MS NOW Unveils a Revamped Lineup as It Settles Into Its Post-NBC Future
MS NOW, the former MSNBC, has finalized a new programming slate ahead of the November midterm elections. "Morning Joe" is reduced from four to three hours, followed by Stephanie Ruhle’s business‑focused "Money, Power, Politics" from 9‑11 a.m. Alicia Menendez will anchor a new noon‑to‑2 p.m. show, while Jacob Soboroff launches the network’s first Los Angeles‑based weekend program. The changes aim to solidify MS NOW’s identity as an independent news outlet and attract election‑season viewers.
LBC Sees Record Quarter Amid Geopolitical Unrest
LBC reported a record‑breaking quarter, reaching 3.6 million weekly listeners in Q1 2025. The surge occurred as geopolitical tensions, from the Ukraine conflict to Middle‑East unrest, drove audiences toward live news radio. The station’s audience growth translated into higher advertising demand, reinforcing...
Cricket Australia in Talks with Amazon and Dazn over Ashes Broadcast Rights
Cricket Australia is in advanced talks with Amazon and Dazn to secure a four‑year UK broadcast deal covering the next men’s and women’s Ashes tours, the 150th‑anniversary Test in Melbourne, and eight ODI/T20 matches this autumn. The negotiations follow the...
Sky Edges Closer to ITV Takeover as Negotiations Enter Final Phase
Sky is in final talks to acquire ITV's Media & Entertainment division, including its channel portfolio and ITVX streaming service, for roughly $2.05 billion. ITV will retain its production arm, ITV Studios, which will keep supplying flagship programmes to the channels...
UK Games Industry Fundamentally Misunderstood, New Report Calls for Unified Research Framework
UKIE and charity OKRE released the "Building a Unified Framework for the UK Video Games Impacts" report, proposing a Theory of Change‑based model to quantify the sector’s economic, cultural, health and educational contributions. The framework expands the industry definition to...
How Should AI Licensing Work for Music? The BPI Has some Ideas…
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) released a report urging the UK government to retain existing copyright rules and force AI firms to disclose training data for music licensing. It cites 274 AI licensing agreements across creative sectors, including 26 specific...
By the Numbers: Ad Tech’s Quarter of Mixed Fortunes
The ad‑tech sector posted a mixed Q1 2026, with AppLovin near $2 billion in revenue while three peers—Teads, Criteo and another—saw double‑digit YoY declines. AI‑driven initiatives were highlighted across the cohort, yet tangible AI‑generated revenue remained limited. Connected TV (CTV) emerged...
‘We Should Own It’: Hershey’s Programmatic Chief on AI Agents and Media Mix Modeling
Hershey’s VP of Consumer Connections Vinny Rinaldi says the confectioner spent a year building a suite of AI‑driven media‑mix‑modeling agents that shrink reporting cycles from months to weeks. The new system lets Hershey prioritize relevance over reach, steering spend toward...
Marketers Put up Guardrails as AI Agents Reshape Programmatic Buying
AI agents are rapidly entering programmatic ad buying, promising autonomous campaign creation and real‑time optimization. Marketers, however, remain wary, citing hallucinations and budget‑blowout risks, and are installing guardrails to retain control. Companies like Kelly Scott Madison and Bayer have built internal gatekeepers...
Last Flag Studio Lays Off Staff as Game From Imagine Dragons Brothers Misses Targets
Night Street Games, the indie studio founded by Imagine Dragons brothers Mac and Dan Reynolds, announced staff layoffs after its multiplayer shooter Last Flag failed to meet financial expectations. Executive producer Jonathan Jelinek confirmed the shortfall in a LinkedIn post,...
Netflix Ramps up Global Ad Push with AI Tools and 250M Monthly Viewers
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now reaches over 250 million monthly active viewers worldwide, signaling a major scaling of its advertising business. The company unveiled AI‑powered tools that can manage ad purchases and dynamically adapt creative assets, as well as...
Cable Bets on the Bundle
Comcast and Charter used Thursday’s conference to double‑down on convergence as the centerpiece of their growth strategies. Comcast CEO Steve Croney outlined an operational overhaul that will deliver multi‑gig symmetrical speeds to its 65 million‑home footprint, leveraging Wi‑Fi and heavy traffic...
Charter’s Hybrid Bundles Adds Discovery+
Charter is expanding its Spectrum TV hybrid bundles by adding Discovery+ at no extra charge for select packages. Subscribers avoid the $5.99 monthly retail fee and can upgrade to the ad‑free tier for an additional $4. The bundled offering already...
Versant Hypes DTC, Library Content
Versant reported first‑quarter revenue of $1.7 billion, a modest 1% YoY decline, as linear distribution fell more than 7% and contributed roughly $1 billion of the total. CEO Mark Lazarus outlined a strategy to shift 33% of revenue to non‑pay‑TV platforms within...
#MediaViews: As Ads Get Uglier, Is OOH Wearing a New Suit?
Out‑of‑home (OOH) advertising is experiencing a resurgence as brands chase authenticity and data‑driven targeting. Consumers tired of glossy digital ads are responding to raw, “ugly” billboards that feel tangible and unskippable. New measurement tools like the OMC ROAD audience data...
YouTube Talks TV Growth
U.S. users now watch more than 200 million hours of YouTube content each day on TV, representing over half of the platform’s domestic watch time. CEO Neal Mohan said the living‑room surge began years ago and was accelerated by the pandemic,...
Behind the Scenes: Jesser’s Sports Media Empire
Jesse Riedel transformed a teenage YouTube hobby into a $41 million‑subscriber sports media empire, launching high‑budget series such as *Summer of Soccer* and *Pros vs. YouTubers*. By blending video‑game culture, sneaker talk, and on‑court challenges, he captured a generation that craves...
Everything We Announced at YouTube Brandcast 2026
YouTube Brandcast 2026 unveiled a slate of exclusive creator‑driven shows and a suite of AI‑powered advertising tools designed to blend brand building with direct performance. New features include Custom Sponsorships that auto‑match videos to brand moments, a Masthead with a...
Behind the Scenes: Alex Cooper's Next Era
Alex Cooper, the creator of the hit podcast Call Her Daddy, announced at YouTube’s Brandcast that her Unwell Network will debut four original series on the platform. The slate includes a reality competition, a social‑experiment series, a micro‑drama and a docuseries, all built...
Check Out the Latest News From YouTube’s Brandcast 2026.
YouTube’s Brandcast 2026 unveiled a suite of AI‑enhanced advertising tools, including Custom Sponsorships that dynamically match videos to brand moments and a Masthead with a Custom Content Shelf for richer hero placements. The platform introduced Buy with Google Pay, letting CTV...
New Twitch Change Lets All Streamers Make Money Right Away, but There’s a Catch
Twitch is extending its Affiliate‑only monetization suite—including Channel Points, Bits, subscriptions, custom emotes and badges—to every streamer in the United States, with a worldwide rollout expected later in 2026. The tools become instantly usable, but creators who are not Affiliates...
YouTube Is Courting Creators — and Sponsors — with Streaming Shows
YouTube announced a slate of exclusive, creator‑driven streaming shows at its annual advertiser event, featuring personalities like Trevor Noah and Alex Cooper. The platform is positioning itself as a bridge between creators and brands, bundling original series with AI‑powered tools that...
Mouse: P.I. For Hire Publisher PlaySide Recoups All Expenses Since April Launch
Warner Bros. Discovery reported Q1 2026 revenue of $8.8 billion, a 1% year‑on‑year decline, while its games revenue plunged 30% and related content expenses fell 43% ex‑FX. The shareholder letter highlighted scaling HBO Max, studio leadership, and linear networks but omitted any...
15 Country Stars Who Went to War Against Their Record Labels
A wave of lawsuits has seen country music’s biggest names clash with their record labels over unpaid royalties, master‑recording rights, and contract terms. Cases range from Kenny Rogers’ $400,000 claim against Capitol Records to the Dixie Chicks’ $20 million settlement with Sony,...
Netflix Says Its Ad-Supported Tier Now Has 250 Million Monthly Viewers
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now attracts 250 million monthly active viewers and will expand to 15 additional countries next year. The growth is credited to a strong slate of titles such as "Wednesday," "The Night Agent," and "Stranger Things."...
Connoisseur Waves Goodbye to Watertown With Riverfront Sale
Connoisseur Media agreed to sell its six‑station Watertown, South Dakota cluster to local operator Riverfront Broadcasting, continuing a portfolio‑refinement strategy launched after its Alpha Media acquisition. The stations—KLDO, KKSD, KIXX, KSDR‑AM, KSDR and KWAT‑AM—are pending FCC approval and expected to...
Netflix Announces New Ad Tier Markets, Podcast and Vertical Video Inventory, and a Dog Show
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier will expand to 15 new markets in 2027, adding Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. The company also said ad inventory for...
Netflix Boasts 250 Million Global MAUs, Adding 15 New Ad-Supported Countries, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ World Concert Tour in 2027
Netflix announced it now has 250 million global monthly active users, with 60 % of new sign‑ups opting for the ad‑supported tier. The company will add 15 additional ad‑supported countries in 2027, bringing the total to 27 markets for its $7.99 plan....
Detroit Pistons Games Moving to Scripps-Owned WMYD
The Detroit Pistons will move their locally televised games to free over‑the‑air station WMYD, owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, beginning with the 2026‑27 NBA season. The rights package is underpinned by a production loan exceeding $4 million, though its total...
Gray Media Appoints Two Execs to Lead Local News, Digital Businesses
Gray Media appointed James Finch as Senior Vice President of News Services and Joanie Vasiliadis as Senior Vice President for Transformation. Finch, a decade‑long VP of News Services, will oversee corporate news support and training. Vasiliadis, formerly TEGNA’s VP of...
MrBeast Reveals Plans for the World’s ‘Largest Membership Program’ & New Types of Content
Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson announced a plan to launch the world’s largest YouTube membership program, offering early video access, exclusive challenges, and a charitable component. The initiative was unveiled at a Business Insider‑hosted breakfast in New York attended by brands such...
Sports, Stars, Singing: With New CEO, Disney Maintains Splashy Upfront Strategy
Disney’s upfront highlighted a new live‑first strategy under CEO Josh D'Amaro, emphasizing sports and marquee events. The company announced ESPN’s inaugural Super Bowl broadcast in 2027, simulcast on ABC for the first time in a decade, and a 55% year‑over‑year...
South African Artists Earned $30.69 Million on Spotify in 2025. Most of It Came From Abroad.
South African artists generated R504 million ($30.69 million) on Spotify in 2025, a 28% year‑on‑year rise and almost double the 2023 figure. Nearly 74% of that revenue came from listeners outside South Africa, making the global market the platform’s biggest source of...
One Major Theater Chain Just Quietly Launched $1.75 Movie Tickets for Summer Break
Cinemark launched its Summer Movie Clubhouse on May 13, offering $1.75 tickets for family‑friendly films at 285 U.S. locations through August 6. The promotion includes $1 discounts on snack packs and popcorn‑and‑drink combos. Showings focus on Wednesday mornings and feature...
Upfronts Day Two: Dancing And Data
TelevisaUnivision used Day Two of the TV upfronts to spotlight its Hispanic‑focused strategy, emphasizing data quality and unveiling a household graph it says reaches 98% of U.S. Hispanics. The broadcaster warned that third‑party measurement often underrepresents this audience, creating a...
Warner Bros. Discovery Ad Presidents Downplay Paramount Merger Impact on Upfronts: ‘Been Through Change and Challenges Before’
Warner Bros. Discovery’s co‑ad presidents Ryan Gould and Robert Voltaggio used Wednesday’s upfront to reassure advertisers that the pending $110 billion merger with Paramount will not disrupt ad inventory or pricing. They emphasized the company’s history of navigating industry change and...
Universal Music India Renews Distro Deal with Music Services Company first.wav
Universal Music India has renewed its exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with Mumbai‑based first.wav, originally signed in 2023. The deal will see Universal globally distribute music from first.wav’s roster of independent artists, including rising singer‑songwriter Gini and producer Bharath. First.wav has...
What’s Next For Local Sports As Regional Network Model Crumbles?
The regional sports network (RSN) model has unraveled over the past five years, leaving NBA, NHL and MLB clubs scrambling for new revenue streams. Teams are turning back to free over‑the‑air broadcasters and launching their own streaming platforms to fill...
Netflix’s Nicolle Pangis on Measurement, AI, and the Future of Streaming Advertising
Netflix’s advertising chief Nicolle Pangis says the next wave of streaming ads will hinge on unified data, interoperable measurement and AI‑driven infrastructure. She argues that siloed metrics limit advertisers’ ability to assess performance across streaming and retail channels. Netflix is...
Beasley’s Q1 2026 Net Revenue Declines 12.9%
Beasley Broadcast Group reported first‑quarter 2026 net revenue of $42.6 million, a 12.9% decline year‑over‑year, driven by persistent weakness in traditional agency advertising. The company offset the drop with strong growth in its owned‑and‑operated digital platforms, which now represent a larger...
Parks Associates: Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV Are Top Three U.S. FAST Services
According to Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker, Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV occupy the top three positions among U.S. free‑ad‑supported streaming (FAST) services. Tubi leads the pack, even though 95 % of its library is on‑demand AVOD, while 46 %...
BARC Redraws TV Ratings Playbook as Landing Pages Lose Power
India’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has issued a new operational framework that removes landing‑page viewership from official TV ratings. The rule treats the first channel shown by a set‑top‑box as passive exposure and excludes it, while any subsequent voluntary...
TikTok Launches MCP Server to Let AI Agents Run Campaigns
TikTok announced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a developer toolkit that lets AI agents directly create, launch, and optimize ad campaigns on its platform. The move mirrors similar MCP releases from Google, Meta, and Amazon, signaling a shift toward...
How Index Managed Demand Sources Revenue for Media Owners
Index Exchange has launched Index Managed Demand, a formal program that sources differentiated, high‑quality programmatic demand for media owners. Over the past 12 months, Index‑sourced deals accounted for roughly 13% of participating publishers’ revenue. The service introduces a transparent, dynamic...
Alton Towers Owner Backs New Puy Du Fou Theme Park Plans
Merlin Entertainments, the owner of Alton Towers and other attractions, has endorsed a £600 million (≈$760 million) proposal to build a Puy du Fou theme park near Bicester, Oxfordshire. The development, backed by VisitBritain and French officials, aims to create about 2,000...
CNC: €135.2m US Streamer Investment in French-Funded TV
The French audiovisual support body CNC reported that US streaming giants invested €135.2 million (≈$147 million) in French‑funded TV in 2025, commissioning 93 hours of content. Independent SVoDs commissioned 231 hours, with total investment falling to €135.6 million (≈$148 million) from €145.4 million the prior...
IAB Tech Lab Opens New CTV Ad Signalling Standards for Public Comment
IAB Tech Lab has published updated technical specifications to standardize signaling for Connected TV (CTV) ad formats, including Pause Ads, Menu Ads, Overlay Ads, and Squeeze Back Ads. The framework is open for public comment until June 5, 2026, giving stakeholders a...
RTL and ProSieben Focus on Profitability as TV Ad Revenues Fall
RTL Group posted a 2.5% organic revenue rise and its streaming division recorded its first profitable quarter, targeting $27‑$55 million operating profit for the year. ProSiebenSat.1 saw a 3% revenue decline but boosted Q1 EBITDA by $55 million through cost cuts. Both...
Ahead of Paramount Mega-Merger, WBD Bets on Agentic Ads
Warner Bros. Discovery introduced a suite of AI‑driven ad products at its May upfront, including shoppable ads that appear when viewers pause programming and a Kerv.ai partnership that aligns ads with specific scenes. The company also upgraded its dynamic creative tools, linking...
The Era of the Microdrama Is Here
Microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox have become the most‑downloaded video‑streaming platforms worldwide, eclipsing Netflix, as mobile‑first, two‑minute episodes capture post‑pandemic scrolling habits. The U.S. market generated $819 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030, driven by...