The Walt Disney Co. and YouTube have signed a multi-year distribution agreement that will bring back Disney-owned channels to YouTube TV. The new deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, puts an end to a dispute about per-subscriber rates, which resulted in Disney pulling out its content from Google's video streaming platform early November 2024.
“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,’’ s...

Charlie Lexton has been appointed as CEO of ​Merlin, the digital rights licensing agency for independent labels and distributors, effective 1 January 2026. He will replace Jeremy Sirota, who announced earlier this year that he would step down from his position after five years in the job.
Lexton most recently served as COO of Merlin, a company he has worked for since its inception, initially alongside founding CEO, Charles Caldas. Sirota joined Merlin in January 2020 from Meta where he served as...

Spotify and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) launched a new Opt-In Portal allowing NMPA music publishers members to enter into a direct license agreement for expanded audiovisual rights in the US. The NMPA Opt-In Portal is open to eligible publishers from November 11, 2025, with onboarding continuing through December 19.
According to a joint statement, these new agreements "mean higher royalty payouts for independent music publishers and songwriters." In exchange the streaming s...