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Ryan Reaves Pulls Curtain Back On Time With Maple Leafs
Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves announced his retirement from the NHL last month, ending his career that spanned 16 total season and multiple clubs, including a stop with the Maple Leafs.Reaves, who accumulated over 1,000 penalty minutes during his career, is now pulling the curtain back on his time while with the Maple […] The post Ryan Reaves Pulls Curtain Back On Time With Maple Leafs appeared first on HEAVY.
AI-generated political ads are showing up on TV screens, experts say they are getting harder to spot
Bills OL Bonded Over Fish Tacos During West Coast Trip
Between victories in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Buffalo’s front line traded turf for Newport Beach, forging championship-caliber chemistry over seaside dinners and Pacific Ocean swims.
‘Over $25,000’ in damage: Bellevue honey business devastated by historic flooding
In Bellevue, September's floodwaters washed away 35 beehives — and with them, years of work
Symposium highlights MIT’s wide range of innovations for aging brain health
In six talks, researchers from across MIT described Aging Brain Initiative projects aimed at advancing the understanding of and interventions against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
Was Miami’s Win Over Florida State RIGGED?
Miami escaped Florida State with a controversial double-overtime victory, but questionable officiating has fans accusing the ACC of protecting its top team. Did Florida State just get absolutely ROBBED against Miami? The Hurricanes escaped Saturday night’s rivalry matchup with a 43-35 double-overtime victory, keeping their undefeated season alive. However, the biggest storyline wasn’t Miami’s performance.…
Virginia home prices climb despite rising inventory
The number of homes for sale climbed across Northern and Central Virginia and Hampton Roads in September, while inventory rose.
Giannoulias opens big lead in Chicago mayoral poll as Johnson loses support
The secretary of state leads in first- and second-choice preferences, while just a quarter of Brandon Johnson's 2023 voters say they'd support him again.
Marine Science Center Releases 6 Rehabbed Sea Turtles
Six sea turtles were recently released in Volusia County after being rehabilitated at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet. All of the turtles were juvenile green sea turtles. The release …
Researchers Discover a Blood-Pressure Drug May Stimulate “Healthy” Brown Fat
Losartan, a drug commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, boosts brown adipose tissue or “brown fat” activity and enhances its metabolism, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine, Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center researchers.
Yankees 2026 Roster Report Cards: David Bednar
The Yankees’ closer gave the team a reliable stopper in the ninth for a first time in a while.
Ex-ESPN Star David Pollack Shares ‘Stunning’ Health Update About Wife’s Brain Tumor
'Thank you for faithfully praying!'
Woman tells UK court that comedian Russell Brand raped her
LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A woman told police that British actor and comedian Russell Brand had grabbed her breasts before dragging her into a toilet at a bar and
Naples Comprehensive Health Collaborates with Publix Pharmacy to Launch Meds-to-Beds Service - Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report
New service will deliver discharge prescriptions directly to patients at the hospital, helping support medication access and continuity of care October 19, 2026 – Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is collaborating […]
Ovaries may not become ‘stagnant’ after menopause, scientists say
The ovaries may not become “stagnant” after menopause, according to scientists, who have discovered shifts in protein levels after periods have stopped. While more research is needed to examine if the...
Centennial Yards lands flagship retail for growing Entertainment District
A company described as world-class and one of the most powerful players in sports retail is planting its flag in the growing Entertainment District at the heart of Centennial Yards and the doorstep of Atlanta’s largest sports coliseums.
Nobody should buy the $299 Apple TV 4K, but it could have been worse
My colleague Zac Hall described HomeView as one of the best ways to spend $299 on an Apple device and...
Rural medical training is key to stronger health care in First Nations communities
Training doctors in rural and remote communities and embedding First Nations knowledge and leadership in medical education could be key to strengthening health care access, building a sustainable workforce ...
Yankees' Intriguing Trade Rumor Resurfaces — But Does It Make Sense?
Does it make sense for the New York Yankees to pursue this trade?
Democrats gain ground with AAPI adults as trust in Republicans fades, AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll finds
A new AP-NORC/AAPI data poll finds that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with President Donald Trump and Republicans as the midterm elections approach.
Fact or fiction? Examining the claims behind North Carolina political ads
As Election Day approaches, political ads across North Carolina are making claims about candidates’ past. The Chronicle examines the claims and the context behind them.
How Investors May Respond To Encompass Health (EHC) First Maine Hospital Opening
Encompass Health has opened Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Bangor, a 50 bed inpatient facility in Maine that delivers intensive therapy, frequent physician oversight and 24 hour nursing for patients recovering from complex conditions across a 54,000 square foot site with a wide range of on campus clinical amenities. This Bangor facility is Encompass Health's first wholly owned hospital in Maine. It adds owned capacity in a new state alongside its existing joint venture presence...
The Brew Spot celebrates new ownership
The Brew Spot Coffee Shop is celebrating a new chapter as husband-and-wife duo Eric and Christina Rollyson officially take ownership of the local coffee shop.
China's economy accelerates on robust exports as domestic weakness persists
China says its economy grew 4.5% for the July-September quarter from a year ago, moving closer to meeting its official annual growth target as the year nears its end. The
“Dirty Dancing” sequel with Jennifer Grey will allow fans to ‘mourn’ Patrick Swayze, producer says
Nina Jacobson promises a respectful homage to the late actor, noting, “We won’t be bringing him back with AI.”
Massachusetts GOP ticket rocked by alleged drunken crash as candidate abruptly halts campaign
Massachusetts Republican Shawn Oliver suspended his lieutenant governor campaign after a DUI arrest following a rollover crash in New Bedford.
100 women build 48 beds at inaugural Ladies of Lumber event
Sleep in Heavenly Peace — Utica's inaugural Ladies of Lumber event brought 100 women together in Yorkville to build 48 beds for children in need.
Baptist Health NICU reunion celebrates premature baby graduates, families
Celebrities in Saint Laurent at the 2026 Academy Museum Gala
Four celebrities wore Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent to the Academy Museum Gala.
Lt. Governor candidate Shawn Oliver suspends campaign after being arrested for allegedly drunk driving
Oliver, a 42-year-old Republican, struck five parked cars along Dartmouth Street in New Bedford just before midnight on Saturday.
Massachusetts GOP lieutenant governor candidate suspends campaign after arrest in car crash
The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts has dropped out of the race hours after he was arrested in a suspected drunk driving crash.
Streaming’s Biggest Show Returns…and a Buzzy Genre Struggles
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Obviously, the big news of the week (if not month) is Netflix letting go of executive Bela Bajaria, their chief content officer. I’m going to cover this in my next “Most Important Story of the Week”, but I also have a data angle that I might publish before then. (Too much news this month, am I right?) But first, I have a bonus Streaming Ratings Report issue for you. Today’s article is a bit of a grab bag of topics I’ve wanted to write about, but couldn’t squeeze into the (already very long) Streaming Ratings Report issues. The NFL drives huge viewership numbers, so I’ve got a look at that. A whole bunch of TV shows returned to the traditional broadcast channels, and I have thoughts. And I have a quick look at adult animated shows, since a couple flopped earlier this month. Plus, the Emmys aired earlier this month, and we got some fun data bout how popular those nominated shows are and why I’m not optimistic about the show’s future. That’s a lot, so let’s dive right in. Subscribe Sports - Football Remains the King of Streaming Over the last two Streaming Ratings Reports, I sorta ignored the biggest “show” each week. (I was tempted to say “piece of content” but I know that word bugs folks.) In my database, I call these “specials”, and they sure are special. I speak of the king of American TV: football!!! Streaming football is back and, unlike some other sports, it routinely dominates all viewership. Probably the best way to show this is to update one of my favorite graphics, the “40 Million Hour Club”1 since football games have joined that club each week they’ve premiered: (Yep, that’s the data through 28-Sep, the first four weeks of the season. As a reminder, I take the average minute audience provided by Nielsen, factor out a percentage of linear TV viewers in home markets, and multiply the run time by the three-hour runtime.) Again, the numbers are huge. Let’s start with Netflix. They grabbed the rights to the bonus opening week NFL Kickoff game (which was on YouTube last year) and it put up 18.5 million viewers on average. That nets out to 47.4 million hours of estimated streaming hours. That’s good! Though, notably, it’s well below Christmas Day games from previous years. Compared to other streamers/broadcasters, that’s a bit of a mixed result. On one hand, Netflix’s 18.5 million average is about what YouTube claimed last year, though Nielsen used a bespoke methodology at that time, so I trust this viewership figure more. So that’s good. (The game also shifted from a Friday to a Thursday and that could have helped the viewership as well.) And Netflix continues to best Prime Video in total viewership—as you’ll see next—though Netflix has had much higher-profile (opening week and Christmas Day) games. NBC/Peacock’s opening game the night before averaged 25.1 million average viewers, which is just much bigger than Netflix (or Prime Video). That’s the big caveat to all streaming viewership records: even in success, they can’t compete with traditional linear TV. Previously, I called this my “hierarchy of viewership”, and the data keeps supporting that thesis. The downside for NBC is that this game’s viewership was down compared to previous years, though it may be a counting issue. Here’s a great chart from Sports Media Watch: Indeed, looking at all the opening week games across all windows, Netflix still lags the other primetime windows, but does well compared to the afternoon games: I saw a few folks make the case that streamers still lag traditional broadcasters in reach, and I’d add they really lag compared to “broadcast plus streaming” options like NBC/Peacock, ESPN/Disney+ and CBS/Paramount+. The best data I saw for this came from Samba TV, who charted reach through the 2025 season, and, wow. (Samba TV’s numbers are historically lower than Nielsen’s, so don’t compare their household figures to Nielsen’s hours, but use them as a proxy for the relative reach of the streamers.) The good news is Prime Video is NOT having a down year. Their opening Thursday Night Football game reached 18.6 million viewers (about what Netflix got), but that’s a high for Prime Video on Thursdays and the biggest Thursday night game since 2015. The TNF games the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep continued this streak, getting 43.1 (16.8 million average viewers) and 42.5 total hours (16.6 million average viewers), which were both up from last year. Still, that continues the (typical) season slide: (For those new-to-streaming-football-numbers folks, the viewership declines for Thursday Night Football as the year goes along.) Overall, it appears as if Prime Video is now part of the “football habit”, be it for customers at home or out at places like bars and restaurants. And its viewership is slowly catching up to broadcast. One last chart shows this. Last season, Nielsen started adding out-of-home viewership to the charts, so I try not to do season-to-season comparisons as I did for the first few years. And while Nielsen added Big Data viewing this year, I’m going to compare the last two seasons. Here’s that chart, which shows the season-over-season gains: When it comes to streaming football, we have to keep a few seemingly contradictory thoughts in our head… First, streaming doesn’t come close to matching broadcast’s reach and, thus, viewership. Second, even with that gap, football is still the biggest “thing” on streaming. It’s very, very popular. Third, while some methodology changes have likely helped Prime Video’s numbers, their viewership does appear to be growing. Lastly, yeah, the NFL started the season off poorly, with week one dragging down the numbers in year-over-year comparisons. However—and again, methodology changes may have helped this—the viewership grew compared to previous seasons over the next couple of weeks. So football is still king. On streaming and off. Television - Adult Animation Continues to NOT Make the Streaming Charts In the last two reports, two adult-animated shows whiffed: Netflix’s animated comedy, Dang! Paramount+’s Sega-video-game-inspired fantasy/comedy, Golden Axe. Neither made the charts, but that’s usually the case for animated shows. I mean, here’s literally every animated show that’s made the Nielsen Original charts since the start of 2025: And one of those shows is G_abby’s Dollhouse_! A kids show! The problem with charts like this is that they don’t give you a sense of how many shows miss the charts. Netflix had at least eleven animated flops, including comedies like Big Mouth (a show everyone assumed was popular in the pre-Streaming Ratings Era), Long Story Short, Haunted Hotel, Mating Season, Strip Law, and Alley Cats, and action shows like Blood of Zeus, Castlevania: Nocturne, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Prime Video had at least six animated misses, two in the same universe (Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss), three more comedies (#1 Happy Family USA, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy and Kevin) and an action show (The Mighty Nein). Disney+ had MCU and Star Wars animated misses (Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, and Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld) but I can’t tell how many of those shows were geared towards adults. HBO Max had Harley Quinn and Hulu had Solar Opposites. None of these shows made the charts! That’s a lot of misses! If I remade the chart with all those misses, here’s how it would look: Listen, I know the counter arguments. First, it’s cheaper to produce animated shows than live action. Fair enough, but with viewership this low, even that cheaper price point starts to not matter. Second, just look at the acquired charts. Hit animated comedies can generate viewership for years! Shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers do really, really well. Fair enough, but streaming has failed to recreate the dynamic that Fox has mastered so well. That’s a problem for streaming still. Television - Emmys! The annual Emmys broadcast was a few weeks ago, and I’ve got data on how the nominees performed on streaming, plus hot takes on this year’s viewership (and the big news about the broadcast’s, er, streamcast’s future). We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… The top Emmy-nominated shows… ...why I’m worried about the future of the Emmys telecast... ...the pros of broadcast television ...and the cons... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, we’ve got a double issue (since the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep were so light), but then I’ll be all caught up after a deluge of streaming ratings data from Nielsen in September. In the meantime, I’m going to try to take a look at Netflix’s stats to explain why Bela Bajaria is out. But even light weeks give me plenty to talk about. The Great British Baking Show returns to Netflix and Apple TV has a buzzy new star-studded comedy. And Netflix has a controversial-but-appears-to-be-popular new game show. Plus big films like Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner head to streaming. And is East of Eden a hit? After that, The Kardashians return to Hulu, Prime Video has a reboot of Carrie, and Netflix has a horror show, Below. Disclosure Day heads to Peacock, The Housemaid heads to HBO Max_,_ a new Ben Affleck film, Animals, lands on Netflix, and Apple TV has a new John Cena action film based on, checks notes, Hasbro’s Matchbox toys. Okay. Longterm, some interesting TV production news. HBO Max ordered How to Survive Without Me, starring Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano and Rita Wilson, for fifteen episodes! I love that some streamers (or, at least, HBO Max) are finally ordering TV shows with more than eight episodes. In less wise production news, Landman does not appear to be coming back this year, since it just started production. Frankly, I don’t love this (get your shows out on time) but Landman is so popular, I doubt it matters.
Philly Mom and Young Son Turn His Eczema Into a Skincare Business
A bedtime story sparked Soak & Soothe Co., whose fragrance-free bath bombs with toys inside now sell at local markets, online and wholesale.
Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak spreads to eighth province
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has spread to an eighth province.
RJ Mitte’s story offers insight into life with cerebral palsy and mental health issues
Letter: Dr Denise Al Mari-de Waal and Aaron Hume call for lifelong support and an integrated care pathway that recognises the physical and mental health impacts of cerebral palsy
Laramie County health and food inspections (10/9/26–10/15/26)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department inspects restaurants, bars, convenience stores, delis, grocery stores, bed and breakfasts
Trump dominated rural America. Iowa is testing whether Democrats can win them back
Dave Roethler is a former Donald Trump supporter in Iowa who feels disillusioned about the economy and believes middle-class families are suffering while the president benefits.
Latino voters helped put Trump back in the White House. What's their next move?
The path to a House majority on Capitol Hill runs through heavily Latino districts in states such as Arizona, Colorado and Texas.
Physicists create a bizarre new quantum state called a fractional fermi sea
Physicists have discovered a strange new state of quantum matter in which ultracold atoms defy familiar organizational rules, forming a highly excited yet surprisingly orderly configuration called a "fractional Fermi sea." The discovery challenges established quantum theories and hints at exotic quasiparticles that scientists have dubbed potential "super-Fermions."
QLED, Mini LED or standard LED? Here are 5 43-inch TVs to compare before upgrading your home entertainment setup
New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- A 43-inch television can be a practical fit for a bedroom, a smaller living room or a home where a larger screen simply will not work. But screen size is only one part of the buying decision. A conventional LED panel, a QLED screen and a Mini LED display can deliver different…
TV Tinsel: Television dresses up for Halloween
It’s that time of year when witches wax their broomsticks, monsters slither out from under beds, and goblins gather at midnight for a séance. Television is doing its best to
In tight Texas Senate race, Trump's immigration crackdown tests Republicans' hold on voters
The race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is hotly contested and enormously expensive, with total ad spending topping $500 million.
Entertainment
Playhouse at McConnellstown has launched its "Raise the Roof" Capital Campaign to raise $30,000 for repairs to the theater's roof and gutter system. Donations of any amount are being accepted
Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon
Japanese space agency leading five-year mission to Phobos, one of ‘most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system’
Ohio State With Season-Defining Victory, But At What Cost?
Ohio State will be without starting quarterback Julian Sayin after he was injured in a big win over Indiana. Ohio […]
Where to watch Browns vs. Ravens today: Channel, live stream, time, TV schedule for Week 6 NFL game
All you need to know to watch the Ravens face the Browns, including TV channel and live streaming details.
Westfall Ag Students Visit Farm Science Review
Twenty-one Westfall High School FFA students recently traveled to the Molly Caren Agricultural Center for the annual Farm Science Review (FSR).
‘A real-world story’: Ruidoso doctor pens novel on youth mental health
The novel introduces young readers to a 13-year-old who attends therapy and is prescribed medication for anger management.
Scientists discover the universe’s first known green star
Forget about spooky green zombies shuffling around on Halloween. The real sci-fi magic is happening hundreds of light-years away in deep space. Stellar scientists have just identified the universe’s very first known green star, proving that the cosmos is a whole lot more colorful than anyone previously imagined. Breaking the cosmic color rules For generations, […] Read the original article here: Scientists discover the universe’s first known green star
Trump touts his power at Kentucky rally to energize voters ahead of midterm elections
President Donald Trump is emphasizing his influence during his second term at a rally in Kentucky.
Ellen DeGeneres appears in rare TV interview 4 years after her talk show’s end
The former daytime television host stopped by “The Graham Norton Show” on Friday.
The Real Reason Kane’s Record-Breaking Assist Changed History
Patrick Kane breaks the U.S.-born assist record with a helper on Connor Bedard's goal. Read how this historic moment unfolded in Chicago.
Science Applications International (SAIC) Could Be 12% Overvalued On CFO And Leadership Changes
Science Applications International (SAIC) is reshaping its senior leadership after appointing Kenneth B. Crews as incoming Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, while existing CFO Prabu Natarajan transitions to lead the Civilian Business Group. The leadership reshuffle lands at a time when Science Applications International’s share price has climbed 15.2% over the past 90 days and 31.47% year to date, while the 1-year total shareholder return of 38.29% points to momentum that...
Smash Bros. Pro Barred From Event Following Bed Bug Concern
Announcing a hiatus, Melee pro Jason ‘Mew2King’ Zimmerman says he regrets posting the now viral photos and would have stepped back if he believed the community was at risk
Kenya confirms four new Ebola cases, bringing total number to seven
Oct 17 () - Kenya confirmed four new cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus on Saturday, including three health workers who treated the country's first patient, bringing the total number of confirmed ca...
Man Shows Up to AI Job Interview With His Own Helicopter AI to Interview for Him
An influencer invited his own AI, dubbed Victor, to sit in on yet another interview with a chatbot. Chaos ensued.
House Speaker Mike Johnson draws on faith as he fights to hold the Republican majority
Speaker Mike Johnson says he believes Republicans will hold on to their House majority on Election Day and defy a surge of Democratic momentum in the final stretch of the midterm campaign.
Ohio State vs. Indiana: How to watch today's NCAA college football game, where to stream and more
How to watch the Ohio State vs. Indiana game this Saturday.
An American pope brings American-style governance to the Vatican, even in a health crisis
Pope Leo XIV has brought an American style of governing to the Vatican, including in the way it handles health crises.
Late artist Lil Poppa’s mother launches foundation focused on youth mental health
The mother of Jacksonville late recording artist Lil Poppa is honoring her son’s life by creating a foundation focused on mental health awareness, suicide prevention and youth support.
Selma Blair appears at 90s Con days after her arrest in connection with alleged airline assault
The “Cruel Intentions” star’s rep called the incident a “medical emergency.”
New landmark study shows Illinois lawyers are in mental health crisis
There is an eye opening look at what can only be described as a mental health crisis among attorneys in the state, according to a first of its kind analysis commissioned by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Construction underway on new medical tower at Colquitt Regional Health System
The new medical tower will add a number of new beds and jobs for Colquitt County.
Briefing Recap | What the midterms could change about U.S. health care
An election lookahead at what’s at stake for health policy
Boston stabbing survivor calls for more mental health resources to prevent violence: "It's really a shame"
A 23-year-old man who was stabbed in the neck during an attack in Allston is speaking out about his experience and calling for more mental health resources to help prevent future violence.
Bears’ Former Veteran Wide Receiver Signs New Deal With Lions
A former Chicago Bears veteran wide receiver has landed a new deal in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions amid the latest NFL signing news. The post Bears’ Former Veteran Wide Receiver Signs New Deal With Lions appeared first on HEAVY.
Duke Health, CaroMont Health Partner To Develop Two New Hospitals In Charlotte, North Carolina
Duke Health and CaroMont Health are partnering to develop a 120-bed hospital and an 80-bed hospital in Charlotte, N.C.
‘Magic Mike’ Star Shares Graphic Photos From Secret Health Battle
The actor, whose marriage to Sofía Vergara ended during the 7-year struggle, says he lost 60 pounds in just a few weeks.
Apple's New CEO Just Demonstrated How to Stay Classy While Insulting the Competition
John Ternus described other folding phones as feeling 'kind of cheap and crappy.'
Candace Cameron Bure declined to return to ‘The View’ for season 30
Candace Cameron Bure says ‘The View’ asked her to return for season 30, with the ‘Full House’ and ‘Special Forces’ star explaining to EW why she declined.
Hill Country businesses get more time to apply for flood recovery grants as holiday season nears
How Hürzeler’s Tactics Have Changed Brighton in 2026/27
The German tactical mastermind has weaponized relentless high-pressing and clinical efficiency, transforming the Seagulls into a fearless scoring machine that currently rivals Europe’s most elite heavyweights.
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
Tesla's new Roadster car can thrust itself in the air. Don't expect to drive it anytime soon
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Elon Musk described Tesla's flying Roadster tech nearly 8 years ago
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Atrium announces new behavioral health hospital in Charlotte
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Philadelphia Phillies Announce Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber News After Elimination
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How BPC is Building Bipartisan Momentum on Youth Mental Health
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IP Saves the Day On Streaming
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get started, I wanted to highlight a new idea I saw from Real Good AI, proposing a ratings system for AI use. (H/T to Anthony Kaufman’s article highlighting this.) It would look something like this: In general, I think that this is a solid, middle-ground solution that should appease both the pro-AI camp (who love AI) and the anti-AI camp (who wants to know if what they’re watching didn’t come from humans). Regardless of your feelings on AI/LLMs—I’ll never use it for my writing—transparency is often the best solution to many problems. In general, I think way more media outlets need to be using way more AI disclosures. My quick “Yes and...” to this idea: what about ads? In particular, I hate it when I see or hear ads that are obviously AI-generated, but a person or voice says, “I used this product”. AI doesn’t use products! Just today, I watched a YouTube ad where a “person” said they use some sort of rain wind chime...but that’s not a real person! They didn’t use this product. (Especially since the video of the wind chime itself also appeared to be AI-generated...) I believe most traditional advertising already has standards like this anyway.1 Okay, on to this week’s issue. We’re covering the week of 14-Sep, and then next issue, I’ll be fully caught up with Nielsen’s new release schedule. In the future, I plan to put out Streaming Ratings Reports each Monday after Nielsen’s Thursday releases. Overall, we had some big new shows this week, like Prime Video’s Reacher spinoff_, Neagley_, which is off to a big, big start, and Netflix’s latest in its Monster anthology, which is their largest opening since June and the second-largest since One Piece came out in March. All that, plus Slow Horses returns, the trio of returning shows (Lioness, Reacher and Ted Lasso) continue to dominate the top tens, Paramount+’s latest crime drama, a big whiff for a Netflix original film and a precipitous drop for Netflix film charts, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of September 14th to September 20th 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Television - IP For the TV Win Can I use the dirty word of entertainment journalism right now? IP. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone I said it. But IP works at the box office, and we’ve seen some evidence it works in TV too. Not as well, and not all the time—no absolutes here!—but often enough. And glancing at the Nielsen top ten…it worked this week! Take Prime Video, who has a monster hit in the crime drama Reacher. Would a spinoff work for that show? Yep! They binge-released Neagley, about a detective from the original Reacher series, and its eight episodes debuted to 29.6 million hours. Here’s how it stacks up to Reacher, one of Prime Video’s biggest shows: That’s great. Nearly as strong as Reacher’s opening! (Both shows started with eight, binge-released episodes, so this comparison is apples-to-apples.) Notably, Prime Video scheduled the debut of Neagley to overlap with Reacher’s most recent season, to help drive tune-in. Obviously, I love smart release strategies like that. And even though I wrote “obviously”, it’s not really that obvious, since streamers don’t often take advantage of natural overlaps like this_._2 Other data backs how well Neagley performed. It opened at second place on Samba TV for two weeks and got 51.7 million hours on Luminate. That’s the eleventh biggest opening on Luminate since May of 2024 and tied with Bridgerton’s third season opening. That’s a huge opening! Its IMDb is solid too, a 7.7 on 24K reviews. Netflix’s latest edition in the “Monster” series—which started with Jeffrey Dahmer and comes from Ryan Murphy—did well too, opening to 24.7 million hours. That’s the biggest opening for Netflix since I Will Find You in June, and second biggest since March. Unlike the Reacher series, this franchise is trending downward, though. The first Monster show—Dahmer - Monster—was giant. More than anything, I think this reflects that Netflix running out of extremely popular—if that’s the right word?—serial killers to feature. Still, the data says this is a very good opening. It made it to third place on Samba TV for two weeks. It also opened to 40.0 million hours on Luminate. That’s not quite as elite as Neagley, but still very, very strong. I’ll be honest: my priors coming into any given week are that IP works to help drive buzz for new shows, but TV shows need to stand on their own even more than movies, so they will succeed or fail based on their quality. But these two spinoffs definitely worked. Quick Notes on TV The top show, film or special this week? Football, again. Specifically, Prime Video’s season opener of Thursday Night Football. The games run long (three hours) but mainly a lot of people watch each game. That adds up to a lot of viewership. Paramount released the second season of MobLand on an unusual day for that service, a Friday! Often, they put their new shows out on a Sunday, as they did last year with a run of shows (Lioness, Tulsa King and Landman). MobLand didn’t make Nielsen in its first week, but on Samba TV it got to eighth and seventh place. Luminate had a smaller opening too, only 5.3 million hours. MobLand missed the Nielsen charts for its first eight weeks, so this season is off to a stronger start. (Bonus note: the first season streams on both Prime Video and The Roku Channel, but I only have it as Paramount+ on those charts.) I’ve mentioned a few times that foreign-language originals do lower numbers than English-language originals on Netflix most of the time. But I don’t usually emphasize what country those originals come from, and observationally, they tend to be from Western or Northern European countries, in general. So credit to Not a Stranger, a Turkish Netflix original, for breaking through on Luminate, getting to 7.9 million hours in its first full week on those charts. As I mentioned last issue, Crew Girl ended up making the Nielsen charts in its second week. That’s still a soft performance compared to many shows, but again this, one looks affordable. And if you’re curious, here’s how it stacks up to some other sports romance shows: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… …about a new data source and how it drives streaming viewership… ...what reality show is struggling in its latest season…. ...what Netflix film bombed…. ...How Reacher, Ted Lasso, and Lioness are doing on the charts… ...what obscure sport put up great viewership numbers… …how far streaming films are falling… …all the flops, bombs and misses for the last week… …and more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue. Coming Soon! Next week, we’ve got a double issue, then we’ll be all caught up with Nielsen’s data. Yes! The goal is to have my report out on the Monday after I get Nielsen’s data. So next issue, I’m looking at East of Eden, The Great British Baking Show, a Willy Wonka game show (that people are upset uses AI, but viewers might not care), and a Cosby show spinoff reboot on Netflix, and Brothers on Apple TV (starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey). That’s about it for TV, but who’s going to win the streaming week, The Breadwinner or Backrooms on streaming? Answer: Toy Story 5. Plus Netflix has a Unabomber film and a new Tyler Perry film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma tries to repeat The Substance’s run on MUBI, and Paramount+ has Jackass: Best and Last. Long term, Netflix is remaking Lonesome Dove. I love this choice, but man, there are a lot of westerns on TV right now. And they’re making Sega TV shows, including a Crazy Taxi TV show and Sonic show with an “edge”.
Atrium Health's $340M behavioral health push includes north Charlotte hospital
A planned 168-bed facility near Mallard Creek will offer emergency, inpatient and outpatient care.
Plans for 39-acre extension of business park
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Apple CEO John Ternus on Early Foldables: 'Kind of Cheap and Crappy'
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