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June 2026

June 1 (U.S)

Markets/Prices

Coffee: 260.70 -5.60

Cocoa: 3899.00 -24.00

Sugar 14.42 +0.36

Sunflower Oil: 1553.30 +1.40

Milk: 16.90 0.01

Shares

Nestle: 77.87 -1.98%

Coca-Cola: 78.72 -0.37%

Alphabet Inc: Google Class A: 376.44 3.90

News

Coffee On Stock Market: Prices

Arabica coffee futures traded around $2.70 per pound, near their lowest since November 2024, on expectations of a bumper harvest in top grower Brazil. Prices are down more than 20% this year, driven by improved production forecasts for Brazil’s output from several leading consultancies, following the decline in production in 2025. Despite a reportedly slow start to the harvest in some producing regions, the crop is progressing without major issues and could deliver a record output, helping replenish global coffee supplies. Brazil’s Conab recently raised its 2026/27 coffee production forecast to a record 66.7 million bags from 66.2 million in February, an 18% increase from the previous season. Arabica output is projected at 45.8 million bags, up 28% year on year and the third-largest on record, supported by a positive biennial cycle and favorable weather conditions. Rabobank said that, unless a major weather event occurs, the market will gradually enter a phase of large surplus. (Trading Economics)

News

Cafe culture remains vibrant in Australia despite economic headwinds

Australia Highlights

Strong global recognition: Australian cafes continue to punch above their weight. Multiple Aussie venues ranked in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, with strong showings in Sydney (several spots), Melbourne, and Brisbane. Australia placed second only to the US in some tallies.

People's Choice favourites: Time Out's 2026 awards highlighted local winners like Savoir French (Canberra, ACT) and others across states as voted by Aussies.

Cost pressures: Takeaway coffee sales have slowed due to living costs, fuel prices, and economic caution. Many cafes report reduced spending, with average willingness to pay around $6.60. Latte prices in places like Melbourne have hit $7–7.50 in some suburbs, sparking debate. Higher wages and operating costs keep prices elevated even as global bean prices ease somewhat.

Market growth: The Australian cafe sector is projected to grow, driven by demand for quality convenience, sustainability, and premium experiences (e.g., McCafe expansions).technavio.comViral incident: An Australian man was arrested in Da Nang, Vietnam, after an alleged shirtless rampage at Ge Cafe. He caused significant damage (estimated ~VND500 million / ~A$26k) by smashing equipment, windows, and items with a chair. The cafe owners declined donations despite public support.

International Cafe & Coffee Business News:

Tim Hortons big investment: The Canadian chain and its owners are pouring CA$400 million (~US$290M) into 2026 — building 80 new stores and renovating 400 others.

Health perk: A large meta-analysis links low-to-moderate coffee intake to a modestly lower risk of heart failure.

Challenges & closures: Some independent cafes face rising rents, cost-of-living squeezes, and competition, leading to closures or cutbacks in various markets. On the flip side, expansions and new openings continue in places like Indiana and Vancouver.

Industry trends: Focus on climate-resistant coffee hybrids (e.g., Libex), sustainability, new equipment, and non-coffee items to drive afternoon sales. Chains like Starbucks are tweaking strategies amid softer traffic.

Awards

Rootless Coffee wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month'

Runner-ups:

Claudio's Cafe runner-up Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award

Best Coffee Promotion: Roots Coffee (Danhausen campaign), Nespresso

Encouragement Award: AMO Coffee (Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch)

News

Coffee On The Stock Exchange

Prominent coffee entities listed on major stock exchanges include:

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX): The world’s largest multinational coffeehouse chain, offering direct exposure to global retail coffee and beverage sales.

Luckin Coffee (OTC:LKNCY): A major coffee chain primarily operating in China, trading over the counter in the US.

Coffee Holding Co. (NASDAQ:JVA): A specialized wholesale coffee roaster and dealer that operates directly in the coffee industry, sourcing, blending, and distributing roasted and green coffees.

Nestlé (OTC:NSRGY): A multinational food and drink processing conglomerate that owns major global coffee brands like Nescafé and Nespresso.

Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ:KDP): The parent company of Keurig Green Mountain, providing exposure to the single-serve coffee and brewing market.Dutch Bros (NYSE:BROS): A fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain operating primarily across the United States.

Awards News Update:

Claudio's Cafe wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Roots Coffee (Danhausen campaign), Runner-up: Nespresso

Encouragement Award: AMO Coffee (Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch)

Prime wins Media Man 'Beverage Of The Month' award

Barzura wins Media Man 'Cafe Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Chalk Espresso Bar, Makaveli Bondi, Lion & Buffalo, Pool Cafe, City Extra

News Flashback (For education and reference purposes)

April

WWE superstars Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch launched AMO Coffee in April 2026, a specialty brand partnered with Dayglow Coffee. Inspired by their travels, the brand offers single-origin beans (Colombia, Ethiopia, Ecuador) and unique flavored blends like Watermelon Candy and Chocolate Strawberry, available online and at Dayglow locations.

News

Social Coffee Quotes

Media Man To Danhausen and Rootless Coffee: "That's getting to the root of the matter"; Buzz on socials including X.

News Flashback

April 29

Markets/Prices

Coffee: 290.70 flat!

Cocoa 3404.12 +24.12

News Flashback

April 2026

Market & Production Outlook

Record harvests ahead: Analysts project strong global coffee production for the 2026/27 season, potentially reaching a record 182.5 million bags according to StoneX forecasts. Brazil is expected to lead with a massive rebound (up ~20%+ year-on-year in some estimates), supported by favorable weather and improved flowering. This shift from recent deficits has contributed to easing price pressures, though arabica futures remain somewhat elevated amid lingering uncertainty.

Price shifts: After volatility in 2025 (with peaks driven by supply concerns), the market is pivoting toward potential surplus. Brazil's official agency (Conab) has projected a bumper 66.2 million bag harvest for 2026/27. Some observers are comparing it to cocoa's recent crash, though demand dynamics differ—high prices have already prompted some cost-cutting and softer consumer demand in places

Major Industry Moves

Nestlé selling Blue Bottle: Nestlé has confirmed the sale of premium roaster Blue Bottle Coffee to Centurium Capital (the largest shareholder in China's Luckin Coffee). This marks a notable shift for the specialty segment.

Luckin Coffee expansion: The Chinese chain claims to have opened the world's largest roastery in Qingdao, complete with what it calls the biggest roasting machine. Luckin continues aggressive growth in its home market.

Deforestation mapping initiative: Major coffee brands are partnering on new efforts to map coffee farms and combat deforestation, timed ahead of stricter EU regulations (EUDR). This ties into broader sustainability pushes across the supply chain.

News Flashback / The Lead Up (For educational and reference purposes)

Coffee, Cafe And Food News

January 2026

Claudio's Cafe wins Media Man 'Coffee Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Nespresso

Prime wins Media Man 'Beverage Of The Month' award

Barzura wins Media Man 'Cafe Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Chalk Espresso Bar and Makaveli Bondi

News

Historic Closure in California:

The Original Saugus Cafe, claimed to be the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles County (established in 1886), is set to close its doors permanently on January 4, 2026, after 139 years of operation. The announcement highlighted its role in creating memories across generations.

Chinese Giant Enters US Market: Mixue, the world's largest restaurant chain by location count (known for affordable coffee and ice cream), recently opened its first US store in Los Angeles, targeting budget-conscious consumers amid ongoing inflation.

New Openings and Themed Cafés Worldwide:

Singapore is buzzing with fresh spots, including the arrival of Hong Kong's Elephant Grounds (opening January 10) and a limited-time Hangyodon-themed café starting January 7.

Hong Kong welcomes five new coffee shops this month, featuring in-house pastries, unique interiors, and ice drip specialties.

In the US, look for new cafés like Dear Donna in Kansas City and Wildgrain's café/test kitchen in Somerville (late January).

Helsinki Airport will debut an iconic Fazer Café in early 2026, offering classic Finnish pastries and handcrafted items.

Heartwarming Stories:Reinne's Place in Long Beach, California, opened as a tribute to the owner's late girlfriend, quickly becoming a community space for healing and connection.

Industry Trends and Expansions for 2026:

Rising chains like Dutch Bros (planning 175 new locations), 7 Brew, Black Rock Coffee Bar, and Bad Ass Coffee are poised for major growth across the US.

Focus on sustainability (eco-packaging, reduced single-use items), tech integration (AI personalization, mobile ordering, subscriptions), and experiential spaces (events, co-working).

Food pairings are evolving with protein-packed items, nostalgic flavors, and multi-sensory menus to boost café profits beyond coffee sales.

News Flashback

Coffee News

Market Prices Surge Again

Arabica coffee futures climbed to around 355 cents per pound in early January trading, up about 2.5% in recent sessions. This follows volatility driven by dry weather in Brazil's key growing regions and flooding in Indonesia, which could slash 2025-26 exports by up to 15%.

Low global stocks and concerns over Brazil's next crop are keeping prices elevated, though analysts forecast a potential surplus in 2026/27 that might ease pressure later.

News

From Farm to Cup

Coffee harvesting season is in full swing in many regions, with challenges from weather impacts underscoring the fragile supply chainHealth Benefits Highlighted in New StudiesRecent research is brewing good news for coffee lovers:Drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence by nearly 40% in some patients.

Moderate intake (3-4 cups daily) could support longevity, slow premature aging linked to psychiatric conditions, and lower risks of chronic diseases.

More than 2 billion cups are consumed worldwide daily—science suggests many of them might be doing more good than you think!

Industry Moves and Expansions

Mixue, the massive Chinese coffee and tea chain, opened its first U.S. store in Los Angeles, targeting affordable drinks amid inflation.

Two Oregon-based coffee roasters announced a merger under a new parent company to pool resources and cut costs.

The Specialty Coffee Association revealed qualified sponsors for the 2026-2027 World Barista Championship, kicking off a new cycle of competitions.

News Flashback

Arabica Coffee Prices (as of January 5, 2026)

Arabica coffee, the premium variety accounting for about 60-70% of global production, is traded primarily on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) as the "Coffee C" contract. Prices are quoted in US cents per pound (e.g., 355 cents = $3.55/lb).

Current Prices

The benchmark

March 2026

Arabica futures contract (KCH26) is trading around 355-357 cents per pound (approximately $3.55-3.57/lb), up about 1-2% in recent sessions (e.g., +1.82% on January 2 to 355.10 cents).

Recent trading range: 345-358 cents/lb.

This follows volatility, with prices dipping to multi-month lows near $3.45/lb in late December amid improving supply signals, but recovering on short-covering and weather concerns.

News

Canna Cafe:

Canna Cafe refers to several establishments, mostly cannabis-themed cafés offering infused drinks, edibles, or consumption lounges (often using hemp-derived cannabinoids like Delta-8/9, CBD, or THC where legal). There's also one unrelated non-cannabis spot.

Here are some notable ones:

Canna Cafe (Chicago, IL) — A members-only cannabis café in the West Loop (1301 W Washington Blvd), known for THC-infused food and drinks. It's Black-owned and has expanded to locations in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The Canna Cafe & Bar (Rockford, IL) — A cozy lounge offering food, mocktails, and infusions with hemp-derived cannabinoids (Delta-8, Delta-9, etc.). Located at 6830 Spring Creek Road, it's focused on education and relaxed vibes.

Café Canna (Asheville, NC) — A non-alcoholic bar with kava, kratom, specialty coffees, and cannabis-related vibes/events.

Other variations include cannabis-infused coffee pod brands (like CannaCafe Keurig pods) or similar spots in places like Thailand.There's also a completely unrelated Café Canna on the remote Isle of Canna in Scotland—a charming seafood restaurant with no cannabis connection.

News

Movies Set in or About Cafes/Coffee Shops

Many films feature cafes as central settings for drama, romance, or quirky stories. Here are some standout ones:

Amélie (2001) ? A whimsical Parisian tale centered around a cafe waitress who secretly helps others.

Café (2011) ? An indie drama (starring Jennifer Love Hewitt) almost entirely set in a West Philadelphia cafe, exploring interconnected lives and a metaphysical twist.

Bagdad Cafe (1987) ? A touching German-American film about a stranded tourist transforming a remote desert cafe/motel.

Café Society (2016) ? Woody Allen's romantic comedy/drama set in 1930s Hollywood and New York high-society nightlife.

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) ? Jim Jarmusch's anthology of short conversations in cafes.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Japanese series/films) ? Time-travel stories in a magical Tokyo cafe.

News

Iconic cafe scenes appear in films like Pulp Fiction, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, and Inception.

News Flashback

2025

November 2025

Nov 16

Brazilian coffee, beef and tropical fruit will still be tariffed 40%, says Brazil’s vice president

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Saturday that Brazilian exported goods to the U.S. including coffee, beef and tropical fruits would still be tariffed 40%, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to remove some import taxes.

In a dramatic move on Friday, Trump scrapped levies announced in April on what he called ‘Liberation Day’ in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the U.S. economy. Brazil at the time was hit with a 10% tariff.

But in July, Trump imposed a further 40% tariff, citing — among other reasons — the trial of his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, which he called a “witch hunt.” Proceedings went ahead regardless and in September Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup.

Alckmin said some products, such as orange juice, would now have a zero tariff as they were not targeted by the additional 40%. But that extra tariff remains in place on products including coffee, beef and tropical fruits, such as mangos and pineapples.

While Brazil’s vice president welcomed Trump’s latest decision, which he called “positive” and a “step in the right direction,” he said there remained a “distortion that needs to be corrected.”

“Everyone got 10% less, but in Brazil’s case, which had 50%, we ended up with 40%, which is very high,” Alckmin told journalists in the capital Brasilia.

Alckmin said that Friday's decision means that 26% of Brazilian goods are now entering the U.S. without additional tariffs. That's up from 23%.

Trump’s July decision, which was overtly political as Brazil has a trade deficit with the United States, led to the worst U.S.-Brazil relations in history.

Those relations have since improved, and in October Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Trump met in Malaysia.

“President Lula’s conversation with President Donald Trump was important in terms of dialogue and negotiation,” Alckmin said on Saturday.

After that encounter, Lula said he was confident the two countries would soon reach a trade deal.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met for 50 minutes this week to further the conversation.

The Trump administration has insisted that its tariffs helped fill government coffers and weren’t a major factor in higher prices at grocery stores around the country. But Democrats were quick to paint Friday’s move as an acknowledgment that Trump’s policies were hurting American pocketbooks.

Record-high beef prices have been a particular concern, and Trump had said he intended to take action to try and lower them. Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, had been a factor.

Back in Brazil, the Brazilian Association of the Coffee Industry said it would continue to monitor the situation.

“(We) will keep working to ensure legal certainty, competitiveness, and predictability for the Brazilian coffee industry,” the group’s president, Pavel Cardoso, said in a statement. (Wires, A.I News)

Media Man

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

May 20, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

Aussie Black Tuesday!l Big-ish Wednesday per Surf Culture?! The Ripple Effect! Bulls vs Bears continued

Digital Bush Telegraph

Australia Continues To Ring Bells

Markets

ASX 200 futures down 39 points/0.5%: 8600

AUD -0.8% to US71.09¢

Bitcoin $76,715.79 -0.19%

Wall St:
Dow -0.7%
S&P -0.7%
Nasdaq -0.8%

VIX +0.24 to 18.06
Gold -1.8% to $US4482.61 an ounce
Brent oil -0.8% to $US111.18 a barrel
Iron ore -0.2% to $US108.00 a ton

10-year yield:

US 4.67%
Australia 5.06%

News

May 20

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7106 USD (down $0.0056 USD) Iron Ore: $108.00 USD (down $0.25 USD)
Oil Price: $104.13 USD (down $2.78 USD)
Gold Price : $4,482.23 USD (down $84.03 USD)
Copper Price: $6.1930 USD (down $0.1395 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,363.88 (down 322.24 points)

XRP
$1.3565 -2.00%

DOGE
$0.1022 -2.71%

News

ASX closes up 1.2pc after Trump walks back Iran threats

The Australian sharemarket rebounded from a seven-week low on Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing up 1.2 per cent at 8604.7 points. Its recovery was on the back of US President Donald Trump announcing he would delay further strikes on Iran, with the price of Brent crude down 1.5 per cent to $US110.40 by the close of trading. Stocks to rise included Woolworths, up 3.7 per cent to $34.21, and the National Australia Bank, which rose two per cent to $37.04, while TechnologyOne fell 2.9 per cent to $27.80 and NextDC declined 0.2 per cent to $14.55. (RMS)

News

Media (Australia)

Karl Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire sign with Kyle and Jackie O's old radio company and Nine

Eddie McGuire and Karl Stefanovic are to host a new program on the streaming platforms of Nine Entertainment and radio network Gold every Friday, with the program to be called 'The Long Weekend'. With Stefanovic being the host of Nine's 'Today' program and McGuire the former Collingwood Football Club president, the deal that sees them broadcast the new program is regarded as a 'coup' for Gold owner ARN, following the loss of its 'marquee' breakfast show hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson. (RMS)

News

Silver And Gold

Silver caught in a price trap

After a long period of calm, volatility has returned to the silver market. Silver surged to a two-month high, rallying more than 20% from its May lows in just a week. However, concerns over tighter monetary policy and rising bond yields have since put pressure on prices.

Of course, the current fluctuations cannot be compared to what we saw in January, when a 35% drop occurred in a single day. Investors felt that the rally had gone too far. However, the situation does not yet look like a classic bubble burst, as silver prices are still 130% higher than a year ago, which is suppressing global demand. UBS estimates a 50 million-ounce decline this year, allowing the bank to lower its price forecast from $100 to $85 per ounce by the end of the second quarter.

High prices are forcing not only jewellers but also industrialists to seek alternatives for silver. There has been some success in replacing it with copper in the manufacture of solar panels. This sector accounts for a fifth of global supply. Due to the fall in global demand, the 46.3-million-ounce deficit forecast by the Silver Institute for 2026 may prove smaller, putting pressure on the price per ounce.

Silver is also facing weaker investment demand. Rising global bond yields and a stronger US dollar are putting pressure on the metal. UBS reports that speculative interest has fallen sharply, while silver ETF holdings have dropped by 70 million ounces since the start of the year, to 794 million ounces.

De-escalation in the Middle East could turn the tables. Oil, the US dollar and Treasury yields would fall, which would be positive for silver. However, as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, it remains under pressure.

The silver market is relatively small compared to gold, which makes it more vulnerable to speculative trading. This often leads to sharper price moves in both directions. (FxPro)

News

The dollar is making a tactical retreat

Rumours of talks with Iran have caused the USD index to retreat

The pound has recouped some of its losses thanks to Labour’s intention to stick to the rules. The US dollar has retreated following Donald Trump’s statement that he was postponing the resumption of bombing Iran. According to the US president, he was asked to do so by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE because negotiations with Tehran are underway. Markets have once again come to believe in a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, which has led to a fall in oil prices and the USD index.

Despite the headlines, the US and Iran remain far apart on key issues. It is difficult to envisage the Strait of Hormuz reopening any time soon, and the longer the standoff persists, the stronger the tailwinds for Brent and the dollar. Even more so, the stock market has finally begun to consider the negative consequences of accelerating inflation and the attractiveness of rising Treasury yields. The S&P 500 has retreated from record highs, and the associated deterioration in global risk appetite has bolstered the greenback as a safe-haven asset.

The swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh as the new Fed Chair will take place at the White House this Friday. No doubt, Donald Trump is sincerely hoping for a rate cut, despite the futures market suggesting a 50% probability of a rate hike in 2026 after actively repricing expectations in recent weeks.

The British pound has launched a counterattack thanks to a statement by Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. The frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister has stated that he adheres to fiscal rules. Previously, investors had feared that the new head of government would turn to fiscal stimulus, which would conflict with the Bank of England’s monetary tightening. Bond selloffs paused, and GBPUSD rose from 1.33 to 1.34.

The pound was supported by the IMF, raising its forecast for UK GDP growth from 0.8% to 1% in 2026. The economy may be able to withstand two rounds of BoE rate hikes, as signalled by the futures market.

Japan’s 2.1% GDP growth in the first quarter did not deter the USDJPY bulls. Investors are cautiously awaiting the government’s use of a supplementary budget to finance the servicing costs of its growing debt.

News Lead Up

Sellers are pressing down on crypto

Market Overview

The crypto market is trading within a narrow range, having bounced off its upper boundary at $2.73T and retreated to $2.67T at the time of writing. New records on the US stock market have spurred crypto buyers into action, but this has proved insufficient to break through key resistance levels. We attribute this weak performance to the strengthening of the dollar, as evidenced by gold's dynamics. Over the past 24 hours, the top performers among the most liquid coins have been Dash (+4%), Zcash (+3.8%) and Uniswap (+3.1%), while fewer coins are losing ground, with the most significant losses seen in Internet Computer (-8%), Aptos (-1.1%) and Official Trump (-0.8%).

Riding a wave of optimism in equities, Bitcoin rose once again towards $82K, hitting the 200-day moving average once more. This is usually a signal line, but in May, it is acting as an impenetrable resistance level, capping the price from above. As a result, early on Friday, the price once again found itself just above $80K. The prevailing cautious sentiment in equities early on Friday is intensifying the outflow from cryptocurrencies, setting the stage for a decline towards the lower end of the range at $79K by the end of this week.

News Background

Institutional players are using the recent recovery to take profits, and this is not driven by fear or panic, according to Glassnode. CryptoQuant considers the risk of a further decline in Bitcoin to be real against this backdrop.

Activity among companies buying crypto assets for their reserves has also declined. According to Bitfinex, the volume of Bitcoin purchases by large companies has fallen by 80% over the week.

The volume of Ethereum in staking has exceeded 85 million coins — this is more than 70% of the cryptocurrency’s total supply, SharpLink has calculated. ETH reserves on exchanges also continue to decline, which may exacerbate the asset’s shortage.

The altcoin market has shown the first signs of recovery following a 50% drop from previous highs, notes analyst Darkfost. At the same time, liquidity remains limited, which is hindering the start of a sustained alt season.

Kevin Warsh, confirmed this week as the new Fed chair, has described Bitcoin as an “important asset” that helps authorities assess the state of the economy. He has invested in several crypto projects and holds Solana and Optimism tokens.

Following several months of discussions due to disagreements between banks and crypto companies, the US Senate Banking Committee on Thursday approved the CLARITY Act, a bill on the structure of the cryptocurrency market. The bill will now be put before the full Senate for consideration. Bankers fear that the yield on stablecoins stipulated in the bill will lead to an outflow of funds from bank deposits. (FxPro)

News

Conor McGregor Rematches Max Holloway at UFC 329

UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena headlines with this welterweight rematch during International Fight Week, airing live on Paramount+. McGregor, 22-6 and last fighting in 2021 after a tibia fracture, meets Holloway, 27-9, in his welterweight debut—the ex-featherweight champ aiming to make a statement. Trash talk flew fast: McGregor promised to 'son' Holloway again, while 'Blessed' fired back demanding respect on his name. Early odds favor Holloway at -500 amid McGregor's ring rust.

The Lead Up

TKO Neg With Talent/Wrestling With Numbers And Contracts; If The New Price Is Right Mr Wrestling and Ms Wrestling; Mr Corbin aka Mr Lucky enjoying strong buzz: Join the dots; Mr Kross Of WSW and MLW Enjoys Strong Mega Buzz In Australia and Globally: World Series Wrestling, Belt Collector!

UFC MMA and U.S Admin Mix It Up With Fighters Visiting White House; Patriots Well Received In And Around Oval Office; Present Trump Gets Welcome Image Revamp Of Sorts; Keeping The Wars In The Octagon!

Red Turns To Green And Gold!

News

Netflix MMA Debut Peaks at 11.6 Million U.S. Viewers with Rousey Win

On May 16 at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome, MVP's triple-main-event card averaged 9.3 million U.S. viewers and peaked at 11.6 million during Rousey's featherweight submission over Carano, topping the prior MMA high from 2011. Other highlights included Mike Perry's corner-stoppage win over Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou's first-round knockout of Philipe Lins, drawing star power from fighters like Rousey and Ngannou. Promoters Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian celebrated the global reach and 410 million social impressions, though podcaster Brendan Schaub questioned the figures and off-cage drama saw Claressa Shields banned after a VIP-area altercation with Alycia Baumgardner. (Media Man Peg-On): Are the numbers and biz model sustainable? Perhaps only if Netflix keeps green lighting them. Is there a return on investment if you are Netflix?

News

Pop Culture Ref: "The Wall Street Shuffle" (10 cc)

LinkedIn b2b Business Continues To Lift For Media Man Group and Associates

Media And Broadcasting Legend Ted Turner Dies (May 6); 100s Of Tributes Globally; Media, Entertainment And Sports Business World Pays Tribute; Turner Company Helped 1000s Globally In Career And Business; Online Tributes Live On For Many Who Find It Hard To Let Go Of Good Times And Boom Days In Biz And Career History Says Aussie Media Man Ex Aussie Cable Guy In PPV, Pay TV And Combat Arena With World Channels Team

News (ICYMI)

Alphabet/Google Cracks TIME 100 Cover; Positive Buzz

Beast Industries aka MrBeast TIME Top 100 Influencer;

Post Buzz Continues For TIME Media Darlings

TKO/WWE In And Out Of The Ring Continues; Up and Down Cycle; TKO's Nick Khan Offer Positive Vibes To US Admin Re Ali Act Amendment; Counter Punch by some competitors; Road To WWE Clash In Italy and WWE SNME

TKO Prez Mark Shapiro Admits Back To Back WrestleMania's In Sin City Las Vegas May Have Been Mistake; Will Return To City To City Strategy, No Repeat City's For WrestleMania In Future

TKO's LinkedIn Continues To Enjoy Strong News Media Buzz; Google LinkedIn Numbers Up; Search Engine Journal LinkedIn; Rio Tinto (Mining) Strong LinkedIn Media Vibes And Buzz

News

WWE's Danhausen Offers Mega Exposure To Rootless Coffee And WWE Merch; Number 3 Best Seller Of WWE Merch With Human Monies; Danhausen ESPN News! Very Nice!

Media Man LinkedIn and X Up; Road To WWE Clash In Italy and WWE SNME

Google/Alphabet Earnings Bullish

May 20, 2026

Markets

Coffee 270.15 +5.95

Cocoa 3907.00 +116.00

Sillicon 8330.00 +35.00

Silver 73.960 -0377

Newsfeed

News Lead Up

120 + Hours Ago

BTC/Cryptos

Bitcoin hits the pause button at $80K

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has stalled at around $2.70 trillion, reflecting Bitcoin’s indecision around $80,000. At the same time, risk aversion is mounting in global markets, which can be easily linked to profit-taking following the rally and the US dollar's upward momentum. Among the top coins, the leaders over the past day were Theta (+8.5%), Toncoin (+4.9%) and NEAR Protocol (+2.1%). The underperformers were Dash (-4.2%), Official Trump (-3.5%) and Zcash (-3.5%).

The sentiment index has settled just below the midpoint of the range, recording readings of 47, 48 and 49 over the last three days. At the same time, we continue to note how difficult it is for the crypto market to consolidate at the upper end of the spectrum, which indicates a predominance of bears.

Bitcoin points to much the same thing, having lost its upward momentum as it approached the 200-day moving average. Although this line is trending downwards, the market has failed to break through it for the past six days. On the other hand, as the decline is quite modest, it resembles nothing more than a breather following a rally, leaving a strong chance of growth resuming.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investments in crypto funds rose by $858 million last week. Investments in Bitcoin increased by $706 million, in Ethereum by $77 million, in Solana by $48 million, and in XRP by $40 million. Outflows from Bitcoin short positions totalling $14 million marked the largest of the year.

Investments rose amid a compromise on stablecoin yields under the CLARITY Act. The Senate Banking Committee is expected to consider the bill next week, CoinShares notes.

Strategy acquired 535 BTC for $43 million last week — at an average price of $80,340 per coin. The week before, the company skipped its weekly BTC purchase ahead of its quarterly report. Strategy now holds 818,869 BTC, purchased for $61.86 billion at an average price of $75,540 per Bitcoin.

Strategy will continue to build up its reserves of the leading cryptocurrency. At the same time, the volume of purchases will significantly exceed any potential sales, stated the company’s founder, Michael Saylor. According to him, it is important to remain a ‘net buyer’ and end each year with more coins than at the start.

Jordi Visser, founder of 22V Research, has increased his investment in Ethereum. In his view, this year will see the start of mass asset tokenisation, which will form the basis for payments by AI agents. For autonomous transactions, they will need digital assets such as Ethereum or stablecoins. (FxPro). (Media Man Peg-On): Can we call Michael Saylor the "King Of Bulls". Awesome PR machine and LinkedIn buzz. Join the dots!

News

Media Man with Cafe News Media Watercooler

Beer killer? Rise of the vodka RTD

Gold Coast-based drinks maker Hard Fizz emerged at around the time of the pandemic, while the ready-to-drink canned beverage market boomed after the pandemic. Hard Fizz originally focused on alcoholic seltzer drinks, but it is now switching to vodka-based canned drinks, with CEO Wade Tiller saying the change is because you are more limited with flavour when you use seltzer. Hard Fizz's seltzer sales have slumped over the past year, at a time when there is a broader consumer shift to RTDs, while vodka-based light RTDs account for 75 per cent of Australian RTD sales. (RMS)

News

oOh!media rejects $770m offer, triggers bidding war

The board of listed outdoor advertising group oOh!media has advised that it is open to further takeover approaches after spurning two suitors. The company has indicated that it assessed both offers and deemed that neither reflected its intrinsic value. US-based private equity firm I Squared Capital had offered $1.45 per share, valuing its bid at $770m; it had trumped a previous offer from Pacific Equity Partners of $1.40 per share. Brian Han from Morningstar says the rejection of both offers means that oOh!media's directors have effectively put up a 'for auction' sign. (RMS)

News

AI News

The hidden expenses in banking's AI rollout

Tokens have been described as the hidden cost of using artificial intelligence, with tokens being a basic unit that measures how much data is being processed through autonomous AI models such as Anthropic's Claude. Westpac's CEO Anthony Miller told a recent investment banking conference that the bank was still in the process of working out how to disclose token use and productivity, with the cost of tokens depending on the model used. Noel Williams from PwC says the cost of tokens is definitely something that the big banks need to take into consideration, while Goldman Sachs analysts claimed recently that token consumption would increase 22-fold by 2030 and 55-fold by 2040. (RMS)

News

Advertising expectations and experience: Australians have their say about AI

The second wave of Ad Standards' Community Sentiment Tracker, which was conducted by Roy Morgan, has found that 72% of Australians are concerned about the use of AI-generated content in advertising, particularly its potential to mislead or deceive people with unrealistic or fake content. Around half are also worried that the use of AI could reduce authenticity and creativity in advertising and promote unrealistic body or beauty standards. Australians believe AI-generated content is already widely used in advertising, with more than half saying that it is used very often (21%) or often (37%). Despite this, confidence in recognising AI-generated content remains low, with one in five Australians saying they are not at all confident they could identify when AI-generated content has been used in an ad. Some 64% of Australians believe it should always be necessary to disclose when advertising contains AI-generated content. The Ad Standards-Roy Morgan Community Sentiment Tracker Survey was conducted online with a cross-section of 1,000 Australians aged 18+ between 19 February and 2 March 2026. (Roy Morgan)

News

Sports/Media/Broadasting

Seven boss flags interest in NRL

Southern Cross Media Group's CEO Rohan Lund has indicated that the Seven Network owner could potentially bid for the NRL's broadcasting rights. Lund says media companies like Seven have an important role in helping audiences and partners to connect with their sports teams. He adds that Seven could be interested in the annual State of Origin series in particular. The Nine Network's current free-to-air rights deal for the NRL expires next year, and the NRL aims to finalise its next deal by the end of July. (RMS)

News

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(ICYMI)

MGM Vegas

Heyman Hustle/Paul Heyman - Live At MGM

News

Heyman’s involvement ties into his Looking4Larry Agency’s creative work and a broader MGM Studios partnershipMGM Live is the new entertainment/content brand for MGM Resorts International’s Las Vegas properties. It launched on Instagram with a debut reel featuring Paul Heyman and UFC President Dana White together at an EZ Baccarat table at the Live at Park MGM venue on the Las Vegas.

This marks a notable crossover, as UFC and WWE are both under TKO Group Holdings. Park MGM has hosted WWE events (like the 2026 Hall of Fame) and UFC PPVs.

Heyman shot disruptive/late-night content there during WrestleMania week, including:His TikTok debut from Park MGM (talking about Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania, etc.).

"Heyman on Heyman" interview with his son Jacob for HeymanHustleTV. Multiple Instagram/TikTok reels embracing his "King of New York (and everywhere else)" persona while promoting MGM.

News

Big Tech

(ICYMI)

Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms Report Q1 2026 Earnings Beating Expectations

Alphabet reported Q1 2026 revenue of $109.9 billion and EPS of $5.11, surpassing estimates, with Google Cloud revenue up 63% to $20 billion.

Microsoft reported fiscal Q3 2026 revenue of $82.89 billion and EPS of $4.27, beating expectations, driven by 39-40% Azure growth.

Amazon reported Q1 2026 revenue of $181.5 billion and EPS of $2.78 exceeding forecasts, with AWS up 28%, while Meta reported Q1 2026 revenue of $56.3 billion and EPS of $10.44 above estimates.

News

Pop Culture/Lucha Libre

AAA Announces New General Manager Reveal on May 23

On the April 25 episode of AAA on Fox, President Marisela Peña announced that Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide will get a new General Manager, with the live reveal set for May 23 in Mexico City. This follows her son Dorian Roldán's recent plea for the role, which she decided to open to other candidates after careful thought. Fans are speculating on names like Zelina Vega, Rey Mysterio, or even The Undertaker, amid AAA's growth since WWE's majority stake acquisition last April and its new Fox broadcasts blending lucha action with WWE polish. (Media Man Peg-On): Ariba. Triple A has massive influence from The Undertaker, and it's paying off as far as entertainment value for fans and in other creative and business ways from what we see and hear. Can see see Danhausen in Triple H also? Lucha Hausen! And Vice City Rocks!

News Lead

UFC - MMA Building Stars Again; SS King Of Division, Substance And Hype; Yan UFC Bonus; Dana White Inks McGregor for UFC 329

New York Kind Of Feeling

US Stocks - Black Friday and In Australia Black Tuesday aftermath

Road To WWE Clash In Italy

Road To WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE Management And Wrestlers Bullish; Wrestling and Boxing; WrestleMania Not Returning To Vegas For Long Time After Repeat Let Down

Sports Biz Event Tickets And Merch Drive

Danhausen Lifts WWE Merch Hausen

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Media Man Group Weekly Series

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WBD Wrestling vs Own Goal

Mr Dingo Driver vs Naysayers

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Paul Heyman and Son and MGM Gamification vs others!

PopWrecked vs Karen

Studio97 vs others: Catfight Rules!

FHM vs MAXIM

Danhausen and Minihuasen def Bully Ray and Easy E

Oba Femi vs Lockeroom

x AI vs others!

T. Abbott (Aust) vs Wokes

Rousey vs self

Rousey and Gina vs Critics

Ali vs self

The Man In The Arena vs self

Netflix vs Paramount Plus vs YouTube - 3 Way Dance! Special Ref: Easy E. Share The Love! Enough For The Big 3!

Ultra A.I vs Human Full Bloods

Extreme Swimming vs Traditional Swimming

Ex Machina vs Cave Man

Rudos vs Technicos (Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide)

Killer Kross vs All; KK The Belt Collector!

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't know" Anon

"An investment in ones self is always the best bet" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

"The consumer and fans decide what and who is the best" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

Media Man

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

May 19, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

Aussie Black Tuesday!l Will Oz Get A Big Wednesday per Surf Culture?! The Ripple Effect?!

Digital Bush Telegraph

Australia Continues To Ring Bells

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 92 points/1.1 percent: 8615

AUD +0.3% to US71.69¢
Bitcoin - $76,734.63 - 0.20%
Dow +0.3%
S&P -0.1%
Nasdaq -0.5%
VIX -0.61 to 17.82
Gold +0.6% to $US4566.67 an oz
Brent oil +0.3% to $US109.60 a barrel
Iron ore -0.8% to $US108.25 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.59% Australia 5.11%

XRP
$1.3721 -0.64%

DOGE
$0.1040 +0.08%

News

Numbers Double Check

May 19

Australian Dollar: $0.7162 USD (up $0.0020 USD)
Iron Ore: $108.25 USD (down $1.10 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $106.91 USD (up $1.49 USD)
Gold Price : $4,566.26 USD (up $25.77 USD)
Copper Price): $6.3325 USD (up $0.0430 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,686.12 (up 159.95 points)

News

May 19

ASX falls 1.5pc to seven-week low; Brambles' worst day since 2002

The Australian sharemarket fell to a seven-week low on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index down 1.5 per cent to 8,505 points. The slump was attributed to the ongoing global bond sell-off, with bond yields having risen on fears of rising inflation, while a 1.5 per cent increase in Brent crude oil did not help matters. Brambles fell 20.2 per cent to $17.63 in what was its biggest one-day decline since November 2002 after it downgraded its FY26 guidance, while other stocks to fall included BHP, which was down 2.8 per cent to $58.77, and Evolution Mining, which fell 4.6 per cent to $11.93. (RMS)

News

Sellers are pressing down on crypto

Market Overview

The crypto market is trading within a narrow range, having bounced off its upper boundary at $2.73T and retreated to $2.67T at the time of writing. New records on the US stock market have spurred crypto buyers into action, but this has proved insufficient to break through key resistance levels. We attribute this weak performance to the strengthening of the dollar, as evidenced by gold's dynamics. Over the past 24 hours, the top performers among the most liquid coins have been Dash (+4%), Zcash (+3.8%) and Uniswap (+3.1%), while fewer coins are losing ground, with the most significant losses seen in Internet Computer (-8%), Aptos (-1.1%) and Official Trump (-0.8%).
Riding a wave of optimism in equities, Bitcoin rose once again towards $82K, hitting the 200-day moving average once more. This is usually a signal line, but in May, it is acting as an impenetrable resistance level, capping the price from above. As a result, early on Friday, the price once again found itself just above $80K. The prevailing cautious sentiment in equities early on Friday is intensifying the outflow from cryptocurrencies, setting the stage for a decline towards the lower end of the range at $79K by the end of this week.

News Background

Institutional players are using the recent recovery to take profits, and this is not driven by fear or panic, according to Glassnode. CryptoQuant considers the risk of a further decline in Bitcoin to be real against this backdrop.

Activity among companies buying crypto assets for their reserves has also declined. According to Bitfinex, the volume of Bitcoin purchases by large companies has fallen by 80% over the week.

The volume of Ethereum in staking has exceeded 85 million coins — this is more than 70% of the cryptocurrency’s total supply, SharpLink has calculated. ETH reserves on exchanges also continue to decline, which may exacerbate the asset’s shortage.

The altcoin market has shown the first signs of recovery following a 50% drop from previous highs, notes analyst Darkfost. At the same time, liquidity remains limited, which is hindering the start of a sustained alt season.

Kevin Warsh, confirmed this week as the new Fed chair, has described Bitcoin as an “important asset” that helps authorities assess the state of the economy. He has invested in several crypto projects and holds Solana and Optimism tokens.

Following several months of discussions due to disagreements between banks and crypto companies, the US Senate Banking Committee on Thursday approved the CLARITY Act, a bill on the structure of the cryptocurrency market. The bill will now be put before the full Senate for consideration. Bankers fear that the yield on stablecoins stipulated in the bill will lead to an outflow of funds from bank deposits. (FxPro)

News

Conor McGregor Rematches Max Holloway at UFC 329

UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena headlines with this welterweight rematch during International Fight Week, airing live on Paramount+. McGregor, 22-6 and last fighting in 2021 after a tibia fracture, meets Holloway, 27-9, in his welterweight debut—the ex-featherweight champ aiming to make a statement. Trash talk flew fast: McGregor promised to 'son' Holloway again, while 'Blessed' fired back demanding respect on his name. Early odds favor Holloway at -500 amid McGregor's ring rust.

The Lead Up

TKO Neg With Talent/Wrestling With Numbers And Contracts; If The New Price Is Right Mr Wrestling and Ms Wrestling; Mr Corbin aka Mr Lucky enjoying strong buzz: Join the dots; Mr Kross Of WSW and MLW Enjoys Strong Mega Buzz In Australia and Globally: World Series Wrestling, Belt Collector!

UFC MMA and U.S Admin Mix It Up With Fighters Visiting White House; Patriots Well Received In And Around Oval Office; Present Trump Gets Welcome Image Revamp Of Sorts; Keeping The Wars In The Octagon!

Red Turns To Green And Gold!

Pop Culture Ref: "The Wall Street Shuffle" (10 cc)

LinkedIn b2b Business Continues To Lift For Media Man Group and Associates

Media And Broadcasting Legend Ted Turner Dies (May 6); 100s Of Tributes Globally; Media, Entertainment And Sports Business World Pays Tribute; Turner Company Helped 1000s Globally In Career And Business; Online Tributes Live On For Many Who Find It Hard To Let Go Of Good Times And Boom Days In Biz And Career History Says Aussie Media Man Ex Aussie Cable Guy In PPV, Pay TV And Combat Arena With World Channels Team

News

(ICYMI)

Pop Culture

News Flashback: Gamification Of Gaming News - 3 Week Pasts; Back By Demand! Same Demo as Street Fighter .. enjoy fanboys and fangirls

Mortal Kombat II Scores $63 Million Opening Weekend

The R-rated Mortal Kombat II, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, opened on May 8 with $40 million domestically and $23 million internationally, totaling $63 million despite landing second to The Devil Wears Prada 2. Returning stars like Ludi Lin as Liu Kang joined Karl Urban's cocky Johnny Cage to face Shao Kahn in a tournament drawn from Mortal Kombat 9 and 11, earning mixed critic scores of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes but a roaring 90% audience approval. Pro gamer SonicFox called it 'peak holy fucking shit 10/10,' praising Urban's performance, with strong IMAX sales and gamer buzz pointing to solid legs ahead. (Media Man: Peg-On): Much stronger buzz and reviews than the original.

News (ICYMI)

Alphabet/Google Cracks TIME 100 Cover; Positive Buzz

Beast Industries aka MrBeast TIME Top 100 Influencer;

Post Buzz Continues For TIME Media Darlings

TKO/WWE In And Out Of The Ring Continues; Up and Down Cycle; TKO's Nick Khan Offer Positive Vibes To US Admin Re Ali Act Amendment; Counter Punch by some competitors; Road To WWE Clash In Italy and WWE SNME

TKO's LinkedIn Continues To Enjoy Strong News Media Buzz; Google LinkedIn Numbers Up; Search Engine Journal LinkedIn; Rio Tinto (Mining) Strong LinkedIn Media Vibes And Buzz

News Lead Up

Trump Concludes China Summit with Xi on Trade and Iran

Over two days starting May 13, 2026, Trump and Xi discussed stabilizing trade amid tariffs, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open amid the Iran war, and Taiwan tensions, with no major deals but agreements on Boeing jet purchases and no Chinese military aid to Iran. Trump highlighted the U.S. business leaders' presence to foster deals, while Xi praised America's patriotic revival and warned against mishandling Taiwan. The summit featured grand ceremonies like a state banquet and Temple of Heaven visit, though a photo of the all-male delegations drew criticism over optics. (Media Man: Win-Win?)

News

WWE's Danhausen Offers Mega Exposure To Rootless Coffee And WWE Merch; Number 3 Best Seller Of WWE Merch With Human Monies; Danhausen ESPN News! Very Nice!

Media Man LinkedIn and X Up; Road To WWE Clash In Italy and WWE SNME

Google/Alphabet Earnings Bullish

May 19, 2026

Markets

Coffee 263.80 -0.45
Cocoa 3823.81 +32.81
Sillicon 8285/00 -15.00
Silver 75.770 -1.955

Newsfeed

News

Pop Culture/WWE

Randy Orton's WrestleMania 41 Card Sells for $42,100 Record Price

The one-of-a-kind card from Topps' 2025 Royalty WWE set features a patch from Orton's WrestleMania 41 match in Las Vegas, signed with 'WM#20' and 'The Viper.' It shattered records by doubling the prior No. 2 WWE card sale, beating out a Steve Austin 1/1, after Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns bid nearly $40,000 before losing in the final seconds. Orton reacted by promising the winner his WM41 throwback gear—he still has his iconic 2004 SummerSlam trunks from becoming WWE's youngest world champion at age 24. (Media Man Peg-On): Some collectors making an RKO killing. Punt kick to a real job! Coiled up big ballers!

News Lead Up

80 + Hours Ago

BTC/Cryptos

Bitcoin hits the pause button at $80K

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has stalled at around $2.70 trillion, reflecting Bitcoin’s indecision around $80,000. At the same time, risk aversion is mounting in global markets, which can be easily linked to profit-taking following the rally and the US dollar's upward momentum. Among the top coins, the leaders over the past day were Theta (+8.5%), Toncoin (+4.9%) and NEAR Protocol (+2.1%). The underperformers were Dash (-4.2%), Official Trump (-3.5%) and Zcash (-3.5%).

The sentiment index has settled just below the midpoint of the range, recording readings of 47, 48 and 49 over the last three days. At the same time, we continue to note how difficult it is for the crypto market to consolidate at the upper end of the spectrum, which indicates a predominance of bears.

Bitcoin points to much the same thing, having lost its upward momentum as it approached the 200-day moving average. Although this line is trending downwards, the market has failed to break through it for the past six days. On the other hand, as the decline is quite modest, it resembles nothing more than a breather following a rally, leaving a strong chance of growth resuming.

News Background

According to CoinShares, global investments in crypto funds rose by $858 million last week. Investments in Bitcoin increased by $706 million, in Ethereum by $77 million, in Solana by $48 million, and in XRP by $40 million. Outflows from Bitcoin short positions totalling $14 million marked the largest of the year.

Investments rose amid a compromise on stablecoin yields under the CLARITY Act. The Senate Banking Committee is expected to consider the bill next week, CoinShares notes.

Strategy acquired 535 BTC for $43 million last week — at an average price of $80,340 per coin. The week before, the company skipped its weekly BTC purchase ahead of its quarterly report. Strategy now holds 818,869 BTC, purchased for $61.86 billion at an average price of $75,540 per Bitcoin.

Strategy will continue to build up its reserves of the leading cryptocurrency. At the same time, the volume of purchases will significantly exceed any potential sales, stated the company’s founder, Michael Saylor. According to him, it is important to remain a ‘net buyer’ and end each year with more coins than at the start.

Jordi Visser, founder of 22V Research, has increased his investment in Ethereum. In his view, this year will see the start of mass asset tokenisation, which will form the basis for payments by AI agents. For autonomous transactions, they will need digital assets such as Ethereum or stablecoins. (FxPro). (Media Man Peg-On): Can we call Michael Saylor the "King Of Bulls". Awesome PR machine and LinkedIn buzz. Join the dots!

News

Media Man with Cafe News Media Watercooler

Beer killer? Rise of the vodka RTD

Gold Coast-based drinks maker Hard Fizz emerged at around the time of the pandemic, while the ready-to-drink canned beverage market boomed after the pandemic. Hard Fizz originally focused on alcoholic seltzer drinks, but it is now switching to vodka-based canned drinks, with CEO Wade Tiller saying the change is because you are more limited with flavour when you use seltzer. Hard Fizz's seltzer sales have slumped over the past year, at a time when there is a broader consumer shift to RTDs, while vodka-based light RTDs account for 75 per cent of Australian RTD sales. (RMS)

News

oOh!media rejects $770m offer, triggers bidding war

The board of listed outdoor advertising group oOh!media has advised that it is open to further takeover approaches after spurning two suitors. The company has indicated that it assessed both offers and deemed that neither reflected its intrinsic value. US-based private equity firm I Squared Capital had offered $1.45 per share, valuing its bid at $770m; it had trumped a previous offer from Pacific Equity Partners of $1.40 per share. Brian Han from Morningstar says the rejection of both offers means that oOh!media's directors have effectively put up a 'for auction' sign. (RMS)

News

AI News

The hidden expenses in banking's AI rollout

Tokens have been described as the hidden cost of using artificial intelligence, with tokens being a basic unit that measures how much data is being processed through autonomous AI models such as Anthropic's Claude. Westpac's CEO Anthony Miller told a recent investment banking conference that the bank was still in the process of working out how to disclose token use and productivity, with the cost of tokens depending on the model used. Noel Williams from PwC says the cost of tokens is definitely something that the big banks need to take into consideration, while Goldman Sachs analysts claimed recently that token consumption would increase 22-fold by 2030 and 55-fold by 2040. (RMS)

News Lead Up

164 + Hours Ago

Cryptos

Altcoins are surging amid a steady rise in BTC price

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has risen by 0.75% over the past 24 hours, reaching $2.69 trillion. The top three performers are Zcash (+29%), Toncoin (+23%) and Filecoin (+16%). The underperformers are Ethereum (-0.4%), Algorand (-0.5%) and Basic Attention Token (-4.6%).

Bitcoin is approaching $81.5K, continuing its movement within an upward channel and hitting new highs since February. This positive momentum can easily be linked to the continued rise in stock indices, which is boosting risk appetite and bringing a more significant technical battle into view. The leading cryptocurrency is approaching its 200-day moving average (currently at $83.3K); a firm consolidation above this level would be a further sign of bullish dominance. We saw the first such sign – consolidation above the 50-day moving average – exactly one month ago. It is quite likely that, as Bitcoin approaches $83K, a short-term profit-taking phase awaits, allowing some of the gains to be taken.

The performance of altcoins clearly shows how BTC’s steady growth is encouraging increased risk-taking. First Toncoin, and today Zcash, have gained nearly 30% over the past 24 hours. The latter has been rising every day since 3 April, gaining 80% during this period; it was one of the first major cryptocurrencies to climb out of the slump at the end of January and reach highs last seen in November of last year. The key pivot zone in 2018 and 2025, near $800, looks well within reach in the coming days.

News Background

The total USDT market capitalisation has increased by $5.9 billion over the last 60 days, whereas prior to March, the market was losing around $2 billion monthly, notes analyst Darkfost. The inflow of capital into the crypto market is boosting asset values.

Morgan Stanley suggests that US banks may be able to hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets in the future, despite current regulatory barriers. The bank recently launched a Bitcoin-based exchange-traded product (ETP). Later this year, Morgan Stanley will launch spot trading in cryptocurrency on its Wealth platform.

The international payment system Western Union has launched its own stablecoin, USDPT, on the Solana blockchain. Integration with SOL will allow the company to speed up settlements and move away from traditional interbank systems, which are prone to delays.

BitMine has increased its Ethereum reserves to $13 billion, purchasing over 100,000 ETH for the third week in a row. The company’s reserves have reached 5,180,131 ETH, or 4.29% of the Ethereum supply.

Toncoin (TON) jumped by 45% amid fee reductions and the reorganisation of TON. Pavel Durov announced that Telegram would take over management of the TON crypto project from the current operator, the TON Foundation. The entrepreneur promised to reduce fees on the TON network sixfold and turn the eponymous token into a mass-market product.

News

Advertising expectations and experience: Australians have their say about AI

The second wave of Ad Standards' Community Sentiment Tracker, which was conducted by Roy Morgan, has found that 72% of Australians are concerned about the use of AI-generated content in advertising, particularly its potential to mislead or deceive people with unrealistic or fake content. Around half are also worried that the use of AI could reduce authenticity and creativity in advertising and promote unrealistic body or beauty standards. Australians believe AI-generated content is already widely used in advertising, with more than half saying that it is used very often (21%) or often (37%). Despite this, confidence in recognising AI-generated content remains low, with one in five Australians saying they are not at all confident they could identify when AI-generated content has been used in an ad. Some 64% of Australians believe it should always be necessary to disclose when advertising contains AI-generated content. The Ad Standards-Roy Morgan Community Sentiment Tracker Survey was conducted online with a cross-section of 1,000 Australians aged 18+ between 19 February and 2 March 2026. (Roy Morgan)

News

Sports/Media/Broadasting

Seven boss flags interest in NRL

Southern Cross Media Group's CEO Rohan Lund has indicated that the Seven Network owner could potentially bid for the NRL's broadcasting rights. Lund says media companies like Seven have an important role in helping audiences and partners to connect with their sports teams. He adds that Seven could be interested in the annual State of Origin series in particular. The Nine Network's current free-to-air rights deal for the NRL expires next year, and the NRL aims to finalise its next deal by the end of July. (RMS)

News

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Alphabet Inc Class A
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Meta Platforms Inc
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Netflix Inc
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News

(ICYMI)

MGM Vegas

Heyman Hustle/Paul Heyman - Live At MGM

News

Heyman’s involvement ties into his Looking4Larry Agency’s creative work and a broader MGM Studios partnershipMGM Live is the new entertainment/content brand for MGM Resorts International’s Las Vegas properties. It launched on Instagram with a debut reel featuring Paul Heyman and UFC President Dana White together at an EZ Baccarat table at the Live at Park MGM venue on the Las Vegas.

This marks a notable crossover, as UFC and WWE are both under TKO Group Holdings. Park MGM has hosted WWE events (like the 2026 Hall of Fame) and UFC PPVs.

Heyman shot disruptive/late-night content there during WrestleMania week, including:His TikTok debut from Park MGM (talking about Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania, etc.).

"Heyman on Heyman" interview with his son Jacob for HeymanHustleTV. Multiple Instagram/TikTok reels embracing his "King of New York (and everywhere else)" persona while promoting MGM.

News

Pop Culture/WWE

Danhausen Reopens Cameo for Sports Curses and Uncurses

The Metro Detroit wrestler, now with WWE, offers personalized videos for around $125 to curse or uncursed sports teams, just as NBA playoffs heat up. A Knicks fan's uncursing video preceded their 140-89 Game 6 blowout over the Hawks, sparking requests from Chiefs, Nets, Panthers, Cavs, Bears, Arsenal, Ferrari, and Jets fans. His 'very nice, very evil' persona has fans half-jokingly linking his hexes to real results, with Cameo now swamped and unavailable. (Media Man Peg-On: You are not cursed, and you are on Media Man!

News

Big Tech

(ICYMI)

Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms Report Q1 2026 Earnings Beating Expectations

Alphabet reported Q1 2026 revenue of $109.9 billion and EPS of $5.11, surpassing estimates, with Google Cloud revenue up 63% to $20 billion.

Microsoft reported fiscal Q3 2026 revenue of $82.89 billion and EPS of $4.27, beating expectations, driven by 39-40% Azure growth.

Amazon reported Q1 2026 revenue of $181.5 billion and EPS of $2.78 exceeding forecasts, with AWS up 28%, while Meta reported Q1 2026 revenue of $56.3 billion and EPS of $10.44 above estimates.

News

Pop Culture/Lucha Libre

AAA Announces New General Manager Reveal on May 23

On the April 25 episode of AAA on Fox, President Marisela Peña announced that Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide will get a new General Manager, with the live reveal set for May 23 in Mexico City. This follows her son Dorian Roldán's recent plea for the role, which she decided to open to other candidates after careful thought. Fans are speculating on names like Zelina Vega, Rey Mysterio, or even The Undertaker, amid AAA's growth since WWE's majority stake acquisition last April and its new Fox broadcasts blending lucha action with WWE polish. (Media Man Peg-On): Ariba. Triple A has massive influence from The Undertaker, and it's paying off as far as entertainment value for fans and in other creative and business ways from what we see and hear. Can see see Danhausen in Triple H also? Lucha Hausen! And Vice City Rocks!

News Lead

UFC - MMA Building Stars Again; SS King Of Division, Substance And Hype; Yan UFC Bonus; Dan Inks McGregor for UFC 329

New York Kind Of Feeling

US Stocks - Black Friday aftermath

Road To WWE Clash In Italy and WWE SNME

WWE Management And Wrestlers Bullish; Wrestling and Boxing

Sports Biz Event Tickets And Merch Drive

Danhausen Lifts WWE Merch Hausen

News

Media Man Group Weekly Series

Pop Culture Dream Matches

New Blood vs New Day vs Old News

GCW Bloodspot vs The Others

MGM Wrestling vs Atlantic City

Mr UFC vs Numerous Mainstream Media

Bam Bam vs Father Time

UFC vs Outlaw Mud Shows

MVP vs Weekend Warriors

WBD Wrestling vs Own Goal

Mr Dingo Driver vs Naysayers

New School vs Old School

Paul Heyman and Son and MGM Gamification vs others!

PopWrecked vs Karen

Studio97 vs others: Catfight Rules!

FHM vs MAXIM

Danhausen and Minihuasen def Bully Ray and Easy E

Oba Femi vs Lockeroom

x AI vs others!

T. Abbott (Aust) vs Wokes

Rousey vs self

Rousey and Gina vs Critics

Ali vs self

The Man In The Arena vs self

Netflix vs Paramount Plus vs YouTube - 3 Way Dance! Special Ref: Easy E. Share The Love! Enough For The Big 3!

Ultra A.I vs Human Full Bloods

Ex Machina vs Cave Man

Rudos vs Technicos (Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide)

Killer Kross vs All; KK The Belt Collector!

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't know" Anon

"An investment in ones self is always the best bet" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

"The consumer and fans decide what and who is the best" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

Media Man

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

FinTech, Big Tech, Big Biz

LinkedIn b2b Business Lifts For Media Man Group and Associates

TKO/WWE In And Out Of The Ring Continues; Up and Down Cycle; TKO's Nick Khan Offers Positive Vibes To US Admin Re Ali Act Amendment; TKO's LinkedIn Enjoys Strong News Media Buzz; Google LinkedIn Numbers Up; Media Man LinkedIn and X Up; TKO News Flashbacks

Google/Alphabet Earnings

April 30, 2026

(Sydney, Australia To Wall Street, New York)

ASX 200 futures down 69 points/0.8%: 8627

AUD -0.9% to US71.17¢

Bitcoin - $75,808.20 -0.71%

Wall St:

Dow -0.6%
S&P -0.04%
Nasdaq +0.04%

VIX +0.98 to 18.81
Gold +0.03% to $US4549.45 an ounce
Brent oil +8.9% to $US120.19 a barrel
Iron ore +0.6% to $US107.05 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.43% Australia 4.99%

Coffee 290.70 flat!

Cocoa 3403.83 +23.83

Numbers Double Check

April 30

Australian Dollar: $0.7110 USD (down $0.0070 USD)
Iron Ore: $107.05 USD (up $0.65 USD)
Oil Price (WTI): $108.49 USD (up $8.87 USD)
Gold Price : $4,543.97 USD (down $52.22 USD)
Copper Price: $5.9265 USD (up $0.0070 USD)
Dow Jones: 48,861.81 (down 280.12 points)

Shares

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$183.71
-0.87 -0.47%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$349.94
+0.13 +0.037%

NVIDIA Corp
$209.25
-3.82 -1.79%

News

Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta Platforms Report Q1 2026 Earnings Beating Expectations

Alphabet reported Q1 2026 revenue of $109.9 billion and EPS of $5.11, surpassing estimates, with Google Cloud revenue up 63% to $20 billion.

Microsoft reported fiscal Q3 2026 revenue of $82.89 billion and EPS of $4.27, beating expectations, driven by 39-40% Azure growth.

Amazon reported Q1 2026 revenue of $181.5 billion and EPS of $2.78 exceeding forecasts, with AWS up 28%, while Meta reported Q1 2026 revenue of $56.3 billion and EPS of $10.44 above estimates.

News

Biz (Aust)

April 30

ASX falls for seventh straight day; G8 tanks

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Wednesday, amid growing expectations of an official interest rate rise next week in response to the latest inflation data; the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3 per cent to close at 8,687 points. Newmont Corporation was down 3.2 per cent at $153.58, Cochlear shed 3.2 per cent to end the session at $90 and G8 Education shed 31.3 per cent to finish at $0.165. However, oOh!media rose 32.9 per cent to $1.13 in response to a takeover bid and Codan was up 15.5 per cent at $42. (RMS)

News

The crypto takes a breather after growth

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has changed little over the past 24 hours, hovering around $2.57 trillion, with assets moving in different directions. Markets are likely to prefer a wait-and-see approach ahead of decisions by the Bank of Canada, the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of England over the next couple of days. Officially, markets are expecting a hawkish tone, so a focus on the economy could spur active buying.

The sentiment index plummeted to 26, falling below last week’s lows, reflecting a return of fear to the markets. The inability to hold above 50 since September remains a key sign of bearish sentiment.

Over the past two days, Bitcoin has lost approximately $4K from peak to trough at $75.6K, but on Wednesday, it turned higher, attempting to consolidate above $77K. Thus, Bitcoin has broken out of its upward trend but has not yet confirmed a reversal; therefore, we can only note a slowdown in growth at the 50% mark of the January-February decline.

News Background

The $80K level remains an important psychological barrier, around which a large volume of options is concentrated, GSR notes. QCP Capital considers $82K to be a key resistance level.

Bernstein regards Bitcoin’s February low of $60K as a “clear bottom” and expects a “higher and structurally longer bull cycle” going forward. The main driver of optimism remains a steady inflow of capital from institutional investors.

Bitcoin is no longer merely an “interesting asset” for companies seeking to remain competitive, Tim Draper, founder of venture capital firm Draper Associates, stated. According to him, firms must hold a portion of their reserves (5–15%) in BTC to avoid being financially irresponsible towards their shareholders.

Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the US Presidential Council on Digital Assets, announced an “important statement” regarding the US strategic Bitcoin reserve, which will be made in the coming weeks.

Bitmine, the largest publicly traded corporate holder of Ethereum, announced the acquisition of over 5 million ETH over 10 months, at an average cost of $2,369 per ETH. The company’s reserves have reached nearly 5.08 million ETH, representing 4.21% of the Ethereum supply.

News

Pop Culture/WWE

Roman Reigns Sweats Through Epic Promo Amid Arena Heat in Laredo

A power outage killed air conditioning at Sames Auto Arena, turning Monday Night Raw into a sauna with fans drenched and wrestlers glistening under pyro-lit lights. Reigns cut a fiery main event promo on Fatu's World Heavyweight Title shot at Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, listening to The Usos' warnings before greenlighting the match—only for Fatu to ambush him with a brutal Tongan Death Grip post-promo. Fans flooded social media with memes of Reigns' sweat-drenched look, declarations of stanning the champ, and hype for the Bloodline clash, proving his unbreakable draw even as some Cody Rhodes fans pushed back. (Media Man Peg-On): So pumped for the main event of WWE Backlash. We smell a Bloodline screw-job finish, but we shall see.

News

WWE NXT/Wrestling

NXT Debuts EVIL, Lizzy Rain, and Will Kroos in Roster Shake-Up

WWE NXT's April 28 episode on The CW featured six debuts, including former NJPW star EVIL's chilling arrival targeting NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo, rocker Lizzy Rain's dominant win over Nikkita Lyons with her Thunderstruck finisher, and indie powerhouse Will Kroos joining a beatdown on D'Angelo. John Cena hyped EVIL with his classic promo quote, while fans praised the secrecy around Kroos and Rain's heavy-metal entrance. Other newcomers like Tristan Angels, Kam Hendrix, and Tate Wilder added to the stacked night, setting up fresh storylines for titles and rivalries. (Media Man Peg-On): NXT needed some fresh faces and new blood to replace some of the WWE main roster call-ups; Shawn Michaels and Robert Stone one again deliver. It's almost a new era kinda feeling and vibe with the shake-ups. Fans pumped for the upcoming main roster debuts of Blake Monroe and Ricky Saints.

News

Pop Culture

Danhausen Reunites with Jade Cargill in WWE Photoshoot Throwback

The surprise images dropped Tuesday, showing Danhausen in full vampire gear posing dynamically with Cargill, who rocked a white fur bodysuit and championship belt. It's a nod to their fun AEW days, where Danhausen debuted his 'very nice, very evil' persona before crossing to WWE this year with stunts like emerging from a crate at Elimination Chamber and teaming with John Cena at WrestleMania 42. Jadehausen!?

News

April 28

Pop Culture/Pro Wrestling/WWE/NXT

EVIL From Japan Makes NXT Debut; Faced Off With Tony D!

Blake Monroe Buried in Dramatic NXT Graveyard Farewell; The Glamour Heading To Main Roster

NXT's Ricky Saints Heading To WWE SmackDown

News

Google, Meta shift $11b offshore, pay just $140m in tax

Technology firms Meta and Google have come under ongoing criticism over the fact that they seem to pay very little tax on the huge amount of revenue they generate in Australia. The criticism comes in particular from companies that must compete with them, including banks and media companies, while the federal government is set to force them to enter into commercial agreements with Australian news publishers. The criticism regarding the low amount of tax that Google and Meta is not likely to go away, given the revelation that they transferred almost $11 billion to offshore entities in service fees and reseller payments over the past year, but only paid just over $140 million in tax. (RMS)

News

Elon Musk's OpenAI Trial Jury Selected in Oakland

Jury selection finished Monday in federal court in Oakland, California, for Musk's civil suit against OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Greg Brockman. Musk, who helped launch the nonprofit in 2015 with $45 million and no equity, claims its for-profit pivot—now valued at $852 billion—betrays the original mission of open AGI for humanity's benefit. He's seeking to unwind the structure and potential $134 billion in damages, while OpenAI calls the case baseless jealousy; opening statements start Tuesday with testimony from Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expected. The jury's findings will guide Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in a trial set to last two to four weeks. (Media Man Peg-On): Musk vs Altman. Pick'em Title, Who you got?!

News

WWE

WWE Raw Hits Laredo with Rollins-Reigns Tension and Backlash Build

Monday Night Raw airs live at 8 p.m. ET from Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas, exclusively on Netflix, featuring Seth Rollins opening with words for Roman Reigns and Reigns responding to Jacob Fatu's title challenge at Backlash. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria face Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez in tag action, while Becky Lynch returns after reclaiming her Women's Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania to address challengers. Joe Hendry performs a live concert, and fan cards highlight matches like Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Rusev, all building hype toward Backlash.

News Lead Up

April 27

The crypto market has yet to satisfy sellers

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation rose to $2.64T in the early hours of Monday but quickly retreated to the $2.60T level that has held steady over the past five days. Bears are aggressively defending the level from which the active sell-off began in February and where local highs were also seen earlier in April. Over the past seven days, the cryptocurrency market has gained 2.8%, with Zcash (+15%), Algorand (+12%) and Cosmos (+9%) leading the way, while Trump (-10%), Theta Network (-2.5%) and Polkadot (-2.3%) lagged.

The sentiment index has risen to 47, entering neutral territory and reaching its highest level since the second half of January. Since last August, the indicator has spent no more than a few consecutive days above 50, the first sign of a bear market. In the short term, approaching this level increases the risk of a fresh wave of selling. But don’t rush to side with the sellers until the situation becomes clearer, as a bear market does not last forever.

Bitcoin has approached the $80K mark for the second time in the last few days, but has since experienced significant downward momentum. As it approaches this round figure, a build-up of sell orders is preventing the coin from moving further upwards. For now, we consider this situation to be temporary, as the corrective pullbacks fit within the uptrend formed at the end of March.

News Background

Bitcoin has entered a new phase amid the return of US retail investors to the market, Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz said. In his view, the combination of retail demand, institutional capital and limited supply creates the foundation for further growth.

Over a short period, sentiment among Bitcoin investors has shifted sharply — from pronounced pessimism to fear of missing out (FOMO), according to Santiment. Crypto whales have increased their holdings by more than 40,000 BTC over the past two weeks.

CryptoQuant, on the other hand, believes that Bitcoin’s recent rise above $79K was driven primarily by a short squeeze in the derivatives market, rather than sustained demand in the spot market. Large-scale short covering is making the market vulnerable.

Japanese company Metaplanet, one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin, has announced the issuance of $50 million in bonds to finance new purchases of the leading cryptocurrency.

The infrastructure of traditional finance and blockchains began to form a unified system in 2026, according to CoinShares. Stablecoins remain the largest segment of hybrid finance.

A quantum computer has, for the first time, cracked a 15-bit elliptic curve cryptographic key — the mathematical basis of digital signature schemes that ensure the security of Bitcoin networks and most blockchains. (FxPro)

News

WWE/Pop Culture

Paul Heyman Praises Lil Yachty Amid WWE Celebrity Backlash

On SmackDown, Yachty celebrated new U.S. Champion Trick Williams' WrestleMania 42 victory over Sami Zayn, but Zayn ambushed them unmasked as a Gingerbread Man with a Helluva Kick. Paul Heyman endorsed Yachty as a respectful crossover star who honors WWE's history and fans, countering backlash from viewers upset over recent talent cuts like Aleister Black and Karrion Kross. While some fans call it unwanted filler, others praise the fun energy as WWE balances celebrities with homegrown stories ahead of Backlash. (Media Man Peg-On): We're going with Heyman on this. Yachty is great and over with the audience for the most part.

News

UFC/MMA

(Australia)

UFC Fight Night in Perth Features Main Event Between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates

UFC Fight Night is set for Perth, Western Australia, headlined by a welterweight bout between top-ranked fighters Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates. The event, promoted as UFC Perth, airs live on Paramount Plus. (Media Man Peg-On): On paper this Fight Night down under should be stronger/better than some of their previous fight nights are far as match quality.

News

Pop Culture/Lucha Libre

AAA Announces New General Manager Reveal on May 23

On the April 25 episode of AAA on Fox, President Marisela Peña announced that Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide will get a new General Manager, with the live reveal set for May 23 in Mexico City. This follows her son Dorian Roldán's recent plea for the role, which she decided to open to other candidates after careful thought. Fans are speculating on names like Zelina Vega, Rey Mysterio, or even The Undertaker, amid AAA's growth since WWE's majority stake acquisition last April and its new Fox broadcasts blending lucha action with WWE polish. (Media Man Peg-On): Ariba. Triple A has massive influence from The Undertaker, and it's paying off as far as entertainment value for fans and in other creative and business ways from what we see and hear. Can see see Danhausen in Triple H also? Lucha Hausen!

News Lead Up

April 23

(Wall St, New York) : April 24 (Sydney, Australia)

UFC - MMA Building Stars Again

New York Kind Of Feeling

US Stocks - Black Friday - Black-ish Thursday into Friday

Post WrestleMania; Road To WWE Backlash 2026

WWE Management And Wrestlers Bullish; Wrestling and Boxing

Sports Biz Event Tickets And Merch Drive

Danhausen Lifts WWE Merch Hausen

Traditional Big Tech Sector Takes Big Hit April 23

Media Man Group Weekly Series

News Lead Up

ASX 200 futures down 4 points: 0.1% to 8828

AUD -0.4% to US71.30¢

Bitcoin $78,168.22 +0.52%

Dogecoin $0.09776 +2.24%

Ripple aka XRP $1.4374 +1.48%

Wall St:

Dow -0.4%

S&P -0.4%

Nasdaq -0.9%

VIX +0.39 to 19.31

Gold -1% to $US4694.14 an ounce

Brent oil +4.5% to $US106.44 a barrel

Iron ore -0.6% to $US106.65 a tonne

10-year yield: US 4.32% Australia 5.00%

News

News Flashback

November 2025

Polymarket Partnership Could Be a Game Changer for TKO Group Holdings (TKO)

Nov 17

(In Case You Missed It)

Polymarket/UFC/TKO

Polymarket recently announced a multi-year partnership making it the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner for UFC and Zuffa Boxing, introducing real-time fan prediction metrics directly into UFC broadcasts and social media experiences.

This collaboration marks the first time major sports organizations have integrated prediction market technology into the live fan experience, creating new ways for audiences to interact and for TKO's sports brands to differentiate themselves.

We'll explore how this innovative fan engagement initiative could strengthen TKO Group Holdings' investment narrative by deepening audience connection and content value.

What Is TKO Group Holdings' Investment Narrative?

To see the value in TKO Group Holdings as a shareholder, you really have to believe in its ability to keep building out top sports entertainment brands like UFC and WWE into global, multi-platform franchises. A lot of the story is about continuing to grow earnings and revenue faster than the overall market, attract loyal audiences, and evolve with changes in media rights, streaming, and digital fan engagement. Recent announcements, such as the multi-year partnership with Polymarket, reflect TKO’s push to unlock new monetization avenues and deepen fan involvement.

However, it’s unlikely this news will materially change the core short-term catalysts, which are still dominated by performance in key international deals, broadcast partnerships, and the rollout of new events. The biggest risks remain legal challenges, compression of media rights value, and questions about board experience. The new fan engagement efforts add differentiation, but don’t directly reduce these core risks for now. On the flip side, investors should pay close attention to ongoing legal proceedings against TKO and UFC.

TKO Group Holdings' shares have been on the rise but are still potentially undervalued by 15%.

Ten retail investors in the Simply Wall St Community produced fair value estimates for TKO ranging from US$63.92 to a very large US$37,618.47. While community views can be widely split, ongoing legal challenges remain a topic several market participants keep circling back to as a concern for TKO’s future performance. Explore these diverse perspectives and see how the risks and opportunities stack up.

Historical Data and Intel

TKO Group: News

News Flashback

Insider Buying and Selling at TKO Group

In related news, Director Nick Khan sold 45,168 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.82, for a total value of $7,715,597.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 156,494 shares in the company, valued at $26,732,305.08. This represents a 22.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 73,725 shares of company stock valued at $12,767,807. Corporate insiders own 61.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TKO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Baird R W raised TKO Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Zacks Research upgraded TKO Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on TKO Group from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on TKO Group in a report on Friday, September 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. Finally, Roth Capital raised their target price on TKO Group from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $192.21.

TKO Group Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:TKO traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $202.33. 897,072 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 683,611. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.01 and a 52-week high of $204.10. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $178.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market capitalization of $40.12 billion, a PE ratio of 83.61 and a beta of 0.79.

TKO Group (NYSE:TKO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.06). TKO Group had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 2.82%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 53.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that TKO Group Holdings, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TKO Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from TKO Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. TKO Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.81%.

TKO Group Profile

TKO Group Holdings, Inc operates as a sports and entertainment company. The company produces and licenses live events, television programs, and long-form and short-form content, reality series, and other filmed entertainment on digital and linear channels and via pay-per-view. It is involved in the merchandising of video games, apparel, equipment, trading cards, memorabilia, digital goods, and toys, as well as sale of travel packages and tickets.

News Flashback

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. is an American sports and sports entertainment company. Established on September 12, 2023, the public company was formed by a merger between Endeavor subsidiary Zuffa—the parent company of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship —and the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment. TKO is led by CEO Ari Emanuel and president Mark Shapiro, both of Endeavor; Dana White and Nick Khan retained their roles as CEOs of UFC and WWE respectively upon the merger, while WWE co-founder Vince McMahon served as executive chairman until resigning from the company in January 2024 amid a sex trafficking scandal. The merger marked the first time that WWE has not been solely and primarily majority-controlled by the McMahon family, which founded the company and owned it for over 70 years. As of 2024, the UFC and WWE were the two most valuable combat sports organizations in the world according to Forbes. UFC was listed as the most valued mixed martial arts company with a revenue of $1.406 billion and WWE being the most valued professional wrestling promotion with a revenue of $1.398 billion in 2023. (Wikipedia)

TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans.

TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality. (Credit: TKO Group)

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

"An investment in ones self is always the best bet" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group

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