☀️AMC, STARZ Biz Losses Mount in Q1 As TKO Sees UFC Boost

Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Friday, May 8, 2026.

Where let’s continue our #goodnews week with the expansion of men’s and women’s March Madness 🏀 to add 12 more games that no one was asking for!

What’s that? Work on the disaster of inequities in payments to college athletes, or the vast shortcomings in athlete transfer portal rules? No, thank you — the NCAA clearly has its priorities properly lined up.

So, enjoy your latest joke in college sports and yet more “play-in” games for 8 more subpar college hoops programs to now be able to say they “made the tournament” come 2027 . . . and another day of sports programming added to the docket that will get a collective yawn outside of the gambling “community.”

Oh right — don’t forget the additional $50M a year going to the NCAA from rights holders CBS and TNT for the new games, ahem. The NCAA has, in turn, allowed them to now sell booze marketing partnerships for the sport played by a vast majority of people under 21.

So, ya see — the NCAA is working on college sports payment issues! Enjoy your new brackets in March.

AND: Kelly Clarkson is rejoining The Voice in the fall after her talk show wraps up this spring. Adam Levine is also set to return.

PLUS: NETFLIX is getting the Australian NFL kickoff-week game, according to The Athletic. The NINERS vs. RAMS game will air at 8:30 p.m. ET in the U.S. on Thursday, Sept. 10. NBC is expected to handle the game’s production.

NBC kicks off the season the night before on Wed. Sept. 9, in Seattle.

SPEAKING OF: According to the WSJ, Rupert Murdoch pitched Trump earlier this year on the need to keep NFL games on broadcast TV (I hear he owns one?) rather than on streaming services, as the league opens up deal conversations.

Last month, the DOJ opened an investigation 👀 into whether the league should retain its longstanding antitrust protection, should such developments transpire.
Not that NFL games leaving broadcast for streaming would benefit consumers, IMO, but it’s always great to see “capitalism” at its finest.

OH: Pretty sweet lineup for Colbert next week (the 2nd to last week):

Monday, May 11
- The hosts of “Strike Force Five” — Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers & John Oliver
- A special Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt & Patrick Wilson
Tuesday, May 12
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pedro Pascal
Wednesday, May 13
- President Barack Obama, Tom Hanks
Thursday, May 14
- David Letterman, The Strokes

ALSO: Several DISNEY cruise crew members from the Philippines were arrested in San Diego in connection with a child pornography sting.

YES: We have a new addition to the “AI is gonna create so many jobs!” bullshit pile, as tech firm CLOUDFLARE announced its laying off about 20% of its workforce (or 1,100 folks) due to growing company AI usage eliminating the need for them.

AI use at the company has increased by over 600% in the past 3 months alone.

THEN: Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment is holding a Concert for the First Amendment in NYC on June 14 #FlagDay with Bette Midler, Patti Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Joy Reid and more. Tix avail here, and proceeds will go toward the committee’s work.

WELL: Another letter was issued in the WARNAMOUNT deal saga — this time from most of CA’s Democratic congressional delegation to state AG Rob Bonta, urging him to “closely scrutinize” the deal.

Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller also wrote an NYT Opinion piece published yesterday on why state AG’s should be encouraged to work to block the WARNAMOUNT deal on anti-trust grounds.

FINALLY: Sometimes the voice of the people does shine through, as PREMIER LEAGUE club LIVERPOOL has removed the 3% ticket price hike it was planning for the 2027-28 season after loud outrage from its supporters.

Mind you, the 3% raise for the fall season is still in place (the team does have American ownership, after all) . . . but take your wins where ya can.