Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions top 2.2 bn, revenue eclipses pay‑TV
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, overtaking pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit in 2026 as operators shift focus from acquiring new users to monetising existing ones.
Cathy Newman Steps Into Primetime with New Sky News Flagship Show
Sky News is launching a new primetime programme, The Cathy Newman Show, which debuts on 27 April at 7 pm and runs Monday‑Thursday. The show blends political interviews, investigations and debate, and will also stream live on YouTube as part of Sky’s digital‑first push. Newman says the format will feel “less performative, more podcast,” favoring longer, forensic‑but‑friendly conversations over rapid‑fire questioning. A companion podcast and longer‑form documentaries are planned for later in 2026.
NAB Show: AI in Action — What Radio Must Know Now
At the NAB Show, broadcasters warned that AI can boost radio efficiency while creating legal pitfalls. Lenawee Broadcasting president Julie Koen highlighted competitors stealing content and urged stations to enforce guardrails. Attorney David Oxenford stressed that AI‑generated verbatim copy can trigger copyright...
Chicago News Legend Faces Life without CBS News
Audacy’s Chicago news stations WBBM‑AM and WCFS‑FM will lose the CBS top‑of‑hour news feed in May 2026, ending a partnership that many of the nation’s 700 affiliates have long respected. Station brand manager Craig Schwalb says the company is weighing...
Mike McVay to Receive MIW Honor
Mike McVay, president of McVay Media, was honored with the 3rd Annual MIW Erica Farber Impact Award on April 20 at the MIW Lipstick & Lobster Dinner in New York. The award, presented by Erica Farber, recognizes individuals who drive...
Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (4/21)
Talkers' daily roundup highlighted five stories dominating news/talk radio on April 21. President Trump announced an extension of the cease‑fire while the Strait of Hormuz blockade remained in place, and the Senate held the Warsh FCC confirmation hearing. Virginia voters approved...
Arkansas TV Receives Three-Year, $3M Pledge to Keep PBS in State
An anonymous donor has pledged a three‑year, $3 million challenge grant to Arkansas TV, contingent on the network retaining its PBS membership and the foundation matching each dollar with other contributions. The grant provides $1 million per year, helping cover the roughly...
Everybody Knows But Me: A New Sitcom-Style Narrative Series Unravels a Family’s Secret
Everybody Knows But Me, a dark‑comedy narrative podcast, launches on April 22, 2026, produced by Next Chapter Podcasts and Companion. Hosted by comedian Holly Anabel Brown, the series explores her family’s hidden twin brothers through sitcom‑style reenactments and personal interviews....
Heartstopper Forever Sets July Release Date as Netflix Unveils First BTS Image
Netflix announced that the Heartstopper series will conclude with the feature‑length film *Heartstopper Forever* on July 17, 2026. The reveal, timed with the show’s fourth anniversary, included the first behind‑the‑scenes image and a retrospective video. The movie will follow Nick and Charlie as...
X Makes It More Expensive to Post Links Through Its API
X has raised the cost of posting links through its API from $0.01 to $0.20 and increased the general post fee to $0.15 per tweet. The price hike is presented as a measure against spam and misuse. Publications such as...
Thinking Through the Legal and Ethical Issues Raised by Kash Patel’s Libel Case Against The Atlantic
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million libel suit against The Atlantic, alleging the magazine’s reporting on his alleged drinking and misconduct is false. The case pivots on the "actual malice" standard that public officials must meet to win...
Veronica Roth Celebrates 15 Years of 'Divergent' And Announces Two New Novels
Veronica Roth commemorated the 15th anniversary of her YA hit Divergent at BookCon, unveiling an adult thriller, Seek the Traitor’s Son (May 12), and a return to the Divergent world with The Sixth Faction, the first of a new duology...
Bones Lawsuit Claims Fox Underpaid Creators and Stars in Low‑ball Hulu Deal
The creators and lead actors of Fox’s long‑running series Bones allege the studio sold the show to Hulu for a fraction of its worth, cutting their profit share. The lawsuit, settled in 2019, highlights ongoing compensation disputes in the television...
YouTube Launches Live Test of AI Tools to Auto‑Create Video Ads
YouTube has started a live test of a generative AI feature inside its Shorts composer that lets advertisers type a brief description and receive a ready‑to‑run video ad. The tool, built on Google DeepMind’s Veo model, aims to speed up...
Pangram Labs Flags Pope’s AI Warnings as AI‑generated, Sparking Verification Debate
Pangram Labs' AI detection Chrome extension flagged three consecutive posts from the Vatican’s @Pontifex X account as AI‑generated, despite the Pope’s known advocacy on digital ethics. The claim, backed by the tool’s 99.98% accuracy rate, intensifies scrutiny over AI‑crafted misinformation...
Ruth Wilson's "Impressive" British Drama Will Be Removed From BBC iPlayer Very Soon
British drama *True Things*, starring Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke, will disappear from BBC iPlayer in just under three weeks, with a final deadline of May 12, 2024. The 2021 film, directed by Harry Wootliff and adapted from Deborah Kay Davies’ 2010 novel, follows...
Video Podcast Users Rise, YouTube Leads
Video podcast consumption is accelerating, with 62% of all podcast listeners tuning in on YouTube and 80% of the 160 million U.S. podcast audience regularly watching video versions. Spotify now commands a 45% share of the overall podcast market, while YouTube...
Introducing the Video & TV Advertising Buyer’s Guide 2026
VideoWeek has released the inaugural Video & TV Advertising Buyer’s Guide 2026, available as a free download. The guide tackles the escalating complexity of video advertising, from fragmented channel mixes to brand‑safety concerns, and offers practical solutions for buy‑side professionals....
Unity And Index Exchange Unite Behind Gaming Data In Non-Gaming Channels
Unity and Index Exchange announced an integration that makes Unity’s in‑game audience data available for targeting on CTV, mobile web and other non‑gaming channels. The partnership pairs Unity’s behavioral insights with Index’s curated Marketplace deals, allowing advertisers to reach gamers...
ESPN Opens NBA Playoffs with Most-Watched Playoff Game of Opening Weekend
ESPN kicked off the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 22 with the most‑watched opening‑weekend game, as the Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on ABC, averaging 5.2 million viewers and peaking at 6.4 million. Studio shows performed strongly, with Inside the...
Amazon Music Partners with Bandsintown for Concert Listings
Amazon Music announced a partnership with live‑event platform Bandsintown to embed concert listings directly within its streaming app. The integration, called Bandsintown for Artists, lets users view upcoming shows on artist pages and purchase tickets through Bandsintown. Amazon Music will...
Snap Map’s New ‘Place Loyalty’ Badges Will Show the Spots You Visit Most Often
Snapchat has launched a "Place Loyalty" feature on Snap Map that ranks users by how often they visit a location over the past year. Users in the top 25% see a badge, with gold for the top 1%, silver for...
Threads’ Algorithm Makes Old Posts Feel Freshly Missed
Open Threads & I see a banger post before I realize it’s from 2 days ago & I totally missed it. The algo here makes you feel simultaneously late to the party & somehow also there. Just me? I’m not really...
DAZN to Keep Belgian Pro League Coverage
DAZN announced it will continue broadcasting the Belgian Pro League until the end of the 2026‑27 season, despite earlier attempts to walk away from the five‑year deal. The streaming service faced a Brussels court hearing where its lawyers confirmed the...
The Measurement Blind Spot
The article highlights a fundamental flaw in audio‑visual (AV) planning: reliance on measurement systems that don’t reflect how audiences actually consume content. YouTube’s recent withdrawal from the UK’s BARB ratings underscores the growing gap between linear TV’s well‑tracked metrics and...
I’m Growing on Instagram After 10 Years — Here’s What I‘m Doing Differently
After a spontaneous cross‑post, a LinkedIn video garnered 110,000 views on Instagram, prompting the author to pivot from a Threads growth experiment to an Instagram‑focused Proof of Concept. The creator, who has maintained a personal Instagram account since 2016, now...
Publicis Groupe Acquires UK Social Agency Fabric Social
Publicis Groupe has acquired UK‑based social‑first agency Fabric Social for an undisclosed sum, making it the flagship social agency within Publicis’ UK PR, social and influencer division. Fabric, founded in 2021, employs over 110 staff and reported roughly £13 million (about...
Does AI Actually Reward Quality Content?
The article questions whether high‑quality, original content reliably drives better rankings in both Google search and AI‑generated answers. A small study of B2B SaaS queries scored URLs on originality, depth, and insight, finding a weak but positive link between original...
‘If the World only Remembers Our World Cup Sponsorship, We've Failed’: Lenovo’s Fifa Play
Lenovo has signed a multi‑year partnership with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, positioning the deal as a technology platform rather than a traditional media buy. Jeff Shafer, the company’s global executive, says the goal is to embed Lenovo’s AI,...
From a Facebook Page to a Billion-Strong Audience: How LADbible Outgrew Its Origins
LADbible launched in 2012 as a Facebook page for young men and now claims a cross‑platform audience approaching one billion. The company has built a multi‑brand portfolio—including SPORTbible, GAMINGbible, Tyla and acquisitions like UNILAD—driven by an audience‑first feedback loop. Over the...
Quiet Luxury Dominates Taiwan Influencer Marketing as Tod’s, Bottega Veneta, and Loro Piana Lead Q1 2026
Kolr’s Brand Aura Index shows Tod’s, Bottega Veneta and Loro Piana leading Taiwan’s luxury influencer marketing in Q1 2026, while YSL Beauty tops the beauty segment. The rankings draw on more than 6 billion data points across Facebook, YouTube, X, Threads, Instagram and TikTok,...
Partner with GEOs to Curb AI Spam, Boost Ad Adoption
I hope they work with those GEO partners to reel in risky or spammy tactics to game AI search. :) This can be a good thing. Also several mentions of advertising in AI... So maybe working with those GEO partners...
DOJ Probes Sports Streaming Pricing Competition and Bidding
Antitrust attorney Charlie Beller hints at what DOJ is looking at in its probe of sports moving to streaming. "The key antitrust question is whether the process by which those prices are set remains competitive. Are multiple parties able to...
Social-First Creative Agency Uncovered Taps Ex-Coolr Exec Katie Fieldman to Head New Influence Division
Uncovered, a social‑first creative agency, has created a new Influence Division called “Uncovered Influence” and appointed former Coolr executive Katie Fieldman as its Director. The division will provide both standalone and integrated creator‑strategy services across the influencer ecosystem. Fieldman brings...
One Prompt, 30 Editable Assets—No Photoshop Needed
GPT Image 2 just dropped on ChatGPT. Everyone's hammering it for single images. I ran it inside @lovart_ai instead. The workflow isn't on the same planet. One prompt. 30 campaign assets. Editable text layers. Zero Photoshop. Here's what happened 🧵 https://t.co/iTxSgC27L9
What Is ‘Premium Content’ on Naval Technology?
Naval Technology has introduced a free "Premium Content" tier that requires users to register before accessing deeper analysis, data‑driven features, and exclusive reports sourced from GlobalData. The gated model is designed to protect intellectual property, capture readership data, and enhance...
The Global Ideas Exchange
Substack announced the rollout of automatic translation for Notes, letting English pieces be rendered into 15 languages and allowing content written in over 100 languages to be translated into English. The company says the feature will expand to full posts...
NAB Show 2026: TVC Soho Selects EditShare High-Performance NVMe Storage to Support Resolve Finishing Workflows
EditShare announced that London‑based post‑production house TVC Soho will deploy its Ultimate EFS NVMe storage platform to power a new DaVinci Resolve finishing environment. The rollout includes a 128 TB Ultimate EFS NVMe system paired with a 192 TB Ultimate EFS‑310 for scalable,...
Local News Is Essential to Civic Discourse — and Its Future Depends on Proving It
Local news is a cornerstone of healthy civic discourse, yet its value is often measured only by reach. The American Press Institute argues that civic signals—participation, contribution, connection, and action—better capture a newsroom’s impact on community decision‑making. To address this...
Designing a Creator Compensation Strategy That Drives Performance and Retention: Lessons by Obviously
Influencer marketing has evolved from simple one‑off payments to sophisticated compensation frameworks that prioritize retention and performance. Leading agencies now use tiered models—flat fee plus retainer, performance‑based bonuses, and affiliate commissions—tailored to long‑term brand goals. The shift is driven by...
When Congress Pulled the Plug on Public Radio, A Billionaire Wrote an $80 Million Check
Congress withdrew federal support for NPR and PBS, creating an immediate funding shortfall. In response, philanthropist Connie Ballmer pledged an $80 million donation, the largest ever from a living donor to NPR. An anonymous benefactor contributed an additional $33 million, bringing the...
How Nestlé’s US CMO Keeps Tabs on Changing Consumer Tastes
Nestlé USA’s chief marketing and innovation officer Vicki Felker is steering the food giant into new at‑home categories, debuting Minor’s Kitchen sauces for pantry use and expanding frozen‑food offerings. The company is leveraging AI‑powered consumer segmentation and rapid‑testing tools to...
Execs Spot Issues, Miss the Right Fixes
This reminds me of a Bill Hader story where he says that when an executive points out that something needs to be fixed in a show, they're almost always right, but their specific advice for fixing it is almost always...
Harpo Might
DogShirt Daily’s latest issue curates a series of Lawfare analyses that examine emerging legal frontiers—from a gambling‑related warrant that could broaden immigration enforcement to AI chatbot liability under a modern Tarasoff doctrine. The newsletter also highlights Russia’s UAV collaboration with...
Toon2Tango Drives the Expansion of Agent 203 with Its First Feature Film
Toon2Tango is turning its globally‑distributed Agent 203 animated series into a feature film slated for a 2027 release. The spy‑fi comedy, co‑produced with Spanish and German studios, will extend the franchise’s reach beyond television into cinemas. Directed by Damjan Mitrevski and...
Best AI Agents for Influencer Marketing in 2026
Influencer marketing is transitioning from manual, fragmented tools to autonomous AI agents that can manage the entire campaign lifecycle. A 2026 benchmark shows 36.7% of marketers already use AI for creator discovery, with smaller shares applying it to content generation...
USA Sports Announces 2026 WNBA on USA Network Schedule, Highlighted by Wednesday Night Doubleheaders, Marquee Matchups and 2026 WNBA Finals...
USA Sports unveiled the 2026 WNBA schedule on USA Network, launching with a Mother’s Day opener featuring A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces against the Los Angeles Sparks. The season is anchored by weekly Wednesday‑night doubleheaders, showcasing marquee matchups...
Comment: Should AI Be Used to Design Adverts?
The article debates AI’s role in advertising, weighing creative benefits against environmental and ethical concerns. It cites a UK government report forecasting AI‑driven water use to jump from 1.1 bn to 6.6 bn cubic metres by 2027, and highlights mixed consumer reactions...
Day 3: The 7-Figure Email List With Less Than 4,000 Subscribers
Growth In Reverse highlighted how Dustin Riechmann turned a sub‑4,000‑subscriber email list into a seven‑figure business by leveraging podcast guest appearances. He targets “shoulder‑topic” podcasts, fills content gaps, and uses long‑form interviews to pre‑warm listeners before they reach his opt‑in...
NBC Sports' Manchester City-Arsenal Is Most-Watched Premier League Match in U.S. History
NBC Sports reported that Manchester City’s 2‑1 victory over Arsenal on April 19, 2026 became the most‑watched Premier League match in U.S. history, averaging 2.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Sports Digital. This marks the second time this...
ESPN, ABC Announce 2026 WNBA Regular Season Schedule
ESPN and ABC unveiled the 2026 WNBA regular‑season schedule, a 30‑game slate that coincides with the league’s 30th anniversary. The announcement kicks off a new 11‑year media‑rights partnership extending through 2036, featuring expanded coverage on ESPN, ABC, Disney+ and ESPN Deportes....