Media

What's happening: Artist Xavi has signed a publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, as reported by Variety on June 25. The deal places Xavi's songwriting catalog and future compositions under Universal's administration.

Universal adds a prominent Latin music songwriter to its roster at a moment of sustained growth in Latin streaming, extending its competitive advantage in a catalog segment where Sony and indie publishers are also active. What to watch: Universal's announcement of the first releases or sync placements under the new deal, which will signal how aggressively it activates the signing.

What's happening: BMG has acquired the music publishing catalog of Chris Cheney, as reported by Billboard on June 25. The deal is part of BMG's ongoing catalog acquisition activity and adds Cheney's songwriting rights to its portfolio.

The acquisition continues the consolidation of independent artist catalogs into major publishing entities, reducing the number of independently held rights and shifting royalty flow control to BMG. What to watch: BMG's disclosure of deal terms or follow-on catalog announcements, which would indicate the pace and scale of its current acquisition cycle.

What's happening: A settlement in a class-action case against Disney over streaming billing practices has been finalized, with USA Today reporting June 25 that millions of subscribers may qualify for payouts. The deal covers customers who were allegedly charged improperly or misled about subscription terms.

Disney faces a direct cash distribution obligation to a large subscriber base, and the settlement terms establish a legal precedent for billing-transparency standards that other streaming services can be measured against. What to watch: The claims deadline and claims administrator's release of the eligibility criteria, which will determine the actual scale of payout exposure for Disney.

What's happening: Australia is advancing legislation to tighten its existing law banning children from social media platforms, according to reports citing government plans released June 26. The move builds on the under-16 ban that took effect earlier this year, with the government now seeking to close enforcement gaps and expand platform obligations.

Platforms operating in Australia — including Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat — face steeper compliance requirements and potential penalties. Other governments watching Australia's lead on age-gating enforcement now have a more aggressive legislative benchmark to weigh against their own proposals. What to watch: The introduction of the strengthening bill in Australian Parliament, which will specify new verification mandates and penalty structures for non-compliant platforms.