Know What's Happening in Media
Know What's Happening in Media
Indian TV market braces for sales dip amid rising production costs and rupee weakness
Soaring RAM prices, higher plastic and ocean‑freight costs tied to the West Asia crisis, and a weakening rupee have pushed retail TV prices up roughly 20%. An entry‑level 32‑inch set now costs about $133, up from $108 six months earlier, prompting many buyers to down‑trade. Counterpoint Research forecasts shipments to fall 5‑6%.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K‑Love seeks FCC approval for acquisition of WFCC
Baltimore Beat, a nonprofit news outlet, is introducing pay‑what‑you‑can advertising options. The tiered pricing lets mom‑and‑pop shops pay $50, brick‑and‑mortar stores $150, and larger investors $300 per ad. The paper, which distributes 20,000 free print copies twice a month and has no paywall, hopes the model will attract local advertisers displaced by Craigslist, Google and Facebook. By reviving classified‑style ads, it aims to generate sustainable revenue for hyper‑local journalism.
Paramount has renewed its pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery with a $31‑per‑share bid, reigniting a high‑stakes acquisition battle. Netflix, led by co‑CEO Ted Sarandos, is simultaneously courting investors and studios, arguing its own offer—already accepted in December—outperforms Paramount’s. The two...
A recent Reviews.org survey reveals that nearly half of U.S. sports fans struggle to locate the right channel or streaming service for a specific game, and 53% have missed games because of subscription gaps. The study, based on 882 active...
Backyard Ventures announced an exclusive partnership with Jess A Couple Things, the pop‑culture comedy show hosted by Jessie Woo. The deal positions BV as the sole representative for premium brand collaborations across the show’s Instagram, YouTube, podcast and other social channels....
The 27th annual TALKERS conference is slated for Friday, June 5, 2026 at Hofstra University’s modern campus on Long Island. After a one‑year hiatus in 2025, the event returns with its traditional partnership with WRHU‑FM and the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication....
Ofcom announced new licence conditions requiring all local analogue commercial radio stations to broadcast mandatory local news bulletins. Weekday bulletins must air hourly between 6 am and 7 pm, with at least three bulletins on weekends and bank holidays, and stations previously...
Michael Fritzell, a former hedge‑fund analyst with 15 years in investment banking and buy‑side roles, left finance in 2021 to launch Asian Century Stocks, a paid newsletter spotlighting overlooked Chinese and Southeast Asian companies. Leveraging his Mandarin fluency and on‑the‑ground...
Brave Bison, the UK‑based influencer‑marketing and digital‑media platform, has named Ed Knights as its new Head of Growth. Knights joins from senior roles at Born Social and M&C Saatchi Performance, where he led performance‑driven campaigns for major brands. The appointment...
For the week of Feb 9 2026, Fox News, MS NOW, and CNN all recorded higher total viewership, with Fox News maintaining its lead in primetime and total‑day audiences. Fox News posted a 5% rise in primetime total viewers (2.768 million) and a 7%...
Broadpeak announced the launch of its Multiview solution for live sports at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The technology lets broadcasters, streaming platforms and telecom operators deliver multiple simultaneous feeds on a single screen, offering viewers the ability to...
Carson Roney leveraged her athlete’s discipline to build a multi‑platform creator business after college, turning TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat into revenue streams that now outpace her previous wait‑staff job. A surge in posting frequency during the COVID‑19 lockdown sparked rapid...
The FCC’s March 2026 calendar is packed with compliance milestones for broadcasters. Daylight‑Saving Time begins on March 8, forcing AM stations to verify sign‑on and sign‑off times, while a filing freeze on March 12 pauses all Class A, LPTV and translator modifications until...
Barb CEO Justin Sampson appeared on the Unfiltered Media podcast on 25 February 2026 to examine mounting pressures on traditional media measurement currencies. He explained how fragmented consumption across streaming, social and gaming platforms is eroding legacy TV‑rating models. Sampson...
U.S. halfpipe snowboarder Maddie Mastro, reigning World Cup champion, generated the largest organic engagement surge among Team USA accounts during the lead‑up to the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. In the 30 days surrounding the Games her Instagram engagement rose nearly...
DUPAY, launched in May 2023, offers a subscription‑based income‑protection platform for creators, agencies, and small businesses. Leveraging AI‑generated demand letters and a three‑letter escalation protocol, the service reports an 81% success rate in recovering unpaid invoices across 16 countries. Beyond...
Here's my new deep dive on why you need to build your product for AI agents first. I spent a decade obsessing over intuitive user experiences (and I still do!). But the "user" in UX is quickly becoming an AI agent instead. For...
Formula One has signed a reported $150 million per‑year deal with Apple, ending its ESPN partnership that delivered a record 1.32 million U.S. viewers in its final season. Apple TV+ will stream every practice, qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix at no extra cost, while...
News publishers are increasingly replacing passwords with email‑based magic links or one‑time passcodes. Small‑scale outlets using platforms like Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv cite reduced security overhead and faster onboarding as primary benefits. Industry voices argue that magic links combat password...
The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) will host its 2026 Summit on Feb 26 in Sydney, aiming to shift the perception of influencer marketing from a “Wild West” to a disciplined, brand‑ready channel. The not‑for‑profit body, which introduced Australia’s first influencer...
Raptive, the ad‑management platform for independent sites, announced it has paid $4 billion to its publisher partners, confirming its status among the top‑10 global media companies. The network now spans more than 6,500 premium sites, reaching 223 million unique monthly visitors and...
Former Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli has launched a subscription‑based direct‑to‑fan platform called Valerie’s Place, priced at $2 per month. The service, built on Visible Things’ technology, offers new episodes of her show Home Cooking, original programming, podcasts, live streams,...
ITV Studios announced that its hit UK celebrity game show Parents’ Evening will be adapted for the Spanish market by Atresmedia, with production handled by ITV Studios Iberia. The format, created by Ranga Bee Productions and hosted by Romesh Ranganathan...
ABC News topped all broadcast networks in live‑plus‑same‑day viewership for the 2026 State of the Union, drawing 4.912 million total viewers. The coverage outperformed NBC by 1.43 million viewers and CBS by 1.65 million, while also beating Fox and the combined cable audience...
AI Tracking Transparency In November, Apple updated its App Store developer guidelines to require developers to obtain affirmative, opt-in consent from users before sending “personal data” to third-party AI services. A pertinent question is: if Apple is able to dissuade developers...
iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God announced the fourth annual Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta on April 25, 2026. The day‑long event, presented by State Farm, will feature hosts Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Loren LoRosa, with tickets on...
Thom Hartmann, a leading progressive talk‑radio host, appears as Michael Harrison’s guest on the Up Close Far Out video series hosted by TALKERS magazine. Hartmann’s daily program airs on hundreds of terrestrial stations, SiriusXM Progress 127, Free Speech TV, Substack,...
Recently, the LA-based TV literary agency Kaplan Stahler brought on Jillian Davis to start their book department. She focuses on authors of YA, romance, and women’s fiction. I’m grateful to Jillian for answering a few questions about the unique space she’s...
Extreme Reach (XR) operates as a full‑stack ad‑operations hub, handling everything from payroll and asset management to multi‑platform delivery. The company recently announced a digital integration with Nielsen One, allowing advertisers to attach audience measurement data directly to each ad....
AudioUK announced that Chris Baughen will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer on 30 March 2026. Baughen arrives with more than two decades of experience at Wondery, Spotify, Global and Deezer, spanning radio, streaming and podcasting. His appointment coincides with a...
A federal court in Georgia dismissed Mark Walters’ defamation lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the complaint lacked the required fault element. The ruling underscores that AI systems themselves cannot be liable for defamation because they lack intent and legal personhood. Liability...
Nielsen announced the addition of more than 200 advanced audience segments to its Nielsen ONE cross‑platform dashboard, drawing on Scarborough’s extensive U.S. consumer surveys. The new segments span demographics, purchase behavior and lifestyle categories, and are intended to improve TV...
EE announced it is ending its 14‑year partnership with actor Kevin Bacon, who has been the brand’s voiceover since 2012. The telecom giant will replace Bacon with popular radio and TV presenter Nick Grimshaw, who will begin recording new ads...
Jameson Irish Whiskey marked St. Patrick’s Day with a series of high‑visibility activations across the UK, featuring a branded food‑truck, pop‑up bars, and a multi‑media partnership with the English Football League (EFL). The campaign leveraged live match broadcasts, digital content,...
NBC Nightly News anchored from Milan posted week‑to‑week gains in both total viewers and the coveted Adults 25‑54 demo, buoyed by its Milano‑Cortina 2026 Olympic coverage. The broadcast recorded 7.797 million total viewers and 1.24 million demo viewers, up 8% and 13% respectively,...
FIPP has launched three AI‑focused initiatives to help its publishing members navigate the rapid rise of generative AI. An AI Working Group, led by Elsa Esparbé and Tim Bulley, will craft a strategic framework to protect IP and audiences. The federation also...
The New York Times deploys more than 50 journalists to cover each State of the Union, anticipating both scripted content and spontaneous incidents. Editor Elizabeth Kennedy, who heads the White House team, coordinates reporters, photographers, and digital staff to meet...
Press Forward, led by inaugural executive director Dale Anglin, is a philanthropic initiative that provides grant funding to local news organizations across the United States. Anglin, formerly vice president for grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation, emphasizes community restoration through hyperlocal...
Amazon Prime’s acclaimed dystopian series The Man in the High Castle will debut on Netflix on March 11, nearly seven years after its original finale. Created by Frank Spotnitz and starring Rufus Sewell, the show reimagines a world where the Nazis...
WAN-IFRA has launched the NextGen AI Leaders Programme, a tuition‑free 12‑week initiative aimed at equipping 24 emerging news executives aged 25‑40 from Europe, the Middle East and Africa with practical AI and leadership skills. Backed by the Google News Initiative,...
Philadelphia Cream Cheese unveiled its biggest ever marketing push, the “Really Philly Good” platform, developed by Johannes Leonardo. The campaign introduces a cowboy‑esque brand character, Phillyboy, featured in 19 short spots across linear TV, streaming, YouTube, social and audio. Targeting...
Newsday, a Long Island‑based multiplatform news outlet, has leveraged the American Press Institute’s Metrics for News (MFN) analytics tool since 2018 to turn data into subscriber growth. By tracking audience enthusiasm for niche beats, the paper launched new content initiatives,...
Factchequeado, a nonprofit serving over 68 million U.S. Latinos, has become the nation’s largest collaborative effort against Spanish‑language disinformation. By realigning its partnership strategy in 2024, the organization saw a 60% year‑over‑year rise in social media traffic after teaming with a...
The American Press Institute (API) released its 2025 Impact Report, showcasing case studies that illustrate how the organization’s “learning out loud” philosophy is being applied across the media sector. By inviting journalism leaders to share insights, API synthesizes these lessons...
Cleveland.com’s editor Chris Quinn created an AI rewrite desk, hiring Joshua Newman to use an in‑house ChatGPT to turn reporters’ notes into polished stories, which humans then fact‑check. The experiment has kept story volume steady while giving reporters an extra...
Wha? Semafor wants to restore trust in media (as if media ever had it) with the FCC's chief censor run rampant, the editor who's killing the WaPo, a Sunday host some do not trust, a Fox Sunday host, Germany's Murdoch,...
This chart shows views to various crypto youtube channels. Retail interest (at least in terms of watching these channels) has declined since 2021. https://t.co/D6n1vfcPVF
Netflix has released the eight‑episode Korean mystery thriller *The Art of Sarah*, starring Shin Hye Sun as a deceptive luxury‑brand executive. The series follows Detective Park Mu‑gyeong as he investigates a body that appears to be Sarah, uncovering a web...
New pod: @AndrewMarchand returns to gab about MLB media rights, ESPN's Sunday night strategy and NBC's Olympic performance. https://t.co/unMXYcxV6h
Wired's cover displays shockingly bad editorial judgment. 'Wired' cover on tech's 'gay mafia' ignites controversy https://t.co/RPQthrkQGm
Patrick Dempsey disclosed that he had been arranging for his late Grey’s Anatomy co‑star Eric Dane to appear as his brother in the upcoming thriller Memory of a Killer. The casting plan collapsed after Dane succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,...
