In Hollywood, Image Is Everything. And David Ellison Has an Image Problem
David Ellison, son of Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison, is pushing a merger that would combine Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery, giving him control of CNN, CBS News and a stake in TikTok. The deal, slated for approval by September, faces fierce opposition from more than 5,000 Hollywood artists who warn it would concentrate media power and deepen political bias. Ellison’s close ties to the Trump administration have amplified concerns, while the transaction would saddle the new entity with roughly $79 billion in debt and $6 billion in planned cuts. If cleared, the combined company would become one of the world’s largest media conglomerates, reshaping the competitive landscape for streaming and traditional broadcasting.
Going Good for Norsk Rikstoto with NEP Mediabank Setting the Pace
NEP Europe has extended its partnership with Norwegian horse‑racing operator Norsk Rikshoto, deploying NEP Mediabank as the unified media asset management platform for the new direct‑to‑consumer OTT service, Rikshoto Play. The system now handles live ingest, metadata enrichment, archiving and...
Tackling Last-Mile Ad Compliance in Streaming
Ad‑supported streaming in the UK now exceeds $51 bn in total digital spend, with video advertising alone reaching about $11.8 bn. Brands are drawn to the precision and measurability of programmatic video, but the fragmented, dynamic nature of streaming makes last‑mile compliance—ensuring...
Arctic Game Launches Six-Month Incubation Model for Indie Studios
Arctic Game unveiled a six‑month incubation program designed to push indie studios from prototype to market‑ready release. The model responds to publishers demanding early traction, community engagement, and validated market fit before committing financing. Participants must enter with a working...
Premium Live Event CTV Expansion Leads to Increases in Upfront Spending: A Q&A With JamLoop?s Jeff Fagel
JamLoop’s 2026 survey of 120 brand and agency leaders shows a decisive shift toward premium live‑event CTV, with 73% planning higher Upfront allocations despite rising CPM pressure. Marketers are demanding price protection, early access to sports and tentpole inventory, and...
Christian Music Labels Ask FCC For FM Caps, AM Deregulation
The Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA) has submitted comments to the FCC’s 2022 Quadrennial Review urging the commission to keep existing caps on local commercial FM ownership while eliminating caps on AM stations. CMTA argues that FM consolidation would threaten...
Ubisoft Shares Plunge 14% After Assassin’s Creed Maker Warns of Annual Profit Loss
Ubisoft reported a €1.3 bn ($1.5 bn) operating loss for its 2026 fiscal year, with net bookings dropping 17.4% to €1.5 bn ($1.6 bn). The French developer warned that full‑year net bookings will decline in the high single‑digit range and that operating losses will...
Nexstar Asks Appeals Court to Ease Burden of Legal Injunction over TEGNA Deal
Nexstar Media Group has asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to narrow a preliminary injunction that bars it from integrating the $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA. The district court’s order currently prevents Nexstar from co‑mixing operations at all TEGNA stations,...
OpenAI Gives ChatGPT Ads a Visual Upgrade
OpenAI is piloting a visual upgrade to its ChatGPT ad units, adding larger images and optional dynamic call‑to‑action buttons. The company also introduced a dedicated e‑commerce format that can appear in portrait or landscape orientation and supports carousel‑style placements. A...
FTC Fines Cox Media Group
The Federal Trade Commission fined Cox Media Group $880,000 to settle allegations that its marketing arm misrepresented an AI‑powered “Active Listening” service. The FTC said the service never listened to consumers’ conversations or used voice data, instead reselling email lists...
WPL Becomes Brands’ Next Big Cricket Play Beyond the IPL: Hurun Report
The Hurun India report shows the Women’s Premier League (WPL) emerging as the fastest‑growing commercial property in India’s sports ecosystem, challenging the IPL’s historic dominance. While the IPL still commands 40% of all tracked brand partnerships, the remaining 60% are...
Barb Q1 2026 SVOD Data
Barb’s Q1 2026 Establishment Survey shows 20.8 million UK homes (70.3%) now have access to at least one subscription video‑on‑demand (SVOD) service, a slight rise from the previous quarter. Netflix remains the leader with 18.1 million homes, and its ad‑supported tier grew to...
Nielsen: Prime Video’s NBA Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. Detroit Pistons Game 7 Most-Watched Weekly TV Sports Event Through May 17
Prime Video, leveraging its stake in the NBA’s $77 billion, 11‑year media rights agreement, delivered the most‑watched weekly TV sports broadcast of the week, with Game 7 of the Cavaliers‑Pistons second‑round series attracting 6.53 million viewers across 3.9 million U.S. households on May 17. More...
NHL Playoffs Deliver Record Second-Round Ratings for ESPN, TNT
The NHL’s second‑round playoff games set new viewership records for both ESPN and TNT. ESPN averaged 2.2 million viewers, a 76% increase over the previous year, while TNT posted a 1.9 million average, up 33%. Game 7 between Montreal and Buffalo attracted 3 million...
Sky News Rolls Out Premium Podcast Subscription as Listening Numbers Double
Sky News will debut its first podcast subscription service, Sky News Insider: Podcasts, on 15 June. The network’s podcast audience grew 102% over the past year across Apple, YouTube and Spotify. For £2.99 a month (about $3.80), subscribers receive ad‑free episodes,...
Triton Digital Seeks to Solve Audio’s Lag in Programmatic Buying
Triton Digital has extended its Sounder.AI contextual and brand‑suitability tools to The Trade Desk’s programmatic buying platform. The move targets what the company calls a “blind spot” in audio, where advertisers lack pre‑bid insight into podcast content. By embedding AI‑driven...
Screen Australia Backs New First Nations Factual Co Production Fund
Screen Australia announced a new First Nations Factual Co‑production Development Fund, backed by state screen agencies, to help Indigenous screen businesses expand internationally. The program will select up to five First Nations‑led companies, each receiving a $30,000 grant to develop...
TransUnion, Google Bring YouTube Measurement to Attribution Platform
TransUnion and Google have partnered to embed YouTube ad exposure into TransUnion’s Multi‑Touch Attribution (MTA) platform, allowing marketers to measure video campaigns alongside other media. The integration, the first of its kind, links YouTube impressions to downstream business outcomes using...
Family Entertainment Television Signs Measurement Deal with Videoamp
VideoAmp announced a partnership with Family Entertainment Television (FETV) and its sister network Family Movie Classics (FMC) to become the broadcasters' first alternative currency provider. The agreement gives FETV and FMC access to VideoAmp's audience measurement, cross‑platform analytics, and outcome‑based...
STAN Turns OnlyFans Millions Into Glossy Reality TV Chaos
Stan has launched the eight‑part docudrama "Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money," a reality‑TV look at the world’s top OnlyFans creators who earn more than AUD 1 million a year (about US $660,000). The series follows stars such as Annie Knight, who reportedly pulls...
NITV Secures New GARMA FESTIVAL Broadcast Deal
National Indigenous Television (NITV) and the Yothu Yindi Foundation have renewed a three‑year broadcast partnership, extending coverage of the Garma Festival through 2028. The 26th edition of the festival runs from 31 July to 3 August 2026 on Gulkula in...
This 2000s Metal Band Canceled Their Tour Over ‘Logistics’, but Organizers Claim It Was Actually ‘Low Ticket Sales’
Hard rock/metal outfit Drowning Pool called off its South American tour scheduled for May 20, citing logistical hurdles and missed deadlines. Local promoters, however, released a statement attributing the cancellation to uniformly low ticket sales across all cities. Fans are...
Netflix Grants a Two-Week IMAX Run to David Fincher's The Adventures Of Cliff Booth
Netflix has agreed to give David Fincher’s new film “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” a two‑week theatrical run in IMAX theaters beginning November 25. The limited engagement will precede the movie’s streaming debut on Netflix on December 23. AMC is participating despite...
Hulu Set to Keep Existing as Standalone Streaming Service and App (for Now)
Disney announced it will keep Hulu as a standalone streaming service and app, with no current plans to sunset the platform. The company, which took full ownership of Hulu in June 2025, is deepening integration by adding a Hulu tile...
How 2K’s Borderlands 4 Creator Program Was Designed to Build Advocacy Relationships
At the GamesBeat Summit, 2K detailed its Borderlands 4 creator program, which recruited over 1,200 vetted creators from more than 5,300 applicants. The initiative produced more than 4,500 pieces of content ranging from videos to cosplay, while maintaining an exclusive, VIP...
James Murdoch Buys up Half of Vox Media, Grabbing New York and Podcasts, but Leaving The Verge and SB Nation
James Murdoch, through his holding company Lupa Systems, is paying more than $300 million to acquire a 52% stake in Vox Media. The purchase gives him control of New York Magazine and its verticals—The Cut, Vulture, Intelligencer, The Strategist, Curbed, Grub Street—and the...
EA Is Reportedly Stopping An Xbox Game Pass Family Plan
Xbox Game Pass explored a Family Plan that would let a primary subscriber add up to four household members, with trials in Ireland and Colombia showing strong interest. Insider Jez Corden says Electronic Arts opposed the plan, claiming EA “fully...
Monopoly Reveals Formula 1 Special Edition with Real Circuits & Grand Prix Mode
Formula 1 and Hasbro unveiled a Monopoly Formula 1 Edition, opening for pre‑order on May 20 with a full release slated for July 15. The board game replaces traditional properties with the 2026 season’s real circuits and introduces a Monopoly Grand Prix mode where...
DirecTV Asks FCC to Block Scripps’ INYO Acquisition
DirecTV and six state broadband and cable associations have lodged comments with the FCC urging a block on E.W. Scripps' proposed $54 million reacquisition of 23 ION‑affiliated stations from INYO. The filing argues the deal would push Scripps' national audience reach...
Hasbro Cancels Dungeons & Dragons Game Led by Respawn Veterans
Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast has terminated its collaboration with Giant Skull, the studio founded by Respawn veteran Stig Asmussen, ending development of an announced Dungeons & Dragons action‑adventure game. The partnership, unveiled less than a year ago, was halted after WOTC reassessed...
Frustration as ‘Significant Chunk’ of UK Ticket Levy Set to Be Lost in Tax
The UK’s voluntary £1 ticket contribution scheme has raised about £6 million (≈ $7.6 million) for the LIVE Trust. HMRC will claim roughly £1.2 million (≈ $1.5 million), or 20 % of the pot, as VAT, diverting it to the Treasury. Industry leaders argue the tax erodes...
The Roost Partners with Magellan AI to Bring Audio and Video Campaign Measurement to Its Creator Network
The Roost, a video‑first podcast network acquired by Night in 2024, has partnered with Magellan AI to embed advanced attribution and verification tools into its campaign workflow. The integration gives advertisers detailed reporting on where ads run, who hears or...
Embracer Chairman Says Cost Control 'Does Not Get Enough Respect' After Presiding over Years of Layoffs
Embracer Group chairman Lars Wingefors used an open letter to investors to defend the company’s aggressive cost‑control measures after a wave of layoffs and studio closures. He linked the turmoil to the collapse of a $2 billion Saudi‑backed Savvy Games investment and...
Yellow Top: The Canary Launching Daily Left-Wing Tabloid Newspaper
The Canary, a UK‑based left‑wing news site, is debuting a daily weekday tabloid priced at £1.20 (about $1.52) after receiving a sizable investment from used‑car marketplace founder Cecil Hetherington. The 32‑page paper will launch with an initial print run of...
![How Creators Make Money Online in 2026 [Business Models]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://influencermarketinghub.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/59402c44-chatgpt-image-may-20-2026-02_08_51-pm.jpg)
How Creators Make Money Online in 2026 [Business Models]
The creator economy surpassed $250 billion in 2026 and Goldman Sachs forecasts it could reach $480 billion by 2027, encompassing more than 200 million global creators. While half of these creators earn under $15,000 annually, those who diversify across three to four income streams...
How the Fastest-Growing Streaming Platforms Protect Ad Revenue During Live Events
Programmatic streaming platforms must complete every ad auction in under 100 ms, or the exchange discards the bid. When video delivery and ad serving share the same servers, traffic spikes during live events push response times past the deadline, silently eroding...
40 Million UK Consumers Plan to Watch the World Cup
A new report commissioned by The Trade Desk shows that 60% of Britons – roughly 40 million people – plan to follow the FIFA World Cup, creating a massive audience for advertisers. The study highlights that 88% of sports fans watch...
Deus Ex, Saints Row and TimeSplitters Might Be Lent Out to External Partners, Embracer Say, Possibly Paving the Way for...
Embracer Group announced that its new IP & Licensing unit will actively seek external partners to develop well‑known franchises such as Deus Ex, Saints Row, TimeSplitters and Thief. The move follows the company’s split into two entities – Embracer and Fellowship Entertainment...
AI Is Already Stealing From African Musicians
AI‑generated music threatens African creators, with unlicensed models potentially siphoning up to 25% of royalties—roughly $9 billion a year. The Berlin AI Think Tank will join the Africa Rising Music Conference in Johannesburg on May 22‑23 to unveil a Creative Weight Attribution...
Viant Taps Ad Fontes Media to Bring ‘News Bias’ Targeting to CTV
Viant’s demand‑side platform has partnered with Ad Fontes Media to embed the firm’s reliability‑and‑bias scores into connected‑TV (CTV) inventory. The integration, now live, lets advertisers target individual news shows rather than whole apps or domains. It is the first CTV solution...
How Townsquare and Bonneville Are Playing the Digital Slowdown
Townsquare Media reported a 7% rise in digital advertising in Q1, with programmatic revenue jumping more than 20%, pushing digital to 59% of total revenue and 63% of profit. Borrell’s 2026 Benchmark shows local digital ad growth has decelerated sharply,...
Lenny Green’s ‘Quiet Storm’ Finds New Harbor with Compass
Lenny Green’s long‑running R&B program, The Quiet Storm, has signed a syndication deal with Compass Media Networks effective June 1. Compass will assume responsibility for the show’s marketing, distribution, and advertising sales, allowing the brand to reach a broader national audience....
How Condé Nast Grew Its Events Revenue 40% Last Year
Condé Nast’s events division surged 40% in 2025, delivering a significant boost to the publisher’s overall revenue. Chief revenue officer Elizabeth Herbst‑Brady says the company now expects a further 22% increase in 2026. The growth stems from a strategic focus on...
BBC’s New Boss Tells Staff He Will Use Data To Build “Sat Nav Around Bias” & Says iPlayer Must Improve
Former Google exec Matt Brittin, the BBC’s new director general, announced plans to use data analytics – potentially AI – as a "sat‑nav" to detect and correct bias in news and programming. He also criticised iPlayer, Sport and Sounds for...
Future of TV Briefing: The Upfront Is Overtaking Streaming’s Programmatic Marketplace
The Future of TV Briefing reports that traditional upfront buying is rapidly eclipsing the programmatic marketplace for both broadcast TV and streaming platforms. Major ad sellers are allocating a growing share of their revenue to upfront deals, citing greater inventory...
Agencies Are Moving Closer to Supply, and It’s Reshaping the Programmatic Middle Layer
Publicis Groupe’s pending acquisition of LiveRamp signals agencies’ push to own more of the programmatic stack. The move follows a broader industry trend where DSPs and SSPs blur traditional boundaries, and buyers seek tighter control over supply‑path economics. Index Exchange’s...
Muzz, Stickman and Ronald McDonald Named New Zealand’s Most Loved Advertising Mascots
Creative effectiveness firm Cubery surveyed New Zealand consumers to rank the nation’s most loved advertising mascots. The study placed V Energy’s Muzz at #1, Pak’nSave’s Stickman second, and Ronald McDonald third. Cubery’s senior consultant Wil Logan explained that mascots deliver emotional...
Bestads Best of the Week Reviewed by Gavin Shore, Executive Creative Director, McCann Leeds
Bestadsontv.com’s weekly "Best of the Week" roundup was judged by Gavin Shore, Executive Creative Director at McCann Leeds. The TV category crowned Yape’s "Moments" ad for its authentic Mother’s Day narrative, while Domino’s "Yes, I Do" took Best Outdoor with...
Suns, Mercury Sign Long-Term Extension With Gray
Phoenix’s NBA Suns and WNBA Mercury have signed a multiyear broadcast extension with Gray Media that runs through 2030, moving all non‑national games to the over‑the‑air Arizona’s Family network. The partnership replaces the previous Diamond Sports arrangement and adds a...
Carr to Press: You Just Want Another Kimmel Fight
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters the agency is weighing a new broadcast spectrum auction to free up frequencies for emerging 5G and 6G services. He highlighted that the FCC is already deep into the ATSC 3.0 transition, which will give...