Reality Beat: TVNZ Secured Broadcasting Rights For 2026 Fifa World Cup, ‘Good Morning America’ Releases Cast List For Season 34 Of ‘Dancing With The Stars’
curtis jackson - Slaven Vlasic / Stringer
Docuseries: The Road to LA ‘28, a 12-part documentary series following the personal journeys of African Olympic competitors, has entered the next stages of production after securing a partnership with the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB). The series will air twice a week on AUB’s member broadcasters in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympics. Dan Jawitz, the show’s executive producer, discussed the significance of this partnership.
“The reason we chose to reach out to the AUB is because the biggest African audiences are in free-to-air television,” Jawitz emphasizes. “Our continent is very unequal. And most people don’t have access to streaming. We wanted this to be as accessible as possible, so that anyone anywhere can watch it, and that it can become event television.”
Fox News Media has announced that Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson will host the new true-crime series “50 Ways to Catch a Killer,” which premiered on Sept. 16, 2025. Each episode focuses on a key piece of evidence that led investigators to solve a case. As the face of the show, Jackson will introduce and end each story.
“True crime is powerful because it’s real cases, real people, and real justice,” Jackson said in a statement. “With this series, I want viewers to experience the intensity of these investigations and the relentless work it takes to uncover the truth. We’re bringing these stories to life in a way that’s both gripping and authentic.”
To mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, FOX Weather premiered a four-part series called Hurricane HQ: Katrina’s Wrath 20 Years Later on Aug. 25, 2025. The series features hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross, correspondent Robert Ray and FOX News senior meteorologist Janice Dean as they reflect on the storm’s impact.
Love is Blind Brazil is back with another season. The hit reality show returns as a vrand new series titled Love is Blind Brazil: Never Too Late, featuring new singles, new drama, and even new rules to the screen. This time, the cast is made up entirely of singles aged 50 and over, proving that it’s never too late to find love. Ages range from 50 to 70 years old.
“The most beautiful thing about this season is seeing that feelings remain the same at any age. Insecurities, doubts, passions ... All of this is part of love, whether at 30 or 60,” says Queiroz.
Love is Blind is also returning with a new season, premiering on Oct.1, 2025 on Netflix. This time, the pods are stationed in Denver Colorado, where 32 singles are ready to find love. The cast will feature a mix of ages and job occupations including:
Anna: 28, Hairstylist
Ashley: 35, Director of Compliance
Chyna Graig: 39, Marketing Manager
Megan H: 36, Property Manager
Kalybriah: 29, Social Worker
Alie Lima: 29, Nurse
Keylen Johnson: 29, Account Executive
Brenden Guthrie: 32, Finance Manager
Edmond L. Harvey: 29, Realtor
Michael Neal: 41, Medical Sales
Dayo Ogunjimi: 30, IT Advisor
Rohan Patel: 27, Private Equity
Patrick Suzuki: 31, Construction Manager
Shakira Khan
Docusoap: Love Island contestant Shakira Khan has signed with British agency HLD Talent. The agency announced their support for the rising television personality, praising her authenticity during her time on the show.
“Shakira wasn’t afraid to show her authentic self and stand up for what she believed in and because of this she has already built a strong and loyal following, a journey that is only just beginning,” HLD Talent said.
pbs
Game Shows: PBS Kids has launched a new gaming-themed show, the “Odd Squad Gaming Unit,” hosted by ‘Odd Squad’ agents Oaklynn and Olindo. The series features over 375 of PBS Kids’ free educational games, including “Wild Kratts,” “Arthur” and “Lyla in the Loop.”
“In each episode, they host the show from different Odd Squad precincts and communicate through two video chat windows, helping each other get the most out of a game from the PBS Kids universe,” the series’ description reads. “The core of the show is the hosts interacting with each other, playing and reacting to both the game and one another.”
from left to right: JORDAN CHILDS & ezra sosa and bRON DAVIS & BRITT STEWART
Competitive Series: ABC’s Good Morning America has revealed the Season 34 cast list of Dancing with the Stars.
This season’s celebrity lineup includes NBA All-Star Baron Davis and American gymnast Jordan Childs. Davis will be paired with professional dancer Britt Stewart, while Chiles will team up with Ezra Sosa.
The World of Wonder franchise Drag Race España is back with a new cast for Season 5. Premiering on Sept. 28, 2025, the show will feature twelve Spanish queens, including Alexandra del Raval, Dafne Mugler, Denébola Murnau, Eva Harrington, Ferrxn, Krystal Forever, Laca Udilla, La Escándalo, Margarita Kalifata, NIX, Nori, and Satín Greco.
The Indian adaptation of the hit British reality series “Rise and Fall”, produced by Banijay Asia, premiered on Sept. 6, 2025 and has quickly become the most-watched streaming series in India.
Set in a high-stakes hierarchical world, the show splits contestants into two distinct roles; Rulers and Hustlers. Unlike typical reality competitions, this adaptation puts strategy on the forefront, challenging viewers to focus on each players’ moves and how those decisions shape their success.
“Most Indian reality formats lean on interpersonal drama, dance, stunts or comic relief, but ‘Rise and Fall’ strips all that away,” says Mrinalini Jain, group chief development officer at Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India. “It’s a pure social experiment about power and status — who gets it, how they lose it and what they’ll do to climb up the ladder.”
Surani Adamesco
Lifestyle: Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has announced his plan to grow his production company Straight Shooter Media, with two original shows set to launch on SiriusXM this October. Smith will collaborate with his “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Kevin Frazier on the expansion. The duo discussed the importance of this show and how it represents a turning point in their role as producers.
“We are looking at this shifting landscape,” Frazier said during a joint interview with Smith. “We are going to raise a few eyebrows. People are going to say, ‘They are not messing around.’”
Canada’s Blue Ant Media has promoted Surani Adamesco to lead its IT, Media Services, and Channel Playout teams. Adamesco was also named an Officer of the company, joining the management team.
“Dervla and Surani bring exceptional expertise and strategic vision in their respective areas. Their leadership will be key as we scale operations, drive innovation, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders,” Jamie Schouela said.
fifa world cup
Sports: Disney’s ESPN flagship launched its new streaming service on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, ahead of football season. For $29.99 a month for complete access to ESPN programming, including over 47,000 live events each year.
TVNZ has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For the first time, the network will charge viewers to watch content. All 104 matches will be available through paid access on TVNZ+ for 39 days during the tournament.
TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell said winning the World Cup rights was a “huge moment” for the broadcaster.
Tennis player Coco Gauff has signed a production deal with Religion of Sports. Through this partnership, Gauff’s family-run company IROC will collaborate with ROS to develop and produce both short and long-form digital content.
The first project under this new partnership will be a commercial campaign for Naked Juice.
“Storytelling has always been my way of connecting — sharing who I am beyond wins and losses,” Gauff said. “With IROC, my family and I set out to amplify underrepresented voices and merge my passion for storytelling with brand partnerships. Teaming up with ROS, who’ve brought so many athletes’ stories to life, lets us dream bigger and make those stories resonate.”
According to Media Partners Asia, 2025 marks a major turning point for the sports industry in the Asia Pacific region. For the first time ever, streaming platforms are projected to surpass pay-TV as the region’s largest source of content investment.
Streaming is set to become the leading vertical, with an estimated $5 billion in content spending.
“Sports rights in India and Korea are powering much of the near-term growth, while selective bets on premium drama and local storytelling continue to drive engagement in India, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand,” said Stephen Laslocky, VP at MPA. “At the same time, viewership dynamics are shifting. TV still anchors mass audiences in markets like Thailand and Vietnam, but streaming now dominates younger demographics. The challenge for the industry is to balance growth and profitability: to invest smartly in the stories that resonate, adapt to the ad-supported future, and embrace innovations like AI to make content creation and distribution more efficient.”
