Biz News

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

May 28, 2026

Wall Street, New York - Sydney, Australia

Ready For The Weekend

"I've Got Friday On My Mind" (The Easybeats)

"Saturday Night's Are For Fighting" (Elton John)

"The Wall Street Shuffle" (10cc)

Big Week In Store For Markets, Streaming Biz, Combat Sports; Ripple Effect! Bulls vs Bears continued

UFC Macau, WWE Clash In Italy and Lucha Libre Noche de Los Grandes This Weekend: TKO Weekend!

Road To WWE Clash In Italy and UFC Freedom 250; Wrestling With Numbers And Creative; UFC Macau This Weekend

WWE's Logan Paul

"Logan Paul knows better than anyone, this ain't ballet" Paul Heyman, re Paul injury

Digital Bush Telegraph

Australia and Wall St Continues To Ring Bells

Markets

May 28 (Aust)
May 27 (Wall St, New York)

ASX 200 futures down 38 points/-0.4 per cent: 8703

AUD flat to 71.40 US¢

Bitcoin $72,977.75 -3.30%

Wall St:
Dow +0.4%
S&P flat
Nasdaq +0.1%

VIX down 0.72 to 16.29
Gold flat to $US4452.75 an ounce
Brent oil -4.6% to $US95.00 a barrel
Iron ore flat to $US105 a ton

10-year yield:
US 4.48%
Australia 4.85%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7137 USD (down $0.0030 USD)
Iron Ore: $105.00 USD (closed for public holiday)
Oil Price (West Texas): $89.44 USD (down $4.17 USD)
Gold Price : $4,456.13 USD (down $51.34 USD)
Copper Price: $6.3350 USD (down $0.0895 USD)
Dow Jones: 50,644.28 (up 182.60 points)

News (Australia)

May 28

ASX rallies on CPI data as tech, miners climb

The Australian sharemarket finished in positive territory on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing up 59.90 points at 8717.70. Investors were buoyed by the news that the latest headline inflation figures were lower than expected, boosting the likelihood that the Reserve Bank will leave interest rates unchanged when it next meets. The figures helped interest-rate sensitive tech stocks, with Megaport up 8.6 per cent to $14.98 and NextDC rising 3.8 per cent to $15.20, while mining stocks were boosted by strong copper and aluminium prices, with South32 up 3.5 per cent at $4.79 and BHP advancing 1.5 per cent to $61.28. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Gaming/Tech Biz

Pokies company Ainsworth writes off $13.2m investment in alleged 'pyramid scheme'

Australian poker machine manufacturer Ainsworth Game Technology has lost a $13.2 million investment in an Argentinian fintech company called Wenance, with the company having been declared bankrupt. Its CEO Alejandro Muszak was arrested in 2024 amid fraud allegations facing Wenance, while there are claims that it operated a Ponzi scheme. With Ainsworth Game Technology having recently forecast a profit before tax of just $1m for the six months ending 30 June, the news that it has lost its $13.2 million investment in Wenance is unlikely to please its shareholders. (RMS)

Cryptos

XRP $1.2746 -3.92

DOGE $0.09773 -3.64%

Bitcoin Cash $330.76 -3.345

News

A.I News (Aust)

WiseTech's move to replace staff with AI triggers threats made against CEO Zubin Appoo

WiseTech Global CEO Zubin Appoo has previously announced plans to lay off about 30 per cent of the logistics software's firm's staff, with it being understood that the lay-off process as far as its Australian staff are concerned began on Monday. The lay-offs appear to have led to an employee to have made threats against Appoo, with police believed to be investigating violent threats allegedly made against him, along with "offensive comments" about his family, with the threats believed to have come from an Australian employee. Appoo had said when announcing the redundancies in February that AI was "going to be the biggest unlocker of productivity for business", while WiseTech founder and executive chairman Richard White has commented that an AI agent "never goes to sleep, never complains, never asks for a pay rise, doesn't go on holidays, works 24/7". (RMS)

News Lead Up

The crypto market is juggling altcoins

Market Overview

The crypto market remains stagnant, stuck at $2.57T and hovering around the 50-day moving average, awaiting further signals. The crypto market’s overall sideways movement looks like a juggling act for mid-tier altcoins: one after another takes the lead. Among the most popular coins over the last 24 hours are NEAR Protocol (+14%), The Graph (+5.6%) and Toncoin (+4.5%). The underperformers were Zcash (-5.9%), Dash (-4.1%) and Uniswap (-3.1%).

Bitcoin rose to $77.8K at the end of the day on Monday, but by the start of trading in Europe, it was trading $1,000 lower. The coin is finding support near the upward-sloping 50-day moving average. Earlier in May, the 200-day moving average briefly acted as strong resistance. If current trends continue, these lines will cross in just a couple of weeks, forming a golden cross, a strong bullish signal. But even before that, we may see a breakout of one of the key moving averages, the outcome of which will determine the trajectory of Bitcoin and the entire crypto market for the coming weeks.

News Background

Institutional investors have withdrawn $1.74 billion from Bitcoin ETFs over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, retail traders are increasing their leverage in anticipation of a reversal in the BTC price. In the past, such a combination has repeatedly resulted in severe waves of liquidations, warns CryptoOnchain.

Current Ethereum levels are suitable for building long-term positions, according to MN Trading founder Michael van de Poppe. In his view, the asset remains a crucial infrastructure element of the on-chain ecosystem, despite lagging the market in recent months due to macroeconomic factors.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the listing of options on a Bitcoin index calculated based on BTC prices across multiple exchanges. This is the first such instrument on US stock exchanges currently; only options linked to the value of spot crypto ETF shares are traded there.

Strategy skipped its weekly Bitcoin purchase last week, instead buying back $1.5 billion of its own convertible bonds. The company’s founder, Michael Saylor, publicly revealed for the first time the tactic that Strategy has been using for five years. (FxPro)

News

May 25

Bitcoin is shy to move up, but refuses to fall

Market Overview

The crypto market continues to fluctuate, returning for the third time this week to market capitalisation levels around $2.57T, although at the end of last week it dipped to $2.5T following an earlier surge to $2.7T in May. Over the past 24 hours, the top-performing coins have been Near Protocol (+7.3%), Internet Computer (+4.1%) and Toncoin (+3.4%). Uniswap has seen the biggest decline, falling by 1.6%, whilst Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin have each lost 1%.

Bitcoin fell to $74.3K on Saturday but was trading just above $77K by Monday. Its price movements remain very subdued, with no sharp spikes, and it continues to lag behind stock indices, which are climbing towards all-time highs. On the other hand, the trend of buying on dips is also clearly continuing. The 50-day moving average remains a support level, but buyers are wary of accelerating their purchases. They are likely somewhat put off by the lack of a ‘final capitulation’ in the leading cryptocurrency, which could have brought the bear market to an end.

News Background

Outflows from US spot Bitcoin ETFs have continued for a second week, following six weeks of inflows. According to SoSoValue, net weekly outflows from spot BTC ETFs rose to $1.26 billion, hitting their highest level since late January. Total inflows since the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 have fallen to $57.08 billion (-2.2% for the week).

Outflows from US spot Ethereum ETFs have also persisted for two consecutive weeks. Net weekly outflows from ETH ETFs fell by $216 million. Total net inflows since the ETF's launch in July 2024 have fallen to $11.62 billion (-1.8% week-on-week).

Weakening retail demand and outflows from crypto ETFs could be a ‘contrarian indicator’ signalling a buy signal for Bitcoin, according to Santiment.

Bitcoin miners remain cautious and are not yet showing confidence that the bear market phase is over, CryptoQuant notes. Miners continue to reduce their reserves of the leading cryptocurrency, as they do not yet see sufficient grounds for active BTC purchases.

The media corporation Trump Media and Technology Group transferred 2,650 bitcoins from the project’s crypto wallet to the http://Crypto.com exchange. The transaction suggests a desire to sell BTC, Arkham Intelligence speculated. The deal will be a loss-maker, as the average purchase price of the coins exceeded $118K.

Billionaire Mark Cuban has sold 80% of his bitcoin holdings and stated that he has lost faith in bitcoin as a safe-haven asset. According to him, he continues to hold Ethereum, placing more trust in this altcoin than in BTC. (FxPro)

News Flashback/Lead Up

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 (120 + Hours Ago)

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

(ICYMI)

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! WSW YouTube Is Updated!

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!

Legendary WWE Tag team Rumored To Return To Roster; No Names/Spoilers - Join The Dots .. And You Can't Beat That ... Ok, Not . S.A.W.F.T ... Hard On The Mic + +

Red Turns To Green And Gold!

News Flashback

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? Insiders and outsiders continue to debate broadcast!

News

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

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

News (ICYMI)

Dana White, UFC Power, Makes Front Cover Of Time: The Promoter!

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 Road To UFC Freedom 250

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 Road To UFC Freedom 250

Google/Alphabet: Bullish!

May 27, 2026 (U.S)

Markets

Coffee 269.85 -4.15

Cocoa 4140.00 -29

Sillicon 8380.00 +20.00

Silver 72.243 -2.04

Beef 348.30 +0.50

Newsfeed

News Lead Up

200 + 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%). Full coverage via FxPro. (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

Current

Shares

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$187.64
-0.45 -0.24%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$388.83
-0.050 -0.013%

Meta Platforms Inc
$635.26
+22.91 +3.74%

Netflix Inc
$87.35
-0.33 -0.38%

Wynn Resorts Ltd
$101.22
+3.35 +3.42%

MGM Resorts International
$41.95 +3.50 +9.10%

NVIDIA Corp
$212.60
-2.26 -1.05%

News

Wrestling/WWE/Combat Sports

Logan Paul Reveals Gnarly Scar After Triceps Tear in WWE Title Defense

During Saturday Night's Main Event, Paul and Austin Theory defended their championships against the Street Profits when Paul tore his triceps on a dive from Angelo Dawkins. WWE confirmed the injury on Raw, with a six-month recovery timeline, though Paul joked he'd return in weeks fueled by his PRIME shake. He underwent surgery soon after, posting graphic operating room selfies and calling the scar an 'uncrustable' edge, earning praise for his toughness from fans and wrestlers alike. (Media Man Peg On): Much respect to LP. The wrestlers wrestlers, akin to the late, great, Harley Race. LP to return with a veneange. Austin Theory and Bron keeping The Vision flag aloft. Dawkins Dawg may get bit?! LP bite worse than considerable bark. Size of the fight in the dog, right creative mastermind Michael Hayes.

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

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 Lead Up

Media (Aust)

May 22

James Murdoch gets Rupert's old New York mag in $419m Vox deal

James Murdoch has purchased roughly half of Vox Media in a deal reportedly worth $US300 million ($419 million). It is the first big purchase by James Murdoch since he 'cashed out' his $US1.1 billion share of the Murdoch family business in a 2025 settlement that ended a acrimonious succession dispute, with James Murdoch being the youngest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Vox Media's assets include 'New York' magazine, which his father owned from 1976 to 1991, along with a podcast network that includes shows such as 'Where Should We Begin?' (RMS)

Media Man (Anti Peg-On): Succession?!? May be interesting lunch or dinner banter. Boar On The Floor? If you can make it in New York and/or Sydhey, you can make it anywhere?!

News

May 25

(Rey Mysterio is new AAA GM); JBL May Challenge!

Pop Culture/Lucha Libre

Mask vs Mask. This Weekend. El Grande Americano's! May 30, 2026

Sports News Lead

UFC - MMA Building Stars Again; SS King Of Division, Substance And Hype; Yan UFC Bonus; Dana White Inks McGregor for UFC 329; UFC Macua This Weekend! May 30

New York Kind Of Feeling

US Stocks - Black-ish Friday again?

Road To WWE Clash In Italy

Road To WWE Money In The Bank (for some)

Google/Alphabet vs The Others

X vs The Others

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

News

Media Man Group Weekly Series

Pop Culture Dream Matches

Oba Femi vs Brock Lesnar - Rematch - Clash in Italy

New Blood vs New Day vs Old News

GCW Bloodspot vs The Others

MGM Wrestling vs Atlantic City

Mr UFC vs Upstart MMA's

Bam Bam vs Time

Mankind vs IWC

UFC vs Outlaw Mud Shows

MVP vs Weekend Warriors

WBD Wrestling vs Own Goal

Mr Dingo Driver vs Dingo Warrior

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 vs Fraxiom

x AI vs others!

T. Abbott (Aust) and P. Hanson vs Wokes

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!

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!

Mr News vs Mr VOX *That's with a V, not FOX)!

FOX vs The Hare: Fox And The Hound! Re-match. NYC Rules!

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

"What's your hustle" Paul Heyman

"I've never met a currency I didn't like" JBL

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't know" Anon/Mr Crypto Castle

"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

"More often than not it pays to be Google friendly" Greg Tingle, Media Man Group (repeated at Google Search Central Live, Sydney, Australia)

Media Man

Market highlights

May 22, 2026

ASX 200 futures are pointing up 35 points or 0.4 per cent to 8681.
All US prices near 5.15pm New York time.

AUD +0.03% to US71.52¢
Bitcoin +0.2% to $US77,712
Wall St: Dow +0.6% S&P +0.2% Nasdaq +0.1%
VIX -0.68 to 16.76
Gold -0.03% to $US4543.05 an ounce
Brent oil -0.1% to $US104.96 a barrel
Iron ore -1.2% to $US105.95 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.57% Australia 4.96%

May 22, 2026

How to get pre-IPO exposure to SpaceX

The hype surrounding Elon Musk’s plans to take SpaceX public have surged after the company released a draft prospectus.

Tom Essaye, the former Merrill Lynch trader who now publishes the Sevens Report, said that while only a small number of investors will get access to the deal shares, there are ETFs that give tangential or partial exposure to SpaceX that are worth considering.

He provided a list in his daily market note, from highest to lowest exposure to SpaceX: Baron Partners Fund; ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF; Baron Focused Growth Fund; The Private Shares Fund; The Destiny Tech100; and ARK Venture Fund.

Essaye said some of these options also provide exposure to other private companies that could potentially IPO in the near future, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Kalshi, Kraken, Stripe, Securitize, Revolut and Discord, among others.

Among the caveats, Essaye said investors should keep in mind that by putting illiquid securities inside publicly offered funds, forces such as dilution, concentration, and valuation opacity can play a factor.

Magnificent seven continue to lead on earnings

With Nvidia’s results released on Thursday AEST, all seven of the magnificent seven megacap US tech companies have reported for the first quarter of 2026.

John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, has crunched the numbers and concludes that: “In aggregate, earnings reported by the magnificent seven companies exceeded estimates by 32.5 per cent, compared to 16.6 per cent for all S&P 500 companies.”

As a result, the magnificent seven companies reported actual earnings growth of 63.2 per cent for the first quarter, Butters said, “which is the highest earnings growth rate reported by these seven companies since the second quarter of 2021 (89.2 per cent)”.

On the other hand, the blended earnings growth rate for the other 493 S&P 500 companies in the first quarter is 17.4 per cent, which is also the highest earnings growth rate reported by this group since the fourth quarter of 2021 (32.3 per cent), he said.

“Overall, four of the magnificent seven companies are among the top five contributors to earnings growth for the S&P 500 for the first quarter: Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta Platforms,” Butters said in a note.

Micron Technology is the only company outside the megacap group to be a top-five contributor to earnings growth for the S&P 500 this quarter.

May 22, 2026

Oil falls for a third day

Oil extended declines for a third day as investors speculated on whether the US and Iran are closing in on a peace deal that could lead to a resumption of flows through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate slipped 1.9 per cent to settle around $US96 a barrel, the lowest in almost two weeks, as both sides on Thursday (Friday AEST) signalled progress toward a permanent ceasefire and potential reopening of the waterway.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said an agreement was close since a truce began in early April, though no breakthrough has yet materialised.

The commodity reversed some losses in post-settlement trading after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country “won’t back down” in talks.

Futures have been highly sensitive to headlines around the status of peace talks in recent days, with traders wary of being caught wrong-footed by a sudden resolution. Earlier in the session, prices were jostled over whether a directive had been issued on Iran’s intention to keep its weapons-grade uranium inside the country.

“The longer the ceasefire holds without escalation, the more the market leans toward a diplomatic outcome, even as timelines extend and inventories tighten,” said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group.

May 22, 2026

Nvidia fails to impress investors

Shares in Nvidia failed to hold early modest gains as investors seemed to shrug at its latest quarterly results, plans to return cash to shareholders and the company’s optimistic outlook.

The shares were down 0.8 per cent to $US221.67 near 1.30pm in New York.

While investors are hesitating, analysts applauded the company with most of them lifting price targets, which now range from $US270 through $US500.

May 22, 2026

Before the Bell: ASX to rise, oil swings on hopes for peace deal

Australian shares are set to open higher as oil swung lower amid heightening speculation that the US and Iran are close to an agreement to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

ASX 200 futures were up 35 points or 0.4 per cent to 8681. The S&P 500 closed 0.2 per cent higher, paced by utilities.

IBM surged 12.4 per cent after securing a $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) infusion from the Trump administration to build a foundry for producing quantum computing chips.

In addition to IBM, the US government awarded funding to more than a half-dozen other companies. GlobalFoundries will receive $US375 million.

D-Wave, Rigetti, Infleqtion and PsiQuantum separately said they had signed letters of intent with the US Commerce Department for up to $US100 million apiece. Other recipients of $US100 million awards included Atom Computing and Quantinuum, while the startup Diraq will get $US38 million.

Nvidia was 1.8 per cent lower after reporting quarterly results that exceeded expectations despite a number of analysts having lifted price targets and reiterated buy recommendations.

Part of the drag on Nvidia’s shares was attributed to investors seeking to build cash reserves ahead of pending initial public offerings by SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic.

News

Streaming Industry News/Media/Broadcasting

Ratings For Entertainment, Sports, Grappling; Wrestling With Intel

Past, Present And Future

Developing News Story!

Wrestling Podcasters, Scribes Onto Something Big?!

Podcasters Battle Royal or Royal Rumble?! Rules Of Engagement?!

News

Combat Sports Streaming

May 2026

TrillerTV

“TrillerTV continues to operate its global operations for its millions of registered users, leveraging hundreds of licensed publishing partners across a variety of live and on-demand sporting events” spokesperson for Flipps Media, TrillerTV’s corporate entity.

“TrillerTV intends to provide the greatest content for users no differently than it has the past 11 years.”

News

“Flipps Media cannot comment on its ongoing legal dispute that is currently active in the Delaware Court of Chancery”

News

May 15

Livestreamer ChudTheBuilder Faces $1.25 Million Bond After Courthouse Shooting

Dalton Eatherly, the 28-year-old known online as ChudTheBuilder for livestreaming confrontations with racial slurs, argued with Joshua Fox, a 31-year-old Army veteran, outside the Montgomery County Courts Center in Clarksville. Eatherly shot Fox in the stomach and shoulder during a fight, claiming self-defense after Fox pursued and punched him; over 100 stream viewers backed his account, but prosecutors pointed to the crowded public setting and Eatherly's prior arrests. Judge H. Reid Poland III set a $1.25 million bond, citing the felony charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and more, which carry 15 to 60 years if convicted. Online, reactions divide sharply between self-defense claims and criticism of Eatherly's history, with fundraising topping $130,000 amid plans to block his release.

News

May 15

Forecast: Amazon, Netflix, Google to control half of CTV ad market by 2030

The global fight to “own the living room” is entering a new phase as Google, Amazon and Netflix are projected to control 50 per cent of the global connected TV advertising market by 2030, according to forecasts presented by Omdia at RetailX in London.

The findings highlight how the centre of power in television is rapidly shifting away from traditional broadcasting toward streaming platforms, TV operating systems and advertising ecosystems. According to Omdia forecasts, global connected TV (CTV) advertising revenue will surge from $44 billion (€37.8bn) in 2025 to $81 billion by 2030, with CTV ad revenues expected to surpass traditional linear TV advertising during the 2030s.

By the end of the decade:

Google is forecast to command 26 per cent of global CTV advertising revenue

Amazon will account for 13 per cent

Netflix will represent 9 per cent

Combined, the three companies will own half of the entire global CTV advertising market.

“The battle for the living room is no longer only about streaming content,” commented Maria Rua Aguete, Senior Research Director at Omdia, speaking at RetailX London. “It is increasingly about controlling the platform, the advertising layer, the operating system, the data and ultimately the consumer relationship.”

Rua Aguete noted that television is becoming one of the most strategic gateways for digital advertising, retail media and commerce integration, with tech companies increasingly competing to control the TV interface itself.

Omdia also revealed that the European TV operating system landscape is shifting rapidly. According to the research firm, VIDAA is set to become Europe’s third-largest TV operating system this behind Android TV and Tizen, overtaking several established competitors as manufacturers seek greater ownership of the smart TV experience. The rise of VIDAA underlines how smart TV operating systems are becoming critical strategic assets in the streaming era, acting as the front door for content discovery, advertising monetisation and viewer engagement.

“Who owns the TV operating system increasingly controls advertising, discovery and monetization,” added Rua Aguete. “The operating system is becoming as important as the content itself.”

The shift comes as media companies, streamers, retailers and technology giants race to secure premium positioning in connected households. Amazon is leveraging Prime Video and retail media integration to expand its TV advertising footprint, while Netflix continues to scale its advertising business globally through its ad-supported tier. Google remains dominant through YouTube’s massive connected TV reach and broader advertising infrastructure.

Omdia expects several trends to accelerate the transformation of television advertising over the next five years:

Expansion of ad-supported streaming services

Convergence of retail media and television advertising

Growth in programmatic and targeted TV advertising

Increasing importance of TV operating systems and smart TV ecosystems

Greater competition for consumer attention and platform ownership

The findings reinforce how television, commerce and digital advertising are converging into a single ecosystem and why control of the living room is becoming one of the most valuable strategic positions in media.

News

May 6

Endemol Shine Poland brings Naked Attraction back to territory

Media and entertainment powerhouse, Banijay Entertainment, has announced Endemol Shine Poland is producing hit dating format, Naked Attraction (Magia Nagosci. Polska) for Zoom TV. Returning after a year off-air, the show is set to premiere its fifth season later this year.

Originally created for Channel 4 in 2016 by Studio Lambert, part of All3Media, Naked Attraction has become a global phenomenon, with successful adaptations in Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Italy. A true “dating in reverse” format, the show strips away first impressions inviting participants to put aside prejudices and opt for naturalness when it comes to finding love. In Poland, the format has already run for four seasons, consistently sparking conversation and encouraging audiences to reflect on body acceptance and perceptions of attraction. The new season will be hosted by Julia Oles.

Michal Kaszuba, Head of Production at Endemol Shine Poland said: “Naked Attraction has already built a strong following in Poland, and after a year off-air, we’re proud to bring it back. It’s a show that sparks conversation, challenges perceptions, and we’re confident the bold format will once again resonate strongly with Polish audiences.”

Ben Packwood, SVP Sales for CEE at All3Media added: “It is great to see Magia Nagosci. Polska returning to Polish screens for a fifth season in 2026. Zoom TV has proven that Naked Attraction has a dedicated local audience and can continue to be a ratings winner, year after year.”

Endemol Shine Poland has over 20 years’ experience producing hit shows including local adaptations of renowned brands such as Don’t Forget the Lyrics, Must Be The Music, Drag Me Out, Boomerissima, MasterChef, Lego Masters and The Money Drop. More recent launches include BAFTA-nominated factual format Banged Up and Ambulance. In addition, it is behind premium scripted programming including Our Century for TVP 1, Squared Love for Netflix, and the return of Penoza for TVP 2.

News

May 15

Spider-Noir

Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris attend 'Spider-Noir' premiere

Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris and Jack Huston attended the premiere of their new Prime Video series, Spider-Noir, in New York Wednesday night.

Co-stars Brendan Gleeson, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Lukas Haas and Abraham Popoola also walked the red carpet at the event.

The comic-book adaptation is slated to debut on Prime Video on May 27.

The series will be available to view in black and white, and color.

"Spider-Noir tells the story of Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down-on-his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city's one and only superhero," a synopsis said.

News

May 15

Combat Sports: Jake Paul Can't Get Into TKO Events

According to Jake, his involvement with MVP has made it so he can't be in his older brother's corner in WWE for the foreseeable future. Despite the trouble, he enjoys what he describes as playful banter between himself and TKO.

"I don't take any beefs too serious. I think it's definitely in the name of entertainment; however, there is truth in it," the 12-2 professional boxer said on "Smash Cast." "From my side, I'm just having fun. The fact that one of the biggest organizations in the world, the TKO group, has this major beef with me, they won't even let me go be in my brother's WWE matches because they hate me so much. And so it's pretty wild, how much under their skin we are. ... I enjoy s*** talk. I like when people make fun of me. I'm easy to make fun of. I'm able to make fun of myself." (Jake Paul)

News

Streaming Rankings

May 14, 2026

Top 10 Overall

Includes movies and TV series.

1. The Pitt HB0 - Max
2. The Boys - Prime Video
3. Buey - Disney
4. The Big Bang Theory HBO Max
5. Bob's Burgers - Hulu
6. SpongeBob quarePants - Paramount+
7. Family Guy - Hulu
8. Grey's Anatomy - Hulu / Netflix
9. Thrash (2026) - Netflix
10. Survivor - Hulo / Paramount + / Pluto TV

News

Nielson (Australia)

Nielsen data shows Australian outdoor and sport retailers are changing how they advertise to win over outdoor enthusiasts

Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and quality-focused audience

Sydney, April 22, 2026 – New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows Australian outdoor and sports retailers are changing how they invest in advertising, as competition intensifies for the attention of outdoor enthusiasts.

Advertising spend across a selected group of major Australian outdoor and sports retailers rose 4.0% year-on-year in 2025, reaching $91.9 million, up from $88.4 million in 2024. While overall growth was moderate, the way brands allocated that spend points to increasingly different strategies as retailers looked for new ways to stay visible in a competitive market.

Anaconda was the biggest advertiser in the group in 2025, investing $17.6 million, followed by BCF (Boating Camping Fishing) at $13.0 million, then Rebel Sport at $6.6 million.

Across the retailers analysed, social media was the largest channel by spend in 2025, attracting $39.9 million, followed by metro TV at A$20.0 million, general display at $11.4 million, regional television at $10.8 million, and out-of-home at $4.3 million.

The figures show brands are taking very different paths to reach consumers interested in outdoor lifestyles. Anaconda and BCF both backed broad, high-reach strategies, spanning television, social and digital display. Rebel Sport also maintained a diversified mix, with strong investment across social, television and general display. By contrast, 4WD & Outdoor Supacentre leaned heavily into social and radio, while Kathmandu was overwhelmingly social-led. Macpac, meanwhile, remained much more television-focused than many of its competitors.

The timing of spend also points to a highly seasonal battle for attention. Investment built sharply in the second half of the year, peaking in November and December, when retailers were most aggressive in competing for consumers during key promotional and holiday periods.

The ad battle is playing out against the backdrop of a large and commercially attractive audience. New Nielsen Consumer & Media View (CMV) data shows around 15.4 million Australians identify as outdoor enthusiasts via their interest in fishing, camping or bush walking, making them a substantial audience for brands looking to connect through lifestyle, wellbeing, performance and quality.

This broad audience is 53.8% male and 46.2% female, with almost two-thirds aged under 55. The strongest concentration sits among 18-39 year olds, followed by 40-54 year olds, showing outdoor enthusiasm is especially strong among active, working-age Australians.

They are also motivated shoppers. Nielsen CMV shows 73.3% say they would spend more for quality goods, while 66.9% say they tend to hold off buying until products go on sale, suggesting this audience values quality but remains highly responsive to promotions and timing.

The data also points to a strong lifestyle connection. More than 66% say they prefer holidays where they can see nature or be in a natural setting, and Australians in this audience are 25% more likely than average to be seeking an adventure or outdoor experience on a domestic holiday in the next 12 months. *Full article and coverage via Nielsen.

News

Wrestling Media And Ratings Flashback

October 6, 2025

Media Man Monday Wrestling Feature

Video

Nielsen's new ratings system is bad news for pro wrestling | Wrestling Observer Radio
https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7cAAIeHUHA

Dave Meltzer goes into detail regarding Nielsen's new ratings system, which has had a very bad effect on pro wrestling so far. (F4 Online)

Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard

WWE is playing chess when most are playing checkers
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cRHawQflb1c

JBL shares his views on WrestleMania 43 heading to Saudi Arabia.

Watch full show:

#wrestlemania #wwe #wrestling #aew

Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard is an audio podcast that discusses topics, events, wrestlers and memorable moments through the lens of former WWE executive Bruce Prichard co-hosted by Conrad Thompson. STW was launched in August 2016 on MLW Radio. The episodes typically range from 2 hours to 4 hours in length, and include discussions about previous WWE pay-per-views and former WWE wrestlers. (STWW)

"We are in the TKO ERA of pro-wrestling" - Eric Bischoff | 83 Weeks
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qnVy3f3cWe0&t=177s

Eric Bischoff discusses TKO's increasing dominance over the landscape of professional wrestling and combat sports. (83 Weeks)
#ericbischoff #wweufc #tkowwe

Teddy Long on ESPN rating Wrestlepalooza 'C
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3X1pSjdvdPg

Konnan on: if Paramount buys WBD, will they drop AEW from their network?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BsfTd9zudqw

Jim Cornette on AEW Dynamite's Record Low Ratings
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hivB1aNgLBI

Jim Cornette on What If Hulk Hogan Demanded An Ownership Stake In WWE From Vince McMahon
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6QXabryiHaw

Why WWE & AEW Should Be Worried About Nielsen’s Ratings Shake-Up
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9E_TPYByHUI

News

Nielsen Wrestling News (via X)

October 5, 2025

The Media Rating Council accredited the system, and Nielsen plans to phase out the old method entirely by late 2025. However, early results show inconsistent effects—some sports events have seen gains, but wrestling has been hit hard, with drops of 20-60% in key demographics.

As of October 6, 2025, "Nielsen Wrestling News" primarily refers to the ongoing industry-wide discussion about Nielsen's overhaul of its TV ratings methodology, which has drastically lowered reported viewership numbers for major wrestling programs like WWE and AEW.

This change, rolled out in early Q4 2025, has sparked concern among promoters, analysts, and fans about its potential impact on media deals and the perceived value of wrestling content. Below, I'll break down the key details, impacts, and reactions based on the latest reports.

What Changed in Nielsen's System?

Nielsen transitioned from its traditional "panel-only" method (tracking ~42,000 households) to a new "Big Data + Panel" approach.

This integrates:

Data from 45 million households and 75 million devices (e.g., set-top boxes, smart TVs).

The goal: More accurate, comprehensive audience measurement in a streaming-heavy era.

Impact on Wrestling Shows

The shift explains recent "plummeting" ratings, complicating year-over-year comparisons.
Here's a snapshot of affected shows (new Big Data + Panel numbers vs. old panel-only equivalents where available):

(Media Man: See Grok live results)

Broader Context and Outlook

Wrestling remains a top performer relative to other non-sports TV (e.g., WWE Raw still ranks high in key demos), but the optics are rough amid WWE's Netflix transition and AEW's expansion pushes.

Analysts like those at Wrestlenomics suggest tracking both methodologies for now to avoid panic. No major cancellations or deal breaks reported yet, but expect more scrutiny in Q4 earnings calls

Sources: Wrestlenomics, F4WOnline, Programming Insider. These aren't actual declines in audience—it's a measurement shift—but they could influence negotiations.

Industry Reactions

Dave Meltzer (Wrestling Observer Newsletter): Called it a "disaster for pro wrestling," noting wrestling's value to TV "looks to be taking a very significant hit." He highlighted disproportionate drops for WWE/AEW compared to other genres.

WWE: Expressed internal concerns that the lower numbers could undermine TNA Wrestling's ongoing TV deal talks (aiming for ~$10M annually). However, TNA President Carlos Silva stated it hasn't factored into negotiations yet. USA Network (WWE SmackDown broadcaster) is monitoring but using supplementary data like VideoAmp.

AEW/WBD (TBS/TNT): Tony Khan and Warner Bros. Discovery view it as a short-term optics issue, relying on internal metrics showing stable engagement. One source: "Not seeing a strong pattern yet—some events go up, others down."

Broader Concerns: Fears of cascading effects on ad revenue, rights fees, and even talent contracts. Reddit's r/SquaredCircle community debated it as "doom and gloom" for public perception, though networks have access to fuller data sets.

Media Man: Change is a regular occurrence in both the media, new media and pro wrestling industry. Best to adopt the Charles Darwin ideology .. adapt to change and evolve to the changing landscape. Manage risks and focus on strengths. To help get to the bottom of things as per the old saying in and around Vegas, "Follow The Money". TKO may have an ace or two up it's sleeve here, but AEW is not short a dollar either. There's many moving parts to this situation.

The combat sports sector will be watching Nielsen with an eagle eye, or evil eye?!

Many are watching the waters.

Road To Crown Jewel and Road/Flightpath to WrestleMania Saudi!

He who owns the gold makes the rules?!

More podcast and pro wrestling news fodder right?! Got to fill up those reports with something in between the pro wrestling match results.

Plenty of news outside the ring, as well as in and around in.

This storyline is writing itself. VKM and maybe Shane watching with interest. UFC can't be to bothered by this, fresh off a Paramount Skydance Deal.

Anyone game to bring back Lucha Underground? That's what we thought. How about more web only broadcasts? Still, With WWE Speed now off X and onto NXT something knows something!

The grapple for the audience and paying customers and b2b continues.

"There's a customer born every minute" P. T. Barnum

News

(In Case You Missed It)

News Flashback

Streaming Reaches Historic TV Milestone, Eclipses Combined Broadcast and Cable Viewing For First Time

June 2025

Streaming Notches a Record 44.8% of Total TV Usage in May

Streaming Usage Up 71% Since 2021, with YouTube, Netflix and Other Platforms Showing Dramatic Growth Over Four Years

FAST Services Continue to Grow as PlutoTV, Roku Channel and Tubi Combine for 5.7% of TV Viewing in May

NEW YORK – June 17, 2025 – Streaming reached a historic milestone in May as its share of total television usage outpaced the combined share of broadcast and cable for the first time ever, according to Nielsen’s monthly report of The Gauge™. Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of TV.

This month also marks four years since the launch of The Gauge, which debuted with the May 2021 report. As audience viewing habits—and the media landscape at large—have rapidly evolved over that time, The Gauge has continued to serve as the industry benchmark for tracking how people spend time watching television. When comparing TV usage in May 2021 and May 2025, it’s clear that streaming has been the dominant viewing format with a usage increase of 71%. And while broadcast and cable viewing have declined (down 21% and 39%, respectively, compared with May 2021), traditional TV has shown surprising resilience.

“It’s fitting that this inflection point coincides with the four year anniversary of Nielsen’s The Gauge, which has become the gold standard for streaming TV measurement,” said Karthik Rao, Nielsen CEO. “It’s also a credit to media companies, who have deftly adapted their programming strategies to meet their viewers where they are watching TV – whether it’s on streaming or linear platforms.”

Along with the 71% increase in streaming usage, six additional streaming services are now reported in the list of platforms that exceed a full share point of TV usage. The original list included Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney+, and has expanded to 11 platforms in May 2025.

Among subscription services, Netflix has gone wire-to-wire as the leading SVOD provider in total TV usage for four straight years. Netflix’s viewership has climbed 27% since May 2021, and the streamer owned the biggest day in streaming history, thanks to two exclusive NFL games it live streamed on Christmas Day 2024. Many programs—and by extension, other distributors—have also benefited from the SVOD giant through The Netflix Effect, where licensed content becomes an even bigger hit when distributed on the platform. Exemplified by memorable streaming hits like Suits (Netflix / Peacock) and Young Sheldon (Netflix / Max), this month’s top streaming title, You, (4 billion minutes) was one of the first examples of the Netflix Effect in 2018.

Free services have been a major driver of streaming’s overall success. Most notably, YouTube Main (excluding YouTube TV) has exhibited steady, significant growth and is up over 120% since 2021. YouTube represented 12.5% of all television viewing in May, its fourth consecutive monthly share increase and the highest share of TV for any streamer to date. Additionally, FAST services have become increasingly popular, and three have reached the reportable threshold in The Gauge. PlutoTV, Roku Channel and Tubi combined for 5.7% of total TV viewing in May, which is larger than any individual broadcast network this interval.

The continued transformation of traditional media companies into streaming-first entities has also been a strong contributor to the growth of streaming. Platforms like Hulu, Paramount+ and Peacock have expanded their accessibility to create crucial points of connection with streaming-native audiences, complementing rather than competing with their linear counterparts. This trend extends beyond original and catalog content, too, demonstrated by successful simulcasts of sporting events like Super Bowl LIX on FOX and Tubi, and the 2024 Olympics on NBC and Peacock. Virtually all subscription-based platforms now have ad-supported components as well, which are creating a critical new element to the television landscape from an agency and advertiser perspective as they seek to reach streaming-centric consumers.

While the milestone of streaming exceeding traditional TV viewership is almost certainly not permanent, it presumably will be in the near future. This trend could continue into the summer months, but the balance will likely shift back—at least temporarily—as football kicks off and a new broadcast season returns.

The May 2025 interval included dates 04/28/2025 through 05/25/2025. Nielsen reporting follows the broadcast calendar with measurement weeks that run Monday through Sunday.

About The Gauge™

The Gauge™ is Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable and streaming consumption that occurs through a television screen, providing the industry with a holistic look at what audiences are watching. The Gauge was expanded in April 2024 to include The Media Distributor Gauge, which reflects total viewing by media distributor across these categories. Read more about The Gauge methodology and FAQs.

About Nielsen
Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences—now and into the future. Learn more at http://nielsen.com

Source: Nielsen

https://nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone-eclipses-combined-broadcast-and-cable-viewing-for-first-time/

https://nielsen.com/news-center/

Media Man

Nielsen wins Media Man 'Data Provider Of The Month' award

Media Man

Netflix

March 25, 2026 (Sydney, Australia)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. WWE RAW
2. Sidemen: Inside
3. Virgin River
4. One Piece
5. Dynasty: The Murdochs
6. Mark Rober's CrunchLabs
7. Unicorn Academy
8. Bridgerton
9. Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black
10. The Dinosaurs

others ...

Vladimir
The TikTok Killer
A Friend: A Murderer
The Night Agent
Formula 1: Drive To Survive
Resident Alien

News

The Lead Up (For reference, data and educational purposes)

March 11

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. The Dinosaurs
2. WWE RAW
3. Bridgerton
4. Vladimir
5. The TikTok Killer
6. One Piece
7. A Friend: A Murderer
8. The Night Agent
9. Formula 1: Drive To Survive
10. Resident Alien

others ...

Shrill
Person Of Interest
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model
The Midddle.

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

*rankings can change quickly

News

The Lead Up (For educational, reference and historical purposes)

March 4, 2026 (Sydney, Australia)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. Bridgerton
2. WWE RAW
3. Formula 1: Drive To Survive
4. Resident Alien
5. The Night Agent
6. Shrill
7. Person Of Interest
8. The Actor Awards
9. Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model
10. The Midddle.

others ...

Being Gordon Ramsay
The Lincoln Lawyer

News

The Lead Up (for data, historical, educational and reference purposes)

The Lead Up

March 2, 2026 (Sydney, Australia)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. Bridgerton
2. WWE Elimination Chamber
3. Formula 1: Drive To Survive
4. The Night Agent
5. Shrill
6. Resident Alien
7. Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model
8. The Middle.
9. Being Gordon Ramsay
10. The Lincoln Lawyer

News Flashback

The Lead Up (for data, historical, educational and reference purposes)

Feb 17, 2026

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. Bridgerton
2. The Lincoln Lawyer
3. Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model
4. How To Get To Heaven From Belfast
5. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
6. Unfamiliar
7. Lead Children
8. The Art Of Sarah
9. Single's Inferno: Reunion
10. His&Hers

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

*rankings can change quickly

The Lead Up (for data, historical, educational and reference purposes)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

Feb 11

via The (Netflix) box/interface!

1. The Lincoln Lawyer
2. Bridgerton
3. WWE RAW
4. Unfamiliar
5. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
6. His&Hers
7. Singles Inferno
8. Is It Cake? Valentines
9. Ghosts
10. Free Bert

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

*rankings can change quickly

News

The Lead Up (for historical, date and reference purposes)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

WWE RAW and WWE NXT strong rankings on Thursday night live data reports via The (Netflix) box/interface!

Feb 5, 2026

1. Bridgerton
2. His & Hers
3. Single's Inferno
4. Ghosts
5. Is It Cake? Valentines
6. WWE Raw
7. Free Bert
8. WWE NXT
9. Finding Her Edge
10. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

*rankings can change quickly

*WWE Raw is ranking much stronger than some U.S based "wrestling sheets" and "pro wrestling websites" are reporting. It's Thursday night in Sydney, Australia and RAW is still at number 6 in The Land Down Under!

*WWE NXT in number 8 position now! Stronger performance since Robert Stone replaced Ava as NXT General Manager. NXT international business has picked up right Triple H and JR! This is live date from the Nexflix TV interface on a Thursday night in Sydney, Australia. You got that American pro wrestling dirt sheet "reporters"!

News Flashback

The Lead Up (for data, historical, educational and reference purposes)

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

January 21, 2026

1. His & Hers
2. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials
3. WWE Raw
4. Harlen Coben's Run Away
5. Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web
6. Stranger Things
7. Can this Love Be Translated?
8. 2 Broke Girls
9. Smallville
10. Emily In Paris

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge
*rankings can change quickly

Streaming

Netflix

The Lead Up

Top 10 TV Shows In Australia Today

January 20, 2026

1. His & Hers
2. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials
3. Harlen Coben's Run Away
4. Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web
5. Stranger Things
6. Can this Love Be Translated?
7. Smallville
8. 2 Broke Girls
9. Undercover Miss Hong
10. Rick And Morty

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge
*rankings can change quickly

News

Netflix News

Here's the latest Netflix news as of mid-January 2026!

The streaming giant is kicking off the year strong with a packed slate of new releases, ongoing buzz around major deals, and continued subscriber growth.

Major Highlights

Netflix is reportedly in the midst of a blockbuster acquisition: the company has agreed to buy Warner Bros. in a massive deal valued at around $82.7 billion (with some reports citing $72 billion in equity value).

This move aims to supercharge its content library with iconic franchises like Harry Potter and classic films.

However, there's drama — Paramount Skydance has launched a competing hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, adding some high-stakes industry intrigue!

Netflix ended 2025 with over 301.6 million global subscribers, solidifying its position as the top streaming platform.

What's New & Coming in January 2026

January is loaded with fresh originals, from thrilling mysteries to romantic adaptations and long-awaited returns.

Here are some of the standout releases that are lighting up the charts and generating buzz right now:

People We Meet on Vacation — A charming rom-com adaptation of the Emily Henry novel, starring Emily Bader — it's been topping the charts as one of the biggest new movies of the year so far!

The Rip — This high-octane action-thriller directed by Joe Carnahan reunites Ben Affleck and Matt Damon — it's one of the most anticipated films dropping mid-month, perfect for fans of intense heist vibes!

His & Hers — A gripping mystery series starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, following estranged spouses racing to solve a murder. It's been climbing the Top 10 with strong buzz around its twists.

Bridgerton Season 4 — The Regency-era drama returns later in the month (Part 1 premiering around Jan 29), with plenty of masquerade glamour and romance — the premiere events are already making waves!

Other notables include:

Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart (true-crime docuseries)

New seasons of hits like Unlocked: A Jail Experiment, Love Is Blind: Germany, and WWE Unreal

Stand-up specials and reality shows keeping the variety flowing.

Plus, don't miss the Stranger Things 5 making-of documentary One Last Adventure, which premiered earlier this month for fans wanting a deep dive into the finale. Netflix is clearly doubling down on big stars, book adaptations, and high-energy originals to keep viewers hooked in 2026. (Grok)

Netflix: News

Netflix is a global streaming service providing a vast library of films, TV shows, documentaries, and mobile games. As of 2026, it has approximately 325 million paid members across more than 190 countries.

Pricing & Plans: Subscription plans typically range from $7.99 to $24.99 per month.

Content Offerings: Includes "Netflix Originals" (like Stranger Things and Squid Game), licensed content, and a growing selection of live programming and video podcasts.

Device Compatibility: Streamable on smart TVs, game consoles, smartphones, tablets, and via http://Netflix.com.

Features: Supports offline downloads, personalized recommendations, and a dedicated "Netflix Kids" experience with parental controls.

Recent 2026 Developments

Warner Bros. Merger News: As of January 21, 2026, Netflix has moved toward an all-cash $27.75-per-share offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, aiming to outbid Paramount.

Market Reaction: Despite a Q4 earnings beat, Netflix shares saw a 7% decline in some markets (e.g., Frankfurt) on January 21, 2026, due to investor concerns regarding the financial weight of the Warner Bros. acquisition.

New Initiatives: The company is expanding into vertical video features for mobile and has recently launched video podcasts.

Live Events: Upcoming live events include the world-record climber Alex Honnold's "Skyscraper Live" ascent of Taipei 101 on January 23, 2026.

News

(In Case You Missed It)

WWE Unreal

WWE Unreal is a professional wrestling documentary and reality series on Netflix that provides an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the creative process and internal operations of WWE.

WWE Unreal

Show Overview

Genre: Reality television / Documentary series.

Premise: The series follows WWE Superstars and executives, notably Paul "Triple H" Levesque, as they plan storylines in the writers' room and manage the "Gorilla Position" during live broadcasts.

Production: A collaboration between WWE, Omaha Productions (Peyton Manning), NFL Films, and Skydance Sports.

Seasons & Episodes

The series has released two seasons as of January 2026:

Season 1: Premiered July 29, 2025. It chronicled the lead-up to the debut of WWE Raw on Netflix and WrestleMania 41. Notable segments included a look at John Cena's high-profile storyline turns and the return of Charlotte Flair.

Season 2: Released January 20, 2026. This five-episode season focuses on the "Road to SummerSlam 2025" and features superstars like Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, and Cody Rhodes.

It delves into real-life drama such as R-Truth's contract negotiations and Naomi's previous walkout from the company.

Season 3: Confirmed to be in development, expected to focus on John Cena's retirement tour.

Key Personalities Featured

Executives: Paul "Triple H" Levesque (Narrator), Peyton Manning (Executive Producer).

Superstars: John Cena, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, and Bianca Belair.

Merchandise

Related promotional items and apparel are available, including:

CM Punk "WWE Unreal" Hoodie: A themed fleece hoodie priced at approximately $69 USD (~$116 AUD).

Action Figures: Mattel has released sets like the "Hall of Champions" 4-pack featuring legendary superstars seen in the series.

News

Media Man

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award (January 2026, February and March 2026)

News Flashback

TrillerTV: News

Streaming Media wars heat up: Netflix, Stan, HeyU; Sports Streamers - WWE Network, FITE TV, New Japan World, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN +, Paramount Network, Global Wrestling Network et al. Opportunities, threats and unknown

Content Live (Australian Expo)

Sports Streaming

PPV News

Streaming Top 10

Current

January 15, 2026

1.. Stranger Things (Netflix)

2. Landman (2024). (Paramount+)

3. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

4. NCIS (Hulu / Netflix / Paramount+ / Pluto TV)

5. Emily in Paris (Netflix)

6. Homeland (Hulu / Netflix)

7. Fallout (2024) (Prime Video)

8. Bluey (Disney+)

9. IT: Welcome to Derry (2025) (HBO Max)

10. Grey's Anatomy (Hulu / Netflix)

*Correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

News

Streaming Top 10

Jan 15

Movies

1. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Netflix

2. Home Alone. Disney+

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Peacock

4. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Disney+

5 Elf. Max

6. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie. Netflix / Paramount+

7. Red One (2024). Prime Video

8. Dr.Seuss' The Grinch (2018)
Peacock

9. The Great Flood (2025). Netflix

10. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. HBO Max

News

The Lead Up

January 12, 2026

1. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (Peacock)

3. Home Alone (Disney)

4. Jay Kelly (2025) (Netflix)

5. My Secret Santa (2025) (Netflix)

6 Oh. What. Fun. (2025) (Prime Video)

7. KPop Demon Hunters (2025) (Netflix)

8. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (Disney+)

9. Dr.Seuss' The Grinch (2018) (Peacock)

10. The Santa Clause (Disney+)

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

News Flashback

October 24, 2025

Pop Culture/Entertainment

Streaming TV: Movies Top 10

Flashback

1. KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Netflix
2. Superman (2025) HBO Max
3. Elio (2025) Disney+
4. 28 Years Later (2025) Netflix
5. Ruth & Boaz (2025) Netflix
6. San Andreas. Netflix
7. Ice Road: Vengeance. Netflix
8. The Wrong Paris (2025) Netflix
9 Lilo & Stitch (2025) Disney+
10. Shrek 2. Netflix / Peacock

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

Pop Culture/Entertainment

March 21, 2025

Streaming Ratings

1. Zero Day (Netflix), 1.84 billion minutes viewed 2. Reacher (Prime Video), 1.81 billion 3. Love Is Blind (Netflix), 1.42 billion 4. Bluey (Disney+), 1.05 billion 5. Family Guy (Hulu), 1.01 billion 6. Cobra Kai (Netflix), 893 million 7. Saturday Night Live (Peacock), 863 million 8. American Murder: Gabby Petito (Netflix), 801 million 9. Resident Alien (Netflix/Peacock), 765 million 10. Yellowjackets (Netflix/Paramount+), 742 million

Acquired Series

1. Bluey, 1.05 billion minutes 2. Family Guy, 1.01 billion 3. Saturday Night Live, 863 million 4. Resident Alien, 765 million 5. Yellowjackets, 742 million 6. The White Lotus (Max), 735 million 7. NCIS (Hulu/Netflix/Paramount+), 718 million 8. Bob’s Burgers (Hulu), 706 million 9. The Big Bang Theory (Max), 702 million 10. Grey’s Anatomy (Hulu/Netflix), 701 million

Movies:

1. To Catch a Killer (2023) (Hulu/Netflix), 694 million minutes 2. Trial by Fire (2018) (Netflix), 463 million 3. The Gorge (Apple TV+), 362 million 4. La Dolce Villa (Netflix), 310 million 5. Don’t Let Go (Netflix), 244 million 6. Aftermath (Netflix), 241 million 7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Prime Video), 210 million 8. Heart of Champions (Netflix), 199 million 9. Nosferatu (2024) (Peacock), 192 million 10. Moana (Disney+), 189 million

News

Media Man

WWE RAW On Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month'; Runner-up: WWE SmackDown (Streaming on Netflix in Australia and some other non-US markets). RAW nor SmackDown are currently in the top 10 streaming charts as far as we can ascertain. RAW peaked at number 1 and 3 positions for the first couple of broadcasts via Netflix. WWE can be expected to race up the charts again as WrestleMania Season is heating up.

Zero Hour wins Media Man 'Political Thriller/Drama Of The Year' award. (Currently streaming on Netflix)

*Rakings can vary on a daily basis.
*Correct at time of publication.

Sources Include: X, Netflix TUDUM

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/top10/tv

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/top10

NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025

Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix

STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago

Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025

“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."

With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.

###

About WWE
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

About Netflix
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.

About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise

Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.

Wrestling News

WWE

Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania

At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.

Wrestling News

Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW

Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.

“The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.

“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”

He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”

Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.

“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”

Wrestling News and Streaming News

Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025

STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.

Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.

“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."

With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.

Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025

01/23/2024

Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.

Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.

“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."

With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.

About WWE

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.

About Netflix

Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.

About TKO

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.

(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)

Streaming News

Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024

Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.

Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.

The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.

Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.

The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”

TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.

Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.

“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”

Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.

For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.

He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”

“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.

Choosing Netflix

TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.

Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.

“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”

Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.

Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.

Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.

TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”

NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.

Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.

Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”

Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”

WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.

Dwayne Johnson Background

Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.

Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.

A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.

Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.

About TKO

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

Streaming News

Tubi Makes Late Play To Be 'Streamer Of The Year'

Fox’s advertising supported streamer Tubi @tubi strikes deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to stream DC movies including “The Batman,” “Suicide Squad,” “Black Adam,” “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman,” in addition to as superhero themed series “Batwoman,” “Gotham” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”

The news comes at a not so great time for other streaming firms such as Netflix and don't even start us on embattled Disney, who parents and their offspring have been tuning out of in droves.

“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn),” “Green Lantern” and “Wonder Woman 1984,” will also hit Tubi’s on-demand lineup in 2024.

Available as of Tuesday are “Batman,” “Batman Returns” and “Batman Forever,” as well as “Superman: The Movie” and “Superman II,” and TV series “Batwoman,” “Gotham” and “Krypton.”

Pro wrestling living legend John Cena of WWE and 'Peacemaker' fame is keen to do some more work and collaborations with DC into the new year now that that apparent communications "ban" between him and DC powers that be is no longer. What a business hey, hence showbiz! Hollywood er Hollyweird, never mind.

More Streaming News

FITE (soon to be Triller) is our 'Sports Streamer Of The Year', and BINGE wins 'Streaming Service Of The Year' (Australian region)

Sources: Variety, Wires, New Corp, Advanced Television, Digital TV Europe, Wikipedia and last but not least, X.

The Streaming Wars

The rise of FAST services
As streaming services continue to raise subscription prices, customers have attempted to find ways to cut costs—including free. According to a Hub Entertainment Research study, more than half (55%) of consumers said they use at least one free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Amazon’s Freevee, or the free version of Peacock. Perhaps there’s no greater example of the service’s success this year than Freevee’s Jury Duty, which quickly became a word-of-month hit, catapulting it to the top of U.S. streaming charts. Earlier this year, Tubi announced it was beefing up original programming in its catalog to lure new subscribers.

The great rebundling
In the spring, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled Max, the result of HBO Max merging with Discovery+, to broaden the appeal of the new flagship streaming platform, while Paramount debuted Paramount+ with Showtime to domestic audiences shortly after. Meanwhile, more streaming bundles began rolling out this year: Disney—which already offered a bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+—launched a one-app experience, offering Hulu and Disney+ programming in the same space. Recently, Apple and Paramount were reportedly in talks to bundle their streaming services at a discount, while Verizon announced it would offer a $10 bundle for the ad-supported subscription plans of Netflix and Max streaming services. An AlixPartners study found that about 70% of new streaming subscribers will get their subscriptions from streaming bundles, or with plans that combine a streaming subscription with cable TV, broadband, or wireless plans, as opposed to stand-alone streaming services.

A big bet on sports
According to one study, 29% of viewers are watching sports on streaming services like Prime Video. At the end of last year, YouTube TV acquired the NFL’s Sunday Ticket for reportedly $2 billion, beating out Disney, Amazon, and Apple for the package. The deal allows subscribers to watch the Sunday Ticket as an add-on for YouTubeTV, or as a stand-alone purchase on YouTube Primetime Channels. Last year, Prime Video began live streaming Thursday Night Football games, which saw viewership go up 25% this season. Netflix announced last week it will livestream a tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the spring, while Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed last month that the company will launch a stand-alone streaming app of ESPN in 2025.

Studios uploading entire TV shows and films on social media
Pirating content online isn’t anything new, but Gen Z has been turning to social media to watch full episodes and movies for free. On TikTok, a quick search shows that the platform is overrun with episodes and parts of full movies uploaded by users, while an uploaded version of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was viewed by 9 million people on Twitter before it was taken down. To meet users where they are, Peacock experimented with releasing programming on social media and uploaded the pilot episode of its comedy series Killing It on TikTok in five parts, which according to a Peacock spokesperson, garnered 7 million views. A month later, on October 3 (aka Mean Girls Day), Paramount uploaded the entirety of Mean Girls on TikTok. A study found that nearly a quarter (23%) of TikTok users are more likely to discover entertainment content on social and video platforms versus other platforms.

Reruns are back in (again)
This isn’t exactly a new trend, but it’s one that’s been building as more consumers become cord-cutters. Unsurprisingly, popular classic shows with massive fan bases like The Office, Friends, Seinfeld, and Breaking Bad continue to find success on streaming services. Some other recent examples include Nickelodeon’s 2005 animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender debuting on Netflix, making it one of the most-watched children’s shows during the pandemic, while the CW’s Riverdale and All-American have trended on Netflix when it was made available on the platform. This year’s biggest example was USA Network’s Suits, which gained newfound popularity after being licensed on Netflix, pushing it to the No. 1 spot on U.S. streaming charts. If the success of Suits proves anything, it’s that licensing might be the way to go if networks want to generate interest in (and get paid for) some of their older programming.

That movie you didn’t watch might grab your attention as a 3-part limited series instead
When BlackBerry came out in theaters this spring, it was met with much critical acclaim for its acting and storytelling, and earned $2.9 million at the global box office. In October, IFC Films released the 121-minute-long film as a three-part limited series with 16 minutes of unseen footage. “I look at this as a way for a smaller, independent piece of work to double-dip and find its audience,” director Matt Johnson told Variety when asked about the decision to recut the film. Last month, Hulu premiered Faraway Downs, a six-episode series, which is an reedited version of Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 film, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. While the original film has a running time of nearly three hours, the series adds an extra hour of new footage, with some plot changes. While Australia received mixed reviews when it premiered, Luhrmann told the Daily Beast that he wanted to revisit the film, and leaned on episodic storytelling to present the story in a different way, in hopes of giving it a second chance with some viewers.

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

FinTech, Big Tech, Big Biz

May 7, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

Australia Continues To Ring Bells Before The NYC Bell; Who Is The Bell Of Big Balls?! : TKO Neg With Talent/Wrestling With Numbers And Contracts; If The New Price Is Right Mr Wrestling and Ms Wrestling

LinkedIn b2b Business Lifts For Media Man Group and Associates

Media And Broadcasting Legend Ted Turner Dies; Media, Entertainment And Sports Business World Pays Tribute

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 Continues To Offer Positive Vibes To US Admin Re Ali Act Amendment; Zuffa Boxing 06 This Weekend; WWE Backlash Weekend

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

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

Media Man LinkedIn and X Up; TKO News Flashbacks

Road To WWE Backlash: May 9 in Tampa, Florida: Bloodline Themes! Road To WWE SNME

Google/Alphabet Earnings Ultra Bullish

May 7, 2026

(Sydney, Australia To Wall Street, New York)

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 95 points/1.1%: 8892

AUD +0.8% to US72.37¢

Bitcoin $80,989.05 -0.59%

Wall St:
Dow +1.2%
S&P +1.5%
Nasdaq +2%

VIX +0.01 to 17.39
Gold +3% to $US4691.33 an ounce
Brent oil -7.1% to $US102.09 a barrel
Iron ore +1.9% to $US110.60 a ton

10-year yield:
US +4.35%
Australia +4.95%

Coffee 284.85 -5.90

Cocoa 4135 +61

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7230 USD (up $0.0050 USD)
Iron Ore: $110.60 USD (up $2.10 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $96.21 USD (down $6.47 USD)
Gold Price : $4,691.26 USD (up $134.13 USD)
Copper Price: $6.1935 USD (up $0.2045 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,910.59 (up 612.34 points)

News (Australia)

ASX up on ceasefire talk; CBA, banks rally

The Australian sharemarket rallied on Wednesday, amid growing hopes of a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East; the S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.3 per cent to close at 8,793.6 points. The Commonwealth Bank was up three per cent at $177.98, DigiCo Infrastructure REIT advanced 25 per cent to $2.95 and Reece finished 1.4 per cent higher at $13.59. However, Woodside Energy was down 2.7 per cent at $31.84 and JB Hi-Fi fell 6.3 per cent to $72.98. (RMS)

News

China hit with punitive 82pc steel tariff

The federal government has imposed tariffs of between 38 per cent and 82 per cent on hot-rolled coil steel products that are imported from China. Industry Minister Tim Ayres approved the new tariffs on Monday, with temporary levies of up 117 per cent having been in place since late 2025 while the Anti-Dumping Commission completed its investigation into claims that China was exporting steel products to Australia at heavily discounted prices. A spokesman for Ayres says that all trade remedies are fully consistent with Australia's obligations under its trade agreements, and the nation's anti-dumping regime does not target any country in particular.

News

Politics/MMA/UFC

Trump Hosts UFC Stars in Oval Office for White House Fight Event

Trump welcomed lightweight champ Ilia Topuria, challenger Justin Gaethje, light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira, and heavyweight Ciryl Gane to preview UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. The free event on the South Lawn features a 4,500-seat arena for Topuria vs. Gaethje and Pereira vs. Gane, tying into America's 250th anniversary and Trump's 80th birthday, with overflow crowds on giant screens nearby. Banter flew in the meeting—Trump joked about Pereira's powerful hand, while Topuria teased him lightly—building hype for this historic first pro sports event on White House grounds. (Media Man Peg-On): Win-Win-Win. Even if you lose on whe White House, you also win at the game and biz of MMA! Much respect to all.

News

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

Mining/Energy/Resources

BHP's learning curve after tough negotiations

BHP's chief financial officer Vandita Pant addressed the Macquarie Australia conference on Wednesday. She stated that the resources group was pleased to have concluded commercial negotiations with China Mineral Resources Group regarding iron ore pricing and sales. The recent deal ended a seven-month stand-off, and Pant said the negotiations with state-owned CMRG were "tough". Chinese media reports have suggested that CMRG has secured a 1.8 per cent discount on iron ore from BHP. Pant also stated that BHP's experience in dealing with supply chain disruptions during the pandemic has been invaluable in coping with similar global supply shocks due to the Iran war. (RMS)

News

Pop Culture/Wrestling/WWE/NXT

Shawn Michaels Announces Loaded NXT Card for Next Week

Next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW from Orlando's WWE Performance Center, NXT Women's North American Champion Tatum Paxley teams with newcomer Lizzy Rain against Zaria and Nikkita Lyons, fresh off last week's wild brawl. A win in the Kendall Grey vs. Kelani Jordan match earns a title shot, while Japanese star Naraku debuts in the ring and indie signee Sean Legacy joins a six-man tag. Noam Dar returns from injury for a one-on-one with Jackson Drake, as Michaels spotlights rising talents in a buzzing women's reset. (Media Man Peg-On): For Australians enjoy the show on Tuesday morning (Australia) via Netflix! Highlights will appear on YouTube the same day!

News

Ted Turner, CNN Founder and Media Pioneer, Dies at 87

Turner launched CNN in 1980 as the world's first round-the-clock news network, revolutionized cable with superstation WTBS, TNT, and Cartoon Network, and owned the Atlanta Braves during their 1995 World Series win. He built a vast media empire from his family's billboard business, sold it to Time Warner for $7.3 billion in 1996, and gave $1 billion to the United Nations while conserving 2 million acres of land. Tributes highlight his innovations in news and entertainment, with survivors including five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. (Media Man Peg-On): RIP legend. Thank you for what you did for us in our 5 years of Pay TV days at Optus Vision down under.

May 7

Shares

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$190.47
+3.53 +1.89%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$398.04
+9.57 +2.46%

NVIDIA Corp
$207.83
+11.33 +5.77%

Meta Platforms Inc

$612.88
+7.92 +1.31%

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

(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

Geopolitics has caused the dollar to retreat

The end of Operation Epic Fury is boosting risk appetite.

Japan is likely to continue punishing speculators. The US dollar has lost ground following statements from the White House regarding the conclusion of the two-month ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and progress in negotiations with Iran. Investors are interpreting this as a de-escalation in the Middle East and are selling Brent. At the same time, the dollar index is once again testing the lows of the past two months amid risk-on sentiment in key markets. Optimism could push EURUSD higher. Although its further trajectory will depend on the pace of the fall in oil prices. It will take time to repair the damaged energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. Therefore, it is believed that Brent and WTI will not return to the $65–70 levels seen before the conflict in the Middle East this year. This is a pro-inflationary factor. US services PMI indices are signalling the highest price pressure since 2022, while the futures market is ramping up expectations of Fed rate hikes. It will not be easy for Kevin Warsh to fulfil Donald Trump’s wishes for a significant easing of policy. For now, traders’ attention is entirely focused on the Middle East. The end of the conflict is driving the EURUSD up to 1.1760, and this rise will gain momentum with further signs of de-escalation. Conversely, another breakdown in negotiations and a deadlock in US-Iran relations will force the major currency pair to take a step back. And this is not merely a matter of caution, as alongside their conciliatory rhetoric, the US is building up its military presence in the Persian Gulf. The sharp collapse in USDJPY on Wednesday suggests that the government has once again intervened in the forex market. Japan needs to properly deter speculators from using dips in the US dollar to buy it. Rumours of a de-escalation in geopolitical tensions have catalysed a rally of more than 3% in gold, pushing it above $4,700. The fall in oil prices reduces the risk of high inflation becoming entrenched and removes the need for central banks to tighten policy. As a result, the precious metal may see a return to the debasement trade. (FxPro)

News Lead Up

48 Hours Ago

Bitcoin has begun hunting down short sellers

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation has continued to hit new highs since early February, reaching $2.67 trillion. This time, the movement was not uniform, consisting of individual surges led by Toncoin (+29%), followed by Algorand (+4.5%) and Basic Attention Token (+4%). The underperformers include Dash (-5.5%), Aptos (-2.1%) and VeChain (-1.6%).

The sentiment index has reached 50, the midpoint of the indicator’s range, where it last stood on 17 January. The market is approaching a significant turning point. Since last October, there have been only brief surges in sentiment to higher levels, but these have provided excellent opportunities for bears to sell at higher prices.

Although Bitcoin faced some pressure midday on Monday, it overcame it on Tuesday, reaching $81K and gaining 1.3% for the day, though, by and large, it covered this ground in just the last 4 hours. We attribute this rally to short squeezes, as the rise occurred during the period of the most aggressive movements ahead of the start of active trading in Asia, when liquidity is at its lowest. Meanwhile, on the stock markets, there was only a slight pullback following the downward momentum. In any case, on the daily charts, Bitcoin is recording its sixth bullish candle, and the entire April uptrend now fits within a new upward channel, with the upper boundary currently at the 200-day moving average.

News Background

The Capriole investment fund has noted a sharp rise in demand for Bitcoin from major players. Institutional investors are buying up more than 500% of the daily mining output of the leading cryptocurrency every day. Historically, such a supply shortage has led to a 24% rise in BTC over the following month.

Bitcoin appears poised for an upward surge. A break above $80K opens up the possibility of reaching $86K–$88K in the coming period, notes MN Trading founder Michael van de Poppe.

Following the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has fallen by 2.3% to 132.47 T. According to Glassnode, the network’s average hash rate, smoothed by a 7-day moving average, stands at around 955 EH/s.
Senators Tom Tillis and Angela Olsbrooks have reached a compromise regarding stablecoin yields in the CLARITY Act. This bill regulating the US crypto market may be considered by the Senate Banking Committee in the week following 11 May. (FxPro)

News

BHP's price deal puts minnows, rivals on alert

Rio Tinto's former CEO Sam Walsh believes that the iron ore pricing deal between BHP and China Mineral Resources Group will fail. Few details of the deal to end the long-running dispute between BHP and CMRG have emerged, although reports suggest that BHP has ceded more influence to China in setting iron ore prices; this could potentially lead to more ore being priced in Chinese currency. Geoff Raby, Australian ambassador to China, believes that the key outcome of the deal is BHP's acceptance that the benchmark price of iron ore should be set by China, rather than a price reporting agency based in the US or the UK. (ABIX)

Media Man Peg-On: BHP per ad "We've been called many things". Gonzo journalism in mining and rare earth news lives!
News

UFC/MMA

Chimaev Shares Sparring Clip Ragdolling Strickland Before UFC 328 Title Fight

The undefeated UFC middleweight champion Chimaev (15-0) shared the American Top Team gym session showing him slamming takedowns on a shirtless Strickland (30-7), days ahead of UFC 328 at Newark's Prudential Center where he defends his belt for the first time. Bad blood stems from a group chat spat over Chechen wrestling jokes, escalating to media day barbs like Strickland calling Chimaev 'soft' and daring a parking lot fight, while Chimaev shrugged it off and said security protects Strickland. Odds favor Chimaev at -510, but Joe Rogan spots a real shot for Strickland's boxing and cardio, with Dricus du Plessis warning the first round decides it all. (Media Man: Nothing quite like a good old fashioned blood feud, be it MMA or wrestling. Red turns to green! Sell out on the cards!

News

WWE Backlash
May 9, 2026
Benchmark International Arena
Tampa, Florida
Main Event: Roman Reigns vs Jacob Fatu
Rollins vs Breakker
Williams vs Zayn
SKY vs Asuka
Danhausen and Mystery Partner vs Miz and Kit Wilson

News Flashback

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

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

News Lead Up

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

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

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

Bam Bam vs Father Time

UFC vs Outlaw Mud Shows

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!

Danhausen def Easy E

x AI vs others!

T. Abbott (Aust) vs Wokes

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 Machine vs Cave Man

Rudos vs Technicos (Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide)

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

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

Media Man

April 27, 2026

ASX futures down 3 points or 0.03% to 8798
AUD +0.1% at US71.60¢
Bitcoin +1.2% to $US78,278
Dow -0.2% S&P +0.8% Nasdaq +1.6%
Gold +0.3% to $US4709.50 an ounce
Brent oil +0.3% at $US105.33 a barrel
Iron ore +0.3% at $US107.05 a tonne

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

April 21, 2026

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street New York

Wrestling With Numbers, World Situation and Pop Culture

Media Man Watercooler

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 48 points/0.5%: 9023
AUD +0.1% to US71.79¢
BTC $75,646.69 +1.41%
Dow -0.01%
S&P -0.2%
NAS -0.3%
VIX +1.39 to 18.87
Gold -0.2% to $US4820.66 an oz
Silver 78.854 - 0.774
Brent oil +4.3% to $US94.30 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US106.80 a ton

News

April 21

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7180 USD (up $0.0055 USD)
Iron Ore: $106.80 USD (up $1.05 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $87.80 USD (up $3.95 USD)
Gold Price : $4,820.54 USD (up $49.36 USD)
Copper Price): $6.0455 USD (down $0.0360 USD)
Dow Jones: 49,442.56 (down 4.87 points)

News

ASX steadies amid renewed US-Iran tensions

The Australian sharemarket edged higher on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.07 per cent to close at 8,953.3 points. Iran's move to close the Strait of Hormuz weighed on investor sentiment and boosted the price of Brent crude oil. The Commonwealth Bank was up 1.1 per cent at $180.15 and Wesfarmers advanced 2.4 per cent to $74.63. However, Woodside Energy was down 2.9 per cent at $31.77 and Worley fell 5.8 per cent to $11.13. (RMS)

News

Shares

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$184.70
-1.61 -0.86%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$337.42
-4.26 -1.25%

Netflix Inc
$94.83
-2.48 -2.55%

Mp Materials Corp
$66.23
+5.24 +8.59%

Wynn Resorts Ltd
$108.79
-0.40 -0.37%

Light & Wonder Inc
$88.80
+0.55 +0.62%

Red Rock Resorts Inc
$56.29
-0.62 -1.09%

PENN Entertainment Inc
$15.84
-0.0100 -0.063%

Caesars Entertainment Inc
$27.65
+0.43 +1.58%

Caterpillar Inc
$798.40
+5.26 +0.66%

News

WWE RAW After WrestleMania

T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

Crowd Attendance: 12, 596

News

Pop Culture/WWE

CM Punk Slaps Phone from Fan's Hand After WrestleMania Loss

The incident unfolded around midnight on April 20 in the MGM Grand Hotel lobby in Las Vegas, where WWE stars stayed during WrestleMania weekend. Video shows Punk confronting the man, slapping the phone to the floor after AJ Lee reportedly waved off the filming, with the fan apologizing before security intervened. Amid chaotic fan crowds mobbing wrestlers like Drew McIntyre, many backed Punk for protecting his family's private moment, though some called the physical response excessive; similar tensions arose with Damian Priest aiding another talent. (Media Man Peg-On): Way too many "fans" (more like autograph stalkers) are extremly disrespectful towards pro wrestlers and other people in general. We've witnesses this type of situation a number of times over the decades. Ambulance chasers, stay away from pro wrestlers private lives. That goes for red carpet "fans" (more like stalkers also). Much respect to the wrestlers who have to put up with these scum from time to time.

News

WWE

WrestleMania Fan Tumbles Over Railing After Rollins Loss

During Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the fan in full Austin gear lost his footing in the steep nosebleed seats amid the crowd's devastation from Gunther's win with Bron Breakker's help. The bald spectator below took the impact like a crash pad, shook it off without serious injury, and security escorted the tumbler out. The clip spread widely online, with fans joking about the raw passion in the cheap seats while the event featured Cody Rhodes retaining his title and other big matches. (Media Man Peg-On): How many beers or coffees did the fan have? It's free to ask. A number of NFL players we having drinking contests over WrestleMania Weekend.

News

Combat Sports/Boxing

Usyk Stays No. 1 in Ring Magazine's Latest Pound-for-Pound Rankings

The Ring Magazine released its updated top 10 on April 20, with Usyk at No. 1 and Inoue at No. 2, followed by Shakur Stevenson, Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, Dmitry Bivol, Junto Nakatani, David Benavidez, Devin Haney, Oscar Collazo, and Emanuel 'Vaquero' Navarrete. Artur Beterbiev fell off the list due to inactivity since his loss to Bivol, making room for Navarrete after his super featherweight title unification. Fans agreed on the top ranks but debated Navarrete's entry, with his recent TKO win earning praise amid criticism of a prior lightweight loss; the list builds buzz for Inoue's May 2 defense against Nakatani. (Media Man Peg-On): Usyk is the champ however much of the world is more interested in what's next for the likes of Tyson Fury and even Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Pop culture cut through is an important part of pro sports.

News

Oil/Mining/Politics (Australia)

Stalemate over race to fast-track oil field approvals

The Queensland government wants its federal counterpart to help fast-track the approvals process for the Taroom Trough, which is regarded as having the potential to be Australia's first significant new oil province in five decades. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt contends that it completely in the state's control to speed up approvals of the Taroom Trough; Queensland's Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie in turn says he is waiting for the federal government to "make the next move". Australian Energy Producers' CEO Samantha McCulloch says all levels of government should worke together to fix the approvals system; she adds that the Taroom Trough could reduce Australia's reliance on fuel imports. (RMS)

News

Mining/Resources: Tasmania/Australia

Federal support looms for smelter to save jobs

A number of potential buyers have been conducting due diligence on the Liberty Bell Bay manganese smelter in Tasmania, which was placed in administration in March. However, a deal between administator EY and unions to keep paying the smelter's workers is set to expire this week, and about 175 jobs will be lost unless the workers agree to take leave without pay. The federal government is expected to intervene with a support package to fund the smelter's $1.6m fortnightly payroll until prospective buyers have completed due diligence. Industry Minister Tim Ayres has described Australia's only manganese smelter as "efficient" and "capable". (RMS)

News

Another week, another gap down for EURUSD

• The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has boosted demand for the US dollar.
• Washington and Tehran may be strengthening their positions ahead of negotiations.

The US dollar opened the week with a 0.2% gap upwards, driven by increased demand for safe-haven assets. EURUSD has opened with a downward gap for the second five-day period in a row due to signs of an escalating conflict in the Middle East. First, talks between the US and Iran broke down; now, reports suggest a second round may not take place. No sooner had Tehran announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels than the Americans seized one of its tankers. However, it should be noted that the initial fear is being washed out of the market rather quickly. It seems that major players are discerning positive dynamics amidst this chaos.

On Tuesday, 21 April, the ceasefire expires. Donald Trump is threatening further air strikes if Iran does not agree to a deal. Investors realise they have gone too far in their desire to jump onto the last carriage of the EURUSD train heading north. The markets, like the US president, have been mistaking wishful thinking for reality. It is time to shed these illusions. An escalation of the conflict in the Middle East risks triggering a renewed rally in oil and the USD index.

News

Australia and World

Strait closure to weigh on stocks, oil tipped to rally

Futures pricing had initially suggested that Australian equities will gain about 0.9 per cent when the market opens on Monday. However, this was prior to Iran's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz is again closed, a move that is likely to weigh on investor sentiment. Wall Street had rallied on Friday and the crude oil price fell sharply after Iran had declared the key shipping channel to be "completely open"; the Islamic republic's subsequent backflip due to the ongoing blockade of its ports has been labeled "blackmail" by US President Donald Trump. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.09 per cent to 8,946.9 points on Friday. (RMS)

News

Millions are on the AI train but we don't know it

AustralianSuper's latest corporate filings shows that it has exposure to artificial intelligence platforms via private equity stakes. The industry superannuation fund has disclosed that it had stakes in OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI at the end of 2025. AustralianSuper has not revealed the extent the extent of its exposure to the developers of large language models ChatGPT, Claude and Grok, or whether these stakes are managed directly or via a third-party manager. OpenAI and Anthropic are not profitable at present, but Alphinity Investment Management portfolio manager Alphinity Investment Managemen believes that they might book a profit more quickly than expected. (RMS)

News

Independent servo owners on edge

Australian Beverages Council CEO Geoff Parker says that the fire at the Viva refinery in Geelong is only likely to add to the pressure that its members are feeling at the present time. Parker notes many operate in regional areas and are already dealing with a lack of fuel and significantly high prices, along with price increases for materials such as plastic and aluminium packaging. The Geelong fire is also causing stress for small, independent service stations, as has Iran's 'backflip' on a commitment to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

News

Directors brace for rising costs, AI risk and global volatility

(Roy Morgan Summary)

The Australian Institute of Company Directors' latest Director Sentiment Index survey was conducted by Roy Morgan between 20 February and 10 March. It shows that company directors are increasingly concerned about Australia's productivity performance, rising business costs and heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The DSI survey for the first half of 2026 shows that boards were already approaching the year with a level of caution even before the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, with expectations that economic and operational risks would increase over the next 12 months. A quarter of directors reported that global economic conditions had curtailed their investment plans. Almost 90 per cent expect business costs to rise, and for material impacts on Australia's trade flows, supply chains and commodity prices. Productivity growth remains the top issue directors want governments to address both in the short and long term, while domestic economic conditions are the number one thing keeping directors awake at night. Concerns around artificial intelligence, cyber security and regulatory burden also continue to climb. (RMS)

News

Cryptos

April 20

The crypto market has taken a step back, while remaining in an uptrend

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalisation stands at $2.53T, down 0.81% over the past 24 hours but up 5% over the past week. The day’s top performers were SUSHI (+2.5%), IOTA (+2%) and NEAR (+2%). Among the underperformers were ZEC (-4.1%), ALGO (-2.5%) and ETH (-0.4%). The Fear and Greed Index rose to 29 points — its highest level since 28 January.

Bitcoin is trading just below $75K on Monday morning, having retreated from last week’s highs above $78K. For now, we view the current movement as a pullback within an uptrend, rather than a reversal back to a downtrend. The pressure on the leading cryptocurrency is linked to negative reactions in stock markets to news about Iran, which has reduced risk appetite. BTC has lagged significantly behind equities in recent days, building up potential but not yet rushing to realise it.

News Background

According to SoSoValue, net inflows into spot BTC ETFs rose to $996.4 million. Net weekly inflows into US spot Ethereum ETFs totalled $275.8 million.

According to Glassnode, positioning in the options market remains uncertain. Nexo confirms the contradiction: the rally is gaining momentum, but the derivatives market does not believe in it.

Bitcoin’s return above $75,000 is met with scepticism: funding rates on perpetual futures have remained in negative territory for around 46 consecutive days, notes Bloomberg. This is one of the longest periods of bearish sentiment in the history of derivatives, comparable only to the aftermath of the FTX crypto exchange collapse in late 2022.

Traders are actively building up short positions, betting against a breakout. This creates conditions under which a short squeeze becomes more likely should the upward momentum persist, notes K33 Research. A break above $76,000 could send BTC towards $85,000, suggests Kaiko.

According to TheEnergyMag, public mining companies sold a record 32,000 BTC in the first quarter amid a record-low hash rate. This is more than in the whole of 2025. The figure also exceeds the second-quarter 2022 data, when miners liquidated 20,000 BTC following the collapse of the Terra (LUNA) ecosystem.

As a result of the latest adjustment, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty fell by 2.43% to 135.59 T. According to Glassnode, the BTC network’s hash rate, smoothed by a 7-day moving average, has recovered from ~978 EH/s to ~992 EH/s since the start of the month. (FxPro)

Cryptos

April 18

Bitcoin is gathering momentum around $75K

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalisation stands at $2.55T, up 0.56% over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency sentiment index has fallen from 23 to 21, while US stock indices are rallying. The top performers among the most liquid coins are APT (+7.2%), AAVE (+6.4%) and IOTA (+5.2%); the underperformers are NEAR (-1%), ZEC (-2.5%) and DASH (-3.2%).

Bitcoin remains near $75K, showing little change over the last two days. However, this is not a lull but a build-up of momentum, as the leading cryptocurrency is at a key resistance level where the 61.8% retracement of the decline and the March highs converge. In the first half of 2025, this area acted as support, halting the correction, while in 2024 the rally ended at this level. Given this background, the direction chosen could determine the fate of the entire crypto market over the coming months. And here, both sides need thorough preparation.

Solana has significantly outperformed the market over the last day, attempting to bounce off an important long-term support line, but failing to do so for over two months now. We will only be able to declare a victory for the bulls once it has consolidated above the $105 level, at which point we can talk about a return above the 200-week moving average, a break above previous local highs and a breach of the round figure.

News Background

The crypto market has entered a ‘no-trade zone’ and is awaiting a signal from the US Federal Reserve, said BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. According to him, the current range-bound movement is due to the lack of clear macroeconomic signals.

Pension funds, insurance companies and large investors no longer view Bitcoin as a speculative instrument. They regard it as a standard component of an investment portfolio — regardless of capital inflows or outflows from crypto ETFs, Sygnum Bank notes.

Over the next few years, Ethereum could exceed $62,000, suggested BitMine CEO Tom Lee. According to him, the recent downturn in the crypto market can be viewed as a ‘mini-crypto winter’, which is nearing its end.

One of the Bitcoin developer groups has presented a new proposal to improve the first cryptocurrency’s network (BIP-361). The proposal involves freezing 1.7 million BTC held in obsolete P2PK addresses that are potentially vulnerable to quantum attacks. (FxPro)

*Media Man: Developing and fluid situation. Another update in less than 12 hours approx.

News

Australia/Asia Pacific

News

The Lead Up

Clients seek AI savings in consulting 'rug pull'

Revium MD Adam Barty says that clients of the boutique advisory firm are asking for discounts on contracts if they find out that the company has used artificial intelligence in performing the work. Barty says Revium generates "maybe 30 to 40 per cent"of its code using AI, with that proportion tipped to grow to "more like 70 to 80" per cent by next year; he labels as being "like a rug pull" in that it reduces fees for IT work as fewer professionals produce higher quality work, while he said the company is conscious of not using AI for work that needs human judgment and experience. (RMS)

News

Tabcorp's controversial live pucks to enter Victorian pubs

The Victorian Gambling & Casino Control Commission is understood to have given Tabcorp permission to install its live betting devices in the state's pubs and clubs. Around 30cm tall and described as being like a puck, they allow gamblers to tap their phones and place bets during live racing and sport events. As it stands, betting during live events has been permitted only if a punter uses a self-service terminal, speaks to a TAB operator in person or contacts its call centre, with such restrictions aimed at protecting problem gamblers, while rival bookmakers have expressed a view that the devices are illegal. (RMS)

News

Australia takes its social media ban global

Australia's ban on children under 16 having a social media account has attracted global attention, with France and Greece among the countries set to follow Australia's example. Greece announced earlier this month that it will implement a ban on children under 15 accessing social media from next year, while France aims to pass laws imposing a ban for people of the same age from September. However, some computer experts have raised concerns about the effectiveness of Australia's ban, including claims that it infringes on childrens' privacy and that it violates their human rights. (RMS)

How the daughters of WA mining pioneers came to be opponents in high-profile legal fight

A lengthy court battle that pitted the families of two of Western Australia's iron ore pioneers against each other concluded in the WA Supreme Court last week. It saw Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest person and the daughter of Lang Hancock, in a legal contest against Angela Bennett, the daughter of Hancock's business partner of many decades, Peter Wright. In her lengthy judgment, spanning more than 1,500 pages, Justice Jennifer Smith paid tribute to Hancock and Wright's partnership, and the involvement of fellow prospector Don Rhodes, witth Smith concluding that the Wright and Rhodes 'camps' were entitled to more royalities than they had been receiving from iron ore tenements in WA's Pilbara region, although Smith affirmed Rinehart's ownership of the tenements. (RMS)

News

Labor's top lawyer warns of new wave of oil and gas lawfare

The International Court of Justice found last year that national governments have a legal obligation to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions. Australian barristers Ruth Higgins, Jennifer Robinson and Zoe Bush will publish a legal opinion on the ICJ's ruling on Monday, with Higgins having been announced this month as Australia's new solicitor-general. Higgins, Robinson and Bush will claim in the opinion that the ruling could see the boards of Australian fossil fuel companies facing a wave of legal action, and that new coal, oil and gas projects could be restricted. (RMS)

News

WWE/Wrestling/Pop Culture

Oba Femi Pins Brock Lesnar in Stunning WrestleMania 42 Debut

At WrestleMania 42 Night 2 in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, Nigerian powerhouse Oba Femi made his main roster debut by squashing Brock Lesnar in under five minutes, marking one of the quickest Mania matches ever. Lesnar, 48, left his gear behind and exited emotionally, fueling retirement talk after handpicking Femi as his final opponent. Triple H praised Femi's arrival with 'HOLY S***!!!!!', while Kurt Angle posted a heartfelt tribute, and Femi quickly called out new champion Roman Reigns on the post-Mania show.

News

WWE

Roman Reigns Beats CM Punk for World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 42

In front of a sellout Las Vegas crowd on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, Reigns returned to his dominant Tribal Chief persona, overcoming Punk's submissions and near-falls to win clean with a Spear. The Original Tribal Chief celebrated with his family ringside, hugging his kids and wife before raising the belt high. On the post-show, he promised to ditch his part-time label and appear all summer, firing back at rising challenger Oba Femi amid roaring fans who hailed it as one of WrestleMania's all-time classics.

News

Pop Culture/WWE/Wrestling

Shawn Michaels Marks 30 Years Since Iron Man Classic with Bret Hart

On March 31, 1996, at WrestleMania XII in Anaheim, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against Michaels in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man Match before 18,853 fans. The bout ended 1-1 after regulation, but Michaels won his first world title in sudden-death overtime with Sweet Chin Music at 61:52, fulfilling his 'boyhood dream' as announcer Gorilla Monsoon declared. Fans cherish it as wrestling's blueprint for storytelling, with many crediting the match for sparking their lifelong passion, while Michaels' anniversary post brought back waves of nostalgia for the reconciled rivals' endurance test.

News

Pop Culture/WWE

Stephanie McMahon Headlines WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Dolby Live in Las Vegas features Stephanie McMahon leading the Class of 2026 alongside AJ Styles, Demolition, Sid Eudy, Bad News Brown, and Dennis Rodman, hosted by Michael Cole and The Miz. Triple H's heartfelt tribute drew her warm reply, 'Forever baby, with you, I can fly,' amid fan reflections on the 10th anniversary of Chyna's death and ongoing calls for her solo induction. Reports indicate Vince McMahon won't attend, highlighting family dynamics as WWE honors its evolving legacy.

News

Danhausen Crashes WrestleMania 42 Weekend with Curses and Blimp Chaos

The indie wrestler, famous for his 'very nice, very evil' persona and hexes, disrupted Friday's SmackDown vow renewal in Las Vegas, then hit the Hall of Fame red carpet Saturday in goth attire with his wife. Big E jokingly called him a Hall of Famer, WWE trolled with a 'Blimphausen' flyover where he waved cursed teeth over Allegiant Stadium, and CM Punk praised his entertaining throwback style. Fans love the mayhem, pushing for a full-time WWE deal as Night 2 approaches Sunday.

News

Politics/Resources (Australia)

Albanese Secures 100 Million Litres of Diesel Amid Oil Crisis Criticism

Announced on April 16, 2026, the purchase from Brunei and South Korea uses new Strategic Reserve powers to direct fuel to farmers, regional areas, and essential services, as local shortages worsen from a Geelong refinery fire and the Strait of Hormuz closure. Critics like Pauline Hanson call it insufficient, blaming net-zero policies for refinery closures and import reliance, though most shutdowns occurred years earlier due to economic pressures under prior governments. Albanese described the move as practical protection against shocks, while debates intensify over building domestic fuel security.

News

Pop Culture/Movie Box Office (U.S)

April 19, 2026

1. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - $35m
2. Project Hail Mary - $20.5m
3. Lee Cronin's The Mummy - $13.5m
4. The Drama - $4.8m
5. You, Me & Tuscany - $3.8m
6. Hoppers - $2.9m
7. Normal - $2.7m
8. BTS World Tour Arirang - $1.8m
9. Busboys - $1.7m
10. Bhooth Bangla - $950,000

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Services Company Of The Month' award

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian

Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award

CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award

Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix)

Media Man

Markets, Cryptos, Miners, Politics and Pop Culture

Friday PM into The Weekend Edition

WrestleMania Weekend Trends Upward With Media and Social Media Blitz

All That Glitters Can Sometimes Be Gold! Gold Overall Media and Long Term Save Haven; Cash King In Short Term; Money In The Bank Mixed Strategy: Media Man Group

April 17/18, 2026

Markets

S&P/ASX 200 8946.90 +0.41%
S&P 500 7126.06 +1.20%
NIKKEI 58475.90 -1.75%
FTSE 10667.63 +0.73%
AUD/USD 71.73 +0.03%
GOLD 4829.40 -0.79
SILVER 80.755 +2.35
BTC $77,298.39 +3.58%

Cryptos

Bitcoin is gathering momentum around $75K

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalisation stands at $2.55T, up 0.56% over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency sentiment index has fallen from 23 to 21, while US stock indices are rallying. The top performers among the most liquid coins are APT (+7.2%), AAVE (+6.4%) and IOTA (+5.2%); the underperformers are NEAR (-1%), ZEC (-2.5%) and DASH (-3.2%).

Bitcoin remains near $75K, showing little change over the last two days. However, this is not a lull but a build-up of momentum, as the leading cryptocurrency is at a key resistance level where the 61.8% retracement of the decline and the March highs converge. In the first half of 2025, this area acted as support, halting the correction, while in 2024 the rally ended at this level. Given this background, the direction chosen could determine the fate of the entire crypto market over the coming months. And here, both sides need thorough preparation.

Solana has significantly outperformed the market over the last day, attempting to bounce off an important long-term support line, but failing to do so for over two months now. We will only be able to declare a victory for the bulls once it has consolidated above the $105 level, at which point we can talk about a return above the 200-week moving average, a break above previous local highs and a breach of the round figure.

News Background

The crypto market has entered a ‘no-trade zone’ and is awaiting a signal from the US Federal Reserve, said BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. According to him, the current range-bound movement is due to the lack of clear macroeconomic signals.

Pension funds, insurance companies and large investors no longer view Bitcoin as a speculative instrument. They regard it as a standard component of an investment portfolio — regardless of capital inflows or outflows from crypto ETFs, Sygnum Bank notes.

Over the next few years, Ethereum could exceed $62,000, suggested BitMine CEO Tom Lee. According to him, the recent downturn in the crypto market can be viewed as a ‘mini-crypto winter’, which is nearing its end.

One of the Bitcoin developer groups has presented a new proposal to improve the first cryptocurrency’s network (BIP-361). The proposal involves freezing 1.7 million BTC held in obsolete P2PK addresses that are potentially vulnerable to quantum attacks.

News

The dollar is retreating

The de-escalation in the Middle East has left the dollar vulnerable

The Bank of England is managing rate expectations, maintaining the outlook for two hikes.

Over the past two weeks, the US dollar has fallen to its lowest level since early March, giving back almost all the gains made since the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East. Talks with Iran are set to resume in the coming days. Donald Trump continues to insist that the war will end soon and that an extension of the ceasefire will not be necessary. Coupled with record highs in US stock indices, this is contributing to the continued rally in EURUSD, as geopolitics has ceased to support the greenback, bringing macroeconomics back into focus.

Investors’ attention has also shifted to corporate earnings reports and Congress’s deliberations on Kevin Warsh’s nomination for the post of Fed Chair. Contrary to Trump’s promises, the replacement of the Fed Chair may coincide with accelerating inflation driven by rising oil prices, requiring a tightening of monetary policy. What will Warsh choose? To justify the president’s trust or to demonstrate the central bank’s independence and adherence to its principles?

Investors are drawing parallels with the 1970s, when an inflationary shock amid the oil crisis saw the Fed chair, loyal to the White House, ease monetary policy. The rate cuts resulted in an even sharper rise in consumer prices and the entrenchment of high inflation expectations. At that time, the US dollar collapsed. It was only the subsequent change in the central bank chief and the aggressive tightening of monetary policy, despite the recession, that put the dollar on a path of steady growth from the summer of 1980.

Currency interventions could put pressure on the greenback. Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuko Katayama has long spoken of selling USDJPY. However, following a conversation with Scott Bessent, the intensity of her pressure on speculators has increased. This suggests that the US is not opposed to intervening in the Forex market. In 1985, coordinated currency interventions led to a multi-year decline in the USD.

Other European currencies are rising in tandem with the euro. The British pound has returned to pre-war levels, partly due to the ‘hawkish’ rhetoric of Bank of England officials. Megan Green believes that the futures market’s expectations of two rate hikes in 2026 are justified. Meanwhile, Andrew Bailey stated that previous market estimates of four hikes were too high. (FxPro)

News

Stocks driven by FEAR on TACO

Confidence in an approaching end to the war in the Middle East, the resilience of the US economy to geopolitical shocks, and expectations of a strong first-quarter earnings season enabled the S&P 500 to surpass the January record highs.

About a year ago, after the White House introduced tariffs, the broad stock index first fell and then surged as Trump Chickens Out. Nowadays, since late March, the fear of missing out on TACO has been driving strong volumes, as investors who missed last year’s rally rush to catch up.

Usually, such sharp surges occur from the very bottom of a bear market. This time, the S&P 500 has lost less than 10% from its January highs. So, it has not even been officially called a correction. Something similar occurred only in March 2000, on the eve of the dot-com bubble bursting. (FxPro)

News

April 15

The euro sees no obstacles to growth

Global risk appetite and monetary policy divergence are driving gains in EURUSD

The Bank of Japan gave no signal of a rate hike in April.

The US dollar continues to retreat amid falling demand for safe-haven assets, as the de-escalation of the Middle East conflict has raised global risk appetite. Investors are confident that US-Iran peace talks will resume shortly. This is aided by the White House’s shift from a military strategy to economic leverage through a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

A prolonged blockade could lead to the IMF’s adverse scenario. Under this scenario, oil prices would remain above $100 per barrel for an extended period, global GDP would slow to 2.6%, and inflation would rise to 5.4%. In the baseline scenario, economic growth in 2026 will be 3.1%, 0.2 percentage points lower than the previous forecast. The International Monetary Fund believes that the eurozone will suffer more than the US. The shared currency bloc is dependent on energy imports.

However, the euro has a positive correlation with risk appetite, and its bulls have capitalised on the strong rally in US indices, pushing them towards record highs. At the same time, the rising correlation between the VIX volatility index and the US dollar is putting pressure on the greenback.

MUFG Research notes that the 40% rally in Brent since the start of the war in the Middle East should have led to a 3% fall in EURUSD. The firm attributes the euro’s return to pre-war levels to rising global risk appetite and divergence in monetary policy. The futures market is pricing in a 35% probability of a Fed rate cut in 2026. Investors are confident of two ECB rate hikes and a 30% chance of a third.

Other global currencies have benefited from the US dollar’s weakness. However, the yen is in no hurry to rise as Kazuo Ueda’s comments unsettled USDJPY bears. The BoJ Governor stated the Bank would continue to monitor developments in the Middle East and gave no signals of a tightening of monetary policy. This is a dovish tone, as he has given such signals before. As a result, the futures market has reduced the probability of monetary tightening in April from 55% to 32%. (FxPro)

News

April 16

Crypto stalls as risk appetite shows cracks

Market Overview

The crypto market capitalisation fell by 0.74% over the past 24 hours to $2.5 trillion. Today’s top performers include Immutable (+3.2%), SushiSwap (+0.8%) and Tron (+0.7%). The underperformers were Dash (-5.4%), Toncoin (-4.5%) and NEAR Protocol (-4.4%). The crypto market took a step back, despite further gains in stock indices. From its local low at the end of March, the crypto market has risen by 8.6%, a more modest increase than the Nasdaq 100’s 13.6%.

Bitcoin briefly rose above $76K on Tuesday, almost matching March’s peak levels, but had retreated to $73.6K at the time of writing. Buyers are looking for a catalyst to push the price to a new level beyond the consolidation range. If Bitcoin is looking for external signals, it may remain indecisive until key US stock indices hit new highs. However, we are more inclined to believe that the first cryptocurrency’s stagnation is a sign of a fragile risk appetite that will soon manifest in the broader market.

News Background

The conflict in Iran has increased the appeal of non-sovereign money and brought Bitcoin closer to serving as a real medium of exchange, according to Bitwise. Since the start of the war in the Middle East, BTC has risen by 12%, whilst the S&P 500 and gold have fallen by 1% and 10% respectively.

Bitcoin could fall to $30K only if the US economy enters a deep recession, according to analyst Benjamin Cowen. A correction of 65–70% from the highs is in line with historical trends and is not exceptional.

According to CoinDesk, derivatives accounted for 76.5% of the total trading volume on centralised crypto exchanges (CEX) in March — the highest figure since September 2023. Derivatives trading volume on CEXs stood at $3.99 trillion — 3.2% lower than in February.

Trump’s nominee for Fed chair has disclosed his cryptocurrency investments. Kevin Warsh has invested in the Polymarket prediction market and several decentralised startups, according to his financial disclosure statement.

News

Australia

April 17

Australian Dollar: $0.7159 USD (down $0.0011 USD)
Iron Ore: $106.25 USD (up $1.95 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $93.37 USD (up $1.98 USD)
Gold Price : $4,788.31 USD (down $2.53 USD)
Copper Price: $6.0340 USD (down $0.0445 USD)
Dow Jones: 48,578.72 (up 115.00 points)

News

World warned 'don't deal with Iran oil'

The Trump administration has confirmed that the temporary sanctions waiver on Iranian oil exports that was introduced on 20 March will not be extended. It is due to expire within days, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that reinstating the oil sanctions will be the "financial equivalent" of a bombing campaign in terms of Iran's ability to generate revenue. Bessant has also warned that the US is willing to impose secondary sanctions on companies or nations that buy Iranian oil or have Iranian money in bank accounts. Meanwhile, Iran has urged the US to end its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it will be regarded as a breach of the two-week ceasefire if it remains in place. (RMS)

News

Machinery or maintenance failure in focus at Geelong refinery

Viva Energy believe a gas leak was responsible for an explosion and the resulting fire at its Geelong oil refinery, although the exact cause is still under investigation. Bill Patterson from Viva Energy has downplayed suggestions that the disaster is linked to delayed maintenance work at the plant; he notes that some such work has been deferred due to the Iran war, but this had not been scheduled for the part of the refinery where the incident occured. Fire Rescue Victoria's Deputy Commissioner Michelle Cowling says the initial indications suggest that a mechanical or engineering failure within equipment in a transfer section of the refinery may have been responsible for the disaster. (RMS)

News

'I'm not happy': Trump renews criticism of Australia, ignores defence spend boost

US President Donald Trump has again criticised Australia for not helping the US in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump making his comments while being questioned as he left the White House on Thursday US time. Ignoring the federal government's recent announcement that it will spend an extra $53 billion on defence over the next decade, an decision partly made to assuage criticism from the Trump administration about Australia's low military spending, Trump said "I'm not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there", while he did not respond to questions as to whether he was still on good terms with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (RMS)

News

War a chance to wound illicit tobacco market

Retailers of illegal cigarettes say that supply chain problems resulting from the Iran war have pushed up the prices of their products. A pack of popular Double Happiness cigarettes has risen from about $7 a pack to $17 in recent weeks, while a carton of 10 packs, that would have previously sold for between $60 and $70, is now selling for as much as $140. The rise in the price of illegal cigarettes has led to calls for the federal government to 'wound' the tobacco black market by cutting the tobacco excise, thereby reducing the cost of legal cigarettes. (RMS)

News

Auto

We will not survive': Toyota, Honda and Ford CEOs issue chilling warning about China - and it could hit your portfolio

70 per cent of all new electric vehicles now come from China, leaving Toyota, Honda and Ford worried about projects and overhauling their strategy. Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe said after a recent visit to a Shanghai parts factory that "we have no chance against this", with Ford and Toyota leaders having expressed similar sentiments regarding Chinese makers' sheer speed in not just building cars, but designing them. Automotive stocks are a common part of many broad-based mutual funds and ETFs, while Tesla, Ford and Toyota remain among the best-known investment options in the sector. However, big shifts in focus under the threat of Chinese manufacturing, along with disappointing sales figures by foreign car makers in China, could make investors with holdings in those stocks nervous. (RMS)

News

X News

Elon Musk Proposes Universal High Income to Offset AI Job Losses

On Friday, Musk posted on X that universal high income payments from the federal government offer the best fix for AI-driven unemployment, arguing AI and robotics will create abundant goods and services without inflation. He differentiates this from universal basic income, pointing to AI's potential for far greater wealth that makes work optional. Reactions divided sharply, with supporters praising adaptation to tech changes and critics warning of lost purpose, government overreach, and economic pitfalls like eroded work incentives.

News

WWE/Pro Wrestling/Pop Culture

Shawn Michaels Marks 30 Years Since Iron Man Classic with Bret Hart

On March 31, 1996, at WrestleMania XII in Anaheim, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against Michaels in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man Match before 18,853 fans. The bout ended 1-1 after regulation, but Michaels won his first world title in sudden-death overtime with Sweet Chin Music at 61:52, fulfilling his 'boyhood dream' as announcer Gorilla Monsoon declared. Fans cherish it as wrestling's blueprint for storytelling, with many crediting the match for sparking their lifelong passion, while Michaels' anniversary post brought back waves of nostalgia for the reconciled rivals' endurance test.

News

WWE

Stephanie McMahon Headlines WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Dolby Live in Las Vegas features Stephanie McMahon leading the Class of 2026 alongside AJ Styles, Demolition, Sid Eudy, Bad News Brown, and Dennis Rodman, hosted by Michael Cole and The Miz. Triple H's heartfelt tribute drew her warm reply, 'Forever baby, with you, I can fly,' amid fan reflections on the 10th anniversary of Chyna's death and ongoing calls for her solo induction. Reports indicate Vince McMahon won't attend, highlighting family dynamics as WWE honors its evolving legacy.

News

WWE Unveils Hulk Hogan Statue at WrestleMania 42 Weekend

The statue anchors the 'Hulkamania Forever' exhibit at WWE World in Las Vegas, packed with relics like championship belts, a Hulkamobile motorcycle, and vintage posters from Hogan's 1980s peak. Triple H dubbed it 'Immortal,' honoring the six-time champion who brought wrestling mainstream, though some fans noted ironies like Nick Hogan's 2007 car crash near the motorcycle display and joked about the statue's dark bronze patina. This first post-death WrestleMania tribute coincides with Netflix's 'Hulk Hogan: Real American' docuseries premiere on April 22, drawing crowds to celebrate the complicated icon.

News

Pop Culture/Gaming/Movies

Street Fighter Live-Action Trailer Unleashes 1990s Arcade Vibes

The official trailer for the live-action Street Fighter movie, set during the Super Street Fighter II era, stars Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, and Callina Liang as Chun-Li, who draws them into the World Warrior Tournament. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, it features WWE stars like Cody Rhodes as Guile and Roman Reigns as Akuma, alongside Jason Momoa as Blanka and 50 Cent as Balrog, embracing the game's campy fun over gritty realism. The cast appeared at WrestleMania in full regalia, and most reactions praise the trailer's goofy spirit, though some note cosplay-like vibes; it hits theaters October 16.

News

WWE

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk share emotional promo and hug on final SmackDown before WrestleMania

Cody Rhodes delivered a promo praising CM Punk as the new Mr. WrestleMania, stating that his father Dusty Rhodes would be proud of Punk, and expressing love for him. CM Punk reciprocated the sentiment toward Cody Rhodes before they embraced to close the show.

News

Danhausen Curses Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take

The WWE wrestler, real name Donovan Danhausen from Warren, Michigan, crashed Friday's First Take in Las Vegas to hype WrestleMania 42, declaring Stephen A. cursed while hosts Molly Qerim and Keyshawn Johnson laughed. Fresh off signing with WWE in February 2026 after his AEW contract ended, Danhausen debuted dramatically at Elimination Chamber and has fans buzzing with his 'very nice, very evil' antics, including a Goodyear Blimp ride where he gleefully cursed the city below. The stunt amps up excitement for the two-night event at Allegiant Stadium on April 18-19, with rumors of more surprises alongside host John Cena. (Media Man Peg-On). Danhausen got off to a bit of a rough start in his WWE debut but has more than made up for it. Catch the Danhausen Fever and Mania. Media Hausen! Wrestle Hausen Weekend!

News

Bitcoin News Byte

Despite a 47% Price Drop, Bitcoin Traders Aren’t Selling:

A survey of U.S. Bitcoin holders and crypto subreddit posts found that despite anxiety and market turbulence, most investors (69%) held onto their Bitcoin, with only 8% panic selling.

Bitcoin faced a dramatic market correction in early 2026, plunging 46% from its $126,000 all-time high and briefly dipping below $61,000 on February 6.

The drop erased over $1 trillion in market value and prompted headlines warning of a defining crypto moment. Social media feeds filled with reactions, yet most holders remained on the sidelines.

A survey by Oobit of 1,006 American Bitcoin holders and sentiment analysis of 117,630 posts across 10 major crypto subreddits reveals that fear did not translate into widespread selling.

News Flashback

Last Week

Gold News

Gold is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics

The market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation driven by high energy prices. As a result, central banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy, keeping rates at high levels or even raising them. This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and strips gold of its key feature as a store of value amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the precious metal, which had got off to a strong start, has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East. Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil, investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries.

Gold prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen, fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes that the markets are still underestimating the scale of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension. They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation and are not considering a global economic downturn. Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious metal.

UBS Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget deficits and recession. All of these could result from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before the end of this year. However, gold must first weather the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest. The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle inflation, and the futures market expects them to tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in their cycles.

Thus, gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient for a little while. (FxPro)

News

Media Man Awards

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Services Company Of The Month' award

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian

Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award

CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award

Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix)

Markets, Shares, Cryptos, Miners, Social Media and Culture

Wrestling With Numbers In WrestleMania Week!

NBA Ballers In Vegas Get Bullish! Bet On Pop Culture Biz!

April 15, 2026

Tuesday Rises In New York
Wednesday Down Under

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York, and beyond the Blackstump and Internet Matrix Of Things!

Pop Culture themes

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
"Bulls on Parade" (Rage Against the Machine)
"Down Under" (Men at Work)
"From Dusk Till Dawn" (Tito & Tarantula)

Markets

ASX 200 futures up 43 points/0.5 per cent: 9047

AUD flat to US71.26¢

Bitcoin $74,131.87 -0.86%

Wall St:

Dow +0.7%
S&P +1.21%
Nasdaq +2.0%

VIX down 0.68 to 18.44
Gold +2.2% to $US4,844.23 an ounce
Silver 79.285 -0.19
Brent oil -4.2% to $US95.21 a barrel
Iron ore -1.1% to $US103.50 a ton
10-year yield: US 4.26% Australia 4.95%

Coffee 296.25 -1.35

Cocoa 3623.13 - 22.86

Numbers Double Check

April 15, 2026 (Sydney, Australia)

Australian Dollar: $0.7120 USD (up $0.0028 USD)
Iron Ore: $103.50 USD (down $1.10 USD)
Oil Price (West Texas): $92.07 USD (down $5.90 USD)
Gold Price : $4,841.42 USD (up $100.18 USD)
Copper Price: $6.0815 USD (up $0.0805 USD)
Dow Jones: 48,535.99 (up 317.74 points)

News

ASX up, traders hopeful of further Iran talks

The Australian sharemarket posted a solid gain on Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.5 per cent to close at 8,970.8 points. Investor sentiment was bolstered by indications that the Trump administration could seek further peace talks with Iran before the temporary ceasefire ends next week. BHP was up 3.2 per cent at $56.10, Deep Yellow rose nine per cent to $1.93 and WiseTech Global advanced 3.8 per cent to $38.56. However, Santos was down 0.9 per cent at $7.96 and Westpac fell 2.6 per cent to $41.48. (RMS)

News Lead Up (24 Hours Ago)

ASX ends lower as Hormuz blockade weighs

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 0.4 per cent to close at 8,926 points. Energy and coal stocks rallied after the Trump administration's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz boosted the price of Brent crude oil; Woodside Energy rose 2.6 per cent tp $34.15 and Whitehaven Coal was up 2.6 per cent at $8.33. However, Evolution Mining fell 2.4 per cent to $13.22, Life360 shed 8.1 per cent to end the session at $17.91 and EML Payments was down 35.7per cent at $0.37. (RMS)

News

Biz/Industry (Australia)

'We may be out of business': suppliers issue plea for help

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks CEO John McLean says the company's diesel fuel bill has increased by nearly 40 per cent since the start of the Iran war. He adds that Bundarberg may ask customers such as Coles and Woolworths to accept a temporary surcharge that can be removed quickly when the situation improves. McLean emphasises that Bundaberg wants to avoid any increases in the price of its products for consumers. However, he warns that Bundaberg and many other businesses may no longer be viable unless they can recover the rising cost of fuel and other inputs. (RMS)

News

PwC, Viva red-faced as ASIC spots $25m error

Fuel refiner and petrol station owner Viva Energy Group included $559m worth of impairment charges associated with its retail outlets in its financial accounts for calendar 2025. However, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has reviewed Viva Energy's full-year accounts and found that it had made an error in how it accounted for a $25 million impairment expense; as a result, the company will have to book an extra $25 million in write-downs for the year. Viva Energy's auditor, PwC, has indicated that it does not comment on client work. (RMS)

News

Shares: NYSE

Alphabet Inc Class A
$332.91
+11.60 +3.61%
Lead Up
$321.24
+3.97 +1.25%
Lead Up
$317.26
-1.21 -0.38%

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$195.37 -0.100 -0.051%
Lead Up
$195.47
-1.90 -0.96%
Lead Up
$197.37
+0.30 +0.15%

Netflix Inc
$106.24
+3.08 +2.99%
Lead Up
$103.16
+0.15 +0.15%
Lead Up
$103.03
+0.94 Today +0.92%
(0.17%)+0.18
After Hours: $103.21

Tesla Inc
$364.16
+11.74 +3.33%
Lead Up
$352.42
+3.42 +0.98%

Palantir Technologies Inc
$135.70
+3.33 +2.52%
Lead Up
$132.37
+4.26 +3.33%

Wynn Resorts Ltd
$105.59
+2.53 +2.45%
Lead Up
$103.06
-0.94 +0.90%

Rio Tinto Ltd
$173.82
-0.470.27%
(ASX)

Elders Ltd
$7.43
-0.12 -1.59%
Lead Up
$7.64
+0.040 Today +0.53%
(ASX): Australian Stock Exchange

Paramount Skydance Corp
$11.08
+0.35 +3.26%
Lead Up
$10.73
+0.11 +1.04%

Warner Bros Discovery Inc
$27.37
-0.020 -0.073%
Lead up
$27.39
-0.050 -0.18%

Media Man Peg-On: Play the long game. TKO and Netflix are staples of entertainment/media, and audience numbers, media and marketing creative will help keep them at the high level in most regards. Tesla has the Musk magic and X factor. Aussie miners are frequently strong given the nature of the biz. Gina R took a financial hit re legal as per Australian Financial Review news story. Media remains volitile.R

News

Sports/MMA

Ulberg Knocks Out Procházka on One Leg to Win UFC Title

At UFC 327 in Miami's Kaseya Center, underdog Ulberg overcame a likely ACL tear from Procházka's leg kicks, hobbling through Round 1 before countering with a signature strike at 3:45 for the knockout. Procházka later called his 'stupid mercy' moment—easing off and taunting—the reason he lost, vowing to destroy that part of himself and return stronger. Ulberg dismissed the excuse, saying he never counted himself out, while his 9-12 month recovery delays any rematch talk. The upset has fans debating warrior honor versus no-mercy fighting. (Media Man: The power of the human spirit. Never say die. It ain't over till it's over sport)!

News

Combat Sports/UFC/Trump

Trump Cheers Ulberg's Shocking UFC 327 Title Win in Miami

At a packed Kaseya Center, underdog Ulberg claimed UFC gold at 3:45 of the first round despite a mid-fight knee injury, marking one of the promotion's most unlikely victories. Paulo Costa stormed back for a third-round TKO over Azamat Murzakanov, then leaped the cage to thank cageside President Trump, who grinned and joked about his looks. Trump arrived with Dana White, Marco Rubio, and family for his first public sports event since the U.S.-Israel conflict, while Josh Hokit upset Curtis Blaydes to earn a White House fight announcement against Derrick Lewis on June 14. (Media Man Peg-On): It's a Win-Win-Win!

News

Sports/Entertainment/WWE

Joe Tessitore's Top 5 Breakout Stars for WrestleMania 42

ESPN's Joe Tessitore ranks Oba Femi No. 1 for his raw power, including a big win over Brock Lesnar, followed by Trick Williams' charisma, Je'Von Evans' high-flying at age 21, Lash Legend's athletic tag team reign, and Dominik Mysterio's heel evolution. The NXT-heavy list highlights WWE's youth movement ahead of the two-night event at Allegiant Stadium on April 18-19. Stephen A. Smith joked about turning down an on-screen manager role, comparing himself to Pat McAfee. (Media Man Peg-On): Seems like Joe Tess is too much of a nice guy than to turn heel like Pat McAfee. Just saying.

News

Gaming/Pop Culture/Vegas Strip

$10 Billion Vegas Arena Complex Proposed Near the Strip

Starr Vegas Development revealed plans Sunday for a 63-acre complex two miles south of the Strip, featuring a convertible arena for NBA, hockey, soccer, and concerts, plus a casino resort, 752-foot tower with 2,605 hotel and condo units, retail, offices, and halls of fame for boxing and combat sports. CEO Chuck Haifley of Big Vision LLC announced $6 billion in private funding with no taxpayer money needed, backed by partners like ticketing exec Lou Weisbach and local landowners. The bid arrives as the NBA explores expansion to Las Vegas by 2028-29 amid seven competing proposals, with fans excited about the city's sports growth and skeptics noting tourism challenges and soccer rivalries. (Media Man Peg-On): Good to see that at least a few folks are still bullish on and in Vegas. NBA is the thick of things. Big Balls-Ers!

News

Pop Culture/WWE RAW/Wrestling

CM Punk Faces Roman Reigns in Final Raw Showdown Before WrestleMania 42

Fans gear up for Monday Night Raw in Sacramento, where World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk meets Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns ahead of their Night 2 title clash at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on April 18-19. The rivalry ignited when Reigns won the 2026 Rumble in Saudi Arabia, leading to heated exchanges like Punk's pipe bombs and Reigns' intense stares. Night 1 brings Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi, an Intercontinental ladder match with Bron Breakker, Rey Mysterio, and Dragon Lee, plus title bouts, as one devoted fan pushes through health challenges to attend in Kevin Owens gear.

Pop Culture/WWE/Gaming

WWE 2K26 Season 2 Launches with Borderlands Crossover and Free Stars

Ringside Pass Season 2 drops April 15 for WWE 2K26, featuring a bold Borderlands crossover that transforms Rhea Ripley into a cybernetic dominator, CM Punk into a spiked Psycho mask-wearer, and Becky Lynch into a fiery Firehawk. Free additions include NXT powerhouse Oba Femi with his tribal beads and commanding entrance, plus Kelly Kelly's nostalgic return in pink Diva gear that Barbie Blank herself hyped. While some fans love the creative mashup for custom modes, others call it mismatched slop and crave pure wrestling content.

News

WWE/Lucha LIbra AAA Worldwide/TKO Group

Two El Grande Americanos Brawl into Mask vs. Mask Showdown

At Lucha Libre AAA's Mexico City event on April 11, WWE's Chad Gable returned as the original El Grande Americano, unmasking Octagon Jr. before sparking a wild post-match brawl with Ludwig Kaiser, who took over the character after Gable's injury. Kaiser suplexed Gable through the barricade amid refs and security pulling them apart, then grabbed the mic to challenge him to a Mask vs. Mask match. The high-stakes clash, overseen by Triple H and The Undertaker, is reportedly set for AAA's May 30 event in Monterrey, where the loser unmasks in lucha libre tradition. Fans and insiders hailed the electric brawl as one of the year's best angles.

News

WWE/Pop Culture

Liv Morgan Drops 'Trouble' Music Video Ahead of WrestleMania 42

WWE released the 2:35 music video on YouTube Sunday, where the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble winner teases her title match against champ Stephanie Vaquer. The pop track matches Morgan's troublemaker vibe with wild lyrics, leather jackets, and high-energy dancers in gritty urban settings. Fans split between praising the fun visuals and roasting the vocals, as their heated feud builds to WrestleMania 42 this weekend. (Media Man Peg-On): Hot. Eye Ball Grabber!

News

Becky Lynch Launches AMO Coffee at WWE World

After teasing a big announcement, WWE superstar Becky Lynch announced her AMO coffee brand launches at WWE World powered by Fanatics, inviting fans to her booth for the first taste and priority box access. The playful promo matches her boastful style, linking to her 'Greatest Female Wrestler of All Time' T-shirt and tying into WrestleMania 42 season amid her feud with AJ Lee. Built with husband Seth Rollins, AMO positions itself as the top brew, drawing excited replies from fans ready to grab a cup. (Media Man Peg-On): Cheers Seth and Becky, so, I guess we have no choice but to now cover the news via our Cafe News Media brand also. Cheers to hard and smart work.

News

News/Pop Culture/Sports Business/Streaming

Netflix Announces Fury vs. Joshua Heavyweight Clash This Autumn

Netflix announced Saturday that Fury and Joshua will fight this autumn in the UK, live exclusively on the streaming service, right after Fury's unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fury, back from retirement with a 36-1-1 record, demanded the long-teased all-British showdown, while Joshua, 28-5 and seated ringside, dismissed him as a 'clout chaser' but hinted at readiness on his terms. No exact date or venue is set yet—Wembley is speculated—but Fury insists it's Joshua or nothing, capping a decade of buildup between the rivals. (Media Man Peg-On): This match up has the potential to break some sort of streaming records, maybe just outside Mike Tyson sort of numbers.

News

Pop Culture/Gaming/WWE

Fortnite Teases Stone Cold Steve Austin Skin for WWE Crossover

Epic Games dropped a hype video showing WWE legend Steve Austin in his iconic gear, grabbing a green canister for a Fortnite-style stunner before chugging beers amid shattering glass and fireworks. The skin arrives in the Item Shop on April 16, 2026, with the v40.20 update, joining past WWE stars like John Cena and Roman Reigns in this Wave 3 bundle that may include Liv Morgan. Fans love the nostalgic nod to Austin's Attitude Era catchphrase, complete with skull back bling and beer bash emotes, priced around 1,500-2,000 V-Bucks. (Media Man Peg-On): The gamification of sports and pop culture legends like Stone Cole continues. Stuns the gaming world is a good way.

News

Pop Culture/WWE/Wrestling

Sami Zayn Faces Boos and Lays Out Lil Yachty on SmackDown

On Friday's SmackDown, United States Champion Sami Zayn shrugged off heavy boos and vowed to defend his title against Trick Williams at WrestleMania 42 unchanged, no matter the fan backlash. Tensions peaked when Lil Yachty, Williams' celebrity ally, yanked Zayn from ringside only to take a Helluva Kick over the barricade, helping Williams win his match. Meanwhile, Carmelo Hayes revealed plans to rehab his knee injury and skip WrestleMania for a second straight year, drawing fan frustration over WWE's direction for homegrown stars.

News

Pop Culture Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

Trump vs The Hood
Jake Paul vs Dana White
Sami Zayn vs WWE Universe
Danhausen vs Cody Rhodes
Killer vs The Missing Link
The Masked Superstar vs Mr X
Michael Saylor vs Bears
Mr FOX vs Mr VOX
Joe Tessitore vs Pat McAfee: Special ref: Michael Cole (fantasy booking)
Claudio CSRO vs Seth Rollins - Cafe Shop Brawl For All
Becky Lynch vs Alexa Bliss - Cafe Shop Brawl - Special Ref: CSRO. Special Enforcer: John Cena
Team TKO vs TEAM WWE

News

AI News (Aust)

Copyright holders ready to do AI deals under existing laws

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has told an event hosted by the media and creative sectors at Parliament House that Australia's existing copyright regime has served it well for many years. She said the federal government had said for some time that it has no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to artificial intelligence, while Australia's creative and media sector have made it clear that they are prepared to do licence deals with AI firms, and that existing copyright laws enable them to do just that. (RMS)

News

The miners to own in diesel crisis

Bell Potter's survey of Australian-listed mining companies concluded that diesel fuel accounted for up to 15 per cent of their operating costs prior to the start of the Iran war. Stuart Howe from Bell Potter says the war and the surge in crude oil prices will result in higher costs for much of the mining sector, while production could be impacted by the availability of diesel. Bell Potter recommends that investors rotate into mining stocks that are less exposed to diesel prices. Analysts note that miners with large-scale open-cut operations are most at risk of a supply crisis due to their heavy reliance on diesel-powered truck fleets. (RMS)

News

Batteries, coal push out east coast LNG shortage to 2029

The Australian Energy Market Operator now expects any gas supply shortage in the south-eastern states to occur in 2029, compared with its previous forecast of 2028. AEMO says gas shortfalls in 2029 are now regarded as a risk only during "extreme peak day demand conditions". It has cited a number of factors for its revised forecast, including expectations of lower demand for gas for power generation, an extension of the Eraring coal-fired power station's operating life and the estimated 30 gigawatts of battery storage projects that are currently being developed. Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the improved outlook shows that the federal government's "balanced" energy plan is working. (RMS)

News Lead Up

Streaming News Watercooler

Netflix CEO allegedly won’t speak to Meghan Markle on phone without lawyer

Meghan Markle is caught in a fresh Netflix storm with rumors claiming CEO Ted Sarandos is refusing to take her calls without a lawyer. Netflix denies everything but whispers of canceled deals and rising tension have fans questioning the truth!

News

A.I News

Australia

Watchdog warns against 'dangerously' positive AI advice amid crypto trading spike

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has expressed concern about the growing tendency for young Australians to use artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT for financial advice. Its figures show young people are following 'dangerously' positive AI recommendations about investing in risky investments such as crypto, with their faith in what has been referred to as 'unverified, risk-averse digital advice' occurring as many Australians are struggling with major cost of living pressures; ASIC's figures also show that 23 per cent of Gen Z now hold crypto assets – up from just 9 per cent in 2023. (RMS)

News

Resources

Drill, baby, drill: Boom for mineral, petroleum explorers

Advisory firm BDO has calculated that ASX-listed mineral and petroleum explorers raised a record $5.63 billion in the final quarter of last year. It broke the previous record for fund raising of $3.75 billion that was set in the same period in 2021, with the $5.63 billion in fund raising leaving mineral and petroleum explorers with record cash reserves of $12 billion. It comes as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that spending on mineral exploration hit a two-year high in the final quarter of 2025, while spending on petroleum exploration was at a decade high. (RMS)

News

A.I News

Global giants join Australia in fight to make AI companies pay for content

Both the US and the UK appear to be backing the stance of the federal government of wanting AI companies pay for their use of content that has been produced by artists, musicians and journalists. In a document released on Friday that was titled 'Respecting Intellectual Property Rights and Supporting Creators', the White House stated that US copyright laws - under which content theft for the training of AI models, or any other use, is illegal - will remain. For its part, the UK government stated last week that it no longer had a "preferred option" on copyright reform, which comes after it last year endorsed a proposal that would have allowed tech companies to use copyrighted work without permission unless rights holders 'opted out' of the process. Its change of stance follows a longrunning campaign – led by artists including Elton John and Thom Yorke from Radiohead – which warned that the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for training AI models was threatening the livelihoods of people working in the creative industries. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Bitcoin News Byte

Despite a 47% Price Drop, Bitcoin Traders Aren’t Selling:

A survey of U.S. Bitcoin holders and crypto subreddit posts found that despite anxiety and market turbulence, most investors (69%) held onto their Bitcoin, with only 8% panic selling.

Bitcoin faced a dramatic market correction in early 2026, plunging 46% from its $126,000 all-time high and briefly dipping below $61,000 on February 6.

The drop erased over $1 trillion in market value and prompted headlines warning of a defining crypto moment. Social media feeds filled with reactions, yet most holders remained on the sidelines.

A survey by Oobit of 1,006 American Bitcoin holders and sentiment analysis of 117,630 posts across 10 major crypto subreddits reveals that fear did not translate into widespread selling.

News

X Newsfeed

WWE

Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona Dish on Indie-to-WWE Return

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes hosted Matt Cardona on 'What Do You Wanna Talk About?', where Cardona detailed his path back to WWE after six years as the 'Indy God.' It started with his wife Chelsea Green nudging President Nick Khan during a TNA spot on NXT, leading to Cardona's direct text and a January 2026 SmackDown deal. They fantasy-booked a fun ladder match in WWE 2K26, and Cardona shouted out indie standouts Big Trouble Ben Bishop and Richard Holliday as future WWE stars, sparking excitement online about their friendship and the indie-WWE bridge. Media Man Peg-On: Cardona'a indi matches and feud with Killer Kross was excellent. Our Cardona indy highlight. Vs Holliday was great too, as was Kross vs Holliday.

News

25 Years Since WCW Nitro's Final Episode Ended Monday Night Wars

On March 26, 2001, WCW Monday Nitro aired its last show from Panama City Beach, Florida, capping five and a half years of intense competition with WWF Raw. Key moments included Booker T winning the world title, a dramatic simulcast announcement of WWF purchasing WCW's assets for $4.2 million, and Sting defeating Ric Flair in the main event that echoed the show's debut. Fans today share live memories of the surreal night, clips of the McMahon surprise, and thoughts on WCW stars like Booker T and Sting who later succeeded in WWE.

News Flashback

Last Week

Gold News

Gold is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics

The market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation driven by high energy prices. As a result, central banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy, keeping rates at high levels or even raising them. This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and strips gold of its key feature as a store of value amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the precious metal, which had got off to a strong start, has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East. Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil, investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries.

Gold prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen, fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes that the markets are still underestimating the scale of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension. They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation and are not considering a global economic downturn. Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious metal.

UBS Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget deficits and recession. All of these could result from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before the end of this year. However, gold must first weather the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest. The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle inflation, and the futures market expects them to tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in their cycles.

Thus, gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient for a little while. (FxPro)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Services Company Of The Month' award

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian

Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award

CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award

Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix)

Media Man

Markets, Shares, Cryptos, Miners, Social Media and Culture

March 23, 2026

Mad Monday

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street. New York, and beyond the Blackstump and Internet Matrix Of Things!

Pop Culture themes

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Cannonball Adderley)
"Gold" (Spandau Ballet)
"The Wall Street Hustle" (10cc)
"Video Killed the Radio Star" (The Buggles)
"I Don't Like Mondays" (The Boomtown Rats)
"Monday, Monday" (The Mamas & the Papas)

Markets

ASX 200 futures down 156 points/1.8%: 8343

AUD -0.9% to US70.23¢
Bitcoin $67,584.42 -1.97%
Dow -1%
S&P -1.5%
Nasdaq -2%
VIX +2.72 to 26.78
Gold -3.4% to $US4492.43 an ounce
Silver 65.686 -2.065
Brent oil +3.9% to $US112.86 a barrel
Iron ore +1% to $US108.25 a tonne
10-year yield: US 4.38% Australia 5.02%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.6999 USD (down $0.0084 USD) Iron Ore: $108.25 USD (up $0.80 USD)
Oil Price: $98.23 USD (up $3.45 USD)
Gold Price: $4,494.10 USD (down $159.14 USD)
Copper Price: $5.3020 USD (down $0.218 USD)
Dow Jones: 45,577.47 (down 443.96 points)

News

Streaming News Watercooler

Netflix CEO allegedly won’t speak to Meghan Markle on phone without lawyer

Meghan Markle is caught in a fresh Netflix storm with rumors claiming CEO Ted Sarandos is refusing to take her calls without a lawyer. Netflix denies everything but whispers of canceled deals and rising tension have fans questioning the truth!

News

MMA/UFC Watercooler

Dana White responds to Jon Jones' claims about $15 million offer

Dana White has doubled down on his stance about Jon Jonesnever being a part of the White House plan.

Jones is not fighting at the UFC White Housecard in June despite having tried for a spot ever since the event was first mentioned. Jones recently claimed that he was willing to fight Alex Pereirafor much less than he had demanded to fight Tom Aspinalllast year. However, the UFC was allegedly not willing to offer more than $15 million to Jones, who didn't think it was enough.

"Was ready, willing and physically able to step in," Jones wrote on X. "I was willing to take substantially less than the Aspinall ask but they wouldn't budge one dollar over $15m. I felt like our fight was worth more."

No Way in Hell

White responded to Jones' claims at the UFC Londonpost-fight press conference on Saturday. White maintains that Jones was never a part of the plan for the White House card.

"How many f--ing times I gotta say this?" White said. "He was never fighting on the White House card… There was no way in hell I was putting him on that card, no matter what the money was. Jon Joneswas never gonna fight in the White House card."

Jones (28-1) kept the heavyweight division hanging for over a year, while White kept promising fans that "Bones" would fight interim champion Aspinall. However, Jones retired in June 2025 without fighting Aspinall. Jones would return to the drug testing pool just weeks later, after plans for the White House card were mentioned. Jones kept rallying for a spot on the card, even pleading with White.

When Jones missed out, White claimed that he was never a part of the plan. However, the former UFC double champ lashed out on social media, hinting at lengthy negotiations with the promotion about fighting at the White House. Jones has since called for his release from the UFC.

News

Social Media

The Metaverse Is Dead

In a move that signals the end of a highly publicized digital era, Meta announced this week that its flagship social virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, is being completely removed from Quest headsets by June 15. The app will survive solely as a mobile experience, repositioning itself to compete with established gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite rather than fulfilling its original vision of an all-encompassing virtual universe.Virtual Worlds

The shutdown of the VR component of Horizon Worlds is the clearest signal yet that the much-hyped pivot to the metaverse has been quietly unwound by the tech giant.

When Mark Zuckerberg famously renamed Facebook to Meta in 2021, he described the metaverse as “the next frontier” for human interaction. Yet, despite being the center of that massive corporate bet, the platform never drew more than a few hundred thousand monthly active users—a staggering underperformance for a project that consumed billions.

To put the financial toll into perspective, Reality Labs, the division at Meta responsible for VR and metaverse development, has accumulated an astonishing $80 billion in losses since 2020. In the fourth quarter of last year alone, it posted an operating loss of over $6 billion.

The Heyman Hustle is taking the position that this strategic retreat is entirely driven by the explosive rise of Artificial Intelligence.

When ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 and fundamentally shifted the tech landscape, Meta quickly pivoted its public messaging. Leveraging its highly respected AI research division led by Yann LeCun, the company found a new, credible foundation. As a result of prioritizing AI over empty digital rooms, ad revenue improved, the stock aggressively recovered, and by 2024, Meta had nearly tripled in value from its 2022 lows.

While Meta executives claim they have not abandoned VR entirely—pointing to upcoming hardware and the massive success of their AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses—the closure of the flagship Horizon Worlds VR experience marks the end of a multi-billion dollar dream. (THH)

Full article and coverage via The Heyman Hustle

News

A.I News

Australia

Watchdog warns against 'dangerously' positive AI advice amid crypto trading spike

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has expressed concern about the growing tendency for young Australians to use artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT for financial advice. Its figures show young people are following 'dangerously' positive AI recommendations about investing in risky investments such as crypto, with their faith in what has been referred to as 'unverified, risk-averse digital advice' occurring as many Australians are struggling with major cost of living pressures; ASIC's figures also show that 23 per cent of Gen Z now hold crypto assets – up from just 9 per cent in 2023. (RMS)

News

Resources

Drill, baby, drill: Boom for mineral, petroleum explorers

Advisory firm BDO has calculated that ASX-listed mineral and petroleum explorers raised a record $5.63 billion in the final quarter of last year. It broke the previous record for fund raising of $3.75 billion that was set in the same period in 2021, with the $5.63 billion in fund raising leaving mineral and petroleum explorers with record cash reserves of $12 billion. It comes as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that spending on mineral exploration hit a two-year high in the final quarter of 2025, while spending on petroleum exploration was at a decade high. (RMS)

News

A.I News

Global giants join Australia in fight to make AI companies pay for content

Both the US and the UK appear to be backing the stance of the federal government of wanting AI companies pay for their use of content that has been produced by artists, musicians and journalists. In a document released on Friday that was titled 'Respecting Intellectual Property Rights and Supporting Creators', the White House stated that US copyright laws - under which content theft for the training of AI models, or any other use, is illegal - will remain. For its part, the UK government stated last week that it no longer had a "preferred option" on copyright reform, which comes after it last year endorsed a proposal that would have allowed tech companies to use copyrighted work without permission unless rights holders 'opted out' of the process. Its change of stance follows a longrunning campaign – led by artists including Elton John and Thom Yorke from Radiohead – which warned that the unlicensed use of copyrighted material for training AI models was threatening the livelihoods of people working in the creative industries. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Bitcoin News Byte

Despite a 47% Price Drop, Bitcoin Traders Aren’t Selling:

A survey of U.S. Bitcoin holders and crypto subreddit posts found that despite anxiety and market turbulence, most investors (69%) held onto their Bitcoin, with only 8% panic selling.

Bitcoin faced a dramatic market correction in early 2026, plunging 46% from its $126,000 all-time high and briefly dipping below $61,000 on February 6.

The drop erased over $1 trillion in market value and prompted headlines warning of a defining crypto moment. Social media feeds filled with reactions, yet most holders remained on the sidelines.

A survey by Oobit of 1,006 American Bitcoin holders and sentiment analysis of 117,630 posts across 10 major crypto subreddits reveals that fear did not translate into widespread selling.

News

Media (Australia)

Kyle and Jackie 'O' win some, lose some

The first official radio ratings survey for 2026 shows that KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O show had an audience share of 12.7 in the Sydney breakfast slot, unchanged from the last survey for 2025. However, 2GB's talkback program hosted by Ben Fordham won the Sydney breakfast slot, with its audience share rising from 14.9 per cent to 16.6 per cent. Meawhile, 3AW won the Melbourne breakfast timeslot, although the audience share of Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft dipped to 18.9 per cent; the Kyle and Jackie O Show was ranked eighth in the Melbourne breakfast, with its audience share edging up to 5.1 per cent. The long-running show hosted by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson has been axed by KIIS FM owner ARN Media. (RMS)

News

Social Media (Australia)

Firms face fines as kids beat the ban

The eSafety commission has declined to release updated figures on how many social media accounts of children under the age of 16 have been closed since the federal government implemented its world-leading ban. It had claimed in January that 4.7 million accounts had been closed since early December, but those figures were called into question, with it being claimed that they had been heavily inflated. The commission says it will provide updated figures on the ban at the end of March and that tech companies found guilty of non-compliance with it will soon face fines, while many children are claiming that beating the ban is easy. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Mining/Energy/Resources: Australia and World)

McEwan braces for exits as Craig takes BHP helm

Nearly 43 per cent of BHP's staff are female, and there were some who expected that Mike Henry would be replaced as CEO by an internal female candidate. Minerals Australia president Geraldine Slattery and chief development officer Catherine Raw were viewed as two such candidates, but BHP gave the job to mining engineer Brandon Craig. Asked if his appointment could mean the loss of skilled female executives who were overlooked for the job of CEO, BHP chairman Ross McEwan said he would not be surprised if unsuccessful candidates chose to leave the company. (RMS)

News

New coal mines at greenfield sites to be banned in NSW

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee has described a decision by the state government to ban new coal mines on greenfield sites as "disappointing". The government announced the ban on Thursday as part of a new strategy aimed at managing the NSW coal sector until 2050, while it also announced new rules requiring major coal mines in NSW to reduce methane emissions caused by their operations; NSW coal mines produce around 30 per cent of the state's methane emissions and contribute around 11 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. (RMS)

News

Qatar strike deepens LNG supply crisis

It had been forecast as recently as January that the global liquefied natural gas market could be facing a glut, which would have seen prices tumble and new products delayed. However, the Iranian conflict has changed those predictions, with LNG prices having almost doubled since the initial strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran's attack on Qatar LNG's Ras Laffan facilities could see a further rise in prices and impact significantly on supply, with Ras Laffan being the world's largest LNG export plant; MST Marquee energy analyst Saul Kavonic says the attack "could cause a lasting global gas shortage". (RMS)

News

Cryptos

Crypto: the bulls may have their horns broken

Market Overview

The crypto market cap has fallen to $2.42 trillion, under pressure from sellers alongside risk assets, as the Fed pushes the next rate cut further into the future, boosting the dollar’s appeal. The decline also coincided with the upper boundary of the corrective rebound being touched. It is possible that cryptocurrencies were simply unable to ignore the significant deterioration in external sentiment, but they may soon return to outperforming other assets. Overall, however, we maintain a more pessimistic view, anticipating the bear market will continue, with bulls likely to be beaten soon, not least due to macro factors.

Bitcoin has fallen by 8.4% from its latest peak on Tuesday morning and briefly dipped below 70 at the start of the day on Thursday. At these levels, BTC is testing the 50-day moving average from above. As we have repeatedly warned previously, the upward momentum will face significant resistance at the boundary of a typical correction from the latest downward impulse. The leading cryptocurrency has more room to move within the $65K–$75K range.

Breaking out of this range may require more momentum to determine the market’s direction for the coming days or weeks.

News Background

Investment bank Citigroup has lowered its 12-month price targets for Bitcoin and Ethereum amid delays in the adoption of US cryptocurrency legislation. The forecast for Bitcoin has been lowered from $143,000 to $112,000, and for Ethereum from $4,304 to $3,175. In a negative scenario, BTC risks falling to $58,000 and ETH to $1,198.

Bitcoin still has two-thirds of its bear cycle ahead, said Willy Wu, co-founder of the Bitcoin Vector project, urging investors to remain cautious. In his view, it is premature to expect sustained growth without an improvement in market liquidity.

Ethereum developers are testing the Fast Confirmation Rule (FCR), which will speed up transfers between the mainnet and the second layer from 13 minutes to 13 seconds. (FxPro).

Media Peg-On (as seen burning up the LinkedIn and X newsfeeds with web traffic spikes)

Media Man Peg-On: Having your horns broken is one step better than having your you know what broken. Ball breaking headlines that hit you right between the Eye Ball! BTC for the true believers, for better or worse. A labor of love and for those who keep the dream alive. Remember our saying, "Bullish is a mindset", right Mr Michael Saylor of Strategy. MC is always good fodder for the crypto and tech media fodder and website traffic generation. MC, the media darling you love to hate! So, when's the running of the bulls then? Red flag to a bull!

News

Betting on Americas and keeping BHP whole

BHP has ended long-running speculation about succession planning after announcing that Brandon Craig will succeed CEO Mike Henry. The BHP veteran has ruled out demerging assets such as the resources group's copper mines during his tenure, which will start on 1 July. Craig says he believes that a diversified model is still superior, especially in the mining sector. He argues that BHP's ability to use its flagship iron ore division to fund projects such as copper and potash mines differentiates it from rivals. Craig says BHP may be open to mergers and acquisitions, although he says any such opportunities would need to be compelling to compete with its internal growth options. He has also indicated that BHP's focus will shift to the Americas, where many of its growth projects are located. (RMS)

News

A most powerful, anonymous miner

South African-born Brandon Craig has quietly risen through BHP's ranks since joining the resources group in 1999; he also has a much lower profile than top industry leaders and the other internal candidates who had been tipped to replace outgoing CEO Mike Henry. Meanwhile, Craig has used his first press conference as BHP's incoming CEO to confirm that BHP will shift its focus to the Americas under his leadership; he was previously BHP's president of the Americas, a role that included copper mines in South America and potash mining in Canada. (RMS)

News

Woodside taps insider amid energy turmoil

Woodside Energy's chairman Richard Goyder has praised new CEO Liz Westcott, stating that she was the "outstanding candidate" to succeed Meg O'Neill. Westcott has been the acting CEO since O'Neill resigned in late 2025 to take the helm at BP. Westcott joined Woodside in 2023, and has previously worked at ExxonMobil and EnergyAustralia. Westcott says she will hold meetings with Woodside's partners, investors, shareholders, employees and government officials across its global operations over the next several months. (RMS)

News

Shares

Alphabet Inc Class A
$301.00 -6.13 -2.00%

Lead Up Price
$307.13 -0.56 -0.18%

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$188.38 -8.94.53%

Lead Up Price
$197.31 -3.72 -1.85%

Netflix Inc
$91.82 +0.080 +0.087%

Lead Up Price
$91.74 -2.96 -3.13%

Caterpillar Inc
$680.88 -7.77 -1.13%

Lead Up Price
$688.65 -4.97 -0.72%

Tesla Inc
$367.96 -12.34 -3.24%

Lead Up Price
$380.30 -12.48 -3.18%

Wynn Resorts Ltd
$99.98 -3.18 -3.08%

News

X Newsfeed

Trump Declares Victory Over Iran, Targets Democrats as New Enemy

The conflict, now in its third week, began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites like Natanz and targets in Tehran, including residential areas. Iran hit back with ballistic missiles breaching Israel's Iron Dome, injuring at least 175 in Arad and Dimona near a nuclear facility, while Israel bombed east Tehran blocks. Netanyahu urged world leaders to join the fight after Iran's missile toward Diego Garcia, though U.K. and NATO officials questioned the claims; Trump demands Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours or face more strikes, as oil prices soar over 50%. Skeptics like former official Joe Kent note U.S. intelligence saw no imminent Iranian nuclear bomb, and Pope Leo XIV decried the civilian toll.

Media Man Peg-On: The Art Of War Continues! All's fair in love and war, and politics?!

News

Trump Endorses Donalds at Mar-a-Lago Amid Iran Tensions and GOP Rift

President Trump arrived at his Palm Beach estate on Friday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hosting supporters at what appeared to be a fundraiser where he backed Donalds, the frontrunner to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis. The event unfolded against U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil hub and Iran's Strait of Hormuz restrictions, which Trump sidestepped with a quip about his plans. GOP tensions flared when candidate James Fishback claimed he was barred for criticizing Israel and the Iran conflict, prompting Candace Owens to joke about better vibes at Taco Bell, while highlighting divides between hawkish and isolationist Republicans.

News

WWE

Rhea Ripley Shuts Down Physique Trolls Ahead of WrestleMania Title Match

The WWE star fired back at online critics mocking her body, daring them to post their own photos while reminding them they know nothing about her life or mental health. Her post drew massive support from fans and wrestlers like Bully Ray, who called her 'OVAH,' though some questioned why she engages trolls at all. This comes as Ripley, fresh off winning the 2026 Women's Elimination Chamber, gears up to challenge champion Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42 amid a heated feud with body jabs and a recent three-on-one ambush by Cargill's allies. Marking five years since her main roster debut, Ripley stays focused on the gold.

Wrestling/WWE/Pop Culture

Jade Cargill Calls Out Rhea Ripley in Heated SmackDown Face-Off

On Friday's SmackDown, WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill challenged Rhea Ripley directly, boasting she doesn't need the title or fans to be 'that b*tch.' Ripley, fresh from her Elimination Chamber win for a title shot, stood ready to strike back amid a roaring crowd. The intense promo ramps up their WrestleMania 42 rivalry, with fans praising Cargill's star power while craving the first brawl. Both bring unmatched athleticism and attitude to the collision course. Media Man Peg-On: Ripley our Uncrowned Women's Champion, belt or not! She's Got IT! NXT's Zaria shares some of the same attributes, as does Z's rival, Sol Ruca.

News Lead Up

March 19

Dread for Australian investors as $51 billion wipe out ravages the ASX after tit-for-tat strikes on energy assets send oil prices soaring

Australians are despairingly watching the stock market tumble once again after massive strikes on energy infrastructure in the Middle East sent oil prices surging. (Sky News Australia)

News

Gold News

Gold is back in focus as markets react to geopolitics

The market is fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation driven by high energy prices. As a result, central banks are expected to adopt a tighter monetary policy, keeping rates at high levels or even raising them. This has a positive impact on fiat currencies and strips gold of its key feature as a store of value amid currency debasement. It is no surprise that the precious metal, which had got off to a strong start, has been losing out to Bitcoin and the US dollar since the start of the armed conflict in the Middle East. Although gold is generally regarded as a safe-haven asset, in the early stages of financial market turmoil, investors often choose to flee to liquidity. They favour fiat currencies and are far more willing to buy US dollar-nominated short-term treasuries.

Gold prices usually recover only if market shocks worsen, fears of recession or stagflation rise, and central banks start adding liquidity. Bank of America believes that the markets are still underestimating the scale of the potential consequences of geopolitical tension. They are fixated on the threat of accelerating inflation and are not considering a global economic downturn. Therefore, the longer the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran lasts, the better it is for the precious metal.

UBS Global Wealth Management notes that gold serves as a hedge against currency devaluation, rising budget deficits and recession. All of these could result from a geopolitical shock. The firm therefore maintains its bullish outlook on gold. In its view, the precious metal could rise to the $5,900-$6,200 range before the end of this year. However, gold must first weather the storm of numerous central bank meetings. The RBA has already raised its cash rate to 4.15%. Investors now expect ‘hawkish’ rhetoric from the rest. The ECB and the Bank of Japan are ready to tackle inflation, and the futures market expects them to tighten monetary policy. The Fed and the Bank of England are most likely to talk about prolonged pauses in their cycles.

Thus, gold appears to be a win-win option. It will gain if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, and will not lose if it ends. Investors just need to be patient for a little while. (FxPro)

News

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'Media Series Company Of The Month' award

The Australian Financial Review wins Media Man 'Newspaper Of The Month' award; Runner-up: The Australian

Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award

WWE wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month' award

UFC wins 'Combat Sports Brand Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: Most Valuable Promotions, Everlast, BKFC

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Brand Of The Month' award

CAT wins Media Man 'Heavy Industry Brand Of The Month' award

Dynasty: The Murdochs wins 'Streaming Show Of The Month' award (Netflix)

Markets, Cryptos and Culture

February 20, 2026

Mining For Intel
Crypto Fool's Gold Shines Up A Little

Sydney, Australia to Wall Street, New York

Markets

ASX 200 futures down 44 points/0.5%: 9003
AUD +0.2% to US70.59¢

Bitcoin $66,744.93 +0.48%

Wall St:
Dow -0.5%
S&P -0.3%
Nasdaq -0.3%
VIX +0.61 to 20.23
Gold +0.5% to $US5000.44 an ounce
Silver 76.738 -0.86
Brent oil +2.2% to $US71.89 a barrel
Iron ore -0.4% to $US95.35 a tonne

10-year yield:
US 4.07%
Australia 4.78%

News

Numbers Double Check

Australian Dollar: $0.7048 USD (up $0.0008 USD) Iron Ore: $95.35 USD (down $0.60 USD) Oil Price: $66.60 USD (up $1.35 USD) Gold Price: $4,990.28 USD (up $11.22 USD) Copper Price: $5.7530 USD (down $0.0110 USD) Dow Jones: 49,319.56 (down 343.10 points)

News

ASX rallies as banks, oil stocks gain; Zip sinks 34pc

The Australian sharemarket performed strongly on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index closing up 79.20 points at 9086.20. The big four banks all rose, while the rising oil price on the back of fears of a US-Iran conflict saw energy stocks in demand, with Santos up 5.6 per cent to $7, and Woodside Energy increasing 4.5 per cent to $27.10. Payments company Zip slumped after its results for the half year fell short of expectations, while Lifestyle Communities fell 7.1 per cent to $5.33 after its profit dropped to $15.8 million for the first half. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Shares Summary/Snapshot (near live)
*check Google Finance or Yahoo! Finance for totally live (as close to) for the latest ticker prices)

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$208.68 -4.60 -2.16%

Alphabet Inc Class A
$302.85 -0.48 -0.16%

Netflix Inc
$77.00 -0.99 -1.27%

News

Cryptos

Ethereum is resting on a 6-year trend

Market Overview
The crypto market cap fell by more than 1% in 24 hours to $2.31 trillion, approaching last week's lows but leaving the market 5% above its low point on 6 February. The market's range continues to narrow, suggesting that volatility is likely to soon break out of the $2.3-2.4T range. Given the previous dynamics and the increasingly cautious nature of growth in the US stock markets, there is a greater chance of an early update of local lows with a dip to the levels we saw in the second half of 2024.
Bitcoin is trading just above $67K, losing slightly under 1%, which is better than the market, as active selling has moved to altcoins outside the top five. BTC is trading at the bottom of the downward range of the last week and a half.
Ethereum is resting on a support line that originated in 2020 and was touched in early 2024 and at the February lows. This global trend line now also coincides with the area around $2,000, which further reinforces its significance. However, for such a serious event as the breakdown of the 6-year support, confirmation in the form of a failure below the recent lows at $1,500 is required. Until then, bulls may remain hopeful, attracting long-term buyers on dips. News Background

The indicator of Bitcoin inflows from large holders to the Binance exchange has reached record levels, indicating increased pressure on BTC from large players, according to CryptoQuant.
The current state of the crypto market resembles the final stage of the 2022 bear phase, which was followed by a protracted period of consolidation, according to K33.
Bitcoin has only entered the first phase of the bear cycle, according to Willy Woo, co-founder of the CMCC Crest investment fund. The second phase will be associated with a fall in global stock markets, and the third will mark a period of stabilisation.
Strategy bought 2,486 BTC ($168.4 million) over the past week at an average price of $67,710 per coin. Strategy now owns 717,131 BTC, purchased for $54.5 billion at an average price of $76,027 per bitcoin.
Japan's Metaplanet reported a net loss of $619 million for 2025. The negative financial result is due to the revaluation of the company's Bitcoin reserves.
Ethereum's share of staking exceeded 50% of the total supply of the asset for the first time in history, according to Santiment. The queue for Ethereum staking is near historic highs — 3.8 million ETH (waiting time — 67 days).

BlackRock has taken the first step towards launching a staking Ethereum ETF in the United States.
The Founders Fund, a venture capital fund owned by billionaire investor Peter Thiel, has sold all of its shares in the DAT company ETHZilla, one of the largest corporate holders of Ethereum. Back in August, Thiel's share was 7.5%.
Updated rules from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have scared American crypto investors. Starting in 2026, all US-licensed crypto exchanges will be required to disclose information about their clients, from the volume of investments to the profits or losses they have. (FxPro)

News

Bitcoin News

Bitcoin’s worrying slips down

Market Overview

The crypto market cap has been hovering around $2.34-2.35T for the third day in a row. Volatility seems to have been turned off in this market, while stock indices are much livelier. There, investors are actively buying up dips, relying on support in the form of important moving averages: 50-day for the Dow Jones and Russell 2000 and 200-day for the Nasdaq100. The crypto market is now below its 50- and 200-day curves by 17% and 31%, respectively. If cryptocurrencies still play a role as an indicator of risk appetite, it points to disaster.

By and large, the cryptocurrency sentiment index says the same thing, falling to 8 at the start of the day on Wednesday. The indicator has been in single digits for nine of the last fourteen days. This is worse than the darkest moments of 2020 and 2022. It seems that as the cryptocurrency market matures, it is becoming less optimistic. On the other hand, it is also becoming less volatile.

Bitcoin continues its downward drift, periodically bouncing along the way. At the end of US trading, the price of the first cryptocurrency fell to $66.7K but added about 1,000 at the time of writing. It is alarming that Bitcoin's dynamics mirror the recent strengthening of the dollar. When investors become convinced that the rise of the dollar is a trend, there may be a sharp increase in volatility.

News Background

Bitcoin's collapse to $60,000 has put psychological pressure on long-term BTC holders, comparable to the collapse of the Terra (LUNA) ecosystem in May 2022, Glassnode notes. They began to sell off assets at significant losses, which is typical of the later stages of a bear market.

A net outflow of stablecoins from the Binance exchange has been observed for the third month in a row, signalling a continuing liquidity squeeze across the crypto market, notes analyst Darkfost. The last time a similar dynamic was observed was during the 2023 bear market.

Standard Chartered Bank has significantly lowered its forecasts for major cryptocurrencies for 2026 amid market volatility. The forecast for Bitcoin has been lowered from $150,000 to $100,000, for Ethereum from $7,000 to $4,000, for Solana from $250 to $135, and for XRP from $8 to $2.8.

Bloomberg Intelligence commodities strategist Mike McGlone has reiterated his forecast for Bitcoin. According to him, the leading cryptocurrency could plummet to $10,000 this year, heralding a recession in the US economy and a stock market crash.

According to Token Terminal, Polygon has surpassed Ethereum in daily transaction fees for the first time. The Polymarket prediction platform has made the main contribution to the growth in activity.

Stablecoins are increasingly being used for payments, salaries and savings, according to a study by BVNK. The key factor was savings on fees, which average 40% compared to traditional payment services. (FxPfo)

News

Geopolitics saves Crude Oil

Asian demand is making the black gold market more bullish than last year

The fate of Brent depends on the outcome of negotiations between the US and Iran on the one hand, and Russia and Ukraine on the other.

Brent bulls believe that sooner or later, Russia and Iran will reduce production and exports of Crude. This will lead to price increases. The bears are convinced of the opposite: thanks to discounts, barrels of oil will be absorbed by buyers, most likely China. At the same time, the negotiation processes between Washington and Tehran on the one hand, and Moscow and Kyiv on the other, are of key importance.

According to a Bloomberg insider, Russian oil production did indeed decline for the second month in a row to 9.28 million bpd in January. This is approximately 300,000 bpd below OPEC+ quotas. Nevertheless, exports rose to 3.39 million bpd in the week ending February 15th. In the first half of the month, deliveries to China jumped to more than 2 million bpd. According to Kpler, they are being redirected from India.

Overall, Asian demand for oil continues to grow rapidly. The company expects record growth in imports to China, India and other countries in the region to 28.51 bpd in February. This growth could lead to a smaller market surplus than previously expected. This is especially true given the supply disruptions that have occurred, including those caused by sanctions.

Thus, even without geopolitics, the situation looks less bearish than it did in 2025. Last year, according to the IEA, onshore reserves of Oil grew by 477 million barrels, or 1.3 million bpd. The main reason for this was increased production in the US, Brazil and OPEC+. At the same time, global demand remained healthy.

The market's attention is focused on the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, where each side has its own version of the truth. The Iranian Foreign Ministry claims that the basic terms of the agreement have been reached. This will allow sanctions to be lifted and war in the Middle East to be avoided. US Vice President DJ Vance, on the other hand, believes that Donald Trump's demands have not been met and that Tehran has two more weeks to do so.

Iran has an important trump card. It knows the peculiarities of the US president's negotiating tactics, which involve moving from threats to retreat. Moreover, a rise in Brent to $150 per barrel is not part of Donald Trump's plans, especially in the run-up to the midterm elections. (FxPro)

News

Eric Trump Predicts Bitcoin Will Reach $1 Million Despite Slump

Speaking at the World Liberty Forum in Mar-a-Lago, hosted by Eric and Donald Trump Jr., Eric forecasted Bitcoin hitting $1 million, citing its average 70% yearly gains from $16,000 two years ago. The event ties to their World Liberty Financial platform, launched after banks closed Trump Organization accounts post-January 6, 2021, which the brothers call political debanking. Donald Trump Jr. called traditional banking a 'Ponzi scheme' favoring insiders, while WLFI announced a partnership with Apex Group for their USD1 stablecoin.

News

Shares (Yesterday - 24 Hour Ago)
The Lead Up
(For reference, historical and educational purposes)

Alphabet Inc Class A
$303.33 +1.31 +0.43%

TKO Group Holdings Inc
$213.40 +3.30 +1.57%

Netflix Inc
$77.99 +0.99 +1.29%

Palantir Technologies Inc
$135.38 +2.36 +1.77%

Tesla Inc
$411.22 +0.59 +0.14%

Microsoft Corp
$399.60 +2.74 +0.69%

Mercedes Benz Group ADR
$17.41 +0.030 +0.17%

Porsche Automobile Holding SE Unsponsored Germany ADR
$4.20 +0.011 +0.26%

Volvo ADR (Parent to Mack Trucks)
$38.13 +0.13 +0.34%

Formula One Group Series A
$81.70 +2.07 +2.60%

Wynn Resorts Ltd
$116.31 +1.91 +1.67%

MGM Resorts International
$37.19 +2.92 +8.52%

Light & Wonder Inc
$98.12 +0.020 +0.020%

Mineral Resources Ltd
$53.75 +1.73 +3.33%

St George Mining Ltd
$0.079 -0.0262 -4.76%

Lynas Rare Earths ADR
$11.00 +0.21 +1.95%

Arafura Rare Earths Ltd
$0.17 +0.0006 +00.35%

Rio Tinto plc ADR Common Stock
$98.93 +2.05 +2.12%

Rio Tinto plc ADR Common Stock
$98.93 +2.05 +2.12%

Fortescue Ltd
$20.20 (ASX)
+0.100 +0.50%

BHP Group Ltd
$52.29 -0.45 -0.85% (ASX)

News

Culture/Streaming

24 Hours Ago approx

YouTube Restores Service After Brief Global Outage

The outage hit around 2 a.m. UTC on February 18, blocking access to videos, apps, recommendations, YouTube TV, Music, and Kids for under two hours. TeamYouTube confirmed the issues and fixed them by 3:12 a.m. UTC, after Downdetector logged over 320,000 U.S. complaints alone. Users turned to X to share frustrations and jokes, while some reports of wider disruptions to services like Google and Netflix went unconfirmed by official status pages.

News

Sports/Formula One

Russell Edges Piastri to Top Bahrain Pre-Season Test Day One

On Wednesday at Bahrain International Circuit, Russell's 1:33.459 lap led Piastri by a whisker, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third after 70 laps. Mercedes piled on mileage at 145 laps combined, while Lewis Hamilton tested Ferrari's SF-26, calling it 'exciting' with his heavy sim input baked in. Drama came from Lance Stroll's gravel spin and Aston Martin's power issues, but off-track smiles shone in the 'Carlando' reunion photoshoot of Norris and Sainz. (Grok)

News

Culture

'Welcome To The Blockchain' aka

The Bitcoin Song

Intro

We're now standing on the precipice of a global revolution
Of economics, of politics, and government
Welcome to the blockchain

verse

Power corrupts, money is power
The power to control the money is one that is now
In the hands of those who pretend we can't function without them
So how can we do something about it? (Huh?)
Working hard to get a raise, lifting that wage up
Inflation takes it like a hidden taxation
Manipulated interest rates to give the banks
A way to create money with the loans that they're giving out daily (yup)
That means our money is debt
That we gotta pay back more than a hundred percent
No wonder then why the middle class is going under
When the one's above them gotta cover and come to collect
And many have no access to banking
Making payments, or saving, so more fees are taken
And every day the gatekeepers are trying to stop change
We can not wait, welcome to the blockchain

chorus

Welcome to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin

verse

Bitcoin is a decentralized ledger
And the currency is its first enterprise ever
Secured by the worldwide incentivized network
Can't be stolen or controlled by any sized effort
You can send it anywhere and instantly
No one can intervene, no third party in between
There's no counterfeiting
Algorithms control the outer limits of how many coins can get released
Programmable money, no government can seize it
Payments can be customized by sender and receiver
Contracts can be written cementing your agreements
With terms that can't be bent once you consent then it completes it
Autonomous businesses are possible
Where profit is distributed amongst those adopting it
Paradigm shift we must adjust to the ending
With the blockchain, bitcoin is just the beginning

chorus

Welcome to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin

bridge

Now that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building
Now that we got control
We're not gonna let it go
My people all around the globe
We gotta keep building, building, building

chorus

Welcome to the blockchain
Things are about to change
Open up the gates
Systems get replaced
Bitcoin
Decentralize the trust
Security, transparency
The network's run by us
Bitcoin

Writer: Toby Ganger

News

Mining/Energy/Resources/Biz

Rio Tinto dodges merger bullet

Rio Tinto has dodged two 'bullets' due to Glencore's rejection of a merger proposal: a possible BHP takeover bid and a dangerous acquisition. BHP looked closely at whether to bid for Rio Tinto if the latter announced a merger with Glencore. The two companies would make excellent merger partners; amongst others things, their staff and senior people have similar cultures, they are co-operating on future Australian iron ore projects and they are copper joint venture partners in Chile and the US. Meanwhile, there are significance cultural differences between Rio Tinto and Glencore; there is little doubt that Rio Tinto's CEO Simon Trott would have had doubts about a merger once he understood these cultural differences. (RMS)

News/Snapshot

Australian Mining

Global Commodity Rankings

Australia holds some of the world's largest reserves and is a leading producer of several key minerals.

#1 Producer: Iron Ore, Bauxite, Lithium, Rutile, and Zircon.

#1 Reserves: Iron Ore, Gold, Lead, Nickel, Rutile, Uranium, and Zinc.

#2 Producer: Gold, Alumina, and Manganese.

Key Mining Hubs & Major Projects

Western Australia: The nation's "engine room," producing 98% of Australia's iron ore and 60% of its gold. Major sites include the Pilbara (iron ore) and the Super Pit in Kalgoorlie (gold).

Queensland: A global leader in metallurgical coal (Bowen Basin) and silver/lead production (Cannington mine).

South Australia: Home to Olympic Dam, which contains the world's largest single uranium deposit and significant copper and gold reserves.

Major Players

The sector is dominated by several multinational giants and significant domestic players:

BHP: Often ranked as Australia's most valuable company; major interests in iron ore, copper, and coal.
Rio Tinto: A world leader in iron ore (Pilbara) and aluminum.

Fortescue (FMG): Primarily focused on iron ore and rapidly expanding into green energy.

Hancock Prospecting: Australia's largest private mining company, led by Gina Rinehart, the nation's wealthiest person.

South32: Spun out of BHP; manages a diversified portfolio including manganese, silver, and nickel.

2026 Trends & Developments

Critical Minerals Push: The government has introduced a $23 billion package to support domestic processing and manufacturing of critical minerals to reduce global reliance on single-country supply chains.

Uranium Rally: Prices exceeding US$100/lb have sparked renewed interest in Australian prospects like the Kalkaroo project.

M&A Activity: Major merger talks continue between giants like Rio Tinto and Glencore as they seek to consolidate copper exposure for the EV market.

Workforce Challenges: The Minerals Council of Australia is currently calling for migration reforms to address a significant "skills crunch" in the sector.

News

Best Quotes Of The Day

Media Man

Cryptocurrency, Finance and World

"Volatility is Satoshi’s gift to the faithful." - Michael Saylor

"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants, dressed up as a get-rich-quick scheme." — Naval Ravikant

"We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error." — Tyler Winklevoss

"You can't stop things like Bitcoin. It will be everywhere, and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust." — John McAfee

"Bitcoin is the most important invention in the history of the world since the Internet." — Roger Ver

"Cryptocurrency is such a powerful concept that it can almost overturn governments." — Charles Lee

"In the future, national currencies will become obsolete. Bitcoin will become the single global currency." — Jack Dorsey

"The future of finance is crypto, whether it’s in payments, contracts, or savings." — Changpeng Zhao

"Crypto offers freedom to the unbanked and hope to the underprivileged." — Elizabeth Stark

"The new frontier of innovation is in decentralization. Blockchain leads the charge." — Don Tapscott

"Digital currency is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of how long before governments embrace it." — Brad Garlinghouse

Pop Culture

Dream Matches: Fantasy Booking

The Million Dollar Man vs IRS
Money INC vs Right To Censor
Santa vs Grinch
Bulls vs Bears
Crypto King vs Mr World Bank
Citizens vs NWO
Neo vs Agent Smith
John McAfee vs You Know Who!
TKO vs Naysayers
Jake Paul, Polymarket and BETR vs Naysayers
Pro Boxing vs Newspaper Reports
VKM vs The World
Paul Bros vs Mainstream Wokes
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky
Chris Jericho vs Dirtsheets
NFL vs everyone
Zuffa vs MVP
Netflix vs World
Meta vs Australia
White Light vs Dark Matter
Lexis King vs NIL's (WWE NXT)
Volk vs Naysayers (UFC: Sydney, Australia)
Brock Lesnar vs Everyone! (WWE Royal Rumble)
Roman Reigns vs CM Punk (WWE WrestleMania)
Green vs The Coal Miners Daughter
AC/DC vs Swifties
Triangle v World Bank
Sarah's Oil vs Big Oil
Mr X vs Mr VOX
Mr X vs Mr Platformer
Mr FOX vs Mr Vice
Fox And The Hound vs The View
The Masked Superstar vs Mr Jones
The Undertaker vs Mankind
UFC Legends vs Father Time
Vinnie Vegas and Oz vs Los Americanos
NXT GM vs The Don
Mr Moneymaker vs Mr Regulator
Mr Blockchain vs Mr EU
WWE Unreal vs The Old Guard
Reality TV vs John Pilger Type Journalism and Docos
Mr Real Deal vs Mr Grifter
Mr Truth vs Mr Shock Jock
Mr X vs Mr Bluesky: Rematch
WWE Wrestlers vs NFL Super Bowl Players
Logan Paul and Bad Bunny vs Jake Paul and The Don - Special ref: Damian Priest
Kelly Gang vs Snow White Clan
BKFC vs PFL vs ONE
Mr Sky vs Mr Vice
Marvel Universe vs DC Universe vs Monster Universe
Logan Paul vs Tom Brady
MMA vs Lucha Libre

Confirmed Matches To Happen:

Rousey vs Carano (Netflix) May 16
Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov (Netflix) April 11

Sport, Sports News, Sports Flashback, Sports Entertainment, Sports Watercooler, Sports Culture

Australian And World Update

Past, Present And Future

January 2026

What Is Sport?

Sport: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

"Sport" means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.

A sport is generally defined as an organized, competitive activity that requires physical exertion and skill. While definitions can vary between organizations, most require a combination of physical ability, a set of formal rules, and a competitive element to determine a winner.

Key Characteristics of Sport

Physical Activity: Most traditional definitions require "vigorous bodily exertion" or specialized physical skills (e.g., athletics, soccer).

Competition: It involves individuals or teams competing against each other or a set standard (like a clock or distance).

Rules & Governance: Activities are typically governed by an institutional framework or set of codified rules to ensure fair play.

Entertainment: Beyond the participants, sports often serve as a major source of entertainment for spectators

News

Pro Wrestling Watercooler

Jade Cargill Fires Back at Critics Over 77-Day Undefended Title Reign

After pinning Tiffany Stratton at Saturday Night's Main Event, Cargill dismissed calls for a defense against SmackDown's rising star Jordynne Grace, posting that she won't face a 'walk up nobody' and only steps up for real competition. Grace, a three-time TNA Knockouts Champion, has been building momentum with quick wins and tense stare-downs, including pinning Chelsea Green after hyped segments with Cargill. Fans highlight Cargill's zero defenses in 77 days, some labeling her a 'paper champ,' while her supporters note similar reigns like IYO SKY's and praise her undefeated aura from AEW days. With Royal Rumble approaching, WWE teases the rivalry but books no match yet.

News

Pro Wrestling

Drew McIntyre Parades WWE Title in Triumphant London Return

McIntyre captured the gold by sweeping Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on January 9, then turned heel in his promo, denying Rhodes a rematch via contract clause while blasting doubting fans. Randy Orton interrupted demanding payback, sparking chaos with Jacob Fatu's ambush, leading SmackDown GM Nick Aldis to launch a tournament—sending Orton, Trick Williams, Sami Zayn, and Damian Priest to a Fatal 4-Way at Saturday Night's Main Event before Royal Rumble. Fans celebrated the moment, especially meaningful after McIntyre's pandemic-era reigns without crowds, with many calling him essential to WWE's draw.

News

Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair Defeat Giulia and Kiana James on SmackDown

Charlotte Flair, back after missing a week due to illness, teamed with Bliss to topple Women's United States Champion Giulia and Kiana James in high-energy tag action Friday night. Post-match chaos saw Nia Jax and Lash Legend attack, with Giulia itching to fight back. The victory sets up a triple-threat tag match next week, where the winners earn a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. Flair posted a sweet shoutout to Bliss, calling her indispensable.

News

American Football

Broncos Host Bills in First Home Playoff Game in a Decade

The No. 1 seed Broncos (14-3) welcome the No. 6 Bills (12-5) Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, with Denver favored by 1.5 points. Rookie Bo Nix preps for his second playoff start after leading a turnaround season under Sean Payton, backed by a stout defense and receivers like Courtland Sutton. Buffalo's Josh Allen and top-ranked rushing attack with James Cook aim to advance despite injuries to Ty Johnson, Terrel Bernard, and Jordan Poyer, in ideal mid-40s weather at Mile High. (Grok)

News

American Football/NFL

NFL Divisional Round Opens with Broncos vs Bills and Key Matchups

The divisional round starts Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET with Buffalo challenging the top-seeded Broncos on CBS, pitting Bo Nix's revamped defense against Allen's dual-threat style. That night, the 49ers visit the Seahawks at 8 p.m. ET on Fox in an NFC West battle. Sunday brings Texans at No. 2 seed Patriots at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, where Houston loses star Nico Collins to a concussion but gains no excuses against a bolstered New England secondary led by Christian Gonzalez. (Grok)

News

Boxing

Zuffa Boxing is a professional boxing promotion launched in June 2025 as a joint venture between TKO Group Holdings (the parent company of UFC and WWE) and the entertainment conglomerate Sela. Based in Las Vegas, the promotion is led by UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

Core Operations and Strategy

The promotion aims to restructure boxing by applying the UFC’s organizational model. Key strategic goals include:

Independent Ecosystem: Developing its own rankings and world championships to bypass traditional sanctioning bodies like the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO.

Standardized Competition: Reducing weight classes and ensuring even, high-level matchups ("the best fighting the best").

Broadcasting: Events stream exclusively on Paramount+ under a multi-year media rights deal.

Upcoming Events and Rosters

Zuffa Boxing plans to hold 12 events in 2026.
Inaugural Event (Z01): Scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2026, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.Main Event: Callum Walsh (15-0) vs. Carlos Ocampo (38-3).

Co-Main Event: Misael Rodriguez vs. Austin Deanda.

Major Signings:Jai Opetaia: The IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion signed a major promotional deal in January 2026.

Other Reported Athletes: Jose Valenzuela, Radzhab Butaev, Justin Viloria, Eridson Garcia, and Vito Mielnicki.

Historical Milestone

While the promotion's league format officially begins in 2026, it held a massive debut event on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium, featuring an undisputed title fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford.

News

UFC/MMA

UFC 324

UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett is an upcoming event scheduled to take place on January 24, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The main card will stream live in Australia on Sunday, January 25, starting from 1:00 pm AEDT.

The main event features an interim lightweight title bout between former interim champion Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.

Main Card Fights

Weight Class FightersLightweight (Interim Title)
Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett

Bantamweight
Sean O'Malley vs. Song Yadong

Heavyweight
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis

Women's Flyweight
Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas

Featherweight
Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva

Preliminary Card Fights

Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (Bantamweight)

Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
(Light Heavyweight)

Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
(Middleweight)

Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
(Flyweight)

Early Preliminary Card Fights

Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
(Lightweight)

Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
(Heavyweight)

Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman (Bantamweight)

Adam Fugitt vs. Ty Miller
(Welterweight)

The original co-main event between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes was postponed due to a neck injury sustained by Harrison, requiring surgery. The fight is expected to be rescheduled for a later date.

News

Motorsport

The 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

The 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 56th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association.

The season consists of 11 rounds, featuring 45 full-season entries across the GTP, LMP2, GTD PRO, and GTD classes.

2026 WeatherTech Championship Schedule

The season follows a familiar 11-round calendar, with a notable change: the event at Road America has been upgraded to a 6-hour endurance race.

Key Class & Entry Updates

GTP (Grand Touring Prototype): Features 11 full-season cars, with BMW M Team WRT taking over the factory BMW program and the Aston Martin Valkyrie set to debut at the Rolex 24.

LMP2: Has 12 full-season entries, including new programs from Bryan Herta Autosport and Intersport Racing.

GTD PRO: Includes 8 full-season entries, with Paul Miller Racing joining the class.

GTD: The largest class with 14 full-season entries.
Support Series

Michelin Pilot Challenge: A 10-round season for GS and TCR classes starting in January.

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge: Introduces new LMP3 cars and a BMW M2 Challenge class.

Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup: Continues as a support series.

News

Dakar Rally

The 2026 Dakar Rally, the 48th edition of the iconic event, concluded on January 17, 2026, in Saudi Arabia. The race began and ended in the coastal city of Yanbu, spanning approximately 8,000 kilometers over 13 stages.

Top Results & Champions
Bikes (RallyGP): Luciano Benavides (KTM) claimed his first career victory in the closest finish in Dakar history, defeating Ricky Brabec (Honda) by a margin of just two seconds.

Cars: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) secured the overall title, maintaining a lead over Toyota's Henk Lategan.

Stock Class: Rokas Baciuška (Defender) won in commanding fashion, securing 13 stage victories from 13 stages in his debut.

Rally2: Toni Mulec (KTM) took the class victory.

Original by Motul (Malle Moto): Benjamin Melot (KTM) won after multiple years of podium finishes.

Key Highlights of the 2026 Race

Record-Breaking Finish: The bike category was decided in the final kilometers after Ricky Brabec lost a three-minute lead on the last stage due to a navigational error.

Aussie Grit: Defending champion Daniel Sanders (KTM) heroically completed the final stages with a broken collarbone and sternum to finish 5th overall.

Route Features: The 2026 course introduced a "Sea Camp" concept and a loop starting and ending in Yanbu, passing through the Empty Quarter and AlUla.

New Entrants: The race marked the debut of the Dacia Sandriders and the Defender brand in the Stock class.

Final Bike Standings (Provisional)
Luciano Benavides (ARG) - KTM: 49:00:41
Ricky Brabec (USA) - Honda: +0:00:02
Tosha Schareina (ESP) - Honda: +0:25:12
Skyler Howes (USA) - Honda: +0:56:41
Daniel Sanders (AUS) - KTM: +1:03:15

News

Surfing

WSL 2026

The World Surf League (WSL) 2026 season begins on April 1-11, 2026, with the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event in Australia and concludes with the Pipe Masters at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii in December.

The season features major changes, including a return to a cumulative points system to crown the world champion and the removal of non-elimination rounds.

2026 WSL Championship Tour Schedule

The 2026 Championship Tour features 12 events across nine countries:

Stop Event Name Location Dates

1. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia
April 1–11

2. Margaret River Pro
Western Australia, Australia
April 17–27

3. Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro
Snapper Rocks, Australia
May 2–12

4. Surf City
El Salvador Pro
Punta Roca, El Salvador
May 28–June 7

5. Oi Rio ProSaquarema, Brazil
June 12–20

6. J-Bay Open
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
July 10–20

7. Lexus Pipe Pro (Tahiti)
Teahupo'o, Tahiti
August 8–18

8. Cloudbreak Pro
Cloudbreak
Fiji
August 25–September 4

9. Trestles Pro
Lower Trestles, USA
September 11–20

10. Surf Abu Dhabi Pro
Abu Dhabi, UAE
October 14–18

11. Peniche Pro
Peniche, Portugal
October 22–November 1

12. Pipe Masters
Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii
December 8–20

Key Format Changes

Cumulative Points System: The world champion is now determined by the highest cumulative points total across all 12 events, replacing the controversial single-day final.

Pipeline Finale: The iconic Pipe Masters at Banzai Pipeline returns as the final event of the season, and it offers 1.5 times the standard points, creating a high-stakes finish.

Expanded Women's Field: The women's Championship Tour field has been increased to 24 surfers from 18 for the regular season events.

No Non-Elimination Rounds: Every heat now carries direct consequences for a surfer's ranking, with all non-elimination rounds removed to increase stakes and event efficiency.

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

Live Sports Dates: Jan

Australian Dates And Intel

02: ICE HOCKEY: Florida Panthers v New York Rangers in NHL’s Winter Classic

02-11: TENNIS - United Cup in Perth/Sydney, Australia

03: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup giant slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

03-05: FOOTBALL - Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, last 16

03-17: MOTOR SPORT - Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia

04: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

04: SKI JUMPING - 3rd leg of 4 Hills at Innsbruck, Austria

04-08: CRICKET - Australia v England 5th Test at Sydney

04-11: TENNIS - WTA/ATP in Brisbane, Australia; ATP in Hong Kong

05-11: TENNIS - WTA in Auckland

06: SKI JUMPING - 4th leg of 4 Hills at Bischofshofen, Austria

07: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st T20 at Dambulla

07: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup slalom at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy

08-11: GOLF - LIV Golf at Black Diamond, Florida

09: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2nd T20 at Dambulla

09-10: FOOTBALL - Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, quarter-finals

09-11: RUGBY UNION - Champions Cup/Challenge Cup round 3

10: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup giant slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland; Women’s World Cup downhill at Zauchensee, Austria

10: ATHLETICS - World cross-country championships at Tallahassee, USA

10-12: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - NFL playoffs, wild-card round

11: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 3rd T20 at Dambulla; India v New Zealand, 1st ODI at Vadorada

11: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland; Women’s World Cup super-G at Zauchensee, Austria

12-17: TENNIS - WTA and ATP in Adelaide, Australia; ATP in Auckland, New Zealand; WTA in Hobart, Australia

13: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup slalom at Flachau, Austria

13-18: FIGURE SKATING: European Championships at Sheffield, England

14: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 2nd ODI at Rajkot

14: FOOTBALL - Africa Cup of Nations, semi-finals in Tangier and Rabat, Morocco

15-18: GOLF - PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii; European Tour’s Dubai Invitational

16: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup super-G at Wengen, Switzerland

16-18: RUGBY UNION - Champions Cup/Challenge Cup round 4

17: FOOTBALL - Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off

17: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup downhill at Wengen, Switzerland; Women’s World Cup downhill at Tarvisio, Italy

17-18: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - NFL playoffs, divisional round

18-FEB 01: TENNIS - ATP/WTA at Australian Open in Melbourne

18: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup slalom at Wengen, Switzerland; Women’s World Cup super-G at Tarvisio, Italy

18: FOOTBALL - Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, Morocco

18: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 3rd ODI at Indore

18: BASKETBALL - NBA international game Orlando v Memphis in London

19: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - US college national championship in Miami

20: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup giant slalom at Kronplatz, Italy

20-21: FOOTBALL - UEFA Champions League matchday 7

20-25: CYCLING - Tour Down Under, Melbourne, Australia

20: CRICKET - BBL Finals begin, Australia

21: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 1st T20 at Nagpur

21-25: FIGURE SKATING: Four Continents Championships at Beijing, China

22: FOOTBALL - Europa League, matchday 7

22: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v England, 1st ODI at Colombo

22-25: GOLF - PGA Tour at La Quinta, California; European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic

23: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 2nd T20 at Nagpur

23: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup super-G at Kitzbuhel, Austria

23-25: FOOTBALL - CAF African Champions League, matchday 3

24: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup downhill at Kitzbuhel, Austria; Women’s World Cup giant slalom at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic

24: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v England, 2nd ODI at Colombo

25: CRICKET - BBL Final, Australia

25: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 3rd T20 at Guwahati

25: FOOTBALL - CAF Confederations Cup, matchday 3

22-25: RALLYING - Rally of Monte Carlo

25: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup slalom at Kitzbuhel, Austria; Women’s World Cup slalom at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic

25: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - NFL playoffs, conference championship games

27: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v England, 3rd ODI at Colombo; South Africa v West Indies, 1st T20 at Paarl

27: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup giant slalom at Schladming, Austria

28: ALPINE SKIING - Men’s World Cup slalom at Schladming, Austria

28: FOOTBALL - UEFA Champions League matchday 8

28: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 4th T20 at Visakhapatnam

29: CRICKET - South Africa v West Indies, 2nd T20 at Centurion

30: CRICKET - Sri Lanka v England, 1st T20 at Pallekele

28: CRICKET - India v New Zealand, 5th T20 at Thiruvananthapuram

29: FOOTBALL - Europa League, matchday 8

29-FEB 01: GOLF - PGA Tour at Torrey Pines, San Diego; European Tour’s Bahrain Championship; LPGA Tour at Orlando, Florida

30: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup downhill at Crans-Montana, Switzerland

30-FEB 01: FOOTBALL - CAF African Champions League, matchday 4

31: ALPINE SKIING - Women’s World Cup super-G at Crans-Montana, Switzerland

*correct at time of publication to best of knowledge

News

Sports Movies

Sports movies cover a vast range of genres, from gritty biographical dramas to lighthearted comedies

Here are some of the most notable sports films categorized by their themes.

Acclaimed 2025 & 2026 Releases

F1: The Movie (2025): A high-octane Formula One drama starring Brad Pitt as a retired driver returning to mentor a younger teammate.

Marty Supreme (2025): Inspired by the life of ping-pong champion Marty Reisman, exploring the pursuit of greatness in a niche sport.

The Smashing Machine (2025): A biographical film about the intense life and career of MMA champion Mark Kerr.

GOAT (February 13, 2026): A new high-intensity "roarball" film following a small goat with big dreams of joining the pros.

Youngblood (March 6, 2026): A hockey drama centered on a Detroit prodigy joining the Hamilton Mustangs.
Inspiring True Stories

The Blind Side (2009): Consistently ranked as one of the most popular sports movies of the 21st century, focusing on the life of NFL player Michael Oher.

King Richard (2021): The story of Richard Williams and his instrumental role in training tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.

Remember the Titans (2000): A seminal film about the 1971 integration of a Virginia high school football team.

Moneyball (2011): Starring Brad Pitt, this film depicts the Oakland A’s use of sabermetrics to build a competitive baseball team on a budget.

The Iron Claw (2023): A biographical drama about the tragic but legendary Von Erich professional wrestling family.

Award-Winning Classics

Rocky (1976): The definitive boxing underdog story, winning Best Picture at the Oscars.

Raging Bull (1980): Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece about the turbulent life of boxer Jake LaMotta.

Chariots of Fire (1981): A classic British film depicting two track athletes in the 1924 Olympics.

Million Dollar Baby (2004): A poignant drama directed by and starring Clint Eastwood about an aspiring female boxer.

Popular Sports Comedies

Happy Gilmore 2 (2025): The long-awaited sequel where a retired Happy Gilmore returns to the golf course.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004): A cult classic comedy about a misfits' tournament entry to save their gym.

Talladega Nights (2006): A satirical look at the world of NASCAR racing starring Will Ferrell.

Caddyshack (1980): An iconic golf comedy featuring an exclusive course and a destructive gopher.

Mining/Energy/Rare Earths/Biz/Culture/Politics: Australia, U.S and World

News

November 2025

Markets

Nov 19

Australian Dollar: $0.6520 USD (up 0.0040 USD)
Iron Ore: $104.45 USD (up $0.20 USD)
Oil: $60.87 USD (up $1.07 USD)
Gold: $4,069.77 USD (up $44.86 USD)
Copper: $4.9775 USD (down $0.0055 USD)
Bitcoin: $93,135.56 USD (up 1.46% in last 24 hours)
Dow Jones: 46,229.59 (down 360.65 points)

Bitcoin: (Near Live) $93,331.83 +1.13%

News

Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

News

Lithium giant's forecast hikes mining stocks

Chinese media outlet Cailian recently reported that Ganfeng Lithium chairman Li Liangbin has forecast that demand for lithium could rise by 30 per cent in 2026 and boost the price of the battery metal to around 200,000 yuan ($43,000) per tonne. Li's comments at an industry event have prompted a rally in the price of both lithium and the share prices of lithium producers; indeed, Australian lithium miners defied the downward trend on Tuesday, which saw the local bourse shed 1.9 per cent. (RMS)

News

Australian Mining News

Recent Developments (November 2025)

Market Debuts and Conferences: Red Mountain Mining (ASX: RMX) saw shares rise 36% on its OTCQB listing, highlighting US-Australia critical minerals ties. The company presents at the Virtual Investor Conference on November 19, focusing on antimony and rare earths projects.

Tech Advancements: Southern LiDAR's underground mapping tech is gaining traction for safety and efficiency in Australian mines.

Policy and Investment: A global mining giant committed AU$35M to NSW's zero-emissions steel demonstration plant, amid debates on taxpayer funding versus competitiveness against Chinese imports. Meanwhile, the Australian Mines and Services Handbook 2026 booking rush signals optimism.

Broader Discussions: Social media buzz includes critiques of environmental impacts (e.g., highway projects versus mining) and state rivalries, with Western Australia's mineral dominance contrasting Victoria's challenges.

News

Markets

S&P/ASX 200 846 9.10 -1.28%
S&P 500 6617.32 -0.83%
NIKKEI 48702.98 -3.22%
FTSE 9552.30 -1.27%
AUD/USD 65.06 +0.22%
GOLD 4067.32 +0.83%

News

Wyloo bets on nickel future as part of critical minerals boom

Wyloo's financial accounts show that it booked a $377.6m profit in 2024-25, after a massive impairment charge on its nickel assets resulted in a $352.8m loss for the previous financial year. The private company of Andrew and Nicola Forrest is continuing to explore for nickel near its mothballed mines in Western Australia, while it is also considering the construction of a nickel concentrator near Kambalda. Wyloo's CEO Luca Giacovazzi stated in its latest annual report that its future growth is likely to be on mining and selling nickel, while this focus is expected to be expanded to include rare earths. (RMS)

News

Nov 19

US fears, Nvidia nerves wipe $60b from ASX

The Australian sharemarket retreated on Tuesday, recording its biggest one-day fall since the Trump administration's 'liberation day' tariffs in April; the S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.9 per cent to close at 8,469.1 points. Tony Sycamore from IG says the local bourse was hit by a "perfect storm", with investors awaiting the release of Nvidia's latest financial results and US jobs data for September. BHP was down 3.7 per cent at $40.90, TechnologyOne ended the session 17.2 per cent lower at $29.26 and DroneShield fell 5.8 per cent to $2.45. Pilbara Minerals bucked the trend, rising 3.3 per cent to close at $4.09. (RMS)

Nov 18

ASX wipes out $60b in second-worst day this year

The Australian sharemarket suffered its second-biggest drop this year on Tuesday as investors erased $60 billion in value on growing anxiety about chip giant Nvidia’s upcoming results and concerns that interest rates in the US won’t fall soon. Losses accelerated in afternoon trading with the S&P/ASX 200 Index closing down 167.3 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 8469.1, the lowest level since late June. It was the worst session since US President Donald Trump unleashed hefty tariffs early April.

Ownership of 'Solar Energy Systems' is on the rise

(Roy Morgan Summary)

New data from Roy Morgan shows that 32% of Australian households (more than 3.3 million) now have some form of solar energy system, such as a solar hot water system, a solar heated swimming pool or rooftop solar panels with or without battery systems. These figures include 27% of households with solar panels and 5% with both solar panels and storage batteries. Western Australians are leading the way in solar panel ownership (37%) along with South Australian households (also 37%), followed by Queensland (33%). Households in these States are more likely to have solar panels than an average Australian household. Meawhile, households in South Australia and the Northern Territory (Darwin and Alice Springs) have a higher take-up of solar batteries (9% and 7% of households, respectively) compared to the national average (5%). While ownership of solar power storage batteries is at a much lower rate compared to solar panels, the federal government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program is set to boost the future take-up of storage batteries nationwide. (RMS)

Nov 15

Make coal great again or China gets your data: Hanson

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson will release details of the party's energy policy during the last parliamentary sitting week for 2025. However, Hanson contends that amongst other things Australia must withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and extend the operating lives of the nation's existing fleet of coal-fired power stations. Hansen has emphasised the importance of coal-fired power generation to data centres in Australia, warning that they will not be able to compete with China. Hanson adds that it "frightens the hell out of me" that China will dominate global data storage due to its lower electricity prices, which will be at least partly due to coal imported from Australia. (RMS)

News

Former Rio boss called to Mongolian probe

A Mongolian parliamentary inquiry into cost blowouts at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine was announced in September, with public hearings due to be held between December 8 and 12. Slated to be one of the world's top-five producers of copper by the end of the decade, the Oyu Tolgoi mine cost almost $US1.7 billion more than planned and took almost two years longer than expected to build. Former Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques is one of close to 300 witnesses called to appear before the inquiry, with Jacques having been CEO of Rio from 2016 to 2020. (Roy Morgan Summary)

Nov 14

BHP to learn class action fate for $72b Brazil dam disaster

The UK's High Court will shortly issue a ruling on whether BHP is legally for an iron ore tailings dam disaster in Brazil which killed 19 people and caused massive environmental damage in November 2015. The tailing dam was owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and iron ore rival Vale. Should BHP be found to be legally liable, individual claimants' eligibility for compensation and the size of any payouts will be determined in the next stage of the long-running case. BHP and Vale have already paid billions in compensation to people who were affected by the disaster. (RMS)

News

Fresh probe launched into MinRes, Ellison

It has been revealed that the Australian Taxation Office has launched a new investigation into Mineral Resources and its billionaire founder Chris Ellison. News of the investigation was revealed in a request sent by the ATO to the Federal Court in October for access to previously sealed documents that had been filed in the unfair dismissal case brought by MinRes' former procurement manager Steve Pigozzo in 2022. The new investigation will focus on how MinRes and Ellison calculated income and fringe benefit taxes, with the revelation regarding the new probe coming as MinRes prepares to hold its AGM next week, at which shareholders will be asked to approve a lucrative share options package for new chairman Malcolm Bundey. (Roy Morgan Summary)

News

Rio ends two-decade Serbia lithium mining dream as cost cuts bite

Rio Tinto has advised that its Jadar lithium project in Serbia has put in 'care and maintenance' mode. The company will cease undertaking environmental, heritage and geological surveys at the site in the Jadar Valley, four years after revealing plans to invest $US2.4bn ($3.7bn) on developing what it claimed would be the biggest lithium mine in Europe. There is growing competition for capital within Rio Tinto's lithium division, and its $10bn deal to acquire Arcadium Lithium earlier in 2025 added several mines that are already in production to its lithium portfolio. (RMS)

News

American activist claims IperionX more dud than minerals gem

Trading in the shares of Australian-listed IperionX were halted on Thursday, following the release of a report into the company by New York hedge fund Spruce Point Capital Management, which specialises in short-selling. With the US-based IperionX seeking to develop titanium extraction technology and having been backed by the Trump administration as part of its bid to secure domestic production of critical minerals, Spruce Point's report sought to raise doubt about IperionX's prospects. (RMS)

News

Biotech gets $20m in critical minerals push

US-based biotechnology firm Endolith has raised $US13.5m ($20.6m) via its initial round of venture funding, while it aims to raise an additional $3m in a second tranche. The start-up is developing technology that can be used to extract critical minerals such as copper from low-grade ore and waste rock that would be unprofitable to process using traditional methods. Endolith's technology uses microbes and artifical intelligence, and the company aims to commence real-world trials at a mine site within 6-12 months. (RMS)

News

Oversupply of oil could create glut of 4m barrels a day, says energy watchdog

The International Energy Agency has stated in its latest monthly report that the world is producing more oil than it needs, and that there could be a glut of 4m excess barrels a day entering the market by 2026. The IEA's warning has come in the same week that it issued its latest energy outlook report, which included a controversial scenario in which global oil demand would continue to grow until 2050. It had dropped the scenario in 2020 after it was accused of repeatedly criticised for underestimating the growth of renewable energy in its annual report, but returned the scenario to its outlook this year after calls from the White House to present a more optimistic view for the future of oil. (RMS)

News Lead Up

News

The cryptocurrency market is stagnating, lagging its competitors

Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalisation has changed little over the past day, fluctuating around $3.5 trillion. The cryptocurrency fear index has fallen to 15, its lowest level since 4 March. Notably, the cryptocurrency market has been left out of the recent rally in precious metals and stock indices. If this is not an attempt by whales to lock in profits from the rally since April or even from the growth of the last two years, then it is an alarming signal of deep-seated risk aversion that is about to manifest itself in larger markets.

Bitcoin continues to struggle to remain within the bull market on weekly timeframes, trying to stay above the 50-week moving average. Last week's close was on the edge and attempts to develop an offensive this week are running into sell-offs, despite the favourable external backdrop. The previous such transition occurred at the end of 2021, and so far, everything aligns with the 4-year halving cycles that many were quick to dismiss.

News Background

Over the past three months, a clear break has occurred in the correlation between Bitcoin and the stock market. The S&P 500 stock index has risen 7% during this time, while BTC has lost 15%. Judging by four years of close correlation, it can be argued that Bitcoin is currently undervalued, according to Santiment.

Jan3 founder Samson Mow attributes Bitcoin's decline to a massive sell-off by investors who bought it over the past 12 to 18 months. They are rushing to lock in profits amid rumours of an imminent bearish trend in the crypto market.

The crypto market's growth phase is nearing its end, so it is time for investors to consider locking in profits and reducing the share of crypto assets in their portfolios, according to Morgan Stanley, which cites a four-year cycle that the cryptocurrency market has consistently followed since 2009.

The bitcoin mining industry is facing a difficult period due to growing competition and declining profitability, said MARA CEO Fred Thiel. According to him, only those miners who have access to cheap energy or new business models will survive.

According to SoSoValue, spot Solana ETFs in the US have attracted more than $350 million in 11 trading sessions. The steady inflow of funds into new SOL ETFs came as a surprise to the market. The results significantly exceeded initial conservative forecasts, according to LVRG Research.

Visa has unveiled a pilot project called Visa Direct, which allows US customers to make direct cross-border payments in USDC stablecoin to recipients' wallets. The initiative is aimed at content creators and freelancers.

The crypto industry is entering a new phase of capital raising. The launch of Coinbase's ICO platform is expected to be a key event in this trend, according to Bitwise. The exchange will select and launch one verified project per month. (FxPro)

News

The dollar emerging from the data fog

• The US government shutdown is over. • Central bank policy convergence helps EURUSD. • Political scandal causes the pound to fall. • Japan's currency interventions are ineffective The House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 to resume government operations. The president immediately signed the document. The record-long shutdown is over. This fact promises that the Fed and investors will soon begin to exit their positions. The president immediately signed the document. The record-breaking shutdown is over. This fact suggests that the Fed and investors will quickly start to emerge from the fog once statistics are published again, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. But will they like what they see when the picture becomes clearer?
Alternative sources show a slowdown in the US GDP. The IMF forecasts a decline in its growth rate from 2.8% to 2% in 2025. The eurozone, on the other hand, is expected to accelerate from 0.9% to 1.2%. At the same time, the Bank of France plans to raise its estimates for the country, despite the ongoing political turmoil. The narrowing divergence in economic growth argues in favour of maintaining the upward trend for EURUSD. The same can be said about monetary policy. The ECB has most likely ended its easing cycle, barring any major shocks. The federal funds rate is likely to continue falling amid a cooling US labour market and economy. The euro has advantages over the dollar. However, in the short term, mixed data could lead to mixed movements in EURUSD.

The conflict on Downing Street has allowed GBPUSD bears to launch a new attack. When Labour came to power in Britain in 2024, the pound gained preference thanks to hopes for political stability after constant ministerial changes under the Conservatives. However, since then, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ratings have been falling. Rumours of a plot to replace the leader have made investors nervous and prompted them to sell sterling. Doubts about the effectiveness of potential currency interventions continue to push the USDJPY pair higher. The current conditions differ from those of last year. Back then, Tokyo intervened in the FOREX market before raising the overnight rate. Now, Sanae Takaichi is sticking to a policy of fiscal and monetary stimulus. Any purchase of the yen will only have short-term success. In addition, it will require the expenditure of foreign exchange reserves. These are needed to make the investments in the US economy promised to Donald Trump. (FxPro)

News

Heavy Industry Awards

Mack Trucks wins Media Man 'Truck Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Caterpillar wins Media Man 'Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Of The Month' award

Bingo Industries wins Media Man 'Construction Brand Of The Month' award

Elders wins Media Man 'Agribusiness Of The Month' award

Landman wins Media Man 'Streaming Series Of The Month' award (Oil/mining industry based story via Paramount Plus)

News

Media

Google Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Website Of The Month' award; Runner-up: Yahoo! Finance

Netflix wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award; YouTube and Paramount Plus are runner-ups! Strong mention: Tubi

News

Pop Culture News

Landman (Paramount Plus)

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the booming West Texas oilfields, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a crisis manager and landman for an independent oil company. Tommy navigates cutthroat deals, family tensions, and moral dilemmas while trying to keep his business afloat. The story kicks off with an investigation into a fatal accident involving an out-of-town lawyer, weaving in elements of drug cartels.

Landman is an American drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, inspired by Wallace's podcast Boomtown. It explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry in West Texas, blending themes of fortune-seeking, corporate intrigue, and personal drama amid roughnecks, billionaires, and geopolitical shifts.

The series premiered on Paramount+ on November 17, 2024, and has been renewed for a second season.

Landman: Season 2. Trailer (Paramount Plus)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mhzQawESdqg

"You think you understand how this business works, but you don't." Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

"Death and a Sunset"
November 16, 2025

"Sins of the Father"
November 23, 2025

"Almost a Home"
November 30, 2025

"Dancing Rainbows"
December 7, 2025

"The Pirate Dinner"
December 14, 2025

"Dark Night of the Soul"
December 21, 2025

"Forever Is an Instant"
December 28, 2025

"Handsome Touched Me"
January 4, 2026

"Plans, Tears and Sirens"
January 11, 2026

"Tragedy and Flies"
January 18, 2026

News

Gold Movie

Gold is a 2016 American epic crime drama film directed by Stephen Gaghan and written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach and Bruce Greenwood. The film is loosely based on the true story of the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal, when a massive gold deposit was supposedly discovered in the jungles of Indonesia; however, for legal reasons and to enhance the appeal of the film, character names and story details were changed.

Trailer

Gold (YouTube Movies and TV)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yc0S96OZhi0

Gold is the epic tale of one man's pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Kenny Wells, a modern day prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.

News

Best Quotes

The best and biggest gold mine is in between your ears."

"You are a gold mine of potential power. You have to dig to find it and make it real."

"Your mind is like a gold mine, if you dig deep you will find something golden."

"Don't die without mining the gold in your mind."

"We're like goldfields. Until we dig deep to find what's inside us, our true potentials may be hidden forever."

"If you want to find gold, you've got to love the process of digging."

"Even if you're sitting on a gold mine, you still have to dig."

"Develop men the same way gold is mined"

"Don't go into the mine looking for dirt; instead, go in looking for the gold."

"A prospector's job is to remove dirt as quickly as possible"

"A prospector who analyses every speck of dirt won't find much gold"

"The world is sitting on a gold mine but knows it not." "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"All that is gold does not glitter."

"Gold is forever. It is beautiful, useful, and never wears out"

"Gold is the money of kings"

"Mining is the art of exploiting mineral deposits at a profit. An unprofitable mine is fit only for the sepulcher of a dead mule."

"Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold."

"True gold fears no fire."

"The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit."

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."

"When taken for granted, gold in one's hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people."

Media Man

Roy Morgan wins Media Man 'News Services Provider Of The Month' award; Runner-ups: X, Google News, Yahoo! Finance

Crypto News

Bitcoin to soar as ETFs on cusp of approval
- January 9, 2024

The price of Bitcoin is spiking and one analyst predicts it could more than triple in value and hit $300,000 by the end of 2025.

Bitcoin has risen above $US47,000 (A$70,000) for the first time since April 2022 and one analyst is predicting it could more than triple in value to be worth US$200,000 (A$298,000) by the end of 2025.

The prediction comes after news that US regulators appear ready to finally approve Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

In a note, Standard Chartered head of crypto research Geoff Kendrick wrote: “If ETF-related inflows materialise as we expect, we think an end-2025 level closer to US$200,000 is possible.”

It has been over a decade since the first applications for ETFs that invest directly in the digital currency were filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Prospective ETF issuers BlackRock, Fidelity, Invesco, Ark, Galaxy Digital and WisdomTree filed amended forms on Monday in what is seen by analysts as a final push to offer the investment products.

The regulator has until Wednesday to make a decision on the applications, which could result in an investment product tracking the daily price of the most popular digital currency traded on a stock market for the first time.

If approved, the advent of Bitcoin ETFs is expected to drive up Bitcoin’s price due to increased accessibility and liquidity of the digital currency.

The rise in Bitcoin also flowed through to a surge in the price of other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, Cardano, SOL and Polkadot, while the share prices of listed crypto exchanges and miners such as Coinbase Global, Riot Platforms and Marathon Digital also rose.

Bitcoin’s previous all-time high of almost $US69,000 (A$103,000) was reached in November 2021.

#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #ETF #cryptonews #cryptocurrencynews #cryptocurrencies #fintech #BTC #SEC #BlackRock #Fidelity #Invesco #Ark #GalaxyDigital #Galaxy #WisdomTree #Ethereum #Marathon #SOL #Polkadot #Riot #RiotPlatforms #bizneews #biz #finnews #digitalnews #research #trends #trending #buzz #hype #cryptoculture #culture #AI #X #media

(Newsfeeds)

Bitcoin Rally Cools in Countdown to US Spot ETF Decision by SEC - 9 January 2024

Bitcoin consolidated after briefly rallying past $47,000 on optimism that regulators are set to approve the first US exchange-traded funds investing directly in the world’s largest digital asset.

The token dipped to $46,739 as of 6 a.m. Tuesday in London after a 6.5% jump on Monday in the US to a 21-month high. Bitcoin’s new year climb now stands at 10%, contrasting with drops over the same period in stocks and gold.

The crypto market expects a green light for US spot Bitcoin ETFs by a Jan. 10 deadline. Prospective issuers such as BlackRock Inc., Fidelity Investments and Ark Investment Management updated paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the regulator has until Wednesday to take action on at least one of the applications.

Speculators are wagering that the agency will announce a slew of decisions at once to avoid handing out a first-mover advantage. If the funds are approved, the next question is how much money they will woo. Bitcoin is up 172% in the past 12 months in a sign that traders anticipate wider adoption of the token.

“Participants seem to be coming around to thinking that the initial flows will actually exceed expectations,” said Kyle Doane, a trader at Arca.

Applicants amended forms on Monday in the US in a final push to offer spot Bitcoin ETF products more than a decade after the first attempt.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler has repeatedly argued that crypto is rife with fraud and misconduct. The agency cracked down on the sector following a 2022 rout and collapses such as the bankruptcy of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX exchange.

But the SEC last year lost a key legal fight against crypto asset manager Grayscale Investments LLC, spurring speculation that the regulator will have to acquiesce to the spot ETFs. The spat was over the $29 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s desire to convert into such a product.

ETF Critics

Critics contend that spot crypto ETFs would pose a risk for investors given that digital assets are notorious for volatility and attracting illicit activity.

“What’s going to happen, unfortunately, is lots and lots of Americans in our view, are going to get hurt financially,” said Dennis Kelleher, chief executive officer of financial reform nonprofit Better Markets.

The months-long advance in Bitcoin has lifted the digital-asset market more broadly, bolstering smaller tokens like Solana and Avalanche. US crypto-linked stocks mostly rose on Monday, providing a tailwind for Asian peers such as Japan’s Monex Group and Woori Technology Investment Co. in South Korea.

Pullback Risk

Some crypto watchers wonder whether Bitcoin is ripe for a pullback if and when SEC approval finally lands, since speculators may decide to bank a slice of profits from the token’s rally.

There are “no signs” of a so-called sell-the-news event just yet, Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone Group Ltd., wrote in a note. Based on chart patterns, the $51,000 level is a possible target before any such retreat, according to Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia Pty.

Looking past short-term price gyrations, “the main result of Bitcoin spot ETF approval will be the marketing machine behind greater Bitcoin awareness, powered by some of the largest names in traditional finance,” wrote Noelle Acheson, author of the Crypto Is Macro Now newsletter.

The token reached a record high of almost $69,000 back in 2021 during a pandemic-era bull run fueled by ultra-low borrowing costs.

#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #ETC #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #SEC #markets #finance #fintech #digitalnews #digitalbiz #digitalbusiness #newsmedia #newsfeeds #media

Bitcoin News Media

January 8, 2024

Bitcoin ETF Insider Leak Powers Bitcoin Price Surge Over $45,000 After $1.6 Trillion Ethereum, XRP, Solana And Crypto Boom

Now, as panicked traders try to get ahead of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) "rug pull of the decade," an insider leak has revealed BlackRock has readied a huge $2 billion bazooka if its spot bitcoin ETF bid is approved.

"I heard from a pretty well placed source that BlackRock has more than $2 billion lined up in week one in new incremental flows from existing bitcoin holders who are adding to positions," Matthew Sigel, head of digital assets research at investment company VanEck, said during an X Spaces broadcast organized by The Block.

"I can't vouch for that," Sigel added. "But you know, that's what everyone is doing. Just making phone calls and trying to find the folks who can write checks into these products. And our estimates—that, you know, if that $2 billion happened in week one, you know, that would blow away our estimates."

1/8 update: The bitcoin price has shot over $45,000 per bitcoin as the Wall Street race to get a bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) to market enters its final week. The price surge boosted the price of ethereum, XRP and solana as traders bet a historical spot bitcoin ETF would boost crypto prices across the board.

This week, spot bitcoin ETF hopefuls, including BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale, have met the deadline to file their amended documents.

This filing "is another important step towards uplisting GBTC as a spot bitcoin ETF," Grayscale spokeswoman Jenn Rosenthal said in a statement to Coindesk. Grayscale has been trying to convert its bitcoin trust to a fully-fledged spot bitcoin ETF for years, last year successfully suing the SEC over its rejection of its bid. "At Grayscale, we continue to work collaboratively with the SEC, and we remain ready to operate GBTC as an ETF upon receipt of regulatory approvals."

"Market participants maintain expectations for the approval of the 21Shares filing, potentially triggering a cascade approval for all issuers," Matteo Greco, a research analyst at investment company Fineqia International, said in emailed comments, referring to the Ark 21Shares spot bitcoin ETF bid that's first in line.

"Numerous meetings between the SEC, issuers, and exchanges have fuelled the narrative of an imminent approval. The introduction of ETFs could usher in new investor cohorts from traditional finance, significantly improving market transparency and liquidity and bringing long term capital inflow in the digital assets market."

Sigel said VanEck was anticipating "$2.5 billion in the first quarter of trading," a figure derived from "past flows into the first gold ETF and adjusting by the U.S. money supply. And we have a $40 billion market opportunity over two years based on a similar analysis."

"$2 billion week one into BlackRock alone would blow expectations out of the water," Travis Kling, the chief investment officer of Ikigai Asset Management, posted to X. "Half that from all ETFs combined would have been a pretty good outcome."

VanEck, along with other spot bitcoin ETF hopefuls BlackRock, Fidelity, Grayscale, Valkyrie, ARK 21Shares and InvescoIVZ +1.8% have rushed to finalize their applications this week ahead of a January 8 Monday morning deadline.

Five SEC commissioners will reportedly vote on the spot bitcoin ETF bids next week, according to Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source.

#Bitcoin #BTC #BitcoinNews #Crypto #CryptoNews #cryptocurrency #XRP #ETF #Ethereum #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #fintech #digitalnews #newsmedia #newsfeeds #trend #trends #buzz #hype #bitcoinnewsmedia #x #media

(Sources: Wires, Newsfeeds, X)

Crypto needs a new king. These are the contenders - December 15, 2023

The price of bitcoin is surging again. Major financial firms are showing renewed interest in digital currencies. And crypto fanatics are celebrating the end of a long period of depressed prices and business collapses.

But the sudden explosion of optimism has come at a turbulent moment for the cryptocurrency industry.

The last time crypto prices were skyrocketing, the industry’s most influential executives were Sam Bankman-Fried and Changpeng Zhao, rival billionaires whose online sparring could move markets. Now Bankman-Fried, founder of the FTX crypto exchange, and Zhao, who ran the world’s largest crypto firm, Binance, both face prison time after parallel falls from power.

A federal jury convicted Bankman-Fried last month on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from FTX’s collapse. Three weeks later, Zhao pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge and agreed to relinquish control of Binance.

With the two men out of the picture, a crowded field of crypto entrepreneurs, Wall Street executives and government regulators are vying to control the industry’s next chapter. Their scramble for influence could determine whether crypto survives in the United States, where a regulatory crackdown has made it increasingly difficult for the industry to operate.

Some executives have argued that the crypto world needed to purge figures like Zhao and Bankman-Fried — aggressive entrepreneurs who gave priority to growth over compliance — to win over regulators and the public.

After Zhao’s guilty plea, Brian Armstrong, CEO of the US-based crypto exchange Coinbase, hailed the case as a turning point for the industry.

“We now have an opportunity to start a new chapter,” Armstrong posted on social media last month. “This industry should be built right here in America, in a compliant way, under US law.”

But the crypto world remains filled with companies that engage in risky business practices and don’t offer much transparency about their experimental products.

“There is no intrinsic value to any of this,” said Hilary Allen, an expert on financial regulation at American University. “The only hope is to have more money sloshing around, and more people willing to buy into it to create demand.”

Crypto has always had its share of influential leaders. The vision behind bitcoin, the original and most valuable digital currency, was first laid out by someone using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, whose mysterious identity became its own brand.

As the crypto world expanded, new centres of power and influence emerged. Zhao founded Binance in 2017 and built it into the world’s largest marketplace for buying and selling experimental coins. The exchange’s size and reach turned Zhao into a star on Twitter, now known as X, where he accumulated more than 8 million followers, dismissing government lawsuits and allegations of illegal conduct as disinformation spread by crypto’s enemies.

Zhao’s chief rival was Bankman-Fried, who appeared on billboards and magazine covers, cultivating a persona as the responsible adult who would help the fledgling industry work with regulators.

In the end, both Zhao and Bankman-Fried fell from grace. Bankman-Fried is set to be sentenced in March and faces the prospect of decades behind bars. Zhao is likely to receive a lighter sentence, with prosecutors expected to request about 18 months.

“Having those characters not in the plot any more is a really good thing,” said Jeremy Allaire, CEO of the crypto company Circle. “I’m focused and have been focused on: How do we make this useful for the world?”

A new generation of executives is already emerging as the industry’s top cheerleaders. Paolo Ardoino, an outspoken crypto enthusiast with a vast online following, recently took over as CEO of Tether, the company that oversees one of the most popular digital currencies. At Binance, Zhao was replaced by Richard Teng, a key executive at the exchange who had been groomed to step into Zhao’s shoes.

On paper, Teng is Zhao’s opposite. The Binance founder was antagonistic toward regulators, while Teng is a veteran of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country’s central bank.

Binance’s future is uncertain. As part of a settlement last month, the company agreed to pay a $US4.5 billion ($6.7 billion) fine to several government agencies and have a US monitor embedded in the business for the next three years.

“My general sense is there’s a real ‘wait and see,’” Allaire said. “I don’t think anyone knows the details of what that monitorship means.”

A Binance spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Arguably the biggest beneficiary of crypto’s current reshuffle is Coinbase’s Armstrong, who declared this month that bitcoin “may be the key to extending western civilisation”. Coinbase’s share price has nearly tripled over the past six months, even after the Securities and Exchange Commission sued the firm as part of the agency’s broad crackdown on the industry.

“Coinbase is now the last man standing,” said John Todaro, an analyst at Needham who tracks the crypto industry. “There’s less competition out there.”

Coinbase has also positioned itself to profit from a potentially seismic development in the crypto world — the possible approval of an exchange-traded fund, or ETF, that tracks the price of bitcoin.

“Having those characters not in the plot any more is a really good thing.”

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire

In recent days, bitcoin’s price has surged to over $US43,000 ($65,600), its highest level since a wave of bankruptcies sent the industry into crisis last year. Much of the enthusiasm is fuelled by growing confidence that the SEC is poised to approve a bitcoin ETF that would trade on traditional stock exchanges, potentially bringing new money into the industry.

Coinbase has agreed to store the bitcoin that would underlie an ETF offered by BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers. BlackRock is the biggest of several major financial firms, including Fidelity, that have applied to offer the investment product.

Wall Street was once the enemy of the insurgent crypto industry, but after a bruising 18 months of bankruptcies and arrests, crypto proponents have greeted the collaboration between Coinbase and BlackRock as a potential salvation.

“Crypto isn’t disrupting Wall Street; it’s merging with it,” Allen said. “It’s fairly obvious — they think they can make some money here.”

News

TKO MERGES UFC® AND WWE® GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS TEAMS TO CREATE SPORTS MARKETING POWERHOUSE

Websties

TKO Group

UFC

WWE

WWE.com - Corporate

01/04/2024

TKO MERGES UFC® AND WWE® GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS TEAMS TO CREATE SPORTS MARKETING POWERHOUSE

Combined Unit to Offer Blue-Chip Brands Unprecedented Integration within Two of the World’s Most Iconic Sports and Entertainment Properties

NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2024 – KO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company, today announced that it has combined the UFC and WWE global partnerships teams into one unit, providing brands with access to one of the most formidable sports marketing portfolios in the world.

UFC and WWE, which collectively serve more than one billion young and diverse fans in 170 countries, provide brand partners unparalleled scale and reach across multiple platforms, including premium live events, original content, and digital media. Further powered and enhanced by the Endeavor flywheel, the company’s global infrastructure that also includes IMG’s dynamic sales teams around the world, UFC and WWE together can offer marketers significantly expanded inventory, vastly increased brand visibility, extensive international reach, and unique integration opportunities across UFC and WWE premier content.

Grant Norris-Jones, who has played a key role in driving UFC’s global partnerships to six consecutive years of record revenue, has been elevated to lead the integrated unit as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Partnerships for TKO, which includes the entirety of UFC and WWE properties. Norris-Jones will work alongside Lou Koskovolis, who is also taking on an expanded role as TKO’s Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships. Together, they will focus on delivering unique, authentic integrations for TKO’s corporate partners. This new joint effort will further benefit from additional support and collaboration with the Endeavor Partnerships team to maximize value for brands across the entire Endeavor portfolio of assets.

With partnership sales, activations, and operations teams in New York, Las Vegas, Stamford, Conn., London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Shanghai, and Toronto, the newly combined unit will focus on creating new revenue opportunities and brand integrations across UFC’s and WWE’s must-watch live and original content.

“Since Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, UFC’s global partnerships business has become a significant growth area,” said Andrew Schleimer, Chief Financial Officer, TKO, “and we believe WWE’s partnerships business has similar potential. Together, UFC and WWE create a sports marketing powerhouse, with hundreds of live events per year and a reach that’s equal to, or better than, the world’s biggest sports properties. The newly integrated global partnerships team will offer premium brands the opportunity to integrate and activate within UFC’s and WWE’s extraordinarily popular content to engage their massive fan bases around the world.”

In recent years, UFC has partnered with brands that are consumer product and category leaders, including Anheuser-Busch, Crypto.com, DraftKings, Jose Cuervo, Monster Energy, PRIME Hydration, Timex, and VeChain.-

In addition, WWE has worked with dozens of blue-chip brands across its roster of promotional assets. Over the last year, WWE has activated with Applebee’s, General Mills, Mattel, Netflix, PepsiCo, Pizza Hut, Slim Jim, and Snickers.

About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 243 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.

About WWE®
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

Media Man

Media Man Int Blog: "Sports Marketing Powerhouse" official; WWE and UFC combo

The UFC and WWE global partnerships teams have officially become one in its pitch to provide brands with access to “one of the most formidable sports marketing portfolios in the world”.

Sports and entertainment company, TKO Group, announced the news this after the MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion and the professional wrestling based Goliath merged under the new company late last year.

Per media statement TKO said the move to join the teams will offer marketers expanded inventory, increased brand visibility and international reach.

Grant Norris-Jones will lead the new unit as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Partnerships for TKO (including all UFC and WWE entities), while Lou Koskovolis will take on the expanded role as TKO’s Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships.

“Since Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, UFC’s global partnerships business has become a significant growth area,” TKO’s chief financial officer, Andrew Schleimer, said.

“And we believe WWE’s partnerships business has similar potential. Together, UFC and WWE create a sports marketing powerhouse, with hundreds of live events per year and a reach that’s equal to, or better than, the world’s biggest sports properties.

“The newly integrated global partnerships team will offer premium brands the opportunity to integrate and activate within UFC’s and WWE’s extraordinarily popular content to engage their massive fan bases around the world.”

The UFC is currently preparing for its highly anticipated, pub and cafe talk fodder UFC 300 event in Vegas in April, while the WWE’s February premium live event, Elimination Chamber, is set to go ahead at Perth’s Optus Stadium on 24 February.

WrestleMania Season has come early for many fans around the world. 2024 may end up being the biggest year in history for the WWE in most boxes including the bottom line, as well as excitement, perhaps equal to the very first WrestleMania back in 1985. This is cinema!

Media Man

WWE PLE's 2024

WWE Royal Rumble

January 27.

Tropicana Field

St. Petersburg, Florida

WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth

February 24.

Optus Stadium

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

WWE WrestleMania 40

April 6, April 7.

Lincoln Financial Field

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

WWE Backlash: France

May 4.

LDLC Arena

Décines-Charpieu, Greater Lyon, France

WWE Money in the Bank

July 6.

Scotiabank Arena

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

WWE Bash in Berlin

August 31.

Mercedes-Benz Arena

Berlin, Germany

Media Man

News

5 Ways Every Business Can Save Money

When it comes to increasing your bottom line, the side of the equation that usually gets the most attention is increasing your sales. However, this process isn't always in your control. One thing that every business owner can do is to cut down on expenses. No matter how small your business, there are always ways that you can save money.

In doing so, you'll be left with more funding to put towards meaningful growth in your company. Many money-saving methods can also save you time, which is another extremely valuable and limited commodity. To help you make the most out of every penny at your disposal, here are five ways every business can save money.

Reduce Your Resource Usage

Consider taking a few simple steps to reduce the amount of resources your business uses, such as replacing older bulbs for LEDs, using Energy Star rated office equipment and taking operations into the digital space to prevent wasting paper. This will not only save you money, but also improve your public image and do the environment a favour in the process.

Focus on Digital Marketing

Gone are the days of spending absurd amounts of money getting your business on radio and television - or for that matter, billboards and flyers. We now have the internet, which offers a plethora of cost-effective advertising methods. In fact, there are many ways that you can market your business on the internet without even spending a cent.

For instance, working on the SEO of your website will help you bring in more converting customers, without spending any money on advertising. You can improve on this by setting up social media profiles, getting your business on listings and review websites, as well as writing content for your blog or even creating YouTube videos related to your business.

Compare Prices

This applies to just about every recurring expense your business pays. There are online quote websites where you can compare prices for internet service providers, insurers and business gas rates. You don't know whether you're being overcharged until you find out. For instance, around 80% of businesses are overpaying for gas.

Switch to Open Source Software

If you haven't already, you should seriously consider taking your business operations into the digital space. This is because business software will help you carry out daily tasks more cheaply and efficiently. You can find software for just about every function, from accounting to presentations to marketing to communication to management and more.

Of course, these applications do often come at a cost, and it's one that can prove too steep for smaller businesses. This is where open source software comes in. It's free to use and in most cases, cloud-based, which makes it even more affordable to run your business on.

Outsource

From office space to insurance to salaries, employees can be costly to keep around. Outsource work to independent contractors on an as-needed basis. You can further save money by negotiating rates and finding lower-charging contractors.

More often than not, saving money is as simple as looking at your monthly statement. Take some time to run through your expenses and follow up on those that you deem too high.