From video apps to sports matches, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Triller Debts
Video-sharing app Triller has agreed to pay Sony Music Entertainment a $4.57 million settlement for breaching the terms of an agreement it reached with the platform.
Last summer, Sony sued Triller for non-payment of music licensing fees after March 2022. The record label ended up canceling its agreement after the payments stopped, but Triller apparently continued to utilize music from Sony's catalog.
The lawsuit was just one of the high-profile cases thrown at the video-sharing and social networking platform. Universal Music Group also sued Triller for non-payment in January. UMG also pulled its entire catalog from the platform in 2021, citing that Triller refused artist payouts. That same year the two sides struck up a new licensing deal.
Triller also was sued in the summer of 2022 by producers Swizz Beats and Timbaland for allegedly holding out on a $28 million payment for the acquisition of their webcast series, Verzuz. The two sides settled for an undisclosed amount last September.
Lamar Jackson's Jackpot
It's been a long time coming for the Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson, but he's finally inked a deal to cement his spot in Charm City.
Jackson and the Ravens front office agreed to a five-year $260 million deal — with $185 million guaranteed. That's enough to be counted as the highest-paid contract in NFL history. But he wasn't able to secure that bag without drama.
Jackson bet on himself and negotiated the historic deal without an agent — a move many sports analysts said would hurt his future prospects in the league. The negotiation period since the end of the season was riddled with rumors and speculation about possible collusion between teams after Jackson expressed the desire to be traded and didn't receive interest from any other franchise.
However, the payday comes with great expectations. With the signing of veterans like Odell Beckham Junior, there is a lot for the QB to prove with the purple birds.
Spring Sports Showdown
And continuing down the path of sports, what are you watching this weekend? The slate is packed and can be a little overwhelming. Here's a guide to tune into the competition(s) that piques your interest the most.
Tonight, a pair of Game 6's are going down in California. The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors look to even up its series with the Sacramento Kings. The splash brothers and company have home court advantage where they are 33-8 on the season. Just down the Pacific Coast Highway, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to close out the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies to move on to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Elsewhere, the NHL is also amid its playoffs for the Stanley Cup championship. Every series aside from one is going to a Game 6 this weekend between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, the Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings, and the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
Finally, the annual Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field competition in the U.S., will air from Philadelphia on NBC this Saturday.
Alex Monaco, host of the “The Bettor Half Hour” on MSG Networks and the “Sports Gambling with Moneyline Monaco” podcast, joins Cheddar Bets to give his last-minute tips before tonight's slate of games starts.
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Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight.
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BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down tonight's big Bucks-76ers matchup -- likely Philly's last game without James Harden.
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While many are excited to watch the final two NFL teams square-off and see which one ultimately takes home the trophy, some, on the other hand, are there for another mian attraction -- the commercials. Companies during this year's game are looking towards the future From electric vehicles, to robots, and crypto-currency, several first-time advertisers are expected to join long-time advertisers like Pepsi, Budweiser and Doritos during the NFL's biggest game. Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA, joined Cheddar News' Big Game Special to discuss.
This week's Spring Training has been delayed as a result of the ongoing MLB Lockout. This past Saturday lead negotiators and lawyers from Major League Baseball and the players union met to discuss the economic hurdles needed to be cleared for a new labor deal, but from all accounts, it seems the sides are still far apart. Baseball Columnist and Publisher of "The Joe Sheehan" Baseball Newsletter, Joe Sheehan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Super Bowl might be over, but people are still buzzing about the players, commercials, halftime show, and more. Google tracks the top searches before and after the game every year, revealing the show-stopping moments of the biggest sporting event of the year. Sadie Thoma, Director of US Creative Partnerships at Google, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the top trends this year.
Private equity firms are taking a big interest in investing in NBA teams, the sports league showing the highest ROI over the last two decades according to Sportico, Forbes, and PitchBook. Wylie Fernyhough, lead analys for private equity at PitchBook joined Cheddar News to discuss the way firms are looking to get a piece of the action on the court. “There’s a certain amount of rarity, with these," Fernyhough said. "They’re not exactly printing new NBA franchises."
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
