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Welcome back to The Brief by Kuro House, where we cut through the noise to bring you the sharpest stories in marketing, media, and tech. Today, we’re diving into major shakeups in sports broadcasting, a surprising Super Bowl absence, the ongoing battle for Hollywood’s future, and the relentless impact of AI on publishing. Let’s get into the details.

First up, Major League Baseball just dropped a bombshell with new media rights deals involving ESPN, NBC, and Netflix, as reported by Adweek. These deals, set to run from 2026 to 2028, come after ESPN forfeited some of its previous rights and Roku’s content deal expired. Here’s how it all shakes out: ESPN will have a 30-game national package, with matchups airing on both its traditional networks and streaming service. Notably, ESPN also gains exclusive local rights for six MLB teams, including the Padres, Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies. For ESPN Unlimited subscribers, there’s a promise of over 150 out-of-market games each season. However, after 35 years, ESPN is giving up its iconic Sunday Night Baseball slot to NBC Sports. NBC is not just taking over Sunday nights—they’ll also have exclusive rights to the MLB Sunday Leadoff, Opening Day, Labor Day primetime games, and the entire Wild Card Round, with coverage spread across NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock. Peacock will stream a live Sunday afternoon whip-around show and one out-of-market game daily, plus Peacock-exclusive games will also show up on NBCSN. Meanwhile, Netflix is stepping up as a live sports broadcaster, streaming multiple live MLB events each year, including the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and a special event game like MLB at Field of Dreams in 2026. Netflix will also be the exclusive rights partner in Japan for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Altogether, these deals are expected to bring in about $1.3 billion in new revenue for MLB, and they’re separate from existing deals with Fox Sports and TNT Sports, which expire in 2028. It’s a massive reshuffling that signals just how fast streaming is reshaping the sports landscape.

Switching gears to the world of candy and commercials, Hershey’s is making headlines by opting out of the 2026 Super Bowl, according to Adweek. After two years of high-profile Super Bowl ads for Reese’s—first the Caramel Big Cup in 2024 and then the Chocolate Lava Big Cup in 2025—Hershey’s is sitting out the big game. Vinny Ronaldo, Hershey’s VP of consumer connections, explained that the company is taking a more targeted approach to cultural relevance, focusing on connecting with consumers in meaningful moments outside the Super Bowl spotlight. The decision comes after a rocky year for the chocolate giant, with tariffs on cocoa imports from Ghana and Ecuador adding $100 million in quarterly costs and potentially up to $170 million, forcing price hikes. Fortunately, President Trump recently signed an executive order exempting cocoa from these tariffs, giving Hershey’s some relief. Historically, Hershey’s has been a sporadic Super Bowl advertiser, only making its debut in 2008 and not using the platform for its chocolate brands until 2020. With the company promising “exciting plans ahead” for 2026, it’ll be interesting to see how they pivot their marketing strategy in the face of industry headwinds.

Now, let’s look at the latest broadcast TV ratings drama. Despite a carriage dispute that kept ABC off YouTube TV for about 10 million pay-TV homes, ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir still managed to top the evening news ratings for the week of November 10, according to Adweek’s TVNewser. World News Tonight was the only evening broadcast to see growth in both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic, pulling in 7.572 million total viewers and 960,000 in the demo—a 5% and 9% increase, respectively, over the previous week. NBC Nightly News came in second with 6.676 million viewers, but saw a 4% drop in the demo. CBS Evening News trailed with 4.17 million viewers and took a hit in both metrics. Year-over-year, NBC was the only newscast to show positive momentum in both viewers and demo, while CBS continued to decline. These numbers underscore the resilience of traditional news broadcasts, even as distribution challenges and streaming competition heat up.

Turning to the business of media itself, Warner Bros. Discovery is at the center of a high-stakes bidding war, as reported by Adweek. After rebuffing multiple bids from Paramount, WBD has officially put itself on the market, inviting potential buyers for all or parts of the business. Preliminary, non-binding offers are due this week, adding fuel to the speculation about who might emerge victorious—Netflix, Paramount, or Comcast are all reportedly in the mix. Meanwhile, WBD is moving ahead with a planned split of its company, expected in mid-2026, which would separate its streaming and studio operations from its cable division. The outcome of this M&A saga could fundamentally shift the balance of power in Hollywood, with ripple effects for content creators, advertisers, and consumers alike.

Finally, let’s talk about the existential threat AI poses to digital publishers. In a story originally published in Mark Stenberg’s “On Background” newsletter for Adweek, the impact of AI on the media industry is described as nothing short of “armageddon.” The Wall Street Journal has highlighted how AI’s effect on search traffic and programmatic ad revenue is upending digital publishing economics. Business Insider, for instance, recently cut nearly a quarter of its staff, citing AI as the main factor. In a striking example, one publisher reportedly made just $174 from AI crawlers, underscoring how little value is being returned to content creators even as AI models scrape the web for training data. The downstream effects are already being felt in layoffs, declining revenue, and a fundamental reevaluation of how publishers can survive and thrive in an AI-driven landscape.

That’s all for today’s Brief. The media and marketing world is in flux, with streaming giants rewriting the rules of sports broadcasting, legacy brands rethinking their biggest ad buys, and the future of Hollywood and digital publishing hanging in the balance. Stay curious, stay sharp, and we’ll see you next time.