TikTok and Visa Launch Creator Card to Fix Influencer Cash Flow Challenges
TikTok has teamed with Visa to introduce a Creator Card for UK‑based influencers, aiming to eliminate the chronic cash‑flow delays that plague the creator economy. The debit card gives creators faster access to earnings from TikTok LIVE gifts and lets them keep business and personal finances separate. Research cited by Visa shows 49% of creators experience late payments, prompting 41% to turn down work. By embedding financial tools directly into its platform, TikTok is shifting from a pure discovery channel to a full‑stack creator ecosystem.
Hong Kong Disneyland Profit Drops as Costs Rise, Visitors Fall
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort reported a 36% plunge in net profit to HK$536 million (≈US$68 million) for the fiscal year, while revenue slipped 1.35% to HK$8.69 billion (≈US$1.11 billion). Visitor numbers fell 2.5% to 7.5 million, with local Hongkongers accounting for only 36% of guests....
Resorts World Opens NYC's First Table Games Casino
Resorts World New York City launched the city’s first table‑games casino on April 28, adding more than 240 live tables and 2,500 slot machines to its Queens facility. The opening follows Genting Group’s acquisition of a coveted NYC casino licence and...
TikTok Is Now the #1 Platform for Beauty Influencer Marketing
TikTok has overtaken Instagram as the top platform for beauty influencer marketing, generating more than $18 billion in earned media value (EMV). The short‑form video format fuels high‑volume, authentic content that scales quickly, while Instagram’s value now hinges on specific formats...
Meet the… Chief Marketing Officer
Simon Frost, newly appointed chief marketing officer at Appear, links the company’s long‑term strategy with evolving market demands. He emphasizes customer councils as a key feedback loop shaping product roadmaps, development priorities, and brand positioning. Frost’s background spans broadcast hardware,...
What Happened to Hypercasual? The Market’s Evolution over the Past Year
The hyper‑casual mobile game market is not collapsing but reshaping, with revenue staying flat or modestly rising despite a decline in overall downloads. Growth is coming almost entirely from a wave of new titles launched in 2025, many of which...
V Expands Rakuten TV Ad Partnership Across Europe
V, the maker of the VIDAA smart‑TV platform, has broadened its advertising partnership with Rakuten TV Enterprise to cover Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The agreement adds targeted in‑stream video ads and native home‑screen display placements across the VIDAA...
CANAL+ Holds Revenue Steady After MultiChoice Integration
Canal+ posted flat first‑quarter 2026 revenue of €2.17 billion (≈$2.37 bn), a 0.4% decline on a comparable basis but a 41% rise on a reported basis after adding MultiChoice. Excluding the African business, European revenue slipped 1.6% to €1.13 bn, while Africa and...
Walmart’s Expanded Data Offering to Agencies and Advertisers Gets Closer to Self-Serve
Walmart Data Ventures is rolling out the Scintilla Media Data Feed, an API that gives agencies and advertisers direct, secure access to Walmart’s first‑party operational and retail data. The feed expands the existing Scintilla offering with nearly 500 omni‑channel metrics,...
Meet Juliano Valdi, Who Plays a Young Michael Jackson in Michael
Director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic *Michael* has earned $218.8 million worldwide, nearly covering its $200 million budget despite mixed critical reviews. Jaafar Jackson headlines as the adult Michael, while 12‑year‑old Juliano Valdi portrays the icon’s early years, drawing attention for his...
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third upfront event in New York, positioning its DSP as a one‑stop shop for premium TV advertising. The company will showcase cross‑publisher reach through Fire TV, shopper data from its e‑commerce platform, and an identity graph...
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third annual upfront event in New York, joining Netflix as a digital‑first challenger to traditional broadcasters for premium TV ad budgets. The company will showcase a full‑stack offering that combines Fire TV inventory, Amazon’s e‑commerce shopper...
HYBE’s Taeho Park on Expanding the Superfan Market via ‘Transmedia’ Content – and Why the Firm’s NEB Unit Is Its...
Taeho Park, head of HYBE NEXT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS (NEB), is steering the Korean giant’s push into transmedia, linking music with webtoons, anime, soundtracks and experiential programs. The NEB unit’s DARK MOON soundtrack sold over 207,000 copies, while BTS’s ARIRANG album generated 739.1 million...
Modern Times Group Confirms PlaySimple IPO Filing Targeting up to $335m in Mumbai
Modern Times Group (MTG) confirmed that its Indian subsidiary PlaySimple has filed for a Mumbai IPO, targeting a valuation of up to $335 million. The offering will be a secondary sale of MTG’s shares, with no new equity issued and no...
Bigger than Ever Big Indie Zone and Career Zone Coming to Barcelona with Support From Gameloft
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026 will take place on June 15‑16, featuring an expanded Big Indie Zone and a newly scaled Careers Zone. The Indie Zone adds more showcase tables, giving independent developers heightened exposure to publishers and investors. The...
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Makes $6.7m in First Month
Square Enix’s new mobile title Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy earned $6.7 million in its first month, with Japan accounting for 69% of that revenue. The United States contributed $1.4 million, representing 22% of global earnings. Launch‑day sales hit $393,000 and peaked at...
The Obamas, Kim Kardashian and Other A-Listers Are Now Broadway Co-Producers
A wave of high‑profile names—including former President Barack Obama, reality star Kim Kardashian and SNL alum Bowen Yang—has signed on as Broadway co‑producers this spring. The practice, already seen with Mariah Carey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Angelina Jolie, is accelerating as...
Snapchat Users Will Soon Be Able to Chat Directly with Agentic Ads Served to Them Via DM
Snapchat will soon let its 900 million monthly active users chat directly with AI‑powered branded Snaps that appear in the Chat tab. The new "agentic‑ad" format turns a standard promoted Snap into an interactive conversation, where users can ask travel, retail...
Stagwell Eyes SaaS Growth With Agent Cloud Launch for SMBs
Stagwell’s Marketing Cloud has launched Agent Cloud, a new AI‑driven platform that bundles ten specialized marketing agents into a single toolkit for small and medium‑sized businesses. The offering is positioned as a subscription‑based SaaS solution that lets lean teams run full‑funnel...
Obligatory Registration at Radio-Canada: A Successful Gamble
Radio-Canada rolled out a mandatory registration wall across its iOS, Android, TV and web platforms on July 3 2024, becoming the first public broadcaster to do so. One year later the move delivered an 83% jump in monthly active accounts and a...
PR Packages: How Brands Use Product Seeding to Drive Awareness, UGC, and ROI
Product seeding is a low‑cost influencer marketing tactic where brands ship free products to creators, prompting authentic user‑generated content (UGC) that fuels awareness and sales. The approach leverages curated gifting, data tracking, and dedicated platforms to turn casual gifting into...
How Saudi Arabia’s Gen Z Are Redefining the Future of Sports and Entertainment: Report
Dentsu Sports International’s new KSA Youth PowerPlay report reveals that Saudi Arabia’s Gen Z is reshaping sport and entertainment consumption. The study of over 30,000 fans shows Saudi youths average four fandom drivers—higher than the global 3.3—and that more than 80%...
World Sports Advertising Opens Dubai Office to Accelerate Global Sports Marketing Ambitions
World Sports Advertising (WSA) has opened a new office in Dubai, adding a fourth global base to its network that already includes London, Manchester and New York. The Dubai hub will focus on multi‑market sponsorship deals spanning Europe, the Middle East,...
Outdoor Media Introduces 3D Hologram Advertising in Oman
Outdoor Media Oman, a SABCO Media company, launched a 3D hologram advertising solution using Hypervsn PRIME L9 units at Oman Avenues Mall and Markaz Al Bahja Mall. The immersive displays run hundreds of loops each day, letting brands such as BIMA...
WPP Revenue Falls 8.9% as CEO Cindy Rose Opts Out of Q1 Earnings Call
WPP reported a 6.6% year‑on‑year revenue decline in Q1 2026, posting $4 bn (≈£3.3 bn) versus $4.2 bn a year earlier. Revenue‑less‑past‑through costs fell 8.9% YoY to $2.9 bn (≈£2.2 bn). Organic growth slowed sharply in Africa and the Middle East (‑11.1%) and China (‑12.2%),...
Budweiser’s World Cup Campaign Tells Fans to Let It Pour
Budweiser’s new "Let It Pour" World Cup 2026 campaign pairs soccer icons Erling Haaland and Jürgen Klopp in a whimsical ad produced by Grey Global. The film, set to Joe Cocker’s "Feelin’ Alright," showcases fans worldwide celebrating with Budweiser, even featuring a...
The Rise of the Micro Influencer
Brands are shifting spend from mega‑influencer campaigns to micro‑influencers and creator networks, using community‑focused brand trips instead of lavish influencer outings. Smaller creators are delivering higher engagement rates and more authentic storytelling. Meanwhile, Estée Lauder secured JPMorgan financing to fund its...
How Wrangler Used Spotify and Out-of-Home Advertising to Show up at Stagecoach
Wrangler expanded its Stagecoach presence beyond the festival grounds by deploying out‑of‑home billboards, airport signage and a Desert Rodeo sponsorship, while also running targeted Spotify ads on artist‑curated playlists. Brand ambassadors Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson wore Wrangler onstage, and...
How Netflix Is Rewriting the Streaming Ad Playbook
Netflix’s advertising arm is shedding its experimental image, posting $12.25 billion in revenue—a 16.2% rise from the same quarter last year. The turnaround began in 2024 with sold‑out NFL ad slots and has accelerated through joint‑business‑planning deals that lock inventory for...
As Holdcos Sour on The Trade Desk, Stagwell Goes All In
Stagwell announced a partnership with The Trade Desk to embed its Koa AI‑agent software into the agency network’s ad‑tech stack, targeting faster, more strategic media buying. The collaboration will use Open Agentic Kit and OpenPath inventory, emphasizing transparency and open‑web...
Adobe Relies on Firefly to Win over Creators
Adobe is betting on its generative AI platform Firefly to become the indispensable tool for modern creators, rolling out a high‑visibility campaign with top YouTubers such as Kinigra Deon and Airrack. The service now bundles audio generation, AI video editing,...
Brands Like Nestlé, Haleon, and Molson Coors Wrestle With Broken Measurement
At the Possible conference, marketers from Nestlé, Haleon and Molson Coors voiced frustration over broken measurement of ad spend. They highlighted long‑standing challenges in quantifying incrementality, even as AI speeds data extraction. CTV buying complexities and algorithmic inventory bias further...
Brave and Company Wins Taman Safari Indonesia Group for Cross-Market KOL Campaign
Indonesian agency Brave and Company has been hired by Taman Safari Indonesia Group to run a regional influencer (KOL) campaign for its Bali attractions, targeting family travelers in Malaysia and South Korea. The agency will manage the full influencer strategy,...
Safal Repositions Coconut Water as Everyday Drink in New Ad with Tara Sutaria
Safal, the horticulture arm of Mother Dairy, has unveiled a new digital campaign featuring Bollywood actress Tara Sutaria to reposition its packaged coconut water as an everyday refreshment. The #TheSafalWayToRecharge ad showcases the drink as a quick, natural, guilt‑free option for...
Albo To Release News Bargaining Incentive Draft This Week
The Albanese government will table a draft News Bargaining Incentive this week, aiming to lock major digital platforms into paying Australian publishers. Platforms earning at least AU$250 million (about $165 million USD) in Australia, including Google, Meta and TikTok, will face a...
Vancouver Opera Breaks Records with ‘La Bohème’
Vancouver Opera’s season‑closing run of Puccini’s La Bohème is on track to become the company’s highest‑grossing production in its 66‑year history, overtaking the 2023‑24 Carmen run. The production, directed by Brenna Corner and conducted by Maestro Jonathan Darlington, opened April 26 and...
Mumbrella Publish 2025: Publishing Under Pressure
In a Mumbrella Publish 2025 fireside chat, Nicholas Gray, managing director of The Australian, traced the outlet’s shift from early‑2000s display‑ad reliance to a subscription‑driven model. Since launching a paywall in 2011, digital subscriptions have become the masthead’s largest revenue...
Samsung Turns 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Into Real-Life Runway Moment
Samsung Electronics has launched a global campaign linking its new Galaxy S26 Ultra to the upcoming film *The Devil Wears Prada 2*. The spot highlights the phone’s AI‑driven “Circle to Search” feature, showing a fashion‑crisis solution on a runway set. At...
ARN Makes Kyle & Jackie O Show Director Bruno Bouchet Redundant
Australian Radio Network (ARN) has made show director Bruno Bouchet redundant following the abrupt removal of the Kyle & Jackie O Show from its Kiis FM lineup. Bouchet, who rejoined ARN for a third stint in 2024, had previously served...
Winner Spotlight 2026: The Raine Group
The Raine Group advised The Walt Disney Company on an $8.5 billion merger that combined Disney’s Indian assets with Reliance Industries’ media holdings, creating the JioStar joint venture. The transaction is the largest media M&A ever completed in India and the...
Dolan on AMC’s Streaming Era
AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan outlined the company’s streaming‑first strategy, noting that roughly 80% of AMC+ distribution comes through partner bundles such as Charter Spectrum. The firm now runs seven niche streaming services, including Shudder and Acorn TV, each...
D.C. Circuit Rejects Nexstar-Tegna Emergency Stay—For Now
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied an emergency stay sought by a coalition opposing the Nexstar‑Tegna merger, ruling the petition was premature because the FCC had not yet finished reviewing the Media Bureau’s order. The court...
Vix Boost, World Cup Worries
TelevisaUnivision reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $1.1 billion, up 5% year‑over‑year, propelled by strong performance of its Vix direct‑to‑consumer platform. Vix subscription and licensing revenue rose 15% to $505 million, with $385 million generated in the United States after adding its channels to...
Fiber Frenzy
Comcast has begun connecting the first residents of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, to its multi‑gigabit symmetrical fiber network. The rollout will eventually serve more than 6,000 addresses across Bloomsburg, Hemlock Township and Scott Township, with full deployment targeted for 2027. Meanwhile, Archtop...
TRP Blackout During Election Season: How Advertisers Are Navigating without Ratings
India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting extended the Broadcast Audience Research Council's directive to withhold television rating points (TRPs) for news channels until the end of May, covering the entire state‑election season. The blackout, originally imposed in March over concerns...
How Gemini Helped Gordon Ramsay Support Tilly’s London Marathon Prep
Google launched a three‑film campaign featuring chef Gordon Ramsay and his daughter Tilly to showcase Gemini’s role in everyday tasks, from marathon training analytics to designing a race cheer poster and advising on ice‑bath recovery. The ads frame the AI...
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Amy Heckerling Claims She 'Got F---Ed' On “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” Royalties
Director Amy Heckerling revealed that despite Fast Times at Ridgemont High earning $50 million—ten times its $5 million budget—and achieving cultural status, she has never seen a profit‑sharing statement from Universal. She described the studio’s accounting as consistently “in the red,” suggesting...
NFL Draft Viewership Slips 3% Despite Faster First Round
The NFL Draft’s first round in 2026 averaged 13.2 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, a 3% decline from the 2025 draft. A new eight‑minute per‑pick rule trimmed the broadcast by more than half an hour, creating a faster pace....
FOX Adds Viral Comedy Hit ‘Kill Tony’ to Its Streaming Platforms, Deepening Its Podcast Push
Fox announced a multiyear deal to bring the comedy podcast “Kill Tony” to its streaming services, including Tubi, FOX One, and YouTube. The show, hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, draws over 2.6 million YouTube subscribers and roughly 3 million downloads per episode...
Philo Names Tom Tidgwell as CFO, Laura Dechant to COO Role
Philo, the budget‑friendly streaming TV service, announced Tom Tidgwell as its new chief financial officer and promoted Laura Dechant to chief operating officer. Tidgwell arrives from ad‑tech firm Madhive after nearly five years as CFO, while Dechant moves up from...