Today's Media Pulse
Publicis resumes recommending The Trade Desk after fee dispute
Publicis has lifted its ban and is again recommending The Trade Desk to advertisers, ending a months‑long clash over alleged hidden ad‑tech fees. The dispute had driven The Trade Desk’s shares down roughly 13% and prompted the exit of its chief marketing officer. Both firms issued a joint statement confirming the reconciliation.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-LOVE acquires Baltimore station in undisclosed deal
Charlize Theron's "Apex" Lands 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, Igniting Critic Split
Charlize Theron's latest Netflix thriller, "Apex," earned a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 53 critics, while audience scores sit at 56%. Critics praise the film’s visuals and lead performances but fault its lack of emotional depth, sparking a broader conversation about star‑driven streaming releases.
Oprah Winfrey's Podcast Joins Amazon's Streaming Suite in Multiyear Deal
Oprah Winfrey has signed a multiyear licensing agreement to bring her twice‑weekly podcast to Amazon’s streaming ecosystem, including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Fire TV and Audible. The deal also licenses all 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show, positioning Amazon...
Quip’s Surreal Toothbrush Ad Triggers AI Authenticity Debate
Quip’s new 15‑second electric‑toothbrush ad, built with practical effects, was widely assumed to be AI‑generated. The brand’s rapid behind‑the‑scenes reveal sparked a broader conversation about authenticity in marketing as 68% of U.S. consumers question the reality of online content.
Magnite Rolls Out AI Buyer Agent and SpringServe Mediation with Disney, Spectrum Reach, Kepler, MiQ
Magnite announced an AI‑powered upgrade to its supply‑side platform and SpringServe video mediation, debuting a buyer‑side agent and three AI‑assisted mediation features. The rollout involves Disney Advertising, Spectrum Reach, Kepler and MiQ, marking the broadest partner set in a single...
Spotify Beats Q1 Revenue Forecast but Guidance Triggers 13% Stock Drop
Spotify reported Q1 2026 revenue of €4.53 billion ($5.3 billion), up 8% YoY, and added 3 million premium subscribers to reach 293 million. Despite the beat, the company’s modest Q2 guidance and a dip in ad‑supported revenue sparked a 13% plunge in its stock.
Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Renewed For Season 2 At Netflix
Netflix announced that its animated spin‑off *Stranger Things: Tales From ’85* has been renewed for a second season, slated to premiere in the fall of 2024. The series, set in the winter of 1985 between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live‑action...
Russian Disinformation Operation Storm-1516 Generates Hundreds of Millions of Views on Social Media
A Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516 has posted more than 190 fabricated stories since August 2023, including a viral video linking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Jeffrey Epstein that alone drew 2.9 million views. The campaign, spread through the X...
Seven Free AI-Powered Transcription Tools for Journalists
Seven AI‑powered transcription services targeting journalists have been compiled, each offering a free tier that eliminates manual note‑taking. Riverside stands out with unlimited free transcription and no sign‑up, while Good Tape grants three 30‑minute transcriptions per month. Otter.ai supplies 300...
ENCO Introduces AI-Driven Video Ad Creation Platform
ENCO unveiled SPOTai, an AI‑driven platform that creates 1080p video advertisements from simple text prompts, expanding its SPECai technology beyond audio sales tools. The system guides users through brand setup, then generates fully edited video ads ready for TV, digital,...
Nielsen Integrates Triton Digital Data, Spotify’s Q1 Report, & More
Nielsen has integrated Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ data into its Media Impact (NMI) planning platform and launched Predictive Sales Lift, a tool that forecasts sales lift for incremental video ads. Spotify reported Q1 2026 premium subscribers up 9% to...
The End Is Near: Adobe Partners With Anthropic to Allow for Agentic AI Creation
Adobe announced a partnership with Anthropic to launch the “Adobe for creativity connector,” letting Claude, Anthropic’s LLM, orchestrate multi‑step workflows across more than 50 Creative Cloud apps. The integration enables users to generate assets, edit photos, vectors, and reformat video...
Braves Say New TV Network Is on Pace to Beat Old RSN Revenue
The Atlanta Braves launched their own regional sports network, BravesVision, in February after cutting ties with Main Street Sports. Team president Derek Schiller says the venture is already on track to equal or exceed the $188.6 million broadcasting revenue the club...
Twitch Drops clips.twitch.tv, Shows Username on New Clips
Twitch appears to have retired the clips.twitch.tv/ linking system. New clips now feature the creator's username. Old clips are automatically redirected to this system.
Why ‘Euphoria’ Creator Sam Levinson Had to Reshoot Episode 3’s Shocking Climax
Sam Levinson revealed that the original shoot of Euphoria Season 3, Episode 3’s wedding‑night climax felt too much like a generic action sequence, prompting a full reshoot. Working with cinematographer Marcell Rév, they re‑imagined the scene to align with the season’s deliberate...
Is Film and TV Production in Los Angeles Starting to Turn the Corner?
Los Angeles film and TV production is showing early signs of recovery after a steep decline, driven by California's expanded tax‑credit program. FilmLA reported a 10% increase in shoot days in Q1 2026, with feature filming surging 52% year‑over‑year while TV...
Can Media Companies Ever Claw Back Advertising Revenue From Big Tech?
Publishers have long hoped that better targeting and programmatic tools could reclaim ad dollars siphoned by Google, Meta and now Amazon. Rick Erwin, CEO of Adstra, argues that the dominant platforms’ advantage stems from far superior, unified consumer data and...
Jemaine Clement and Nicola Walker Ask If You Can Date Your Best Friend’s Daughter in Disney+ Canneseries Winner ‘Alice and...
Disney+ drama "Alice and Steve" swept the 2026 Canneseries awards, taking Best Series, a Special Interpretation prize for its ensemble, and a Student Award. The show follows best friends Alice (Nicola Walker) and Steve (Jemaine Clement) as Steve begins a...
The Trade Desk’s Jeff Green Tells Agencies ‘We Want to Help’ After Months of Tension
The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green addressed ad agencies at Possible 2026, acknowledging the mounting margin pressure they face from tighter budgets, AI adoption, and a more complex media supply chain. He emphasized that agencies are being squeezed as money is...
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Suffers A Major Viewership Drop
Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again season 2 recorded a sharp viewership decline, with Luminate Data reporting only 4.5 million views and 10.8 million hours watched across the first five episodes. Compared with season 1’s 8.3 million views and 24 million hours in the same period, the series...
Disney to Share ‘Cars: Lightning Racers’ and Other First Looks at Annecy
Disney Television Animation is using the Annecy Festival (June 21‑27) to unveil first looks at three upcoming Disney+ series. The preschool‑focused "Cars: Lightning Racers," slated for a 2027 Disney Jr. debut, will be featured in the festival’s Work‑In‑Progress program. "The Doomies," a...
“Like Nailing Jell-O to a Wall”: Why Unions Are Struggling to Protect Journalists’ Rights in the Age of AI
Journalists at ProPublica walked off the job for 24 hours, marking the first U.S. newsroom strike centered on artificial‑intelligence safeguards. Similar actions unfolded in Italy, where the main journalists’ union called a two‑day strike over AI policy gaps, and at...
'Euphoria' Showrunner Sam Levinson & Cinematographer Marcell Rev
In this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast, creator Sam Levinson and cinematographer Marcel Rev discuss the visual evolution of HBO’s “Euphoria” as it enters its third season. They explain how they shifted from a subjective, memory‑like digital aesthetic to...
Influencers Aren't Optional Anymore - They Are Critical to Any Good Media Plan
Influencer marketing has shifted from a peripheral add‑on to the backbone of modern social media plans. With 61% of consumers trusting creator recommendations more than brands, algorithms now favor influencer content, making it the most effective tool for reach, persuasion,...
DJ Vlad & Aries Spears Go Back And Forth Online Amid Pay Dispute
DJ Vlad’s YouTube channel VladTV is embroiled in a new pay dispute, this time with comedian‑actor Aries Spears, following a similar controversy with rapper Boosie Badazz. Spears claims he is under‑compensated for his appearances, while Vlad argues his videos generate far...
A New BookTok Bestseller List
Media Control and TikTok have introduced the United Kingdom’s first official BookTok bestseller list, merging NielsenIQ BookData sales figures with TikTok engagement metrics. The inaugural March 2026 ranking is topped by Rachel Reid’s *Heated Rivalry*, while Irish romance writer Chloe...
FTC and States Target Alleged Collusion in Digital Ad Agency Market
The Federal Trade Commission, together with a coalition of state attorneys general, filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging that major digital‑advertising agencies coordinated pricing, placement and information‑sharing practices. The complaint targets the intermediary ad‑agency layer, expanding enforcement beyond dominant platforms like...
StoriesIG: How Anonymous Instagram Story Viewers Are Reshaping Social Media Privacy in 2026
StoriesIG, a free browser‑based tool, lets users watch public Instagram Stories, Highlights and Reels without logging in, keeping the viewer invisible to the account owner. The service routes requests through a proxy, eliminating the need for Instagram credentials and supporting...
Threads Offers Deeper Local Community Over Global Reach
Early day, post a lot at Twitter/X and it was fun. A lot engagement, global audience. But recently active in Threads. A lot local community , more word per post, I like the algo. So far so good for m....
Life‑stage Moments Drive Purchase Intent More than Age
Interesting new Meta study 👀 The largest behavioral gaps Meta found aren't between generations —they're between lifestages Someone going through a key lifestage (eg graduating, getting married, having a baby) shows up to 26 percentage points higher purchase intent than someone who...
LinkedIn Expands Event Ads Beyond Its Own Platform
LinkedIn has launched Off‑Platform Event Ads, letting marketers promote events with ads that direct users to external webinar, landing page or livestream URLs instead of a native LinkedIn Event page. The format retains LinkedIn’s targeting options while sending clicks to...
KNX Switches 97.1 FM From News to Sports Talk
Audacy's KNX will replace news on 97.1 FM with a sports talk format https://t.co/ERm8bVGs3R @latimes
Tempo Basketball's Canadian TV Deal Details Expected This Week
Here's viewership info on tomorrow's game. Some of you asked about this: From everything I've heard, I would expect info/details about @TempoBasketball 's Canadian TV deals to come out very soon and I'll predict this week.
What Your Podcast Trailer Is Actually Supposed to Do
Many podcasters simply lift a highlight from an existing episode and label it a trailer, but that approach leaves new listeners clueless about the show’s purpose. Liam Austin argues that a podcast trailer should be a scripted, stand‑alone introduction that...
Official Update Confirms Far Cry TV Series Is Coming
Highly Anticipated 'Far Cry' TV Adaptation Gets the Official Update Fans Have Been Waiting For [Exclusive] https://t.co/Kl5XBHylbR
Nexstar's Antitrust Timing Raises Questions on Power Flex
Not sure why I am not allowed to reply to @brianstelter post, but I think Nexstar/Tegna and Sinclair silence has more to do with pending antitrust case. Is this really the time for Nexstar to flex and demonstrate its power...
PSG v Bayern Munich Live Stream, TV Channel – Where to Watch Champions League on Tv Today
Paris Saint‑Germain host Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi‑final first leg on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, with a 20:00 BST kickoff at the Parc des Princes. The match will be streamed live in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. PSG arrive after...
Treat Customer Service Replies as Guide, Not Proof
lol to his point i will say that using the customer service replies as a source is not great. on its own it is flimsy as a journalistic source. like using police scanners for reporting crime, use it as a...
MSN Removed My Content, Causing 90% View Drop
“Within 24 hours, my views on MSN dropped by 90 percent. My articles were no longer highlighted on MSN pages; you couldn’t find them even if you were one of the 7,000 people who elected to follow me on the...
NASCAR Family Drama ‘Godspeed’ In Works At Amazon From Joe Pokaski, Scott Stuber & Sugar23; Writers Room Underway
Amazon is developing “Godspeed,” a one‑hour NASCAR family drama created by Underground co‑creator Joe Pokaski and produced by Scott Stuber’s United Artists alongside Michael Sugar’s Sugar23. A writers’ room is already active, and the series could begin principal photography in...
FCC Summons Disney for Early License Renewal, Cites Public Interest
FLASH: The FCC is officially calling in Disney's broadcast licenses for early renewal, citing the public interest standard and "the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination."
How to Embed HBO Max or Netflix Into Frames
Awesome. Now, how can I plug in @hbomax or @netflix into one of those frames?
Cyle Zezo Used To Run Unscripted At The CW, Now He Wants Reality Producers To Protect The Climate
Cyle Zezo, former head of unscripted at The CW, founded Reality of Change in 2023 to embed sustainability in reality television. The company has unveiled new climate‑storytelling guidelines and launched the Create the Conditions program to help producers integrate environmental...
Media Timing Limits: Print Delays, TV Edits Explained
Going to leave this here for the uninitiated and performatively naive, since there's been some especially dumb conspiratorial thinking on this platform of late: +Print newspapers can't include late events of previous evening. +Television interviews are always edited for time.
Journalists Legally Entitled to Prompt Pay, No Late Fees
PSA for my fellow journalists — you’re entitled by law to timely payment and it's illegal in many states for you to be penalized for invoicing with a late fee. https://t.co/Gmtjt77QdV
Sneak Preview: Creating Lean-In Engagement With Personalized, Next-Gen Sports Streaming Experiences
On May 13, Chris Pfaff moderated a Streaming Media Connect panel titled “Fans Forward: Creating Lean‑In Engagement With Personalized, Next‑Gen Sports Streaming Experiences.” The discussion featured leaders from Tiledmedia, Team Whistle (DAZN), Bulldog DM and Play Anywhere, who examined AI‑driven commentary, multiview...
Paid Campaign Amplifies Manosphere Influencer’s Controversial Videos
New: Manosphere influencer Clavicular is everywhere, and that’s not an accident. A paid marketing campaign is spreading video clips of his controversial antics across social media. https://t.co/OcCDvGVASn
When Authentic Writing Gets Mistaken for AI
RT @VoxOptima My op-ed was flagged as AI. It wasn’t. What happens when good writing is called AI? ~ Jennifer Farr | https://t.co/oqLK6bbZtZ @prdaily "As AI tools become more popular, the expectation to avoid publishing content written by AI has increased...
Monte-Carlo TV Festival To Open With ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 3; Ester Expósito & Matthew Broome Set For...
The 65th Monte‑Carlo TV Festival will open with the first two episodes of season 3 of AMC’s *The Walking Dead: Dead City*. Spanish actress Ester Expósito and British actor Matthew Broome will receive the International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent. The event also...
‘The House of the Spirits’ Returns a Beloved Book to Its Origins
Amazon Prime Video is debuting "The House of the Spirits," the first Spanish-language screen adaptation of Isabel Allende’s 1982 novel. The series, shot entirely in Chile, stars Mexican actor Alfonso Herrera alongside Nicole Wallace and Dolores Fonzi, with Allende serving...
Ted Lasso Season 4 Debuts Aug 5 on Apple TV
Season 4 of #TedLasso will premiere on #AppleTV on Wednesday, August 5. Subsequent episodes will drop weekly. #Apple #streaming $AAPL $CMCSA $WBD