Entertainment
Cineverse Partners With VA Media to Grow and Monetize Fandom-Focused YouTube Channels
Cineverse Partners With VA Media to Expand YouTube Monetization Strategy
Cineverse has announced a strategic partnership with VA Media to accelerate growth and digital monetization across its expanding portfolio of fandom-focused YouTube channels.
The agreement will bring a YouTube-first strategy to Cineverse’s channel network, including longform and shortform content planning, channel optimization, financial modeling, and broader monetization support. The partnership will begin with Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, which Cineverse identified as its top revenue-generating YouTube channel.
Cineverse said its owned or operated YouTube channels currently account for more than 10 million subscribers and over 200 million video views. The company’s digital portfolio spans genres including horror, anime, romance, indie film, Asian cinema, and other fandom-driven categories.
VA Media, which specializes in YouTube strategy and social video monetization, will work with Cineverse to improve discoverability, strengthen channel performance, and unlock new revenue opportunities across YouTube and adjacent platforms.
The partnership reflects the growing role of YouTube as a core distribution and monetization channel for premium entertainment content.
For more information, visit Cineverse.
External Links
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Entertainment
M&M’S Brews Up ‘Practical Magic 2’ Movie Night Hype With Limited-Edition Amas Veritas Spell & Snack Packs
M&M’S is leaning hard into spooky-season nostalgia ahead of Practical Magic 2, teaming up with Warner Bros. Pictures on a limited-edition release designed for Halloween movie nights. The brand announced the M&M’S Amas Veritas Spell & Snack Pack, a collectible add-on built around the iconic “Amas Veritas” love charm from the original 1998 film—timed to the sequel’s theatrical release date: September 10, 2026 (in theaters only).
The pack features custom-designed M&M’S candies printed with eight whimsical symbols inspired by the original spell, plus an “extended verse” of four new symbols that the company says hint at mysteries in the sequel. The drop is positioned as part fan-service, part snackable merch—something you bring to a watch party, but also something collectors will want to grab before it disappears.
Availability is limited and online-only. The Spell & Snack Pack is offered exclusively atMMS.com/Practical-Magic as a gift with purchase when fans buy an M&M’S Milk Chocolate Fun Size Sharing Bag, while supplies last. In a nod to the film’s midnight vibe, there are two timed drops at 12:00 a.m. ET: September 3, 2026 and September 14, 2026.
To push the nostalgia even further, M&M’S is also partnering with actress Camilla Belle—who played young Sally Owens in the original film—to recreate her spell scene with an M&M’S twist in social content on Instagram and TikTok. For Halloween hosting, the brand also flagged seasonal staples rolling out nationwide, including its Fun Size Halloween Variety Pack and Halloween Blend options in both Milk Chocolate and Peanut.
Source
- PRNewswire / Mars, Incorporated press release (Sept. 2, 2026): “M&M’S® Brews Up Movie Night Magic This Halloween Season With Limited-Edition ‘Amas Veritas’ Spell & Snack Packs…”
Related links
- Limited-edition pack page: https://www.mms.com/Practical-Magic
- Mars, Incorporated: https://www.mars.com/
- M&M’S (main site): https://www.mms.com/
- Warner Bros. Pictures: https://www.warnerbros.com/
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Entertainment
Danica McKellar and Matthew Marsden Star in The Greatest Christmas Gift for Great American Pure Flix
Great American Media is kicking off the holiday season early with a new Great American Christmas Original. The company announced The Greatest Christmas Gift, starring Danica McKellar and Matthew Marsden, will make its World Premiere streaming first on Great American Pure Flix, before also airing on Great American Family and GFAM+. The title joins Great American Media’s sixth annual Great American Christmas slate—its signature seasonal programming block built around faith, family, and classic Christmas storytelling.
In the film, McKellar plays Emma Harper, a gifted music teacher preparing for a Christmas wedding to her fiancé Caleb Bennett (Marsden). But just as the couple is planning what should be a joyful small-town celebration, an unexpected setback threatens the future they’ve carefully built. As Christmas approaches, the story leans into a familiar but resonant holiday theme: the most meaningful gifts aren’t the ones wrapped under the tree, but the ones revealed through steadfast faith, selfless love, and a community that shows up when it matters most.
Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media, highlighted why McKellar remains a cornerstone of the network’s holiday brand, saying audiences trust her films to leave them “encouraged, uplifted, and inspired.” Abbott added that pairing McKellar with Marsden in The Greatest Christmas Gift reflects the company’s commitment to stories where “faith, family, and hope are at the center,” reinforcing Great American Media’s identity as a major entertainment player focused on faith-forward programming. The film is written by Summer Israel Johnson.
The Greatest Christmas Gift is positioned as another comfort-watch entry for viewers who want their holiday movies warm, sincere, and rooted in community—exactly the lane Great American Christmas has been building year after year. Keep an eye out for premiere-date details as Great American Pure Flix rolls out its holiday lineup.
Source (primary)
- PRNewswire / Great American Media press release (Aug. 20, 2026) — “Danica McKellar and Matthew Marsden to Star in The Greatest Christmas Gift…”
Related links
- Great American Pure Flix (streaming service): https://www.pureflix.com/
- Great American Family (network): https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/
- Great American Media (corporate / brand info): https://www.greatamericanmedia.com/
Related talent links
- Danica McKellar (IMDb): https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001528/
- Matthew Marsden (IMDb): https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551128/
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documentaries
Chris Hansen Releases Free Documentary Examining Child Sextortion Crisis
Chris Hansen and TruBlu have released a free documentary examining the growing child sextortion crisis. The 50-minute special follows four affected families and explores how parents, schools and online platforms can help protect young people.
“Sextortion: A Chris Hansen Investigation” follows four families affected by online blackmail and is being offered free to viewers, schools, networks and other institutions.
Veteran investigative journalist Chris Hansen and the TruBlu Factual Streaming Network have released a new documentary examining the growing threat of online sextortion targeting children and teenagers.
The 50-minute special, “Sextortion: A Chris Hansen Investigation,” became available August 21, 2026, and can be streamed free without a membership through the TruBlu streaming service. TruBlu is also waiving licensing fees for television networks, streaming platforms, school districts and other institutions that want to show the documentary as part of a child-safety or awareness program.
The film examines four cases involving young people who died by suicide after being manipulated, threatened and blackmailed by online offenders. Developed over more than two years, the documentary follows the victims’ families and explores how criminals—sometimes working through overseas networks—can identify and pressure young people within hours.
“The purpose of this special is to get it in front of as many kids and parents as possible before another family gets the call no parent should ever get,” Hansen said in the release announcing the film.
What Is Sextortion?
Sextortion is a form of online exploitation in which an offender threatens to distribute real or fabricated sexual images unless the victim provides money, additional images or sexual activity. Offenders may pose as another young person, gain a victim’s trust and then quickly turn the interaction into a campaign of threats and demands.
Data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children underscores the scale of the problem. NCMEC says its CyberTipline received 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement in 2025, including more than 80,000 reports involving sextortion. The organization received an average of 137 reports of financial sextortion per day that year, a 37% increase from the previous year. NCMEC also says it is aware of at least three dozen teenage boys in the United States who have died by suicide after being targeted by financial sextortion.
Through the four families featured in the documentary, Hansen’s investigation looks beyond the numbers to show the emotional consequences of the crime. The special also considers how parents, schools, technology platforms and young people can recognize warning signs and intervene.
Hansen is best known for creating NBC’s To Catch a Predator, the hidden-camera investigative series that brought online child safety into mainstream public discussion. He later continued his reporting through programs including Crime Watch Daily, Hansen vs. Predator and TruBlu’s Takedown with Chris Hansen.
Where to Watch
“Sextortion: A Chris Hansen Investigation” is available free, with no membership required, at WatchTruBlu.com. TruBlu says organizations interested in airing the complete special may contact the network about free distribution.
Help and Reporting Resources
Children and families affected by sextortion should know that help is available and that victims are not to blame.
- Suspected online child exploitation can be reported through NCMEC’s CyberTipline.
- NCMEC’s Take It Down service can help limit the online spread of intimate images taken before a person turned 18.
- Anyone experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis can call or text 988, or chat through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The service is available around the clock.
- If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
This news brief discusses suicide and the online sexual exploitation of children. Reader discretion is advised.
Source: TruBlu Factual Streaming Network press release, August 20, 2026; National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
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