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ESPN expands Women’s Sports Sundays franchise into Fall 2026, anchored by college volleyball and NWSL
ESPN is extending its marquee women’s sports summer franchise, Women’s Sports Sundays, into Fall 2026. Building on the inaugural franchise of matchups across
Minuteman Press Franchise in Pennsylvania Named Minority Business of the Year
Jyoti Arora’s Minuteman Press Franchise in Chadds Ford, PA, is recognized by the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry.
Local Business Owners Start New Chapter with Opening of New PostalAnnex Location in Concord, California
Annex Brands, Inc., one of the leading franchisors in the packing, shipping and office services industries, is excited to announce the opening of its newest PostalAnnex location in Concord, CA to new owners, Rebeccah and Konstantin Rybalsky. This new PostalAnnex is set to offer a wide range of essential shipping and office services to the local community, making it easier to provide more service to more people in more places.
Turang Quietly Sets Brewers Franchise Record
Surpassing a long-standing mark set by Rickie Weeks, Brice Turang now sits alone at the top of the Milwaukee Brewers record book.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Paystand branches into AI agents; court hearing for former Scotts Valley executive; Barilla snaps up Goodles
In this week's survey of local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on the rollout of a new AI tool for Santa Cruz-based fintech company Paystand, notes a court date for a former executive of Scotts Valley's Ambient Photonics and runs down other numbers, names and dates to know.
CNBC's Official NFL Team Valuations 2026: Here's how the 32 franchises stack up
The average National Football League team is now worth $10.36 billion, up 35% from a year ago.
This Founder Built a $220 Million Fitness Business. His Playbook Comes Down to 4 Decisions
Tony Hartl has grown Undefeated Tribe, his master franchise for Crunch Fitness, to 4,000 employees and systemwide revenues of $220 million. Here's how.
Grading Baker Mayfield's Extension with the Buccaneers
Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield finally agreed to a contract extension that keeps the franchise QB with the team through 2029. What grade does the new deal deserve?
Hurricane Lowell forces bank closures across Kauai, parts of Oahu and Maui
All major Hawaii banks closed Kauai branches Tuesday as Hurricane Lowell brought high winds, heavy rain and widespread power outages to the islands.
AMC will pay $120 million to settle 'Walking Dead' profits lawsuit
LOS ANGELES — AMC Global Media, the network behind the storied zombie franchise "The Walking Dead," has settled a yearslong profits lawsuit from the show's creator and producers. The New
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Voter-Screening Tool
Voting rights organizations had challenged a Trump administration overhaul of a government database, arguing it could be used to disenfranchise eligible voters.
Devers Records Giants First 35/35 Season Since 2002
Rafael Devers joins Jeff Kent in the San Francisco Giants franchise record books, leveraging an explosive September power surge to make up for the team's horrific season.
Eagles legend Brandon Graham announces retirement after 16 seasons
Brandon Graham announced his retirement for a second time, ending a franchise-record 16-season career spent entirely with the Philadelphia Eagles
He lost $180K in retirement savings, now drives Uber and Lyft at 58
Bill Lewis, a former Wall Street broker, now drives for Uber and Lyft after losing his retirement savings in a failed franchise venture.
‘Destiny’ Has Inspired A 10-Year Plan For ‘ARC Raiders’
ARC Raiders has a 10-year content plan and is looking to the 12-year-old, recently killed Destiny franchise for inspiration.
Six decades of politics (but little government)
The first aired episode of “Star Trek,” entitled “The Man Trap,” premiered on September 8, 1966 — 60 years ago today. I’m actually editing a political science fiction issue of The Forum right now, and it’s prompted to me think a lot about the ways that Trek deals with politics and government and what it’s offered us as commentary. The @smotus report is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe The original TV series ran from 1966 to 1969. It had a loyal but modest following, but the audience grew substantially with the series in syndication for years after that. The franchise developed its first motion picture in 1979, followed by five sequels, and then a whole other series of films built around the “Next Generation” series that first aired in 1987. In recent decades, several more TV series have built up around it, including the current “Strange New Worlds,” now in its fourth season. Throughout the past six decades, the franchise has offered us a good many insights into US politics and international relations, although often disguised as science fiction yarns. The original series was largely a Cold War fable, with the United Federation of Planets (a stand-in for the US) perpetually at odds with the Klingon Empire (a stand-in for the USSR). The “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode (1969) posited a planet divided into two races, largely indistinguishable to outsiders, but nonetheless constituting a brutal racial hierarchy. “Patterns of Force” (1968) showed a struggling planet where the leader had attempted to construct a benevolent dictatorship — literally Nazism without bigotry — and found that authoritarianism could not exist apart from hierarchy and oppression. (Relatedly, I’d put “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” high on a list of dad films about the end of the Cold War, near “The Hunt for Red October.”) Get 20% off for 1 year Indeed, the original series itself was something of a political statement, with a multi-racial crew running the Enterprise, a diverse and largely peaceful Federation mostly free from want and oppression, and protected by Starfleet, an armed force whose scientific mission was at least as important as its military one. Famously, when Nichelle Nichols wanted to walk away from the role of Uhura on the original series, none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. met with her and urged her to remain on the show, discussing the importance of viewers seeing an intelligent Black woman as part of the command team three centuries hence. Later series in the Trek franchise offered a good deal of political commentary on their own, but probably none as explicitly and incisively as “Deep Space Nine,” which ran from 1993 to 1999. The episodes surrounding the Dominion War, especially the “In The Pale Moonlight” (1998), showed the compromises, sacrifices, and moral rot associated with winning even a just war — probably better than any series would until “Andor” (2022-25). In “Far Beyond The Stars” (1998), Captain Benjamin Sisko is somehow transplanted to the role of a science fiction writer in 1950s New York. The writer is frequently sidelined and his ideas stolen because publishers don’t want to credit a Black writer. Several series have depicted the secretive Section 31 — an unacknowledged black ops security force operating within Starfleet. These episodes often end up using Section 31 as a foil to show the dangers of a lawless group within a lawful society, even (especially) when that group posits itself as essential for everyone else’s freedom to continue. The current “Strange New Worlds” has played with a few political themes. I found the first two seasons of this show among the best that the Trek franchise has produced in decades, but this season and the last have really been struggling for ideas. Yet one interesting thread is the idea that the diplomatic and enlightened leadership style of Captain Christopher Pike will not work in all situations. “A Quality of Mercy” (2022), which I wrote about here, puts Pike in the middle of a battle with a Romulan vessel in an alternate timeline, and finds that Pike’s conciliatory style would actually make a lengthy and deadly war more likely, while a quick and more violent approach might have prevented the war. This season’s opener, “Valles Marineris,” shows a pre-lightspeed civilization locked in a war to the death with a neighboring planet. The idea of an alliance or a federation hasn’t even occurred to them — their ship’s commander is curious but doesn’t see it as an option. For a franchise as political as “Star Trek,” one thing we almost never see is the government. We get occasional glimpses of Starfleet’s council — mostly uniformed people at a rectangular table — but almost no sense of how the Federation is governed. Are there elections? Who is in the legislature? How much power does the president have? What kind of factional divisions do they wrestle with and how? The shows and films are pretty silent on this. We’ve seen a few military tribunals within Starfleet, but little about how civilians deal with crime and injustice. With recent years seeing some of the franchise’s more interesting plot lines and casts, it seems clear that Star Trek is still full of energy and ideas. Given the erosion of American democracy and the reshuffling of the international order, there’s no shortage of material for future shows to comment on. I’m not sure we should toast to 60 more years, but cheers to a show that continues to teach us about ourselves. Share
More Americans Are Losing Health Insurance—And Everyone Will Pay
As people lose health insurance coverage, experts warn of more crowded hospitals and higher costs for everyone.
Cricket Australia opens Big Bash to privatisation
Cricket Australia opens the Big Bash to private investment - with some owners of franchises in The Hundred showing interest.
Warner Bros. Discovery to Showcase Entertainment Portfolio at BLE
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products highlights franchises including Harry Potter, DC and animation properties at the London trade show.
'Star Trek' 60th anniversary: Why its vision of the future endures
The original 'Star Trek' premiered in 1966, and despite a rocky start, it endures and continues to inspire the franchise's creatives, stars and fans who say its lessons are still relevant today.
A 300,000-year-old jawbone from China refuses to fit neatly into the human family tree — and a reconstructed million-year-old skull is now suggesting our major ancestral branches split hundreds of thousands of years earlier than we thought
The fossil record is forcing scientists to rewrite when and where human ancestry split into separate branches, upending decades of assumptions about our evolutionary path.
Exclusive: Daryl Mitchell backs ETPL to produce cricket's next superstars
Daryl Mitchell is one of the big names taking part in the inaugural European T20 Premier League this season with the Dublin Guardians, and the New Zealand international is backing the new franchise league to make a huge mark.
Tom Brady refuses to apologize for conflict of interest
Ever since seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady stepped into a role as a broadcaster with Fox while also becoming a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, he has faced criticism over potential conflicts of interest and how the limitations placed on him might impact his career as a broadcaster. Brady, however, doesn’t…
Capcom Is Reviving More Dormant Franchises After The Success Of Onimusha: Way Of The Sword
After Onimusha: Way of the Sword sold more than a million copies at launch, Capcom is now looking to revive some of its other forgotten IPs.
The AfD Is Rising. Germany’s Political Center Is Failing.
"The Alternative for Germany built its nationwide constituency through relentless opposition to immigration, nativist appeal, and efforts to relativize Germany’s Nazi past," write Sudha David Wilp and Jackson Janes.
Boston Red Sox Rookie Lefty Continues to Make Franchise History
Payton Tolle’s incredible rookie season rolls on as he dominates the Baltimore Orioles en route to a sweep.
Why Law and Political Science Are Declining in Afghanistan
Law and Political Science are among the most important branches of the humanities, each with its own specialized and applied
What can the Texas Ag Commissioner do about data centers and flock cameras? We ask the Democratic candidate
Organizer and rancher Clayton Tucker is running against beekeeper and businessman Nate Sheets to be the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture in November. Lone Star Politics talks to him about his quest to take on data center and flock camera companies and what exactly the Ag commissioner can do about those issues.
What’s on tap for third season of Cedar Rapids Storytellers?
Four speakers will share true, personal stories on the theme of “Against The Grain.” Also in entertainment news, Orchestra Iowa is branching out with a Barrels & Brass concert series.
Coffee chain announces Derby expansion plans
Kansas-based coffee chain Mokas recently announced it has signed a nine-unit franchise development deal with Cornerstone Hospitality, led by veteran entrepreneurs Brice Turner and Jeff Bennett. The deal includes plans
Sid Meier's Civilization VII adds Arc of Tomorrow update and Earthrise expansion
At PAX West, in celebration of the franchise’s 35th anniversary, 2K and Firaxis Games announced new updates for Sid Meier's Civilization VII.
Canaries draw Kansas City to open postseason play
MOORHEAD, MN (CANARIES) — The Sioux Falls Canaries are headed to the Miles Wolff Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and for the eighth time in franchise history. The Birds will open postseason play against West Division regular season champion Kansas City. The Canaries (50-49) will host the Monarchs (58-41) for Game 1 of […]
Harrison Smith Returns to Vikings for 15th NFL Season
Harrison Smith isn’t ready to call it a career just yet. The Minnesota Vikings announced that the veteran safety is returning for the 2026 season , giving Smith another opportunity to suit up for the franchise where he has spent his entire 15-year NFL career. The 37-year-old had seriously considered retirement during the offseason, making…
Robert Pattinson Is Disturbing and Alluring in Primetime, a Sordid Movie About a Sordid TV Show
Pattinson plays 'To Catch a Predator' host Chris Hansen in Lance Oppenheim's first narrative feature film.
Ranchers reeling from President Trump beef price initiatives
Cattle ranchers say let the market sort out beef prices, stop singling them out over affordability
Vikings bring back franchise legend
After months of retirement speculation, Harrison Smith has made his decision. The Vikings legend is returning for a 15th NFL season, giving Minnesota a major boost in the secondary
Maple Leafs’ Latest Signing Comes With Hidden Risk
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Friday that they had signed forward Brendan Brisson to a one-year contract. However, the arrival of the former Golden Knights first-round pick carries a hidden risk for the Toronto franchise.The downside for the Leafs is that if Brisson, 24, doesn’t get enough playing time this season, he could end […] The post Maple Leafs’ Latest Signing Comes With Hidden Risk appeared first on HEAVY.
Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Honored by The Sporting News
David Ortiz is always going to hold a special place in the history of the Boston Red Sox.For that matter, his place in the history of Major League Baseball is quite secure, too.He was a legendary designated hitter who delivered in some of the biggest moments in Boston franchise history.And he did it with the […] The post Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Honored by The Sporting News appeared first on HEAVY.
A canine adventure: Virginia Beach business takes dogs on hikes
In June, Jodi Moore Burns opened Hike Doggie, a mobile pet services franchise that provides professional dog hiking and outdoor adventure experiences.
Maple Leafs Coach’s Dilemma Emerges Before NHL Season
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the franchises to keep a close eye on heading into the upcoming NHL season. Toronto made multiple structural changes within the organization and to its roster.The most important addition is undoubtedly Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 overall prospect from the 2026 NHL Draft.In a recent article, MarkerZone analyst […] The post Maple Leafs Coach’s Dilemma Emerges Before NHL Season appeared first on HEAVY.
LaborFest kicks off holiday weekend with BBQ, outdoor activities, live music
Hundreds gathered Saturday at Rep. Steven Horsford’s annual Workers & Families LaborFest at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas.
Lions Stars Could Face Long Wait for Massive Extensions
The Detroit Lions have had a busy offseason when it comes to extensions, and they have two more major decisions to make. Both safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta are entering the last year of their rookie deals. The Lions would like to extend both based on their play, but both have injury […] The post Lions Stars Could Face Long Wait for Massive Extensions appeared first on HEAVY.
Kings' Front Office Taking Swings to Accelerate Rebuild
With the recent acquisition of Ben Simmons, the Sacramento Kings' front office continues to make moves to accelerate the franchise's rebuild.
Contract Talks 'Stagnant' Between Colts and Franchise Pillar
Will the Indianapolis Colts and guard Quenton Nelson get a new deal done this season?
We Need a Cure for AI Health Hype
AI evangelists’ bold predictions about the technology’s ability to cure all diseases are overblown and oversimplified, writes Arianna Huffington.
A ‘devil flower’ with no leaves, no branches, no green part has been discovered in a Thai forest, scientists say its bizarre appearance is hiding an even stranger secret
It has no leaves, no branches and no green parts, and spends much of its life concealed beneath fallen leaves on the forest floor. Scientists have now described a bizarre new flowering plant from Thailand, naming it Thismia daemona, the “devil flower”, for its dark, horn-like appearance.
Trump moves to allow ranchers and hunters to kill gray wolves
The president ordered his administration to lift Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves, again wading into a fraught debate between ranchers and conservationists.
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off
(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.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, 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 July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film 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… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Handheld Performance Review
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a new RPG from Rebel Wolves, a studio built by veteran developers from the Witcher franchise. Powered by Unreal Engine 5 and looking demanding, it is a strong test for some of the most popular handheld PCs on the market.
From Science to Soil: Emily Fulstone Honors History Through Environmental Innovation
By blending environmental science with time-honored ranching traditions, this Smith Valley producer is proving that regenerative agriculture is the path forward.
Fast-food franchisee chooses Tampa to debut healthy eating drive-thru
Tampa-based drive-thru concept Greenlane is redefining convenience with fresh, made-to-order meals — and bringing innovation to an industry sorely lacking it.
President Trump puts Colorado farmers and ranchers first
By Brooke L. Rollins Ever since Colorado was admitted to the union 150 years ago this month, farmers and ranchers across the state have kept our nation’s food supply secure and our freedom alive. From cattle ranchers on the eastern plains to specialty crop producers on the Western Slope, Colorado is home to more than 36,000 farms spread across more than 30 million acres. Last week, I saw the tremendous effect of agriculture in the Centennial State firsthand as, along with U.S. […]
Clippers Vow to Fight NBA’s $30 Million Fine and Historic Draft Pick Penalties
The Los Angeles Clippers‘ offseason was already complicated after their 2025-26 season ended in a play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors, keeping the franchise out of the postseason for the first time since 2022. Months later, Kawhi Leonard and the organization find themselves at the center of a storm that has nothing to do [...]
A Quantreal Rays Nemesis Strikes Again: Rangers 6, Rays 0
Patrick Zalupski should do a roll call for the next ownership group meeting because Cal Quantrill is a majority statistical owner of the franchise. Quantrill, with his effort tonight, is now 4-0 lifetime against Tampa Bay over seven starts as he led the Rangers to a 6-0 win over the Rays. Quantrill does not light […]
Bears need health, production from WR Rome Odunze to form dynamic duo
Their decision to trade DJ Moore to the Bills opened up salary cap space in 2026 and into the future, when the Bears hope they have to pay Caleb Williams like a franchise quarterback. It also put the onus on Odunze and Luther Burden to perform like one of the best receiver pairings in the NFL.
Family-friendly entertainment option:Laser light show at Rondele Ranch this weekend
Rondele Ranch in Harshaw is known for its incredible venue, memorable wedding and vacation space. But they are experimenting with different forms of entertainment, including a laser light show this
September in the Neighborhood: Star Trek science, shop local artisans, picnic at Peirce Mill
To boldly go... Sept. 8 is the 60th anniversary of the day the first episode of Star Trek aired. Sept. 9 is the day our Broad Branch Road neighbor, the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory, is inviting us over for a Star Trek-themed lecture on the worlds among the stars, and how the science of
Lions confident Branch, Joseph return following PUP stints
Lions GM Brad Holmes remains confident Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will play in 2026, but he couldn't offer a firm timetable for their returns.
Yankees Have ‘Most Underrated Reliever in the American League’
The New York Yankees are a franchise filled with big names.The legends of yesteryear need no introductions, and neither do many of this season’s superstars. Think guys like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and even Ben Rice. At this point, everyone knows them.That’s not the case for one of the most important pitchers the […] The post Yankees Have ‘Most Underrated Reliever in the American League’ appeared first on HEAVY.
Canal Science Symposium Addresses Water Quality Worries
The Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Initiative (C-HAWQ) held its long awaited symposium on canal science at the Collier County Public Library Marco Island Branch on Thursday afternoon, August 28.
Republican Senator Calls On Trump to Replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Sen. Thom Tillis is urging the President to oust Hegseth because of what he described as “inept management.”
Leak lists Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake developer as Xenoblade Chronicles studio
A retailer may have inadvertently leaked information about the Ocarina of Time remake. Elkjøp specifies Monolith Soft as the lead developer for the Switch 2 game. While the Xenoblade Chronicles studio has supported Nintendo EPD in recent Zelda projects, its leverage over the franchise has grown.
Coverall of Gainesville Celebrates 40th 5-star Review and Perfect 5-Star Google Rating, Reinforcing Role as Best Commercial Cleaning Service in Gainesville, FL
Gainesville, FL, Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coverall® of Gainesville, a leading commercial cleaning franchisor serving businesses throug...
Carla Jeffery, ‘Zombies’ and ‘Shake It Up’ actress, dies at 33
Carla Jeffery, the actress known for playing the bubbly cheerleader Bree in the Disney Channel’s hit ‘Zombies’ franchise, has died at 33.
USTR's Greer huddles with House Republicans amid Trump trade spats
Trump's plan to lower tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported beef caused an uproar among cattle ranchers.
USPS Is Building a Mail-In Ballot Screening System Despite Legal Battles Over Trump Order
Election officials warn that the creation of a new online portal for states to upload voter information is already fueling confusion and could ultimately disenfranchise voters.
Phoenix Suns Are Being Slept on According to Former Rival
Infamous franchise villain Robert Horry defies skeptics, betting on a deep roster and elite youth movement to propel Phoenix toward a surprising top-four Western Conference finish.
How will Stan Kroenke impact the Angels? We asked reporters who have covered his other teams
Los Angeles Angels fans rejoiced on Tuesday after news broke that longtime owner Arte Moreno was selling the team for $4 billion to Stan Kroenke, whose Kroenke Sports and Entertainment owns a collection of franchises across multiple leagues. Under the group’s umbrella, Kroenke owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, NBA’s Denver Nuggets, NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Arsenal in the English Premier League. He also owns MLS’ Colorado Rapids and the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth. Each of those teams has won at least one league title during Kroenke’s ownership tenure. So what...
Rural Internship Teaches CALS Student the Business of Bison
Through the CALS Rural Works! Internship Program, animal science major Lauren Schulte-Hock got firsthand experience in both business operations and animal care at Sunset Ridge Bison Ranch in Roxboro, North Carolina.
Best NFL player for every franchise before and after 2000: Peyton Manning earns unique distinction
From Peyton Manning and Tom Brady to Jim Brown and Jerry Rice, we pick each NFL franchise's best player from two eras
What Box Office Bomb Crushed Obsession 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 into this week’s issue, let me ask you for some suggestions. At the risk of coining too many names for too many things (hence my dictionary of terms...), I need a name for straight-to-streaming films that are too expensive to justify a straight-to-streaming release, but not big enough to justify a theatrical release. Like some of the films I highlighted in last week’s tally of the biggest film flops of 2026 so far: Hulu’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Pizza Movie or Never Change! They don’t feel like “made for TV movies” (think Hallmark and Lifetime movies, cheap Netflix romcoms, or Disney Channel Original movies, for example) but they don’t feel big enough for the big screen. They’re not “cinematic” enough, so to speak. As I wrote... “I still need a name for this middle zone of film that’s too expensive to go straight-to-streaming but too small to justify a theatrical release (with all the PR, distribution, marketing and whatnot costs that go along with it), the Goldilocks zone of streaming film death.” Friend of the newsletter Brandon Katz has suggested the “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”. I love that first one. I’d offer up the much wordier “The Streaming Budget Dead Zone” or “the Goldilocks Zone of streaming film death” but that last one isn’t accurate since, unlike Goldilocks’ porridge, these films are the opposite of “just right”. That’s the problem! Anyway, if you have any suggestions, let me know! On to today’s Streaming Ratings Report. As you can tell by today’s headline, things are going to be spicy! I’m looking at a box office bomb that did really, really well on streaming, somewhat challenging a few different narratives. And another Netflix series declined in its second season. All that, plus Wicked: For Good switching streamers, The Hawk continuing its strong run, _The Bear’_s finale season finally dropping off the charts, the WNBA posting a big viewership number, “shallow libraries”, a sitcom spinoff failing to launch, more big budget IP flopping on Paramount+, 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 July 20th to July 26th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - The Latest Theatrical Success Story on Streaming In the latest edition of “Flops, Bombs and Misses of the First Half of 2026”, I made a crucial change: I started including theatrical films with the streaming misses. The streamers have collectively—including Netflix, but not to as big of an extent—stopped making a lot of straight-to-streaming films, and the ones they do make aren’t as expensive as in the heyday of the streaming bubble. After the following two films bombed in theaters, you’d guess that they’ll be included in my next collection of flops, bombs and misses six months from now: Masters of the Universe on Prime Video (only $64 million domestic box office) Mortal Kombat II on HBO Max ($79 million domestic) But you’d be wrong! Masters of the Universe, a reboot of the He-Man franchise, a toy from the 1980s, came to streaming on 22-July and did great! This long-gestating project—it’s been at every studio for years, and came close to getting a greenlight at Netflix—then finally came to theaters in June, and showed up on streaming less than two months later. (I don’t love this short theatrical window.) It surprisingly grabbed nearly 20 million hours on its debut: That means, wait for it, Masters of the Universe is currently the eighth biggest film on streaming through two weeks. My rough bar for “hit” is shows or films in the top 15%. Ergo…Masters of the Universe is a legit, streaming hit! (One quick caveat: if it falls out of the top ten next week, it will move to 13th overall, just on the edge of the top 15.) Of course, that’s the data for just 2026. Here’s how it stacks up to Prime Video’s theatrical films: That drop into its second week is typical for Amazon films, but also a worrying sign. I have a feeling interest in this film is front-loaded and we’ll see it drop off after this. As for Mortal Kombat II, in this case, the viewership numbers roughly match the theatrical outing, with only 4.1 million hours in its first week. Here’s how it stacks up to other HBO Max films: The best defense of this number is that, as a relatively violent rated-R film, Mortal Kombat II never had a good chance at breaking out. So now it’s time for a little big of “Entertainment Nuance Guy”: First, yeah, my headline is obviously facetious, since Masters of the Universe besting Obsession says more about horror as a genre than it does that film. Second, I read and listened to quite a few “nobody wanted this IP” takes about Masters of the Universe, and that’s not really true. At least enough people wanted it to power a 20 million+ hour debut! Third, both this film and Mortal Kombat II were considered “average” by viewers, but not great films, with a 6.4 and 6.3 respectively on IMDb. That’s just shy of the level needed to be a word-of-mouth hit. Fourth, in the olden days, strong word of mouth could transform a box office miss into a cable/DVD hit, like Austin Powers or The Shawshank Redemption. We haven’t seen a lot of examples of that on streaming, though. And there are far fewer ways to monetize the post-theatrical life of a film these days. Fifth, Prime Video has shown an ability to push their own titles well, likely because they control the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem. Add it all up, and here’s my nuanced take on Masters of the Universe: it was a box office bomb, but, shockingly, a streaming hit. Unfortunately, while being a theatrical hit saves your film financially, being a streaming hit does not. Both Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat II had big budgets and needed to make more money in theaters to justify them. So…Straight-to-Streaming or Theaters? We’ve hit a really fun point in the streaming calendar, since the films that came out in theaters in April, May, and June are now arriving on streaming. So the “Do theatrical releases help streaming performances?” question is gonna get a fresh round of updates nearly every week. No single week will answer the question, but we may get some insights. For example, so far in 2026, it looks like theatrical films are lasting longer on the weekly Nielsen film charts. Here’s a list of films that have made the charts in their fourth or fifth week of release, separated by “for kids” and “general entertainment”: It certainly seems like theatrical films are lasting just a pinch longer on the charts, with Project Hail Mary being the current five-week champion. One Battle After Another did well for HBO Max too, and even The Sheep Detectives made it four weeks. The only exception to this trend? Obsession, which only lasted two weeks on the charts. You might tempted to overreact to this news. Don’t. Obsession is a huge horror hit, but horror just doesn’t do as well on streaming. By the way, here’s the Google Trends for various theatrical and stremaing films: Plus, when it comes to Netflix in four months, Obsession may have another big boost. Quick Notes on Film Note that when I write, “the streamers have pulled back on straight-to-streaming films” that doesn’t mean “abandoned” because Netflix is gonna Netflix. On 24-July, they released 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy. Along with Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena and Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart is a streaming film star now. Did this latest one work? Not really. It only garnered two weeks of 13.2 and 12.2 million hours on its debut, well below the 20-million-hour hit threshold. It also was poorly received critically—a 44 on Metacritic—and by customers—a 5.4 on IMDb on 21K IMDb reviews. 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 latest Netflix true crime doc to pop on the charts… How The Bear finished its run… Netflix’s latest Western to return to streaming… What Paramount+ animated film flopped… And what sitcom also missed… All the flops, bombs and misses… And a whole lot more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! I’m behind by a week, so we’ve got two issues coming your way this week, including one in a couple of days or so, then we’ll be all caught up**.** Next issue, inspired by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie coming to Peacock, I’m going to take a look at the workhouse of streaming TV: kids films. Plus The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues theatrical films’ big run on streaming. All that, plus another surprise hit on Hulu, Lioness on CBS, and a whole lot more. Long term, LeBron James is filming his own “Last Dance”-style docu-series, surprising no one. But as I’ve been writing about a lot this summer, this genre is really overrated, so whoever ends up buying it (reportedly ESPN) really shouldn’t pay too much for it.
How the Los Angeles Angels' $4B sale compares to the price tags of other North American sports franchises
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Arsenal owner Kroenke buys MLB franchise LA Angels
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‘Most’ of Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor was furloughed ahead of launch
Last week was meant to be a moment of triumph for Bit Reactor, the Maryland-based game studio founded in 2021 with ambitions to create a great new tactical combat game. On Thursday, August 27, Bit Reactor’s debut title, Star Wars Zero Company, released to stellar reviews. And, from the Gamescom show in Cologne, Germany, studio co-founder Greg Foertsch was giving interviews discussing what the studio’s next game may be. But for many developers on the game, launch has been bittersweet. Fans love it. Critics prefer it to most recent Star Wars games. Zero Company, which is out for PS5, Xbox Series consoles and PC, is the top-selling game on Steam. Much of the team that made it, however, is currently going without pay. They were furloughed, just weeks ahead of the game’s launch. A rep for Bit Reactor confirmed to Game File today that the studio had furloughed many of its workers prior to the game’s release. They said it was a difficult decision and one that had been made before it was clear how launch would go. The rep emphasized that the call to do this was Bit Reactor’s alone (meaning not from publisher EA nor Star Wars license holder Disney). While the rep declined to comment on the scale of the furloughs, a previously unreported lawsuit brought by studio co-founder Alison Kelly in 2024 noted in a filing from August 12 of this year that Bit Reactor “has furloughed most of its employees and terminated contractors…” One source told Game File the furloughs impacted 80% of the team; another referred to there only being a skeleton crew left on Bit Reactor’s active payroll, ready to address any of Zero Company’s post-launch bugs. The issue is that Bit Reactor, a studio formed in 2021, had run out of most of its money just ahead of the launch of its first game. Over the weekend, Zachariah Scott, a senior technical artist who worked at Bit Reactor from early 2023 until an acrimonious exit this past May, said on LinkedIn that the studio was “concealing the fact that the team was Furloughed weeks ago.” Reached by phone today, Scott told Game File that he spoke to nearly a dozen Bit Reactor workers over the weekend. “Everybody has essentially the same story, which is, ‘Yeah, I got furloughed three weeks ago.” The Bit Reactor rep told Game File that the studio hoped to bring furloughed workers back, suggesting that a successful launch of the game could be impactful. Scott told Game File that workers he spoke to were less confident that even if there were returns, that all who were furloughed would get their old jobs again. A heated dispute Bit Reactor’s mid-2026 was almost even more tumultuous. The lawsuit by co-founder Alison Kelly that first revealed the furloughs was initially slated to go to trial in June. The suit is a she-said/he-said about whether Kelly, until 2024 the chief operating officer of Bit Reactor, was a co-owner of the studio or whether it was solely owned by Greg Foertsch. In July 2024, Kelly sued, saying she was pushed out by Foertsch. She first sued in federal court and later refiled in Maryland’s Baltimore County, alleging breach of contract and that Foertsch had unjustly enriched himself. Kelly cited damages of over $20 million, on the basis of Bit Reactor allegedly being worth more than double that. Foertsch’s side has said Kelly was never a co-owner and has countered with claims about her job performance (which she has denied). The June trial was postponed until early 2027, as both sides have been deposing witnesses and filing more claims and denials along the way. Amid all of that, filings in the lawsuit reviewed by Game File paint a picture about Bit Reactor’s origins, early aspirations around tactics games, the team’s breakthrough in drawing the attention of Electronic Arts with the help of a pitch tied to one of EA’s non-Star Wars franchises, and early fractures among its co-founders. The real story about the company behind Zero Company
How much is the NFL worth? Inside America’s most valuable sports league
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Brayden Schenn's NHL27 Rating Revealed
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Why Paolo Banchero Needs to Have an Elite Year
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Therapy Has a Relationship Problem
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Bandai Namco Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch sale live with Ace Combat 7, Tales of Arise, and more at new low prices
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Brand-New Pokemon Pokopia Code Takes You to Special Cloud Island
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The science behind milk
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The Trouble With Trump’s Attempt to Rename Lake Ontario
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Buffalo Sabres Linked to Potential Connor Hellebuyck Move
The Winnipeg Jets prospects for the 2026-2027 season have been made more complicated after their franchise goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made his trade request from the organization public yesterday. This raises the sense of urgency for the team to get a Hellebuyck deal done soon as the new season approaches on the horizon. One team that […] The post Buffalo Sabres Linked to Potential Connor Hellebuyck Move appeared first on HEAVY.
Trump announces creation of U.S. Space Academy
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US Treasury imposes limits on Egyptian bank for doing business with Iran
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GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL FRANCHISING, LLC, NAMED A TOP RECESSION-RESISTANT FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY BY 2026 FRANCHISE BUSINESS REVIEW
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Bickley: How Arizona sports find their way out of the yuck
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Zach Werenski Should Be Blue Jackets Captain, Says NHL Analyst
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