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New Animal Health and Food Safety Lab Opens in California’s Central Valley
A new $108 million animal health laboratory in Turlock, run by UC Davis and CDFA, will help California farmers and veterinarians detect potentially dangerous animal diseases more quickly.
Lionsgate Ups Quarterly Home Entertainment Movie, TV Revenue 39%
Lionsgate Nov. 5 reported home entertainment revenue from motion pictures and TV shows of $241.1 million in the second quarter, ended Sept. 30. That was up 39% from revenue of $173.3 million in the previous-year period, according to a regulatory filing. Revenue from movies released across digital and packaged media tallied $183.8 million, up more … Continue reading "Lionsgate Ups Quarterly Home Entertainment Movie, TV Revenue 39%"
Shopping center near Foundry Park sells for $67.8M after healthcare revamp
Chicago-based Novak Development sold the Webster Place shopping center for nearly $68 million after landing an Advocate Health facility as a major tenant.
Real Deals: 4 car washes sell for $22.68 million
Four tunnel car washes totaling 16,995 square feet in Benton and Washington counties recently changed hands in separate transactions totaling $22.68 million. The purchase price equals $1,336 per square foot....
Congress gave Nebraska millions for rural healthcare. Most isn’t getting to rural hospitals.
Much of the $218 million Nebraska has received to soften the blow of looming Medicaid cuts has gone to big cities and out-of-state contractors. DHHS leaders argue more money will make its way to rural areas.
Democrat Vasquez wins third term after $21.8 million race
By Kevin Hendricks — After months of TV ads, mailers and text messages across southern New Mexico, voters in the 2nd Congressional District gave U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez a third term, and it wasn’t close. Vasquez, a Las Cruces Democrat, beat Republican Greg Cunningham 59% to 41% on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the […]
Melco Resorts & Entertainment: Adjusted EBITDA reached $288 million as Macau softness sharpened focus on cost discipline and deleveraging
Q3 adjusted property EBITDA was $288 million, or $298 million adjusted for VIP hold, while Macau demand softened and competition remained intense. Deleveraging and disciplined reinvestment remain priorities; 2027 CapEx guidance was reduced to $275 million.Based on Melco Resorts & Entertainment Q3 2…
Melco Resorts & Entertainment: Disciplined spending and lower CapEx anchor plans amid softer Macau demand
Q3 adjusted property EBITDA was $288 million, while Macau demand softened in October amid broader China economic weakness and intense competition. Deleveraging and disciplined reinvestment remain priorities; FY2027 CapEx guidance fell to ~$275 million.Based on Melco Resorts & Entertainment Q3 2026…
GTA 6 Has Sold Almost 8 Million Copies So Far, And PS5 Is Dominating The Split (Of Course)
The PS5 edition of GTA 6 is massively outselling the Xbox version.
PAMT sees Q3 loss of $8 million, revenue up 8%
Tontitown-based carrier PAMT Corp. posted its eighth straight quarterly loss as revenue rose for the second consecutive quarter amid rising rates and costs. After markets closed Monday (Nov. 2), PAMT...
Campaign cash keeps coming: $21.8 million and counting pours into Vasquez-Cunningham race
By Kevin Hendricks, The New Mexico News — If you live anywhere between Albuquerque’s South Valley and El Paso and own a TV, you already know somebody really wants your vote in the 2nd Congressional District. Actually, several somebodies – and each has several million dollars. Campaign donors and outside political action committees have spent […]
‘There's no magic potion:' Vic Fangio pinpoints the issue with Jonathan Greenard
The Eagles’ $98 million free agent edge rusher doesn’t have much to show for his first two months as an Eagle.
Pennymac Made $29M. Its Origination Business Lost Money.
Pennymac is cutting jobs and accelerating automation after its mortgage production business swung to a third-quarter loss, even as servicing income kept the company profitable.The lender reported $29 million in net income for the quarter, but its production segment posted a $7 million pretax loss, reversing a $38 million profit in the second quarter and a $123 million profit a year earlier.
Sukoon profits surge 45%
United Arab Emirates-based Sukoon Insurance PJSC posted a 45% year-on-year surge in third-quarter profit before tax to 438 million Emirati dirham ($119 million), Gulf News reported.
What Universal Health Services Stock's Behavioral Health Expansion Means For Shareholders
Universal Health Services reported third quarter 2026 sales of US$4,733.35 million and net income of US$308.68 million, while confirming plans to expand its behavioral health footprint through Talkspace and new outpatient programs and addressing a tentative settlement related to Cumberland Hospital. The mix of higher reported sales, lower quarterly earnings, growing outpatient behavioral capacity and a legal reserve impact provides investors with additional detail on how Universal Health...
Blue Jays decline Myles Straw’s 2027 option
The Toronto Blue Jays declined their 2027 club option on outfielder Myles Straw on Monday, sending the veteran into free agency after two seasons with the team. The option would have paid Straw $8 million next season. Instead, he receives a $1.75 million buyout, which the Cleveland Guardians cover under the terms of the trade that brought him to […] The post Blue Jays decline Myles Straw’s 2027 option appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Digital Science acquires Jenni AI to connect research sources | ETIH EdTech News
Digital Science acquires Jenni AI, used by more than 8 million students and researchers in 189 countries, with plans to connect it to Dimensions’ 171 million publications. ETIH EdTech News covers the acquisition, academic writing tools, citation verification and continuity for existing subscribers.
Eagles’ $98 Million Free Agent Called Out as ‘Absolute Bum’
Eagles' $98 million free agent edge rusher called out as "Absolute Bum" after loss to Commanders. The post Eagles’ $98 Million Free Agent Called Out as ‘Absolute Bum’ appeared first on HEAVY.
River Valley 911 center to receive $8 million federal grant
Wes Milam said news of a federal grant that will substantially help fund a new 911 call center in Sebastian County is “a huge relief,” and will eventually help police,...
Paxton and Talarico make final election pitches of U.S. Senate campaign to Houston voters
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico spoke as more than 1.8 million voters cast ballots early across Greater Houston -- close to a quarter of the early voting total for Texas.
Eagles’ $98 Million Mistake Haunts Team By Halloween
Three offseason moves backfire on the Eagles by Halloween. A $98M deal fails, a drafted player leaves, and a second-round pick sits unused.
Vikings Pitched $8 Million QB Trade to Replace Kyler Murray
The Minnesota Vikings have not been linked to much quarterback trade chatter, but Kyler Murray has struggled and the clock is ticking. The post Vikings Pitched $8 Million QB Trade to Replace Kyler Murray appeared first on HEAVY.
In 1984, Pat Bowlen paid $78 million for the Denver Broncos; 38 years later, his family sold the team for $4.65 billion
Yankees Trade Pitch Lands $288 Million Infielder in the Bronx
The New York Yankees can only bring so many bold trade proposals to fruition.But this doesn’t stop rumors from surfacing.In a recent New York trade pitch, an MLB writer sent a $288 million shortstop to the Bronx.Let’s take a look at his daring suggestion.Yankees Urged To Target Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.When Anthony Ranaudo of FanSided […] The post Yankees Trade Pitch Lands $288 Million Infielder in the Bronx appeared first on HEAVY.
Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho receives $2.3M in rural health grants
Bonner General Hospital will receive more than $5.8 million in funding from the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Program to support a new multispecialty healthcare suite and an upgrade to MEDITECH Expanse.
Coinbase Says Prediction Markets Are Now a $200 Million-a-Year Business Despite a Slow Crypto Quarter
Mark-to-market gains in Coinbase’s own crypto investment portfolio lifted GAAP profit to $719 million, more than nine times the $78 million adjusted figure.
Digitalist Group Plc’s Business Review, 1 January
Digitalist Group Plc’s Business Review, 1 January – 30 September 2026 SUMMARY July–September 2026 (comparable figures for 2025 in parentheses): Turnover: EUR 3.3 million (EUR 3.3 million), decrease of 0.9%. EBITDA: EUR -0.3 million (EUR -0.6 million), -10.3% of turnover (-18.8%).EBIT: EUR -0.5 million (EUR -0.8 million), -14.3% of turnover (-22.7%). Net income: EUR -1.3 million (EUR -1.5 million), -37.8% of turnover (-45.7%).Earnings per share: EUR -0.45 (EUR -0.54).Earnings per share (diluted):
Starz Entertainment 3Q 2026: Revenue $322.4M, Net income ($34.8M), EPS ($2.02)
Starz Entertainment reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $322.4 million, up 0.5% from the prior-year quarter, while net loss narrowed to $34.8 million from $52.6 million. Diluted loss per share was $2.02, compared with $3.15 a year earlier.Financial Highlights¹ Reported as “Total revenue”. ² Repo…
Virginia advanced manufacturing hub receives $24.8M federal grant
Virginia’s AM2 Tech Hub is set to receive $24.8 million in federal funding to support advanced manufacturing.
Digital Science Acquires Jenni AI, Expanding Research Tools to 8 Million Users
Digital Science has acquired Jenni AI, an artificial intelligence-powered research and writing platform used by more than 8 million students... Read More
Natural Health Trends Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Company successfully held its 25th anniversary celebration in Hong Kong in AugustActive Member count up, revenue steady with prior quarterOperating loss narrowed 57% compared to prior quarterBoard of Directors authorized additional stock repurchases, with $15.8 million available LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Natural Health Trends Corp. (NASDAQ: NHTC), a leading direct-selling and e-commerce company that markets premium quality personal care, wellness and “quality of life” produc
Exclusive: Numeracle Raises $28M To Keep Legitimate Business Calls From Spam Label
Numeracle, a McLean, Virginia-based company that verifies businesses and links their identities to the phone numbers they use to contact customers, has raised $28 million from Edison Partners to help businesses whose calls are incorrectly labeled as spam or blocked by phone carriers.
HCA Virginia plans $18M freestanding ER in Radford
HCA Virginia will invest $18 million in a freestanding emergency room in Radford with 11 treatment bays, expanding access to emergency care.
Native Housing: USDA Supports Tribal Home Loans
Six Native CDFIs will receive $6.18 million in USDA financing to support 43 home purchase loans and 25 home repair loans across six states.
ETFs Are Net Sellers of Oscar Health (OSCR) on Friday
Oscar Health (OSCR) saw $38.8 million in net ETF selling in Friday's session.
$11.8 million to expand rural health care access in Virginia
The investment is intended to help health care providers reach people who may otherwise have to travel outside their communities for certain medical services.
Florida voters — almost 2.8M — surge past '22 midterm benchmark as early voting goes statewide
The first weekend of early voting being available in every Florida county pushed the number of votes cast for the Nov. 3 election towards 2.8 million, more than 20 percent of the turnout in the prior midterm election in 2022.
Could Yuki Matsui Leave Padres in Free Agency?
After signing a five-year, $28 million deal with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2024 season, Yuki Matsui has finally matured into the elite left-handed reliever that the Friars envisioned he'd be. Matsui was incredible for San Diego out of the bullpen, leading to questions surrounding his free agency status for the offseason. The …
Memorial Health breaks ground on $18 million emergency department in Pooler
Memorial Health broke ground Wednesday on a new $18 million free-standing emergency department in Pooler.
Report: Inadequate Child Care Costs Lancaster County $288.8 Million in Annual Business Output
Inadequate child care costs Lancaster County an estimated $288.8 million annually in business output, accordin...
Musk-backed PACs have spent over $400 million on advertising
The Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP’s super PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the Senate, received Musk’s top donation of $168 million.
Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner Vie to Become the Second Biggest Film This Year...
(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.) Often, people blame “data” for ruining Hollywood, when I’d argue that hype (which can often be debunked by data) is often worse, as you can see in these two headlines. To use a common meme, here’s how it started: and how it’s going: Earlier this year, I read countless (and I mean countless) articles (in almost every mainstream media outlet) about how Heated Rivalry was a huge hit and that it “heated” interest in hockey. But Heated Rivalry wasn’t a huge viewership hit compared to the hype: [ ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) [ You Can’t Eat Buzz…Did Heated Rivalry’s Buzz Translate into Actual Viewership? ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) Entertainment Strategy Guy · Jan 22 [ Read full story ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) In this case, the hype (Heated Rivalry is really popular) belied the data (It didn’t make the top ten charts, meaning it wasn’t a huge hit.1) Even worse, every time I write about this, I get a lot of negative feedback, hence why I only sparingly mention the show these days or add lots of caveats when I write about it, but this just further cements the hype. But companies, and the executives leading them, have to determine strategy based on reality, not media coverage. The NHL committed real marketing dollars to a campaign that didn’t work. Sure enough, the latest NHL season opened to under a million viewers. At some point, you have to focus on what the data says, because real dollars are at stake. And that’s why we have the Streaming Ratings Report! To provide and analyze cold, hard data. Luckily, this week, I can be positive and take a look at a huge opening on streaming, along with a very buzzy horror film that customers kind of like, but don’t really love. And a comedy that tried to rebound on streaming. Today, I’m covering two weeks—21-Sep and 28-Sep—so we have a lot to discuss (nearly 5,000 words worth), including a series of film misses for Netflix, another argument for weekly-released TV shows on streaming, another sitcom tries to avoid the comedy curse, Netflix has two new game shows (one powered by AI), Reacher falling off the charts after a huge run, Prime Video tries its hands at the romcom game**,** a look at the WNBA’s big season, a big night for the VMAs on CBS and MTV, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. (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 October 4th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - Two Hits and a Miss Come to Streaming… Three very interesting films came to streaming in one week, and I like comparing them since they show the range of theatrical films. One was a huge blockbuster, one was popular, and one was neither. One is a horror film, a buzzy genre; one is a comedy, a struggling genre; and one is an animated family film, the king of the box office. One went to a tiny streamer (HBO Max), one went to a second-tier streamer (Disney+), and one went to the biggest (Netflix). So… If you just went by box office, you’d expect Backrooms—the $197 million grosser, and partner of Obsession for “YouTube Horror Summer”—to dominate on streaming. If you read this report, though, you know that horror films don’t do great on streaming, and that’s the case again. Backrooms opened at 3.8 million hours according to Nielsen, and had 3.9 million hours in its second week. Here’s how that stacks up to other HBO Max films: 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… ...why I don’t buy Backrooms budget… …two new games shows arrive on streaming… …another sitcom struggles… ...another argument for putting out shows weekly on Netflix... ...and a whole lot more, nearly 5,000 words 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, I’ll be taking a look at the eighth season of Hulu’s The Kardashians, answering the question: will this show ever make the charts? If Mormon wives can make it, surely one of social media’s most popular families can as well. Also, Prime Video has a new horror show based on popular IP, Carrie, Netflix has a horror show starring Josh Hartnett, Below, and Apple TV has a UK import, Small Prophets. Plus a bunch of movies like Disclosure Day heading to Peacock, The Housemaid coming to HBO Max, Ben Affleck’s latest on Apple TV, Animals, and Matchbox the Movie on Apple TV, a John Cena action comedy inspired by Hasbro’s toy cars. The week after is even busier! I’ll look at another IP-based horror show, Crystal Lake, a new MCU show on Disney+, VisionQuest, season two of The Lowdown on FX/Hulu, the fourth seasons of The Diplomat on Netflix and Tulsa King on Paramount+, another season of Love is Blind, and four straight-to-streaming films: Netflix’s Sacrifice (starring Chris Evens, Anya-Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, Salma Hayek. Charlie XCX), Apple TV’s Tenzing (starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Defoe), Prime Video’s Love of Your Life (Margaret Qualley) and Masterplan (Stanley Tucci) and a whole lot more, somehow. Long term, here’s some huge IP news: a Game of Thrones movie is coming to theaters, Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest in 2029, while Jon Watts (who helmed three of the most recent Spider-Man movies) is directing the next Star Wars trilogy, to be written by Simon Kinberg. I’m cautiously optimistic for both. It feels obvious to say that making good movies matters, but for bets this big (Star Wars is on a swoon, Game of Thrones hasn’t been to theaters yet), the quality has to be there.
Investors are piling into retail real estate. This Wheaton deal shows why.
Local real estate investment firm Core Acquisitions flipped the Rice Lake Square shopping center for $52.8 million just two and a half years after buying it.
State Street Health Care SPDR (XLV) Adds Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson on Oct. 15
The fund bought $309.8 million of stock, increasing all 60 positions and selling nothing.
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.
Why someone paid $2.8 million for a bottle of Macallan whiskey
A staggering sum paid for a bottle of whiskey this month begs the question: what goes into the price of such high-flying booze?
Talarico compares his campaign to David and Goliath after GOP invests over $158M against him
The Democrat faces more than $158 million in outside spending by Republican leadership and the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
Commentary: Demystifying mental health inpatient stays
I am one of the 68 million Americans living with a mental illness and one of the over 10 million Americans who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Living with these diseases and seeking treatment is highly stigmatized — and newly precarious under the policies of the current federal administration. The best way to break stigma […]
Most of Ken Paxton’s Money Can Be Traced to One Man: Elon Musk
The world’s richest person, who has become the biggest known midterm donor, gave $158 million to a group that quickly spent that much to help Mr. Paxton’s Senate bid in Texas.
Yankees Expected to Target $6.8 Million Former Reds Slugger
New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman is linked to a cost-effective free agent slugger to help improve his team's offense. The post Yankees Expected to Target $6.8 Million Former Reds Slugger appeared first on HEAVY.
State Board OKs deficit spending for Boise State sports
One board member said it came down to two choices: Approve the $18 million plan or “basically put a bullet in Bronco sports.”
$1.18M NSF award expands UTulsa’s advanced research infrastructure
A $1.18 million NSF Major Research Instrumentation award will bring advanced XPS technology to UTulsa, expanding research capabilities in energy, aerospace, manufacturing and materials science.
Gibraltar to Sell Infrastructure Business to Saint-Gobain for $208 Million
Gibraltar Industries (ROCK) has agreed to sell its Infrastructure business, D.S. Brown, to Saint-Gobain for $208 million in cash. The price is subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Closing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.Gibraltar expects the transaction to be highly tax efficient and plans to use the proceeds to accelerate debt reduction as it focuses its portfolio on building products and structures end-markets. Management will update its 2026 outlook for the sale alongside its third-quarter 2026 report; that report’s timing will be announced separately.
State Board OKs deficit spending for Boise State sports
One board member pointed to two choices: Approve the $18 million plan or “basically put a bullet in Bronco sports.”
The Celtics now have $108 million committed to Jayson …
The Celtics now have $108 million committed to Jayson …
NFL Rumors: 49ers, Vikings Connected to $8 Million Bust
Jauan Jennings has not lived up to expectations with the Minnesota Vikings, and the team could part ways with the veteran receiver before the trade deadline. A seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tennessee product spent his early years in a supporting role before earning more snaps later in his career. He first …
Helmsley Charitable Trust awards $3M toward Tel-Hai University science building in the North
Donation brings Helmsley's total support for the Galilee school to $18 million
Casey’s Cash for Classrooms campaign brings in record $1.8 million
Ankeny-based Casey’s General Stores announced that its annual Cash for Classrooms campaign generated a record $1.8 million in August to support K-12 schools across its 19-state footprint. The total included nearly $1.5 million in customer donations, $250,000 from the Coca-Cola Co. and $100,000 from Casey’s. “The incredible response to this year’s campaign shows just how…
Exclusive | Republicans Spend Big to Defend Nebraska Senate Seat
In latest sign of GOP’s Midwest angst, Senate Leadership Fund plans to pour $8 million into race to help Sen. Pete Ricketts.
Dave Portnoy boldly claims ‘curse’ of LeBron James is already ruining Philadelphia sports
Dave Portnoy believes LeBron James’ presence on the Philadelphia 76ers is having an impact on the city’s robust sports culture. James joined the 76ers this summer, signing a 1+1 deal worth $8 million, the league minimum for veteran players, to try and compete for an NBA championship.
Gov. Josh Shapiro lured companies like Chobani and Burlington with state incentives. Will it pay off for Pa.?
The administration has spent an average of $121.8 million per year on deals meant to create jobs in Pennsylvania.
Vikings Get Intriguing Jauan Jennings Take Amid 49ers Speculation
Over the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings signed Jauan Jennings to a one-year, $8 million contract. Initially, it appeared as though the Vikings had their WR3 with the departure of Jalen Nailor. However, this signing isn’t going the way Minnesota might have wanted. Jennings has had two catches for nine yards in three games for the […] The post Vikings Get Intriguing Jauan Jennings Take Amid 49ers Speculation appeared first on HEAVY.
In Blair, Dr. Oz talks rural health funding in Nebraska
Dr. Mehmet Oz met with U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith at Memorial Community Hospital in Blair to discuss Nebraska’s $218 million allocation through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
Gov. Janet Mills agrees to fund Penobscot Community Health Care
Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that she would make $2.8 million available from Rural Health Transformation Funds for Penobscot Community Health Care
$2.8M lifeline buys time for Bangor nonprofit health provider
Penobscot Community Health Care said it is no longer pursuing an imminent Chapter 11 filing after getting $2.8 million in state funding.
Penobscot Community Health Care avoids bankruptcy with $2.8 million from rural health program
PCHC says the funding will help with a transition to a new electronic medical records system and alternative payment models.
Who Won August and September: Original Films or Franchises?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) I just heard someone say that if you’re reading a pundit or data analyst, and they don’t tell you that they got anything wrong, they’re not a pundit but an “influencer”. I agree with that. You have to tell your audience when you get things wrong, or they won’t (or shouldn’t) trust you as much. Today, we’ve got another edition of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. In general, I’m patting myself on the back (and patting very hard) about a few things like IP at the box office, LIV golf, horror films, crowdfunding movies, superheroes, and old people going to the theaters. That said, I also made a couple of data mistakes on the streaming bubble popping and HBO’s datecdotes, so I’m not perfect. But first, I need your feedback... Subscribe Follow-Ups: What Should We Call Mid-Budget Movies Which Aren’t Cinematic Enough for Theaters But Are Too Expensive to Make Money on Streaming? After I asked for feedback on what we should call straight-to-streaming films that are too big to pencil out on streaming but not really big enough to resonate in theaters, I got some great suggestions from you all, including... “Moldilocks” from John Aboud “Little Big Indie” from Travis Frick1 “Midflicks” from Jonathan Funke. “Extra-Medium” from Jona Nwuke. (Read the explanation in the footnote.) Between these and Brandon Katz—who suggested “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”—we’ve got some excellent suggestions. And they’re better than my suggestion, the “Streaming Budget Dead Zone”, so let’s take a poll! The winning entry becomes the new term. Loading... RIGHT: LIV Golf is Fully Bankrupt…Is Anyone Else Next? A few years ago, I was always a bit perplexed at all the articles I’d read praising LIV Golf and their strategy to disrupt the PGA. LIV Golf, a brand new professional golf league, offered PGA stars ten times what they made on the PGA Tour to join their new league. And folks praised this strategy for its initial “success” in that a lot of big names did indeed leave the PGA. Yeah, of course the players came over. LIV Golf paid them so, so, so much more! But LIV Golf hadn’t discovered a way to increase potential revenue. So think about this in basic business terms… They paid much more in costs… …but had no real way to increase revenue. That’s not a strategy! That’s deficit financing. It won’t work unless you bankrupt the competition (and then turn around and pay those same golfers much, much less). It’s not a sustainable strategy and only lasts as long as the company/person/nation backing it decides they’re cool with losing money. For LIV Golf, that meant Middle East oil wealth, in particular Saudi Arabian money. Clearly, the current Iran War has hurt Middle East finances, so they need to trim their more exorbitant spending. And LIV Golf was part of that trimming. This should be a major warning for others. TGL’s parent company, TMRW Sports, just got a $1 billion valuation, despite TGL’s (the indoor golf league) horrible TV viewership of less than half a million viewers per match. Unrivaled, the women’s basketball league, just secured a $650 valuation, despite its horrible TV viewership and a new rival (Project B) entering the scene next year. To relate this to streaming, Hollywood should ask which streamers may have wealthy patrons funding their losses. (Let’s be clear: Google, Amazon and Apple.) Could those patrons lose their appetite? For Amazon, probably not. But Apple has a new boss, so maybe! WRONG: My Analysis of the Streaming Bubble Was Missing a Week I’m going to be congratulating myself a lot today, but I make mistakes too, like this data goof. When I last compiled the data on the decline in TV shows, I was missing one week at the end of June. If you look at the first image, you can see that one week was mislabelled as “July”. Mainly, this image got updated to show a 27% decline, not 29%: This change doesn’t really impact the overall analysis, but it is two percent better. By the way, through the third quarter, the decline increased and it’s now a 30% decrease since 2022. (I’ll write/visualize this in an upcoming article.) But I want you to trust me and my data. Especially these days, when many people are using LLMs that I know are inserting faulty data into their charts, I want to keep earning my audience’s faith. So that’s the accurate data. RIGHT: IP Remains Very, Very Popular In July, I wrote a giant (and I mean giant) article on Backrooms, Obsession, and the box office, going over what we know, what we don’t know about what works in theaters, looking at YouTubers, IP, the horror genre, comic book movies, and a whole lot more. The month of August really tested a lot of my theses and, being honest, mostly supported my arguments. Let’s start with IP. Looking at 8-Aug (the weekend after Spider-Man: Brand New Day came out) to 18-Sep (the weekend that Resident Evil came out, which I think provides a nice bookend to this time period), there were seven films based on pre-existing IP: Resident Evil (2026) ($126 million) Practical Magic 2 ($65 million) _Insidious: Out of the Furthe_r ($65 million) Coyote Vs. Acme ($59 million) Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie ($53 million) Tony ($15 million) Super Troopers 3 ($7 million) Compare those to the notable original films from the past month—I actually could have included more movies, but here are just thirteen, bringing us to an even twenty films—including.... The End of Oak Street ($54 million) Buddy ($26 million) Mutiny ($15 million) By Any Means ($15 million) The Dog Stars ($14 million) Runner ($14 million) One Night Only ($11 million) Hope ($8 million) Spa Weekend ($7 million) The Uprising ($6 million) Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma ($6 million) Onslaught ($3 million) Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man ($2.8 million) Here’s that in chart form: Five of the top six films in this time period were all based on IP. I made a big chart of films that grossed over $200 million at the box office before Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey hit theaters. Let’s update that chart! By the way, if you want to see how I categorized each film—so another bar chart—here it is: I know that many of my fellow critics/pundits/analysts dislike films based on IP and how Hollywood is making so many of them. And I’m sympathetic to this point of view. As I’ve written many, many times before, you need a balance between existing franchises, new IP, and original films. And Hollywood clearly needs to make more films like Resident Evil (a well-made film from a visionary director) and fewer Practical Magic 2’s (which didn’t get critical or customer buzz). But at some point, critics and pundits need to contend with what audiences are telling them: Movie-goers aren’t showing up to original films. Audiences are speaking with their dollars, telling you they want more IP and franchises. You can try to convince studio heads to make fewer IP-based films and franchises, but the data and numbers aren’t there. Instead, critics need to work harder to convince audiences to show up for original films. Aim your ire/concern at the average person, not studio heads.2 Because they’re just making the films that audiences are telling them to make. WRONG: Original Horror Films Didn’t Break Out I’ll be honest, even though I wrote an article casting some skepticism on the horror genre in July, if you asked me to make a prediction, I would have predicted that, in August, a new, original horror film would have blown up. No, seriously, I just assumed that Obsession and Backrooms presaged a change in audience behavior. But none of the buzzy new original horror films from August—Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Onslaught (not an action film in spite of the ads), The End of Oak Street, Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man, or _Buddy—_broke out. To be clear, exactly one of those films (Buddy) had good “ROI”, but again—I try to be specific in my language—none were “popular” in any broad sense of the word. None of them will be “saving” movies theaters like Backrooms or _Obsession_helped save the summer. The new Insidious film and Resident Evil, both based on IP, were far and away the biggest horror films since July. (We’ll see if this changes in October/Halloween season.) RIGHT: Stay Skeptical about Crowdfunding... I’ve long been skeptical about crowd-investing platforms as one of Hollywood’s saviors, mainly because there’s so much hype/buzz. People need to stay more skeptical about more things, explaining both the potential upside but also the downsides. In particular, the media often hypes crowdfunding at the start and never checks in on the actual results after they’ve come in later. And August gave us our first update! _Ice Cream Man—_directed by Eli Roth—grossed $6 million off of a $5.5 million budget. This is a production of The Horror Section, which was one of the first “crowd investing” studios with 2,400 investors, which means that 2,400 investors probably lost money. They certainly aren’t getting as great of returns as if they had just invested their dollars in the stock market. Hopefully Stiletto (Tagline: “Someone’s Going to Make it Rain Blood!”) does better next month. WRONG: Another Data Goof Here’s another data error. When the first episode of House of the Dragon came out, HBO put out that it had 21.5 million viewers in the first three days, and I read that to mean in the US…but no, it was global. So my US-only datecdotes charts shouldn’t have included it. We never got US-only numbers for the first episode, but for the final episode, HBO put out that it had 11 million US viewers. (And that global dropped to 21 million viewers.) Here’s the updated chart (which I’ve since used in the Streaming Ratings Report): Still, this show is absolutely huge. RIGHT: Superhero Films Remain Very, Very Popular After Supergirl flopped, I read a few takes that “comic book movies are going the way of the Western”. Post-Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that take didn’t age well. To be fair, I have a very nuanced take on the superhero genre right now; it’s down right now, for a lot of reasons. But it’s not “dead”. Maybe _Spider-_Man is just a really popular character? I saw that take, and it’s a fair counter-argument. (But pundits arguing that superhero movies were dead should have mentioned this $1.5 billion counter-argument…) But is it just Spider-Man? The next Avengers film already has $50 million in pre-sales (and I was skeptical that that film would do well) and the Avengers: End Game re-release topped the box office two weekends ago (over three original films). And I wouldn’t bet against Batman or Superman. So maybe it’s just Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Avengers. Oh, and Deadpool, of course. And Black Panther. And Wolverine. And probably the X-Men. Plus a well-made Wonder Woman or the Hulk film could break out. But that’s it! It’s just those ten characters/teams. Oh, what’s that? Lanterns is also doing well on HBO? (See previous section…) To be fair, I’m actually pretty sympathetic to the argument that more popular characters—like Spider-Man and Batman—anchor more popular films. In fact, I made that exact argument three years ago when I first wrote about the “Marvel-cession”. In many ways, you can blame The Guardians of the Galaxy for fooling Marvel Studios (and the rest of us) into believing that any character could pop. It turns out, the list of iconic characters is probably smaller than most people think. But it’s probably too early to say that superhero films and comic book movies are dead unless “death” means a slight decline over a longtime. RIGHT: Who Killed Theaters? Old People I get frustrated whenever I see headlines or analysis about how young people are “returning” to theaters. As I’ve detailed(for years), young people have always powered the US box office, despite narratives about “kids these days” and their “phones”. Really, what’s changed post-2020/pandemic is that old people aren’t going to the movies nearly as much. This summer, I saw a movie (from an older director) in a theater near a retirement community, and multiple older people at the theater were talking about how this was their first time seeing a movie in years. I dislike personal anecdotes, so YouGov can fill in the data, best summarized by this headline: “Who killed movie theaters? Not the youths”. According to them, 64% of people aged 18-29 have seen a movie in the last year, but only 30% of 65-and-older. 20% of 18-29 have seen a movie in theaters in the last week and 42% in the last month. Here’s the polling data: Most concerning? Many Americans (17%) think theaters are a worse or much worse experience than watching films at home. Slight WRONG: Hadestown Opens Big A live theater capture of the Broadway musical, Hadestown, made $20 million at the US box office, which begs the question: was I wrong to be skeptical about musicals a few years ago? Yes and no. On the one hand, $20 million is a far cry from being “popular”, so yeah, the genre isn’t that popular overall and Hadestown is one of the more popular musicals from recent years (i.e. the “Taylor Swift Data Fallacy” in action). On the other, I doubt filming this cost all that much, and I don’t think that they spent much on marketing, so this is a good source of ancillary revenue. Smaller Updates WRONG: As I mentioned in a Streaming Ratings Report, I underestimated the budget for Enola Holmes 3. It probably cost more like $50 million, if not more. But... I’m not sure that it really matters? At sub-10 million hours, prices have to come down to make this work. WRONG: Netflix is giving Ink a 27-day in theaters! To quote the kids/YouTubers these days, let’s go! Now I might actually have a chance to see Danny Boyle’s latest in theaters. I’d complained about this in a “Coming Soon” section, but I was heartened to read that Netflix is giving multiple films longer theatrical windows this year. RIGHT: Netflix is sending 4-5 films per year to theaters. Netflix is slowly but surely sending more and more films to theaters, as I cautiously predicted earlier this year. For now, it’s just three big films and a number of awards contenders, but still, this is great news. And they’ll be releasing box office grosses! Just this week, Ted Sarandos confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will come to theaters (and my guess is it performs in the box office top ten at a minimum). WRONG: Angel has 3 million subscribers! How do I know this? Well, they told Deadline, who reported it. I marked this as “wrong”, since they’ve doubled their subscribers in one year but, you know, they don’t really have a hit film to speak of and they’re still losing money. WRONG: Furious was only renewed for one more season. I accidentally wrote “two more seasons” in my latest “Renewals, Cancellations, Un-Orders and Removals Update”. RIGHT: House of David is ending with its third season. In July, Prime Video renewed House of David for a third season, as I just wrote in my latest “Renewals and Cancellations” report. Well, now it’s ending after that third season. Why? As I’ve been writing, its viewership wasn’t great. I got feedback that this show didn’t cost very much, but it cost enough that its limited viewership didn’t save it. WRONG: Adults was a Hulu original! So I missed Adults when it first came out last year; I saw that it aired on FX and just assumed that it was a linear-first program. Turns out, it aired three episodes on FX, but binge-released the rest of its episodes the next day on Hulu. Huh. So I should have covered it last year! But I just wrote about it. 1 “When I was a kid in the 90s, if you wore a t-shirt to school that wasn’t too big and also wasn’t too small, but somehow didn’t quite fit, we’d say you were wearing an “extra-medium” shirt.” 2 As always, a huge exception is Disney, which barely makes anything original anymore.
Dane County contract leaves Journey Mental Health with $1.8M gap
MADISON, Wis. — Journey Mental Health Center says a contract funding gap has created a $1.8 million shortfall for services Dane County is required to provide.
$138 million hospital project to expand behavioral health care in Greenville
A $138 million behavioral health hospital project on Old Easley Bridge Road in Greenville is expected to expand care for children and adults in the Upstate.
San Antonio tax preparing business owner sentenced to federal prison, ordered to pay $3.8 million
A San Antonio woman convicted of falsifying tax forms on behalf of her clients was sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay more than $3.8 million dollars in restitution, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Compass’ PHS, Jancula teams double up on SaMo-Palisades connection
Two Compass teams said they’ve created a “supergroup” with the aim of seizing on business moving between Santa Monica and the Pacific Palisades. PHS, which counts nine people, is led by Hathorn, along with Charles Pence and Loraine Silver. The group generated about $218 million in sales over the past year, with a focus on North Santa Monica, according to Compass. The group will be working with Ryan Jancula’s namesake team, which is made up of 13 people that had sales volume of $300 million in the past 12 months, Compass said. Jancula, who is from the Palisades, and his […]
Vermont firms slash energy costs with new projects
Efficiency Vermont projects are set to save state businesses $78 million in energy costs over their lifetime.
Penguins Linked To $92.8 Million Star Forward
The discussion that fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins know is coming at some point is at least a full season away, but they won’t be able to ignore it much longer.The iconic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aren’t getting any younger, and both players are going to call it a career sooner rather […] The post Penguins Linked To $92.8 Million Star Forward appeared first on HEAVY.
Tom Cruise-led ‘Digger’ tanks at the box office
The Tom Cruise-led movie "Digger" cratered at the box office this weekend, limping to a fifth-place finish with $8 million in the U.S. and Canada in its theatrical debut. The Warner Bros. film was expected to do poorly after polarizing...
Tom Cruise-led 'Digger' tanks at the box office
The Tom Cruise-led movie "Digger" cratered at the box office this weekend, limping to a fifth-place finish with $8 million in the U.S. and Canada in its theatrical debut. The
Tom Cruise-led 'Digger' craters at the box office
Warner Bros.' climate change satire "Digger" collapsed at the box office with a domestic haul of $8 million, despite the star power of Tom Cruise.
$46.8 million townhome development planned in Ankeny
Hubbell Realty Co. plans to develop a $46.8 million rental townhome community on Ankeny’s northeast side, adding 200 units to one of the Des Moines area’s fastest-growing communities. The 16-acre development, called Marlow 35, is planned for the northeast corner of Northeast Delaware Avenue and Northeast Ninth Street. The community will include one- and two-story…
$8 million NIH grant advances research on environmental health
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Navy Awards 7 Spots on $828M Business Management Contract
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Morrisey announces more than $8 million in Rural Health Transformation grants for WV
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Private equity firm buys Chesterfield industrial campus for $108M
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What impresses us when Cooper Flagg cards sell for $8 million?
Universe Entertainment And Culture Group (SEHK:1046) Stock Confronts Revenue Collapse And Rich P S Multiple
The market has been treating Universe Entertainment and Culture Group like a high‑beta punt, with the stock almost doubling over the past month. However, today’s full year release tells a tougher story. The business delivered only HK$120.096 million in trailing twelve month revenue while still posting a loss of HK$10.938 million from ongoing operations. Set that against a P/S ratio of 10.1x, well above the Hong Kong entertainment pack, and the headline is clear: rich sales multiples now meet...
Hyundai Mobis to sell lighting business to OPmobility in W600b deal
French auto parts supplier OPmobility has agreed to acquire Hyundai Mobis' automotive lighting business in a deal valued at 600 billion won ($443.8 million), as
Ryan O’Reilly’s Future With Nashville Predators Uncertain
While there has been a lot of change with the Nashville Predators this summer, there could be more this season.Veteran forward Ryan O’Reilly is entering the final year of a $18 million deal and may not be part of the leadership corps sometime this season.He has been an assistant captain for the franchise since his […] The post Ryan O’Reilly’s Future With Nashville Predators Uncertain appeared first on HEAVY.
The Streamers Tried To Conquer Labor Day…and Whiffed
(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.) What? Another Streaming Ratings Report already? You betcha. Nielsen has moved up the release of their Streaming Ratings data by two weeks, which means I’ve got two extra issues to get out. But I love this change because it will make this report more timely and easier to publish regularly. This week—with the viewership data for the week of 31-Aug—we’ve got some huge, huge topics to discuss. On the film side, two theatrical films (The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+ and Scary Movie on Paramount+) contend with two non-Netflix straight-to-streaming films (Mayday on Apple TV and The Runner on Prime Video). The streamers went all in to win Labor Day weekend in America. And we have a bunch of TV shows to analyze, both new shows (Netflix’s The Gentleman, Hulu’s Chad Powers, and an Alix Earle reality show) and weekly shows like Reacher, Ted Lasso, House of the Dragon and Lioness. All that, plus nepotism in Hollywood, some eye-popping fantasy football stats, 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 August 31st to September 6th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - A Slew of Labor Day Disappointments? A lot of streamers released big new films this week, why? My theory is that the streamers know that four-day weekends can propel streaming films to glory. But if you’ve been reading more over the last two years, you know that big holiday weekends aren’t driving big viewership numbers the way they did post-Covid. And interestingly enough, Netflix didn’t put out a big new film this week. But four other streamers did, trying to take advantage of the holiday with some (not cheap) swings, including… The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+ (a Star Wars film that cost $165 million and made $177 million at the US domestic box office) Mayday on Apple TV (rumored $100 million budget, no theatrical release) The Runner on Prime Video (at least a $40 million budget, but likely $50 to $80 million, no theatrical release). Scary Movie on Paramount+ ($30 million budget, made $108 million domestically). (Paramount+ also released a made-for-streaming film based on the Thundermans IP, and I’ll discuss that later.) So…how’d they do? The Mandalorian and Grogu Leads The Way (But That Isn’t Enough) Let’s start with The Mandalorian and Grogu (which I’ll abbreviate to Mando for most of this article). 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… How Mando, Mayday, The Runner and Scary Movie performed on streaming... How the powerhouse weekly released shows (Reacher, Ted Lasso and Lioness) have accumulate a LOT of viewership… How House of the Dragon finished its run… The latest Netflix show to have a sophomore slump… Whether top creators can drive viewers to their shows… Nepotism in Hollywood and the music business... All the flops, bombs and misses for the week… And more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Since Nielsen has accelerated their streaming data release schedule, I’ve got a lot of Streaming Ratings Reports coming your way! Next issue, I’ll be looking at the second season of Peacock’s The Paper, the latest season of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and a very, very expensive Daily Wire fantasy series that’s now on Prime Video. Plus Crew Girl and Dang! on Netflix, a new Tyler Perry film, and one of the biggest bombs of the summer, Supergirl. In the next two issues, I’ll take a look at the return of the NFL to streaming, Toy Story 5 on Disney+, Backrooms on HBO Max, and The Breadwinner on Netflix. On the TV side, we’ve got Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Dancing with the Stars on Disney+, Apple TV’s Slow Horses, a Reacher spinoff on Prime Video, and Paramount+’s MobLand, a Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey comedy on Apple TV, a sequel to a Cosby Show spinoff on Netflix, The Great British Baking Show, and the Unabomber film. And while doing all that, I want to take a look at adult animated shows, Ride or Die’s cancellation, and Netflix’s summer films. So much great stuff! Long term, two bits of comic book news. The X-Men cast has been announced, and go ahead and color me bull-ish, if not very, very bull-ish on this bit of comic book IP. In weirder news, HBO Max ordered a “true crime” show by Jimmy Olsen about Gorilla Grodd being falsely convicted of murder. I mean, what? I don’t know, let’s see what happens.
Buckingham buys Blossom Road property in $8M deal
Buckingham Properties and Child Care Council are equal partners in the $8 million purchase of the Blossom Road Business Center.
The Aral Sea, Once the World's Fourth-Largest Inland Lake, Was Drained Dry. Now It's a Ticking Carbon Bomb
Most of this inland sea is a dry lakebed the size of Ireland, and it has already released 748 million metric tons of CO2. But scientists say there's still time to reverse course.
Walker & Dunlop Arranges $238 Million Refinancing for Miami Multifamily Community
BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 28, 2026--
West Ham "showing strong interest" in Köln defender
Having struggled to find consistent playing time at 1. FC Köln since his €8 million move from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2025, Rav van den Berg could potentially be on the move this winter.Acco...
Mideast oil exports rebound in September as Saudi Arabia boosts shipments
Crude oil exports from key Middle East producers rebounded in September to 12.8 million barrels per day, the highest since the US-Israeli war with Iran started in February, data from Kpler showed on Monday, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates boosted exports.
Report: Conference executives crafting ‘Plan B’ ahead of Protect College Sports Act vote
Monday evening, the U.S. Senate is expected to hold a full vote on the Protect College Sports Act. In the meantime, executives at the conference level are crafting “Plan B,” Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported. The plan would include parts of the bipartisan Senate bill, including a $48.8 million revenue-share cap, which would be a […]
Naples industrial building sells for $8 million
Rail Head Industrial Park recently changed hands in Collier County.
Austin expands small business support with $2.18M for new programs
The Austin City Council advanced $2.18 million in funding for PeopleFund, Kiva and UT Austin to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses.