted technology partner our customers rely on around the world.”

Hillier joined Adder in 2016 and has played a key role in driving more than 70% revenue growth, building on its global market position and shaping its long-term strategy, the company said. His two decades of experience in the KVM industry span engineering, technology, operations and commercial management, Adder said.

“Neil has played a significant role in Adder’s growth and success, and I have complete confidence in his ability to lead the business into its next chapter,” Adrian Dickens said. “Adder enters this transition from a position of strength, supported by exceptional people, loyal customers and a culture of innovation developed over more than four decades. The future is bright, and I look forward to watching the company thrive with the next generation of leadership.”

Supporting Hillier is a revamped leadership team, including:

• Paul Allen as chief financial officer, who will take on a broader financial remit across the Adder group and support continued investment in operational and sustainable long-term growth.
• Jamie Adkin, an 18-year Adder veteran, as the newly promoted vice president of global sales.
• Duncan Miller as the newly promoted vice president, global marketing and customer experience, whose expanded responsibilities bring together marketing, customer experience and professional services and support.

“As we look ahead, our focus remains on helping customers operate more effectively in some of the world’s most demanding environments,” Hillier added. “We have an outstanding team, a strong culture and significant opportunities ahead. I believe the best chapters of Adder’s story are still to come.”

CYPRESS, Calif.—Video-production technology provider FOR-A America has expanded its U.S. sales organization, adding Fernando Cruz and Jaz Wray as regional sales managers.

Cruz and Wray bring experience in software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, AI-driven live production technology and IP workflows, as well as backgrounds in the pro AV, broadcast and live event markets, FOR-A said. They’ll report to Ernie Leon, FOR-A’s senior vice president and head of sales and strategic growth.

"Fernando and Jaz join FOR-A at a pivotal time as broadcasters, content creators, and AV professionals increasingly seek software-defined, IP-based, and AI-enabled solutions that can help them do more within constrained budgets,” FOR-A America President and Chief Operating Officer Satoshi Kanemura said. “They both bring extensive experience helping customers navigate technology transitions.”

Their appointments come as FOR-A expands its software-based solutions portfolio with products such as the MixBoard software-based switcher, powered by ClassX; viztrick AiDi, a 9:16 autocropping and tracking solution developed by Nippon TV and marketed by FOR-A; and the FOR-A IMPULSE live production platform, the company said.

Cruz comes to FOR-A from Macnica Americas, where he drove global promotion and sales acceleration of SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX solutions. Previously, he led business development for the corporate, education and government segments at Sony Professional and Phantom/Vision Research.

“The transition to IP-based production and software-defined architecture is reshaping the future of content creation and delivery,” Cruz said. “Organizations are looking for practical pathways to adopt technologies such as ST 2110, cloud-connected workflows and AI-assisted production tools while protecting their existing investments. FOR-A is bringing innovative solutions and I look forward to helping customers build more flexible, efficient, and future-ready operations.”

Wray brings sales and project management experience in both the media and entertainment and telecommunications sectors, working with such companies as NEP, Ross Video and Barco.

"Across the media and entertainment industry, we're seeing customers re-evaluate traditional infrastructure in favor of more agile, software-based workflows,” Wray said. “FOR-A's expanding portfolio of software-defined and AI-powered technologies is well positioned to meet those needs and I’m excited to help customers modernize their production environments and unlock new business opportunities."

Wray can be reached at jaz@for-a.com and Cruz can be reached at cruz@for-a.com.

MELVILLE, N.Y.—Chyron has launched “Chyron Academy,” which the company describes as a “ground-up redesign” of the company’s product-training platform. Built on a fully custom, Chyron-branded learning experience, the new Academy replaces Chyron’s previous training system based on a third-party platform and launches with learning content covering the latest version of PRIME, Chyron’s flagship real-time broadcast graphics platform.

Chyron Academy is designed to serve two audiences at once: customers and freelancers training on PRIME for the first time, and longtime Chyron users looking to become experts in the platform’s latest capabilities. Over the life of the previous legacy training program, more than 3,700 broadcast professionals registered to train on Chyron products, earning nearly 1,900 belt certifications across PRIME, PAINT, and Click Effects, including more than 60 Certified PRIME Black Belts worldwide. Chyron has transitioned that community to the new platform, migrating more than 950 current learners, along with the full certification history for every learner.

The redesigned Academy centers on a PRIME Belt certification path, taking learners through four levels: Yellow (Designer Basics), Green (Intermediate), Blue (Advanced), and Black (Expert), with earned badges and completion dates appearing on each learner’s dashboard as a visual record of skill mastery. Every course module pairs a demo with a hands-on, full-screen simulation, so learners practice real PRIME workflows, such as building a lower-third graphic step by step, rather than passively watching video.

An animated progress dial fills as learners complete demos, simulations, and quizzes, with a belt certification awarded automatically at 100 percent completion. Learners can enroll and move through the belt levels at their own pace. The program is suitable for individual learners, or supervisors or instructors can monitor the progress of their teams.The platform launches with five published PRIME courses spanning roughly 150 hands-on lessons, demos, simulations, and quizzes combined.

“Chyron Academy was inspired by, and has satisfied, a need we kept hearing from customers,” said Aldo Campisi, vice president of sales at Chyron for Latin America, Caribbean and French Canada. “A customer facing an end-of-life decision on their existing hardware chose Chyron, and this tool is what helped their team become experts in our workflow and our solution. That is exactly the value we set out to deliver: practical, hands-on training that gets a team productive and ready to launch on PRIME fast. Long time Chyron customers love it too. It is an effective way to bring their new hires up to speed quickly and ensure that even experienced users are fluent in everything PRIME has to offer.”

The new Academy also fully showcases the latest version of PRIME, ensuring teams train on current tools and workflows. A new Chyron LIVE production course is being added in the coming weeks to train users on Chyron’s all-in-one cloud production system for switching, graphics and illustrated replay. Additionally, training for PAINT (illustrated replay), Click Effects (venue display control), and AXIS (image creation and order management) is being re-platformed onto the new Academy, extending the same hands-on experience across Chyron’s product family.

Chyron says its Chyron Academy is also drawing interest from the academic world, with colleges and universities exploring adding PRIME training to their broadcast and media-production curricula, giving the next generation of operators job-ready skills before they enter the industry.

To mark the launch, anyone without a current PRIME trial license can claim a 90-day free trial of PRIME by logging in to the new Chyron Academy and starting a course. Access the service at academy.chyron.com.

“We originally launched Chyron Academy in 2020, with a strong commitment to ensuring that users anywhere in the world could become thoroughly fluid in the world’s most advanced live graphics platform, and that broadcasters would always have a pool of qualified users,” states Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing at Chyron. “We are proud of how our academy has enabled the professional development of so many people. With this new platform, we know we can deliver an even better learning experience and we welcome anyone who wants to join the growing community of Chyron experts!”

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral, a provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters as well as streaming platforms, said it has sold off its traditional production and playout business to investment group Banyan Software.

Bitcentral will focus on broadcast news production, playout and workflow technology that broadcasters depend on every day, while the other company, now known as "ViewNexa," will focus on helping media companies grow, distribute and monetize digital audiences across streaming and connected platforms, the companies said.

Sam Kamel, who became CEO of Bicentral in 2024, called the move “a bold and exciting step in the company's evolution." Kamel was hired after Bitcentral announced funding from a new unidentified private investor at the time.

“By creating two dedicated companies, each gains increased clarity, leadership focus and investment capacity to accelerate innovation and better serve customers,” Kamel said. “Bitcentral continues as a trusted technology partner to some of the most important broadcast news organizations in North America. Banyan’s ownership provides a strong foundation for continued investment and innovation. For ViewNexa, this means the independence and resources to pursue high-growth market opportunities in streaming, monetization and audience engagement."

Bitcentral Founder and Chairman Fred Fourcher, who returned to Bitcentral as board chairman at the same time Kamel assumed leadership, also hailed the transaction.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we've built at Bitcentral over the past 25 years,” Fourcher said. “From the beginning, our vision was to help media organizations adapt to the changing ways content is created, managed, distributed and consumed. Over time, we built two exceptional businesses, each with its own customers, capabilities and future. This transaction allows both to move forward with renewed focus while staying true to the spirit of innovation, reliability and customer commitment that have defined Bitcentral from the start.”

Former Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson, has become CEO of Bitcentral, leading the newly independent business. Sam Kamel continues as ViewNexa’s CEO, working with the leadership team led by General Manager Scott Alexander.

“With Banyan Software as a long-term partner, we are well positioned to invest in next-generation broadcast workflow capabilities, including cloud-based operations and emerging AI-driven tools that will shape the future of news production,” Peterson said. “Our customers will continue working with the same people, the same trusted products and the same commitment to service they expect from Bitcentral. We play a central role in the daily operations of more than 40 leading news organizations across more than 1,600 newsrooms, and we are just getting started.”

Reed Fawell, operating partner at Banyan Software, said: “Bitcentral has built a highly trusted and mission-critical technology platform that supports the daily operations of leading broadcasters. We are excited to support Sam Peterson and the Bitcentral team with a long-term investment approach focused on product strength, customer success and continued innovation. This is a business with deep customer relationships, a strong product foundation and an important role to play in the future of broadcast news operations.”

The transaction has closed and both companies are operating independently under their new structures.

LONDON—As part of its efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the broadcast and media technology sector, Rise has announced a global mentoring cohort for 2026 that includes 125 carefully selected mentee-mentor pairings from the UK, Europe, ANZ, APAC, India and North America.

Participation in the program provides mentees with access to a range of professional development opportunities, including networking events, workshops and industry-led sessions designed to support long-term career growth. Each mentee also receives a minimum of two hours of dedicated one-to-one mentoring per month throughout the program.

Running over six months, the Rise mentoring program combines global collaboration with regional relevance. While all cohorts will take part in a number of shared international sessions, each territory will also follow a tailored program designed to reflect the unique priorities, challenges and opportunities within its local market.

The group said that the program is made possible by support from industry sponsors for 2026 including: Channel 4, BBC, Sky, Mimir & Saga (Fonn Group), Vizrt, Qvest , Arqiva, ITV, Ross Video, Appear and BFBS.

“Each year, the Rise Mentoring program continues to demonstrate just how transformative mentorship can be for everyone involved, said Deborah Cross, operations director at Rise. “It is incredibly rewarding to see mentees grow in confidence, develop new skills, and expand their professional networks, while mentors also gain fresh perspectives and meaningful connections through the experience. What makes the program especially impactful is that the benefits extend far beyond the individual participants. Mentees take the knowledge, skills and confidence they gain back into their workplaces, creating positive change within their own organizations and helping to shape a more inclusive, innovative and collaborative industry for the future.”

The full list of mentors and mentee pairings can be found here.

LONG BEACH, Calif. & MCLEAN, Va.—Rocket Lab Corporation has inked an agreement to acquire Iridium Communications Inc., a leading provider of global voice, data, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, for about $8 billion.

The deal is a notable example of consolidation in the space industry, merging Rocket Lab's launch capabilities and satellite manufacturing with Iridium's global satellite communications network, spectrum, and 500-plus strong partner ecosystem to create a vertically-integrated space company that designs, builds, launches, and operates its own constellations and delivers critical communications capability to millions of users worldwide.

Iridium’s mobile satellite network is widely used by journalists who are reporting from war zones, areas impacted by natural disasters and other locations where regular mobile or terrestrial communications may not be available.

In recent years, however, it has faced increased competition from providers like Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starlink division. The deal could help it expand its operations and competitive position.

The transaction will give Rocket Lab an immediate foothold in space-based applications, including both proprietary and standards-based satellite Internet of Things (IoT) and direct-to-device (D2D), PNT, and critical safety-of-life services.

Rocket Lab reported that rather than simply continuing the Iridium network, Rocket Lab will build upon it to scale into untapped markets and pioneer new space-based services.

Iridium’s globally harmonized L-band spectrum and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network provide a secure, resilient foundation for reliable satellite communications and PNT services across government, defense, aviation, maritime, and commercial markets. Supporting more than 2.55 million active subscribers worldwide, Iridium delivers highly reliable, weather-resilient connectivity and an alternative PNT architecture for applications where Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and other Global Navigation Satellite Systema (GNSS) are degraded or unavailable.

"This is a defining moment for the space industry and the start of a new era of strategic, accelerated growth for Rocket Lab and Iridium," said Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab in a statement. "Iridium has built the gold standard in secure, safety critical global satellite connectivity. It is relied upon by maritime fleets, the aviation industry, governments, and heavy industrial organizations who operate in the most remote off-the-grid locations. By marrying Iridium's deep heritage, trusted infrastructure, and highly sought-after spectrum with Rocket Lab's extensive and proven launch and manufacturing capabilities, we have the capability to unlock entirely new markets. We will go far beyond maintaining a legacy; we are going to build upon it to pioneer next-generation space applications and deliver sought-after capabilities to existing and new customers."

“As the worlds of space and terrestrial communications continue to converge, more critical services will depend on space-based capabilities,” added Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. “Success will come from those who can bring new innovations to space quickly and sustain them over time as efficiently as possible. We’re excited about being able to accelerate the next generation of IoT, aviation, maritime, PNT, and national security capabilities, and pursue new innovative applications as part of Rocket Lab - a fully integrated, end-to-end space company. That’s an incredible opportunity for our customers, partners, employees, and stockholders.”

PHILADELPHIA—Just a few months after spinning off its cable networks into Versant, Comcast has announced new plans to split into two independent publicly traded companies via a tax-free spinoff of NBCUniversal and Sky.

Comcast expects to spin off to be completed in about one year, by mid-2027.

Upon completion of the transaction, current Comcast stockholders will own shares in two separate companies: Comcast, comprising the U.S. cable and connectivity business, and NBCUniversal, holding its media and entertainment assets including NBC, Peacock, Universal Pictures, the Universal theme parks and European pay TV operator Sky.

The deal ends a decades-long attempt at horizontal integration between the broadband/cable businesses and programming and media businesses.

“The transaction we are announcing will unlock a more entrepreneurial management approach and open up a multitude of new opportunities for each business,” Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said. “I very much look forward to helping guide our collective growth for this next chapter.”

Current Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh will be CEO of the standalone NBCUniversal. Michael Angelakis, former Comcast chief financial officer, will become CEO of Comcast following completion of the split, rejoining the company in the interim as strategic adviser. Roberts said he will continue to be actively involved in both companies.

“Comcast will continue to build on its leadership in connectivity, while NBCUniversal, together with Sky, will have the scale, brands, content and financial resources to compete as a premier global media and entertainment company,“ Cavanagh said in a statement. “Each organization will continue to be led by a management team with deep industry experience that will benefit from focused strategic priorities and the ability to pursue opportunities most relevant to their businesses. I’m personally thrilled to continue leading NBCUniversal into the future. With our iconic brands and theme parks, leading franchises and incredible creative talent, we are well-positioned for long-term value creation.”

When completed, Comcast will serve residential and business customers through its broadband, wireless and entertainment platforms, reaching more than 65 million homes and businesses with its intelligent fiber network architecture and global technology platforms.

NBCUniversal will include its growing theme parks division, Universal film and television studios, NBC and Telemundo networks, Peacock, and Bravo. In addition, NBCUniversal’s global portfolio will include Sky, its European media business.

More to come as reaction becomes available.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup moved into the 32-team knockout stage, Fox Sports said viewer interest in the tournament is still strong.

Fox’s June 19 coverage of four matches set an English-language record for the largest full-day audience of men’s World Cup coverage in the U.S., the network said.

The United States-Australia match attracted 16.217 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched English-language group stage telecast in the U.S. ever, followed by 9.174 million average viewers (10.548 million peak viewers) for Scotland-Mexico.

The day also saw 8.741 million viewers (9.894 million peak viewers) for Brazil-Haiti and 2.752 million viewers (3.157 million peak viewers) for Turkey-Paraguay.

Team USA’s 2-0 defeat of Australia had a peak audience of 21.219 million and was the top-rated Friday-afternoon telecast on broadcast TV since Fox’s Christmas Day Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints NFL telecast in 2020.

It was also the second-most-watched U.S. men’s national team game since the U.S.-Paraguay group-stage World Cup match on June 12.

TitanTV, Inc. has announced that Mark Hadley has joined the company as a Technology Specialist.

In his new role, Hadley will support TitanTV’s technology infrastructure and help ensure the company’s systems, tools, and services continue to meet the needs of broadcasters, partners, and customers across the country.

Hadley brings a strong foundation in network and systems administration, server infrastructure, virtualization, technical support, enterprise networking, routing, and security to the new post.

He is an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and CompTIA Security+ certified professional. He also completed the full Cisco Networking Academy CCNA coursework, further strengthening his hands-on knowledge of networking and security.

In addition to his technical background, Hadley has served as president of a college Cyber Defense Club and is an Apple Certified Technician. His professional experience in finance adds analytical problem-solving and customer service skills to his technology expertise.

"Mark joined us as a promising new graduate and has already become an integral member of the TitanTV team,” said Michael Brown, IT director at TitanTV. "His enthusiasm for effective cybersecurity practices will help strengthen our ongoing commitment to providing safe and secure services for all of our clients."

ATLANTA—Gray Media has named Annie Cordell as the next General Manager of WMBF, the NBC affiliate serving Myrtle Beach and Florence, South Carolina effective July 13.

Cordell brings to the new role a distinguished career spanning broadcast television sales, management, and digital media. She most recently served as vice president of sales and director of digital for Bahakel Digital and WCCB (CW) in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she navigated the industry's shift from traditional broadcast to multiplatform distribution and launched an in-house digital agency.

Cordell began her career at WNUV (IND) in Baltimore, Maryland, and her affiliation experience spans ABC, CBS, FOX, and CW within the ownership groups of Group W, CBS Television, and Bahakel Communications.

She is a graduate of Goucher College where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Business and Communications.

NEW YORK—Samsung Ads named the first brands and agencies that will be taking advantage of the Amazon Ads’ remote-enabled interactive video ad (IVA) technology on Samsung TV Plus.

The capability, which was announced on Samsung’s NewFronts stage in March, allows consumers to shop from their TV set.

Partners include Boiron USA, Logitech, PLAION, PMG and Reckitt, who will be among the first brands and agencies to activate the new shoppable ad experience across Samsung TV Plus inventory.

The announcement marks a major step forward for Samsung shoppable CTV, extending interactive, remote-enabled ad experiences to Samsung TV Plus, the global FAST service of Samsung Electronics. Samsung TV Plus surpassed 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide this year, underscoring the growing strength of FAST as a premium advertising environment.

For brands selling on Amazon, “Add to Cart” functionality allows shoppers to purchase directly within their Amazon storefront with a seamless click of the remote. For advertisers who do not sell on Amazon, CTAs like "Send to Phone" and outcome-driven headlines like "Sign Up Today" extend engagement beyond the TV screen, Samsung said.

These shoppable TV experiences extend engagement beyond the TV and help brands continue conversation across devices.

Amazon Ads has noted that interactive video can drive 6X higher brand search, 4X more detailed page view, 4x more add to cart actions and 5x higher purchase rates, Samsung reported.

“The TV has always been the entertainment center of the home. Now people are using that screen differently — to discover, search, compare, and shop,” said Jimmy White, managing director of ad sales, North America, Samsung Ads. “For years, CTV has been a powerful tool for building awareness, but its greatest promise lies in driving full-funnel outcomes. With Amazon Ads, we're helping brands turn attention into action and close the gap between discovery and purchase.”

Flagship launch partners spanning consumer health, technology, toys, and entertainment are embracing the new shoppable experience as a way to reach engaged audiences, enhance product discovery, and create a more seamless path from content to commerce.

McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has elevated four longtime executives to senior vice president, expanding their leadership roles in legal, content, human resources and finance.

Marc Sher was elevated to senior vice president and general counsel, overseeing all legal matters, including compliance, contracts, litigation, regulatory matters and risk management. Sher, who joined Tegna in 2013, was most recently vice president, associate general counsel and secretary.

Raquel Amparo advanced to senior vice president of content, leading Tegna’s content strategy, creation and content partnerships across platforms. Amparo, an Emmy-winning journalist and Kneeland Fellow with more than 20 years of experience, had been vice president of content for Tegna’s Texas markets.

Melissa Jones was named senior vice president of human resources, tasked with directing Tegna’s people strategy, including talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits and organizational development. Jones joined Tegna in 2016 as VP of human resources and leads the HR business partner team across Tegna’s 64 stations in 51 markets.

And Pamela Long was promoted to senior vice president of finance, managing Tegna’s financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and capital planning. Most recently VP of finance and operations, Long has been with Tegna since 2015.

“Each of these individuals has a proven record of measurable results built on experience, strong instincts and sound judgment,” CEO Patrick Paolini said. “As our leadership team continues to grow, these are the qualities that will shape Tegna’s future.”

Nexstar Media Group acquired Tegna in March, but the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on April 17 issued a “Hold Separate Order” delaying the integration of the two companies as antitrust challenges work their way through the courts.

MELBOURNE, Australia—Mediaproxy has named Heartland Video Systems as its exclusive partner for the television business in the United States.

The Plymouth, Wisc., -based systems integrator will represent the company’s full range of technologies, including LogServer and Monwall as well as offer them as part of its installation portfolio.

"HVS has an enviable record in U.S. broadcast technology as a systems integrator and trusted supplier. HVS established its reputation in the market and now Dan Whealy is taking the company into the future. We recognized this expertise and knowledge, which makes HVS the ideal partner for us in a vibrant and rapidly developing market,” said Mediaproxy CEO Erik Otto.

Founded in 1997, HVS has established itself as a specialist in NextGen TV with over 60 ATSC 3.0 installations to its credit. In addition to system integration, HVS offers consulting and engineering support services, while also partnering with leading broadcast technology brands and suppliers.

In July 2025, Dan Whealy purchased the company, and it will remain a family-owned business.

Mediaproxy has become the leading developer of compliance and logging systems to major broadcasters and playout facilities. The company's flagship product is the LogServer monitoring platform, which can work with all current terrestrial broadcasting and streaming formats, including ATSC 1.0 MPEG-2 based HD and SD, and ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV 4K/HDR. Mediaproxy's Monwall multiviewer was recently expanded with the introduction of the Monwall Server, which gives capability for producing streams in a variety of low-latency formats and generating mosaics for multi-screen display.

"We are proud to enter into a strategic partnership with Mediaproxy and further the adoption of their innovative solutions throughout the United States television broadcast market," said HVS president Dan Whealy. "Having previously been a customer of Mediaproxy in my role as a broadcast executive, I have seen firsthand the operational value their technology delivers. As broadcasters navigate the increasing complexity of supporting both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 services alongside streaming and multi-platform distribution, trusted monitoring and compliance tools are more important than ever.”

More information is available on the Mediaproxy and HVS websites.

LEXINGTON, Ky—In a notable advance in the way local broadcast TV stations can monetize their content, Viamedia.ai has announced that it is working with Hearst Television to enable true household-level addressability for broadcast television.

The partnership marks a fundamental shift in how broadcast television inventory can be activated and monetized, allowing advertisers to target specific households utilizing ad inventory of the most-watched linear video outlets in markets across the country.

“Local broadcast TV delivers unparalleled impact for advertisers within targeted markets and we’re adding to our toolkit the capabilities to target not just the whole of the market but specific households within markets,” said John Robertson, Hearst Television vice president, distribution. “As we evolve our business alongside our valued partners in the media-buying and distribution communities, it’s imperative that we use technology that makes our linear inventory even more efficient and impactful. Viamedia has delivered an effective tech solution that enables us and MVPD partners to deliver addressability across broadcast streams coupled with the advanced data, analytics and transparency marketers seek. The result is a holistic ad buy – a one-stop-shop encompassing linear and digital attributes.”

This development follows an extensive market test to enable targeted television advertising via dynamic ad insertion within streams using broadcast spectrum. The test, conducted over several months, involved Viamedia, Hearst Television station WLWT-TV and MediaKind (formerly Harmonic), whose advertising SaaS product provided technology enabling last-mile, household-level ad delivery.

The new tool provides a station like WLWT the ability to participate in previously unavailable markets which could drive a 25% increase in monetizable impressions.

Through Viamedia’s Parrot Ad Decisioning System (ADS) platform and Hearst Television’s architecture of a compatible broadcast technology infrastructure, advertisers gain access to precision targeting and flexible buying models initially on Hearst Television’s inventory in select markets.

Parrot ADS manages and monetizes advertising across linear, CTV, and programmatic environments. It helps broadcasters and MVPDs alike to unify ad delivery, extend campaigns across screens, and simplify reporting and monetization across the TV ecosystem.

As a result of the deployment, Hearst Television can now make select inventory available for dynamic, data-driven activation, meeting advertiser demand for heightened audience addressability and measurability. It also strengthens the already powerful advertising proposition of local TV advertising with added analytics and performance metrics.

“The TV viewing audience remains one of the most attractive scaled opportunities for advertisers to reach engaged consumers, even as the ecosystem grows increasingly fragmented,” said Evan Rutchik, president & chief strategy officer of Viamedia. “While CTV and FAST Channels are growing in popularity among advertisers, linear still accounts for a massive audience. By bringing true addressability to Hearst’s broadcast inventory, we move the market toward a model where broadcast delivers the same level of precision and accountability that advertisers expect from other channels, which can help create additional value for all parties – including broadcasters, MVPDs agencies, and brands. We are excited to work with Hearst Television to bring this inventory to market for advertisers who appreciate premium content and localized ad delivery.”

“TV, especially broadcast, offers great value to advertisers, and the ability to precisely target a specific audience dramatically increases the importance of the channel in media plans,” added Phil Sloan, senior vice president and managing director, Canvas. “Hearst Television, Viamedia and their partners have opened the door to making all of TV a performance-driven channel, meeting advertiser demand. We look forward to continuing to explore this for our clients’ campaigns as they look to raise awareness and measure outcomes.”

Viamedia’s approach operates across a three-part ecosystem: broadcaster inventory, distribution infrastructure, and the Parrot ADS technology layer. Together, these components allow broadcast spots to be delivered dynamically in addressable form within qualifying environments, supporting both local and national campaigns.

Viamedia uses artificial intelligence to unify a process that previously required advertisers to balance multiple vendors and data sources to reach audiences across a plethora of screens. The goal is to unlock faster execution for buyers, but also to open new monetization opportunities for MVPDs, video providers, and now also broadcasters.

Hearst Television is a Supporting Member of the Go Addressable trade organization whose mission is to further accelerate the advancement of addressable TV advertising.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. and NEW YORK—In a major bet on the rapidly growing CTV ad business that could have a long-term impact on local broadcasters, Walmart has announced plans to acquire Vibe.co, a self-serve, connected TV (CTV) advertising platform designed to simplify advertising for small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) and mid-market brands.

Financial terms were not disclosed but the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart is paying $1.4 billion.

The acquisition is part of Walmart’s ongoing strategy of building more accessible, full-funnel advertising solutions through Walmart Connect, its commerce media business.

Those efforts make it a growing competitor for local broadcasters targeting the same small and mid-sized businesses.

By combining Vibe.co’s self-serve CTV platform with Walmart’s commerce audiences, closed-loop measurement and growing media ecosystem, including the streaming platform Vizio, Walmart Connect hopes to work with more advertisers to launch CTV campaigns and better measure their business impact.

“Walmart Connect is focused on making commerce media more accessible, more measurable and easier to activate for advertisers of all sizes,” said Ryan Mayward, GM and senior vice president, Walmart Connect U.S. “Vibe.co has created a purpose-built platform that simplifies streaming TV advertising, and together, we can help more businesses connect with customers across streaming environments while measuring the impact of those campaigns through Walmart’s commerce capabilities.”

Vibe.co’s platform offers self-serve campaign activation, direct supply partner integrations, proprietary advertising technology and performance-driven optimization that helps advertisers access premium connected TV inventory more efficiently.

The combination is expected to support broader adoption of the CTV ad media among advertisers across Walmart Connect, and the broader connected TV ecosystem, particularly among SMB and mid-market advertisers, including Walmart’s third-party marketplace sellers. The platform can deliver easier campaign activation, greater transparency and stronger measurement between media investment and commerce outcomes.

“Vibe.co was built as the self-serve platform for performance and ecommerce marketers to run streaming TV the way they run paid social: measurable, fast to launch, and optimized for better outcomes,” said Arthur Querou, Co-Founder and CEO, Vibe.co. “Joining Walmart gives us the opportunity to accelerate that mission and bring performance TV advertising to one of the most powerful commerce media ecosystems in the market.”

Combined with Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio, Vibe.co strengthens Walmart Connect’s ability to deliver simplified activation, enhanced targeting and measurable outcomes across its growing CTV ecosystem.

Following the close of the transaction, Vibe.co CEO and Co-Founder Arthur Querou, CTO and Co-Founder Franck Tetzlaff, and the broader Vibe.co team are expected to join Walmart Connect.

Walmart expects the transaction to close by the end of fiscal year 2027. Walmart said it does not expect the transaction to have any impact to FY27 sales and operating income growth guidance, as previously provided.

ATLANTA—Hoping to tap into growing political ad spending on digital platforms in what promises to be a record breaking election year, Gray Media has launched a new political digital advertising platform powered by Aristotle, a provider of political data and analytics.

The offering integrates Aristotle's political and consumer data into Gray's Political 360 go-to-market strategy that aims to provide candidates, issues, and advocacy organizations ways to reach constituents with greater precision across digital channels.

"We're excited to bring this advanced capability to our stations and to the candidates and media buyers we serve," said Mike Braun, Gray’s chief digital officer. "By combining Gray's local market strength and expertise with Aristotle's trusted, continuously updated voter intelligence, we can help campaigns engage their right voters at the right time with the right message."

The new Political 360 strategy is designed to help advertisers to move beyond broad demographic targeting and activate more precise voter audience segments. The data-driven approach improves campaign efficiency across devices and platforms and reduces wasted impressions, which Gray hopes will set it apart in the competition for what promises to be a record setting political advertising year.

"Successful campaigns depend on reaching the right voters with the right message at the right time," said Aristotle executive vice president of data Andrew Tavani. "By combining Gray's unmatched local market presence with Aristotle's trusted voter and consumer data, Political 360 gives campaigns a smarter, more efficient way to connect with the audiences that matter most."

Through Political 360, Gray leverages Aristotle's large national databases, including:

• The National Voter File, covering more than 235 million registered U.S. voters and sourced from more than 4,000 election jurisdictions.
• The National Consumer File, built from more than 267 million consumer records and enriched with demographic and lifestyle attributes.

These datasets enable Gray to support campaign strategies such as targeting party-specific voters within a district during a primary window. Gray’s Political 360 helps campaigns focus their spend where it matters most, drive frequency, and build awareness and advocacy in the runup to Election Day.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—A new study finds the long-term rise in ad acceptance continues, with ad intolerance falling to a record low across all age groups, and that viewers are supportive of AI tools if they are used to improve discoverability and the viewing experience.

In particular, Hub Entertainment Research’s semi-annual "TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction" study found that Gen Z viewers are more accepting of ads when they help reduce the cost of streaming services. Younger viewers also place a higher value on ad relevance and are more open to targeted ad experiences even though they are more likely to be multitasking and potentially distracted while watching TV.

Overall the study found that ad acceptance has reached a five-year high. As subscription prices have risen and ad-supported options have proliferated, the numbers of viewers who would pay to avoid ads, and the number who say they cannot tolerate ads are at all-time lows.

Just under one third of viewers expressed a preference to pay an extra $4-5 dollars per month to avoid ads.

“In the past few waves of this TV Advertising study, we’ve seen viewers concerned with costs and the general direction of the economy,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant at Hub. “Those concerns have led to more viewers looking for ways to reduce costs. The TV advertising marketplace stands to benefit from consumers’ increased openness to advertising as a means of saving money on subscriptions. If streamers can continue to use tools at their disposal to make the ad experience better by including AI, it’s a win for both them and their viewers.”

At the same time, in the most recent wave, only one in ten viewers said they “can’t tolerate” ads.

When presented with a higher ad load in exchange for lower subscription costs, Gen Z viewers are significantly more likely than older audiences to choose savings over fewer ads.

Gen Z viewers are more likely to prefer fewer, but more targeted ads.

Just over a third of Gen Z viewers say they would prefer to see fewer ads that are targeted to them, significantly higher than older viewers.

Among all viewers, comfort levels vary significantly depending on the type of data used for ad targeting. Audiences are most willing to share information related to their viewing habits, as well as basic demographic details such as age and gender. In contrast, there is considerably less willingness to share more personal information, including social media activity, income, and AI chat history.

Although Gen Z viewers are more likely to multitask during ad breaks, they remain aware of the ads that play.

Nearly all Gen Z viewers report using another device at least occasionally during commercial breaks – significantly more than Gen X and Boomers. The good news for advertisers is that despite this divided attention, eight in ten say they continue listening to ads while engaging with other screens.

As a result, Gen Z viewers are more likely than Gen X or Boomers to report that they are aware of TV ads during breaks.

Across all ages, TV advertising holds a trust advantage over social media when it comes to the use of personal data, with older audiences expressing higher levels of trust.

The majority of Gen Z, Gen X, and Boomer viewers believe TV services will be more responsible than social media platforms in using personal data for targeting. In turn, the targeted ads viewers see on TV feel more appropriate than those that appear in social media.

However, when it comes to ad impact, TV ads deliver better for older viewers. Gen X and Boomers are more likely to say TV ads are more memorable, attention-getting and fun to watch, while Gen Z viewers rate TV and creator videos equally.

AI tools that improve the ad experience are welcome, especially among young viewers. Gen Z are more likely than older viewers to consider generative AI tools as a positive thing.

Regarding TV advertising, the majority of all viewers believe AI can be used in a positive way if it makes the viewing experience better by reducing ad repetition, or making ads feel less interruptive.

Viewers are also positive toward the use of AI if it enhances other aspects of the TV viewing experience by improving content suggestions or making ads more relevant and contextually appropriate.

However, when it comes to the use of AI to create advertising messages, viewers are more skeptical. Over a third are somewhat or very negative toward the idea of commercials or trailers generated by AI tools.

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” report, based on a survey conducted among 3,000 US consumers age 16-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. Interviews were conducted in April, 2026 and explored consumers’ attitudes toward advertising, how it differs across video platforms, and how ad strategy affects viewer engagement. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. This report is part of the “Hub Reports” syndicated report series.

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it is working with its preferred cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop next-generation advertising experiences built with AWS agentic AI.

As part of the effort, WBD is expanding its advertising technology stack on AWS and deploying an agentic AI-driven approach to how premium inventory across its U.S. linear and digital channels is planned, activated, optimized, and monetized.

By rebuilding its longstanding traditional internal workflows from the ground up with automated, data-driven processes on a single platform, WBD reported that it is reimagining its infrastructure for advertisers in ways that unify "the buying experience across previously siloed business units and enable automated campaign optimization."

"We're embarking on the next frontier of advertising where convergence brings linear and digital together on a single platform – each retaining its own essence, yet with the fluidity to plan, package, and optimize across both — all measurable and optimizable at cloud scale with agentic, AI-native decisioning," said Dr. Nage Sethu, senior vice president of technology - converged advertising and linear systems, Warner Bros. Discovery. "Building with AWS has been critical to streamlining the buyer’s experience across linear and digital, powering critical layers of our data, forecasting, and next-generation agentic advertising stack."

In 2026, WBD began rolling out a new generation of capabilities, including agentic automation for direct response and commercial workflows, advanced audience forecasting, and enhanced measurement and attribution.

Building on those rollouts, WBD said it will introduce unified media planning in Q3, followed by a phased rollout of composable order management, pricing, and stewardship in Q4.

"AWS is proud to deepen our relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery at such a transformative moment in media and advertising," said Samira Panah Bakhtiar, general manager, media, entertainment, games & sports, Amazon Web Services. "By combining WBD's iconic content portfolio and rich audience signals with AWS's cloud and agentic AI capabilities, we're enabling a new era of intelligent, automated advertising that delivers better outcomes for brands and viewers alike."

More specifically, WBD’s new platform features autonomous AI agents for intelligent planning, dynamic forecasting, real-time optimization, and closed-loop measurement. These agents continuously self-optimize, learning from outcomes to drive better results for buyers and sellers alike with every campaign. The system enables flexible targeting approaches, allowing buyers to focus on specific brands or audience segments across linear and digital, with WBD providing optimal inventory allocation recommendations.

The platform streamlines the ad buying process for WBD inventory so that advertisers can more effectively allocate budgets across multiple platforms and brands. Additionally, advertisers can more easily leverage new ad formats, including interactive ads, while viewers receive more customized ad content.

Underpinning WBD's new advertising technology implementation is a composable data and interoperability layer that gives WBD's AI agents the real-time context they need to act, integrate seamlessly across the ecosystem, and deliver buyer transparency. Key AWS services powering the platform include:

Amazon Bedrock hosts the various foundation models employed in WBD’s closed instance

Amazon SageMaker provides the tools for training custom machine learning models for WBD’s exclusive use and in compliance with WBD data protection, segmentation and security controls

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) stores data in the Apache Iceberg format for the underlying data lake.

In addition, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) powers application hosting and Amazon Quick provides a personalized, proactive AI assistant that enables Ad Sales teams to interact with data through natural language, uncover actionable insights, receive proactive recommendations, and make faster, data-driven decisions.

NEW YORK—ITN has announced a new initiative to further expand its programmatic local linear TV platform by integrating Comscore's advanced and qualitative data into the ITN NXTv Programmatic Hub.

The move means that later this year, ITN’s data store will enable buyers to move more easily from planning to activation and provide users with greater precision, accountability, and workflow efficiency.

"This represents the next phase in the evolution of local linear TV," said Todd Watson, CEO of ITN. "We've already built the programmatic foundation. By integrating audience data directly into campaign execution, we're making local TV more precise, measurable, and actionable for advertisers."

"Modern measurement is at the core of how media buying and selling continues to evolve. We're proud to power ITN's self-service linear programmatic platform with advanced audience and behavioral data that enables smarter, more efficient planning," added Hanna Gryncwajg, senior vice president, commercial, Comscore. "Audience-based buying helps advertisers reach the consumers who are more likely to engage, improving campaign performance and ROI. With this launch, ITN is making sophisticated linear programmatic capabilities easier and more accessible for the marketplace."

The move was also praised by Dentsu, which is an alpha partner to the NXTv Programmatic Hub. "Buyers want local TV to align with the rest of their video investments—comparable, measurable, and easier to activate," said Jennifer Hungerbuhler, executive vice president, head of local media investment and productivity at Dentsu. "With Comscore data operationalized in NXTv, we can move from planning to programmatic activation faster and with greater confidence."

Dentsu reported that it will apply Comscore-provided advanced audience segments directly in campaign execution.

A key component of the initiative is a data store within the ITN NXTv Programmatic Hub. Powered by Comscore advanced and qualitative audiences, the data store includes more than eight hundred lifestyle and behavioral segments. As part of the initial rollout, Dentsu will leverage these capabilities to execute programmatic local linear TV campaigns using custom audience segments.

The integration preserves broadcaster control while simplifying impression-based buying for local linear TV—expanding value for both local TV and digital buyers and helping stations protect and grow share of investment.

The NXTv Programmatic Hub enables users to:

• Activate programmatic local linear TV using Comscore lifestyle and behavioral audience data across activation and post-campaign reporting.
• Create and manage custom Deal IDs informed by Comscore advanced data.
• Execute detailed programmatic buys through an integration with Magnite's ClearLine enabling activation across linear television.
• Monitor delivery in unified dashboards across linear and digital video.
• ITN's programmatic infrastructure, Comscore's audience intelligence, and Dentsu's sophisticated approach to activation are leading the industry to reduce friction and improve accountability across the local TV supply chain.

ITN also reported that the initiative strengthens local linear TV by adding programmatic intelligence, automation, and transparency to its unmatched reach. In the future, ITN will extend these capabilities to enhanced deal structures, advanced analytics dashboards, and AI buyer-to-seller agents to translate natural language prompts for streamlined submissions, bidding, and delivery.

For more information, visit itn.tv

CHESEAUX-SUR-LAUSANNE, Switzerland, and PHOENIX, Ariz.—Nagravision has launched Nagra Venturi, a new intelligence-led streaming security offering that helps service providers and rights holders detect threats, combat piracy, and safeguard revenue.

Nagra Venturi brings Nagravision’s streaming security capabilities together under a single intelligence-led model, shifting anti-piracy from fragmented, reactive tools to coordinated, data-driven offering.

“With AI in the hands of pirates, the market has reached an inflection point,” said Morten Solbakken, executive vice president and COO at Nagravision. “As piracy becomes faster, more automated, and increasingly intelligent, the industry needs a new approach. Nagra Venturi is built to fight AI with AI, giving operators and rights holders the ability to move faster and with greater precision, providing the clarity to see the full picture, the focus to target the threats that matter, and the impact to protect revenue and the audience experience.”

The new offering is designed to address the fact that today’s pirate operations are automated and increasingly AI-assisted, scaling illegal services globally within minutes and targeting live sports during the narrow window when content is most valuable. That has put operators and rights holders in the difficult position of managing growing volumes of data and alerts, without clarity on which actions will make the biggest difference.

Nagra Venturi answers that challenge by transforming security data into prioritized, decisive action. It aggregates and analyzes data from across the streaming ecosystem to create a real-time view of piracy activity, identifies the highest-value threats, and coordinates targeted intervention where it will have the greatest business impact. Rather than reacting to every signal, teams can focus on the threats that matter most to their business.

Through its managed service option, Nagra Venturi includes Nexus, the Nagra Anti-Piracy Center, where analysts coordinate monitoring, intelligence, investigation, and enforcement against a global view of piracy activity. Because Nagravision tracks the wider ecosystem rather than a single network, it can uncover pirate infrastructure and leaked content that individual operators may never see, then coordinate disruption across multiple points at once to maximize impact. Individual solutions, including forensic watermarking and multi-DRM, remain available as standalone solutions within the Nagra Venturi portfolio.

“For more than 30 years, Nagravision has protected the world’s most valuable content,” adds Solbakken. “Built on that heritage—and informed by decades of front-line anti-piracy intelligence—Nagra Venturi moves content protection from a reactive, tool-based model to a proactive, intelligence-led one designed for today’s piracy landscape. Nagravision is proud to be leading the charge to help its customers demonstrate the impact of their anti-piracy strategy—one that proves its value in commercial terms, not just technical ones.”

To learn more about Nagra Venturi, visit nagra.vision.

DENVER—Imagine Communications has appointed Greg Garmon as senior vice president, Americas video sales, a new position at the broadcast technology, playout solutions and ad tech provider.

Garmon, who most recently was president, media and entertainment at Conference Technologies (CTI), will be responsible for sales and business development efforts for the company’s playout and infrastructure portfolio across the region, with a focus on driving account growth.

“We are very pleased to welcome Greg to the Imagine team and confident that he will make an immediate impact on our business,” Glodina Lostanlen, chief revenue officer at Imagine, said. “Greg brings a rare combination of hands-on channel and SI experience and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and driving operational and commercial performance. That combination is exactly what we need to accelerate our Americas business and deliver meaningful value for our customers.”

Garmon brings to Imagine more than 20 years of experience in the M&E and technology sectors, the company said, in posts spanning sales leadership, enterprise operations, P&L ownership and investor management.

Prior to CTI, Garmon held several executive leadership roles at Diversified, including chief operating officer and president, media and entertainment. He also founded IT consulting and managed services firm Alltek Holdings, which developed and marketed on-prem and cloud-based offerings, Imagine said.

“What drew me to Imagine was a strong alignment between the company’s strategic direction and the markets I have spent my career serving,” Garmon said. “Having worked on the systems integration side of the business, I understand firsthand what both partners and broadcasters need to succeed. There is tremendous opportunity to strengthen our partner ecosystem and expand into the markets they serve. I look forward to working with the Imagine team to make that happen across the Americas.”

For more information on Imagine, visit its website.

AMSTERDAM—Axel Gallant has been named as the new CEO of Irdeto, a digital platform cybersecurity firm owned by French media company Canal+.

Gallant succeeds Doug Lowther, who had served as Irdeto’s CEO since 2015 and will step down from the company.

Gallant has worked at The Canal+ Group since 2013, managing various pay TV businesses across Africa, Europe and Asia.

“This track record gives him the experience and perspective to guide Irdeto through its next phase of growth and innovation,” Stéphane Baumier, chief technology officer at Canal+, said.

During Lowther’s tenure as CEO, Irdeto more than doubled its video security market share and developed new businesses in video games and smart mobility, the company said. Prior to being named CEO, Lowther had been executive vice president, digital TV, expanding Irdeto’s product line into new services such as video-on-demand and streaming TV.

“Doug has provided strong leadership during a pivotal period in Irdeto’s history,” Baumier said. “On behalf of the Canal+ Group, we thank him for his contributions and commitment to Irdeto.”

Lowther and Gallant will work together to ensure a seamless leadership transition for customers, partners and employees, the company said.

“The last decade has been marked by constant change in the world and in the industries we serve, and it’s been a great honor to lead the incredible people at Irdeto during that time,” Lowther said of his 11-year tenure. “I’d like to thank our customers, partners, and stakeholders for the trust they have placed in us and the privilege of working with them.”

For more on Irdeto, visit its website.

This week organizers for the annual IBC Show offered a preview of its plans for the upcoming annual event, Sept. 11-14 at the RAI Amsterdam.

IBC CEO Mike Crimp said the show will increase its emphasis on networking opportunities both at the show and online.

To that end, the show is launching the “Braindate Lounge” an initiative that will help attendees prepare in advance of the show.

Braindate Lounge will enable attendees to form their own peer groups online prior to the show and will be seeded with expert discussions from IBC consultants and from the show’s conference program around key topics, according to Crimp.

“People can go on there and form their own key topics and gather a group of people around them to do that,” he said. “I suppose the power of IBC is, in a way, is the power to convene, so all of those people will be able to take their meetings online to create an actual meeting between them on site in the Braindate Lounge, and they will be able to sit down, discuss their topics, discuss what they've seen, create their own knowledge networks.”

The show’s “Future Tech” zone, in Hall 14, will increase its focus on startups with the launch of “Future Tech Ignite,” dedicated to startups, emerging tech, future talent, and the creative community, according to Joe.

“We're also extending our partnership with EIT Culture and Creativity, and they are going to become the Future Tech Ignite innovation partner, which will really help strengthen IBC links with Europe's creative innovation communities,” said Jo Mayer, head of marketing for IBC.

Expanded from a single day to all four days of the show, “Ignite Stage”in the Future Tech area, will feature startup pitches, future-focused sessions, and talent/skills content across all four days of the show, Mayer added.

Key themes for this year’s show are: the transformation of sport, trust and authenticity, and new commercial models, which tie into the show’s three guiding pillars of shifting business models, transformative tech, and increasingly, people and purpose, according to Crimp.

“Those pillars are a consistent framework for the conversations that matter most to the industry,” he said.

Exhibition space itself should exceed 45,000 square meters this year with more than 1,200 exhibitors across 14 halls, according to Steve Connolly, IBC’s director of sales.

Last year, the show had 46,000 square meters of exhibition space and an estimated 1,300 exhibitors.

“Some key areas of the show are performing particularly strongly,” Connolly said. “Future Tech in Hall 14 and Content Everywhere in Hall 5 are both significantly ahead of last year in terms of bookings.”

Crimp said that they’re confident that attendance will be strong and that they'll be able to weather some of the issues that plagued the NAB Show in April, where attendance was softer than previous years.

“I think at the moment we are tracking really strongly against last year,” Crimp said. “We're an international show and a very welcoming show. Who knows what’s going to happen in the Middle East, if that's going to get worse, but I at the moment we're very confident that we will deliver numbers sort of in line with last year."

To register for the show, visit https://show.ibc.org.

DENVER—MediaKind has announced the successful completion of its merger with Harmonic’s video business, creating an independent video infrastructure company with more than $250 million in annual revenue.

The integrated portfolio went live at mediakind.com on June 17.

MediaKind reported that the combined company enters the market with more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), and over $150 million in annual appliance revenue. Bringing together complementary strengths across SaaS streaming, appliance platforms and cloud video technologies, MediaKind said that it serves a global blue-chip customer base and is uniquely positioned to help the media industry navigate the next era of streaming and video delivery.

“Bringing these two teams together under one roof is a powerful moment, creating a stronger, more capable partner for the media industry at a time of significant change.” said Allen Broome, CEO of MediaKind. “Outstanding technology, deep expertise, and a shared obsession with customer success — we’re ready to build something exceptional.”

To coincide with the merger, MediaKind has launched its new website. Visitors can now explore how the company is bringing together cloud-native software, SaaS services, and proven video infrastructure into a single, integrated offering at www.mediakind.com.

WASHINGTON—The American Television Alliance (ATVA) is blasting Deltavision Media’s decision to demand “egregious” retransmission fees from Verizon for its WSYT Fox affiliate and MyNetworkTV station in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Deltavision Media is a new player in broadcasting, but it’s already trying to score a financial goal while kicking consumers out of the game,” said ATVA spokesman Hunter Wilson. “Ahead of a critical contract deadline next week, Deltavision Media is threatening a TV blackout that would impact FIFA World Cup 2026 programming, demanding exorbitant retransmission fees with no concern for the thousands of families who are excited to watch their favorite match. Holding the world’s biggest sporting event hostage is no way to introduce yourself to the business.”

The ATVA, which is backed by Verizon and other pay TV groups, claimed that Deltavision Media, a Mississippi-based regional media company launched in August 2025, has proven to be an uncooperative negotiating partner with Verizon, “delaying its initial proposal and then demanding staggering rate increases – even compared to the already-inflated standards typical of Big Broadcaster retransmission consent demands.”

If the blackout does occur it would impact nearly 20,000 Verizon customers in the Syracuse, N.Y. market.

In its statement, the ATVA noted that it continues to lobby for reforms in the ways retransmission consent agreements are conducted.

“Since 2010, broadcasters have levied more than 2,500 TV blackouts and increased retransmission consent fees by an overwhelming 2,000 percent,” the group said. “American consumers continue to pay the price for outdated regulations that allow broadcasters to weaponize TV blackouts, deliberately targeting live sports, local news and other popular TV.”

The NAB and broadcasters have pushed back against those arguments arguing that broadcast content is typically the most popular content on pay TV platforms and that increased retrans fees fund important local news and the cost of popular sports rights like the World Cup.

TV Tech has reached out to WSYT for comment.