Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions hit 2.24 billion in 2025, overtaking pay‑TV revenue
Omdia reports global online video subscriptions reached 2.24 billion at the end of 2025, a 17.6% year‑on‑year rise. Revenue grew 13.5% to $176 billion, surpassing pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit levels in 2026 as operators focus on monetising existing users.
Also developing:
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. Despite the dip, the draft remains the third‑most‑watched sports event of the year, trailing only the 2020 and 2025 drafts. Attendance in Pittsburgh set a record with 805,000 fans over three days.
Upfront 2026–27: Who Has Pricing Power in a Commodity Market?
The Myers Report warns that the 2026‑27 Upfront will reward firms that can demonstrate measurable outcomes, integrate technology stacks, and lower buyer uncertainty. Traditional levers such as inventory volume, reach, and content alone will be repriced as the market shifts...
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...
Marshals Creator Clarifies Taylor Sheridan's Actual Involvement In Yellowstone Spin-Off Series
Paramount+’s "Marshals," the Yellowstone spin‑off starring Luke Grimes, has become the season’s most‑watched new series, yet creator Taylor Sheridan is only an executive‑producer. Showrunner Spencer Hudnut confirmed Sheridan does not handle day‑to‑day production, stepping in only for high‑level guidance. Sheridan helped shape...
Publishing Is Free: Anyone Can Launch a Newsletter
1/2 There is almost no barrier to starting a newsletter or podcast these days. Substack, Spotify, YouTube, you name it. Anyone with a computer and internet access can publish something — the production cost is almost zero, if you don’t...
HBO Reveals Season Three Premiere Date for HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
HBO announced that the third season of House of the Dragon will debut on Monday, June 22, 2026, exclusively on HBO Max. The eight‑episode run will air weekly, concluding with a finale on August 10. A new teaser trailer shows...
Letterboxd, the Social Platform for Film Buffs, Reportedly Looking for New Owner
Letterboxd, the film‑focused social platform with about 26 million users, is reportedly up for sale as its majority owner Tiny seeks a buyer. Tiny, which acquired Letterboxd in 2023 for over $50 million and holds roughly 60% of the company, is courting...
The Hot Inbox: Email Is Becoming More Like A Social Feed
Google's AI‑enhanced search now ranks email by relevance, turning inboxes into social‑feed‑like streams. About 40% of Gmail messages are being deprioritized by AI filters, forcing marketers to focus on list hygiene and true engagement. At the same time, Tempo Mails...
Mansa, First All-Black Microdrama Studio, Expands Summer Vertical Slate | Exclusive
Mansa, the first all‑Black microdrama studio founded by David Oyelowo and Nate Parker, is rolling out a summer slate of ten original vertical series. The platform debuted its mobile‑first programming in February during Black History Month and logged more than...
“Tell Me Lies” Creator Working On New Drama For Hulu
Creator Meaghan Oppenheimer, known for the hit series “Tell Me Lies,” is developing a new drama titled “Bastards” for Hulu/Disney+. The series follows three adult half‑siblings forced to return to their childhood home after their world‑famous mother’s public scandal, where...
From Search Engines to AI Agents: Interface Control and the Restructuring of Communication Power
The paper by Ortiz‑Freuler and Castells argues that control over digital interfaces—search engines, social media platforms, and emerging AI agents—has become a central arena of geopolitical competition. It traces how these interfaces evolved from corporate innovations to contested assets that...
Searchlight's Thriller 'The Menu' Launches in Philippine Theaters
Searchlight Pictures' dark comedy horror 'The Menu' is now playing in cinemas across the Philippines. The film, directed by Mark Mylod and starring Anya Taylor‑Joy, Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes, arrives with a localized social‑media push and marks the latest...
Artsy and Artnet Merge in $71 M Deal Backed by Beowolff Capital
Artsy and Artnet have merged under the private‑equity firm Beowolff Capital in a €65 million ($71 million) transaction at a 97% premium. CEO Jeffrey Yin will run the combined entity while Beowolff founder Andrew Wolff becomes chairman, prompting questions about market power,...
Print Book Sales Rise 0.5% in 2025, Boosting Brick‑and‑Mortar Stores
Publishers Weekly says print book unit sales grew 0.5% in 2025 to 762.4 million, ending two years of decline. The rebound is credited to BookTok’s influence and is reviving brick‑and‑mortar retailers, with Barnes & Noble planning 60 new stores in 2026.
Angels Vs. Royals to Stream Live on Peacock and NBCSN Sunday Night Baseball
NBC Sports and Peacock will carry Sunday Night Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels versus Kansas City Royals on April 26 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on NBCSN and stream live on Peacock, part of a 27‑game prime‑time MLB slate for 2026.
WHCA Shooter Confesses Target: Trump Administration Officials
Cole Tomas Allen, the 31‑year‑old gunman arrested at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, told family he intended to kill President Donald Trump and senior officials. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary findings support that motive, raising fresh questions...
IHeart Exec Launches a “Conversation Company” For Podcasts and Live
iHeartMedia CMO Gayle Troberman announced the launch of Bubbler Media, a "conversation company" that blends podcasts, live experiences, and audience research to help brands engage consumers. The venture is positioned as a move beyond traditional "sae" marketing, emphasizing real‑time dialogue....
Foxtel Expands VEVO Channels with 80s Addition, Reshuffles Line Up
Foxtel is expanding its music offering by adding a dedicated Vevo 80s channel, slated for launch on May 5, and reordering its Vevo lineup for easier decade‑by‑decade navigation. The refreshed suite places Vevo 2K on channel 810, Vevo 90s on 811, the new Vevo 80s on 812,...
Sencore’s VB440 Monitoring, Analysis Tool Debuts at NAB Show
Sencore unveiled its VB440 high‑density monitoring and analysis platform at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, alongside the MRD 8000 receiver‑decoder, AFN Platform, OmniHub series, and TXS 3800 transcoder. The VB440 is NMOS‑certified, supports up to 80 Gbps of simultaneous SMPTE 2110/IPMX streams,...
55 Years Ago Today: Green Acres Came to an End on CBS
The final episode of CBS’s sitcom *Green Acres* aired on April 27, 1971, ending a six‑season, 170‑episode run that began in 1965. The show followed New York lawyer Oliver Douglas and his sophisticated wife Lisa as they fumbled through farm...
IHeartMedia and SiriusXM Enter Early Merger Talks, Targeting $4B+ Audio Empire
iHeartMedia and SiriusXM are in preliminary merger discussions, with music‑industry veteran Irving Azoff and private‑equity firm Apollo Global Management advising both sides. The deal would unite the nation’s largest terrestrial radio network and its biggest satellite service, creating a platform...
‘Staged’ Shooting Claims Hit 80 Million Views — and Counting
Anti‑Trump accounts, dubbed "BlueAnon," flooded X with claims that the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was staged, racking up 80 million views in under two days. The posts linked the alleged staging to boosting Donald Trump’s approval,...
Secret Service's Lena Cliffhanger Could Change Everything for Kate
ITV’s new espionage drama Secret Service debuted on 27 April, plunging MI6 operative Kate Henderson into a mole hunt that quickly escalates into a political crisis. A covert operation in Malta places a young nanny, Lena, at the heart of a...
Norway, Turkiye, Malaysia Pursue Social Media Age Restriction
Norway, Turkey and Malaysia are moving to impose minimum‑age limits on social‑media use, with thresholds of 16, 15 and 16 respectively. Norway’s bill ties the cutoff to the year a child turns 16 and proposes biometric age‑assurance, while Turkey plans...
Sound for the NFL Draft Show Balances Often Conflicting Goals
The NFL Draft’s 92nd edition turned its sound design into a showcase of hybrid audio engineering, demanding both crystal‑clear speech and concert‑level music. Senior audio engineer Rafael Rosales of LD Systems described how the team built a single, networked L‑Acoustics...
The Boys Star Erin Moriarty Knows How Fans Will React To The Show's Finale
Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight, told The Hollywood Reporter she believes the Season 5 finale of Amazon Prime’s The Boys will leave fans “immensely satisfied.” Creator Eric Kripke, however, warned that finales are risky, fearing a negative fan reaction could tarnish...
Dr Chris Brown Next to Face the Music on Seven’s CELEBRITY INTERVENTION
Seven Network’s comedy‑reality series "Glenn & Mick’s Celebrity Intervention" will spotlight TV host and renovator Dr Chris Brown on Monday, May 4 at 7:30 pm. The episode features regular panelists Glenn Robbins and Mick Molloy, with guest co‑host Denise Scott, and brings in Brown’s friends...
What’s New This Week on Netflix For The Week of April 27, 2026
Netflix’s schedule for the week of April 27‑May 1, 2026, combines four new original series with a massive release of classic and popular movies on May 1. Originals include “Straight to Hell,” “Supernova: Genesis,” “Je m’appelle Agneta,” and “Man on Fire.” The May 1 lineup features titles...
AI Agents Linked to OpenAI Are Pretending to Be Human Journalists
A news site called The Wire by Acutus, launched Dec. 29, 2025, appears to run entirely on AI agents that write articles and pose as human reporters to interview experts. Investigators found that 97% of its content is AI‑generated, its editorial workflow...
$450 Stipend For Aspiring New Jersey-Based Audio Creators (Deadline: May 10, 2026)
A new grant program in New Jersey offers a $450 stipend to emerging audio creators. The initiative targets writers, poets, performers, storytellers, and filmmakers who want to expand into sound production. Applications are accepted through May 10, 2026, and are...
Middle East Tensions Hit Saudi Plans on FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
ABC’s Foreign Correspondent examined Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 amid escalating Middle‑East conflict. Reporter Matthew Doran returned during a fragile cease‑fire to assess whether the war sparked by the US and Israel’s actions against Iran threatens the Kingdom’s multi‑trillion‑dollar diversification plan....
How The Boys’ Meaningful Supernatural Reunion Happened
The Boys’ fifth season delivers a long‑awaited Supernatural reunion, featuring Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins in the episode “One-Shots.” Showrunner Eric Kripke secured substantive roles for the actors after Padalecki’s series Walker wrapped, ensuring the characters advance the plot rather...
Buchanan’s Celebrates Latino Community, Culture Ahead of World Cup
Buchanan’s, a Diageo Scotch brand, has launched a World Cup‑centric campaign with Latin music star Rauw Alejandro, featuring his new track “Dando Vueltas.” The initiative includes a music video, a limited‑edition bottle designed with Kids of Immigrants, and the “Buchanita” cocktail served...
SPA’s Matthew Deaner to Open SCREEN FOREVER 40 with Focus on Reform
Screen Producers Australia chief Matthew Deaner opened SCREEN FOREVER 40 on the Gold Coast, using the keynote to celebrate Australia’s new streaming‑content regulation that took effect on 1 January. He framed the rules as a landmark that brings certainty to local...
Overwolf Ads Launches Gamer Grid
Overwolf Ads unveiled Gamer Grid, a deterministic audience data product that combines PC gameplay behavior, hardware signals, and content consumption to identify high‑value gamers. The platform reaches over 113 million monthly gamers and offers segments refreshed in real time, enabling advertisers...
Marshals Episode 9 Resolves A Yellowstone Rivalry We Never Knew About
Marshals' Episode 9 sees Kayce Dutton and his team rescue Andrea Cruz and capture Randall Clegg, positioning the Clegg clan as the series' new primary antagonist. The episode reveals the Cleggs as a long‑standing, illicit Montana family—described as “bargain‑bin Duttons”—who have...
Brooke Shields’ Murder Mystery TV Show You’re Killing Me Gets Intriguing Trailer
Acorn TV released the trailer for *You’re Killing Me*, a six‑episode murder‑mystery series starring Golden Globe‑nominee Brooke Shields as bestselling novelist Allie. The plot follows Allie and true‑crime podcaster Andi as they investigate a close friend’s murder in a quaint...
Realize Gains PayPal Data, Boosting Ad Targeting
Exciting.... @PayPal and @taboola ... Our performance advertising platform, Realize, is taking another large step forward, thanks to our partnership with PayPal. As we know, unless you have unique data Claude cannot get. And unless you have unique supply Claude...
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Returns to Top of Weekly Fandango at Home Chart Through April 26
Avatar: Fire and Ash reclaimed the #1 spot on Fandango at Home’s weekly revenue chart for the week ending April 26, moving up from #2 after its March 31 digital purchase launch. The third Avatar film’s strong digital sales outpaced Paramount’s Scream 7,...
Chad Powers Season 2 Release Date Window Revealed for Glen Powell Hulu Show
Hulu’s comedy series Chad Powers will return for a second season this fall, according to Deadline. Co‑creator and showrunner Michael Waldron renewed his overall deal with 20th Television and will direct four of the six episodes, including the premiere and...
Women Outpace Men in Recent Horror Book Deals
We sometimes have a perception bias. Someone posted they only see men being signed for horror books. I checked Publishers Weekly for 2026 and 2025 and I'm seeing a slightly larger number of women getting horror deals than men. Some...
Is OpenAI’s Ad Model Doomed? Taboola CEO Weighs In
Is OpenAI's advertising model doomed to fail from the start? @AdamSingolda, Founder & CEO of @taboola, joins Dan Nathan on the latest RiskReversal Podcast 🎙️ https://t.co/ToyQL2Wm9e
S&P: Local TV to Earn $4 Billion in Political Ad Spending in 2026
Local television broadcasters are set to capture more than $4 billion in political advertising in 2026, representing 16.3% of total broadcast revenue – a record for a non‑presidential election year. The surge is driven by a crowded slate of gubernatorial, Senate...
‘Deli Boys’ Launches 22‑category Emmy Push with Star Actors
‘Deli Boys’ Mounts 22-Category Emmy Campaign, Including Acting Bids for Kumail Nanjiani, Fred Armisen and More (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/3MHd2r6PuW via @variety
Paramount Seeks FCC Approval for 49.5% Middle East Stake
New: Paramount has asked the FCC to sign off on the Middle East investment in its Warners mega-deal. The company says in a filing viewed by THR that "indirect foreign ownership of equity interests in Paramount will be approximately 49.5...
NAB Show 2026 In Review: Our Complete Collection of Video Interviews with Industry Thought Leaders
The Sports Video Group recapped NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, delivering exclusive one‑on‑one interviews with more than two dozen industry leaders. Executives from Aggreko, Appear, AT&T, AWS, Blackmagic Design and others revealed new power‑management solutions, 5G broadcast kits, AI‑driven...
S2’s Cynical End Highlights Cyclical Inevitability Over Individual Discovery
#Beef S1 & S2 (a step down IMO) are mirrors of one another, w/ overlapping commentary about systemic inequality driving behavior. But I found S2's ending to be far more pessimistic/cynical than S1's, for better and for worse. Individual discovery...
MrBeast Sues Canadian Company for $5M over Beast Games Production
Jimmy Donaldson’s MrBeast brand has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Toronto‑based MHQ, alleging the production company mishandled a pre‑payment for season one of the Amazon Prime Video series Beast Games. MHQ has responded with a countersuit, insisting it incurred costs and...
Most Substack Content Still Human-Written, Study Shows
How Much of Substack Is Actually AI? I used @pangramlabs (AI detection tool) to analyze thousands of posts from the top Substack newsletters across every category to find out. Here's what I discovered 👇🏻 https://t.co/FbOA8uBVFF
Webb To Program Two Big Cumulus California AMs
Cumulus Media announced Art Webb as the new Program Director for its two flagship California AM stations, KABC‑790 in Los Angeles and KSFO‑810 in San Francisco. Webb, who has served as Assistant Program Director and Executive Producer for the stations...