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:
‘The Great American Baking Show: Season 4’ Debuts on Roku Channel May 11
The Great American Baking Show returns for its fourth season, debuting on The Roku Channel on May 11, 2026. Hosted by Andrew Rannells and Casey Wilson, the series pits eight amateur bakers against themed challenges judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The season consists of six 60‑minute episodes that showcase a range of pastries, breads, and desserts. Previous seasons are already available on Roku, expanding the platform’s original culinary lineup.
The Fight Sounds in ‘Beef’ Season 2 Bloom Like a Bruise
Netflix’s drama “Beef” returns for a second season with a meticulously crafted soundscape that amplifies the series’ escalating conflicts. Supervising sound editor Christopher Gomez, re‑recording mixers Penny Harold and Andrew Lange, and effects editor Jerry Lafuente layered ADR, pitch‑shifted Foley,...
Inbound Is Dead; Focus on AI‑resistant Traffic Moats
The term INBOUND is now considered POISON. ☠️ HubSpot changed their flagship conference name from INBOUND to UNBOUND -- what does that tell you about where SEO is going? Think about how many meetings were called. How many hours of...
FCC Threatens to Revoke Montana FM’s License
The FCC’s Media Bureau has opened a revocation proceeding against 100.9 KBOQ (FM) in southwest Montana after its owner, Southwest Montana Media, failed to pay approximately $6,750 in delinquent regulatory fees, administrative costs, and penalties. The unpaid balances span fees from 2019...
NewsGuard Academy: How Trusted Brands Inadvertently Fund Misinformation Sites
In this NewsGuard Academy episode, host Sophia Rupenson explains how programmatic advertising can unintentionally funnel billions of dollars to sites that spread false health claims, even when reputable brands and government agencies never intend to support them. She cites a...
Gen V Canceled After Two Seasons / Dutton Ranch Creator Ousted Ahead of Premiere / HBO Docuseries to Tackle the...
Amazon Prime Video announced that the YA spinoff *Gen V* will end after two seasons, even as the broader *The Boys* universe pivots to a new series, *Vought Rising*, slated for 2027. The cancellation comes amid mixed ratings and a...
Live with Mike Pesca
Ethan Strauss hosted a live video podcast with veteran journalist Mike Pesca, focusing on the craft of writing and the challenges facing writers today. The episode aired on Strauss’s Substack platform and featured a Q&A segment that allowed listeners to...
Get Spotify's Student Discount and Hulu for Just $6 a Month - Here's How
Spotify is offering a bundled student plan that combines Spotify Premium and Hulu with Ads for $6.99 per month, a steep discount from the regular $12.99 and $7.99 rates. The deal is available to students enrolled at U.S. Title IV‑accredited colleges...
Farmer Wants a Wife: Season Four Ratings
Season 4 of FOX’s dating reality series *Farmer Wants a Wife* returned with a revamped format featuring three bachelors seeking deeper connections. Nielsen’s final ratings, which include live, same‑day and DVR viewing, will be the primary metric for the show’s future....
Tampa Bay Rowdies Land First-Ever Radio Deal With Beasley
The Tampa Bay Rowdies have secured their first-ever radio broadcast partnership for the 2026 season with Florida Alumni Radio 1100 (WJBR‑AM) and Beasley Media Group, extending coverage to 92.1 and 103.1 FM in South Florida. The deal adds a dedicated audio...
Pokémon Kids TV Shares "Show Me Your Face" Video
The Pokémon Company is intensifying its focus on the Pokémon Kids TV YouTube channel, releasing a new music video titled “Show Me Your Face.” The short clip encourages preschoolers to sing and mimic five basic emotions, providing both entertainment and...
Nick Wright Sounds Off on Off-Air Beefs, On-Air Chemistry, and Emmy Nom
Fox Sports 1’s daily show First Things First, anchored by Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes, received its first Sports Emmy nomination for Best Sports Studio Show, competing against four ESPN programs. Wright praised the on‑air chemistry that he...
Wright State’s WWSU Wins a Telos Alliance Omnia.11
Wright State University’s student‑run station WWSU has been awarded a Telos Alliance Omnia.11 FM+HD audio processor. The award was secured by student engineer and general manager Larkin Smith, who detailed the station’s need for modern processing after its previous equipment...
NAB Thinks It’s Time for AM Boosters
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) released a study showing that up to 80% of U.S. AM stations could improve signal quality with single‑frequency boosters. The engineering analysis mapped coverage contours for all 4,355 AM facilities and highlighted stations like...
Taboola Strengthens Agentic Across Open Web Advertising
Taboola launched Realize+, a rebuilt, agentic AI advertising platform that automates campaign strategy, budget allocation and creative generation. The system debuted with an AI‑generated YouTube ad and introduces tools like the Budget Allocator and Element Generator to shift spend in...
Beyond The Social Silo: Navigating Meta's New Location Fees
Meta will start billing advertisers a 2%‑5% digital services tax (DST) fee in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Austria and Turkey beginning July 1. The charge is added on top of ad spend, shifting a cost Meta previously absorbed onto marketers....
Turkey Introduces Social Media Bans For Teens
Turkey's parliament passed a bill banning users under 15 from major social‑media platforms, requiring age verification via the e‑Devlet portal and a local representative for foreign services. The law, set to roll out over nine months, follows similar restrictions in...
Computable Meaning and Computable Information
The author outlines three modern information eras—analog, digitization, and generative AI—arguing that while digitization created a universal syntactic layer, GenAI introduces a semantic layer that makes meaning computable. This shift transforms the information economy by enabling machines to process, create,...
3 Otherworldly Prime Video Shows to Watch This Weekend (April 24 - 26)
Prime Video highlights three sci‑fi/fantasy series—The Magicians, Humans, and The Winter King—as must‑watch titles for the April 24‑26 weekend. The Magicians delivers five seasons of dark fantasy, Humans adapts the award‑winning Swedish drama to explore AI ethics, and The Winter King...
Advertising As A Service: The New Agency Compensation Model?
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) announced the retirement of CEO Bob Liodice and EVP Bill Duggan, prompting reflection on the industry’s compensation models. The author contrasts traditional billable‑hour and value‑based pricing with the emerging "Agency as a Service" (AaaS)...
Washington Post Editorials Reveal Republican Bias on Gerrymandering
The Washington Post editorial board has a Republican bias problem, and these two gerrymandering editorials make it impossible to ignore. https://www.readtpa.com/p/the-freakout-and-the-abyss
Sunderland v Nottingham Forest Live Stream, TV Channel – Where to Watch Football on Tv Today
Sunderland host Nottingham Forest on 24 April 2026 at 20:00 BST, broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. The Black Cats have defied relegation expectations, sitting comfortably in mid‑table after a strong home record. Forest arrive on the...
Dancing with the Stars: Season 35; ABC Competition Series Renewed for 2026-27
ABC has officially renewed Dancing with the Stars for a 35th cycle slated for the 2026‑27 TV season. The 34th season, which concluded in November, delivered a 1.34 rating in the 18‑49 demo and attracted 6.49 million viewers, marking an 83%...
Analysts: Non-Sports Programming Is Becoming `Irrelevant’ to Broadcast TV Viewership
Analysts at LightShed Partners argue that non‑sports programming has become virtually irrelevant to broadcast TV, citing a 75% drop in primetime viewership over the past 20 years while NFL audiences have risen more than 30%. They note that NFL games...
Google Ads Demand Gen Campaigns Hit by Review Delays
Google Ads is experiencing unusually long review times for Demand Gen campaigns, with some ads remaining in "in review" status for more than seven days. The delays appear isolated to Demand Gen, as Search and Performance Max campaigns continue to...
The Neighbourhood: Where Was Graham Norton's New Show Filmed?
ITV’s new reality competition, *The Neighbourhood*, is fronted by Graham Norton and pits six households against each other for a £250,000 prize (about $310,000). The series runs 11 episodes, with contestants living on a purpose‑built street where neighbours vote on...
Yellowstone's Forgotten Dinosaur Bones Storyline Explained By Luke Grimes
Luke Grimes revealed that Yellowstone’s dinosaur‑bones subplot was deliberately cut from the Season 2 finale due to studio and network notes. The original plan had Kayce chasing the bone thief across train routes, a storyline that would have taken the narrative...
YouTube on Mobile Makes Livestream Ads Way Less Annoying, but There's a Caveat
YouTube is rolling out side‑by‑side livestream ads on mobile after testing them on desktop and TV. The new format places a video ad in the lower half of the screen while the livestream remains visible above, eliminating visual gaps during...
AI Powers Artists to Secure Their First 1,000 Fans
How AI helps artists find their first 1,000 fans. SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton explains how the “First Fans” product works.
IHeartMedia Makes Exclusive Deal with Citizen Skull
Citizen Skull Productions has inked a multi‑year developmental agreement with iHeartMedia, granting the podcast giant first‑look rights on all of the studio’s scripted projects. The partnership targets premium sci‑fi and horror audio series, with the inaugural title “Prodigal” slated for...
The 4 Streaming Services I Swear by - and My Bill Is Just $40 a Month
Jada Jones outlines a personal streaming lineup—Apple Music, YouTube Premium Lite, Peacock, and Netflix’s ad‑supported plan—that keeps her monthly entertainment bill near $40, far below the industry average of $71 for four services and the $122 typical cable bill. She...
A Licensee, Also An Ex-Licensee, Ordered By FCC To Pay Up
Southwest Montana Media, which holds an AM station in Lima, Montana, has been ordered by the Federal Communications Commission to pay outstanding regulatory fees. The company also previously owned a deleted FM translator in Butte and a former station in...
Press Flak Jackets Have Become Targets in War Zones Warns Christina Lamb
Sunday Times foreign correspondent Christina Lamb warned that journalists are increasingly being singled out in war zones, citing the death of Lebanese reporter Amal Khalil, who was killed while wearing a blue press flak jacket. She called for an independent...
BookScan Numbers Mislead: Not Equal to Sales or Royalties
I wrote a quick explainer post on BookScan vs. book sales vs. royalty statements. (Pivoting off the Lindy West discourse). Plus, a little publishing gossip… https://countercraft.substack.com/p/why-bookscan-is-different-from-book
Pentagon Accused of Silencing Congressional‑Backed Ombudsman
Stars and Stripes Ombudsman: The Pentagon is trying to silence me and to destroy editorial independence of the publication. The job was created by Congress. The paper's independence is enshrined in law. Read more: https://t.co/TewtQserCc
Marc Jacobs Teams with Rachel Sennott for Pre‑Fall 2026 Social‑First Micro‑Drama
Marc Jacobs has partnered with actress‑writer Rachel Sennott to produce a three‑minute micro‑drama titled “The Scene,” debuting on the brand’s new Question Marc platform for its pre‑Fall 2026 collection. The move marks a deliberate pivot from traditional runway and print ads to...
Wuthering Heights Streams on HBO Max After 77‑day Window
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of #WutheringHeights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will begin #streaming on #HBOMax on Friday, May 1. Its linear television premiere will be the following day on #HBO. That’s a 77-day window between US-wide theatrical release and SVOD....
Twitter Must Stay
Twitter needs to be Twitter and stop trying to be every other social app, just shittier
TikTok Is Testing an AI 'Remix' Feature, but You Can Opt Out
TikTok is piloting an AI "Remix" tool that lets viewers generate custom images from a creator's video using generative AI. The feature is currently experimental and limited to a small group of users, with no guaranteed full rollout. Creators can...
Pearlena Igbokwe: Pilots Return, Co-Viewing Boosts Platforms
LISTEN: NBCUniversal’s Pearlena Igbokwe on the Return of Pilots, the Value of Co-Viewing, and Leveraging Broadcast and Streaming Platforms https://t.co/MS3GNvpuOW via @variety
Find Verified Experts in Under 3 Minutes—Free
Journalists: how long does it take you to find a verified expert source? SourceVault™ finds one in under 3 minutes. → Verified quotes, ready to use → AI visibility score for each source → Interview questions pre-written → Outreach draft included Free. Built for deadline pressure. https://t.co/XySPnqbt2Q
Netflix’s ‘Beef’ Season 2 Viewership Slumps 58% From Debut Season
Netflix’s anthology series ‘Beef’ saw its second season debut with 2.4 million views and 14.1 million hours streamed in the first week, landing at #10 on the platform’s Top 10 list. That represents roughly a 58% decline in both views and hours compared...
Exploring Whether History Was Truly Less Violent
Is It True That... the Past Was Less Violent? - Watch the full documentary (but not in the US, unfortunately - seems to be Europe-only). | ARTE in English https://t.co/yxWj1xlBBx
Automation Will Dominate Marketing, but Sales Still Need Humans
I think in distribution, we will get to a point where you can pretty much automate Ads, SEO, and content building more generally speaking. But I think closing for sales will still require human rapport for a long time.
Weber Shandwick's AI Guru Moves to FGS Global
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how brands manage media, reputation, and content creation, from automated monitoring to predictive crisis modeling. In response, communications firms are building dedicated AI advisory practices to help clients translate technology into strategic advantage. FGS Global’s...
Publishers and Authors Clash Over AI‑Generated Text as $1.5 B Anthropic Settlement Fuels Debate
Hachette’s cancellation of the horror novel “Shy Girl” after AI‑authorship allegations and Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement with authors have intensified a dispute between writers and publishers over AI‑generated content. The conflict pits detection tools that flag false positives against authors demanding...
Summer House Reunion Audio Leak Shows Ciara Calling Out ‘Snake’ Amanda for Being West’s ‘Side B—H’
An alleged audio recording from the *Summer House* Season 10 reunion was posted on Instagram, prompting Bravo to launch a formal investigation into the leak. The clip captures a heated exchange in which Ciara Miller calls Amanda Batula a “snake” for...
Lock In 3 Months of Apple TV for Free: Why Walmart’s Onn Google TV Devices Are Perfect for Your Spring...
Walmart is bundling up to three months of Apple TV+ at no charge with purchases of its onn Google TV streaming sticks. The devices range from a $19.88 Full HD model to a $44.73 4K Pro version, all featuring Google TV, voice control and, on...
Attention, Please: TVision Deal Enhances Connected TV Measurement
xpln.ai has entered a strategic partnership with TVision to integrate the latter's person‑level attention data into its Connected TV (CTV) modeling platform. The collaboration transforms granular, second‑by‑second viewer engagement signals into scalable, predictive models that can be applied across linear...
Podcasts Power Your Content Ecosystem and Repurpose Everywhere
Insightful: A #podcast can be central to your content ecosystem for 2 reasons. First, you can host a powerful content program with recurring shows, industry guests, and authority-building through video. Second, you can use the podcast to feed all your other content formats...