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.
Cord Cutting Today: Big Changes Could Hit Free OTA TV as Roku Expands and Netflix Eyes More NFL Games
Cord‑cutters face a shifting landscape as major broadcasters consider moving local ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC stations from free over‑the‑air (OTA) channels to 6G wireless spectrum, while Roku expands its ecosystem with a new interactive video game for TVs and players. Netflix signals a deeper foray into live sports by pursuing additional NFL game rights, and a yet‑unnamed streaming service plans a subscription price increase in May 2026. These moves underscore heightened competition among streaming platforms, broadcasters, and emerging wireless technologies.
Triad Video Mailbag for April 25
The Bulwark’s Triad channel will release a video Q&A on Friday, April 25, after recording Thursday night. Host JVL invites readers to submit any questions in the post’s comment section, with an up‑vote system to surface the most popular topics....
How Native CTV Is Solving the Channel’s Attention Problem
The NewFronts highlighted a shift in connected‑TV advertising toward performance, with native CTV emerging as a key format. By embedding ads into the smart‑TV home screen, brands reach viewers during the 10.5‑minute browsing window before content selection, turning attention into...
Batch and Schedule Posts with Trending Audio—Options Exist
You can still batch and scheudle your content that requires trending audio or music... you do have options
TripleLift Unveils TL Spark, AI‑Driven Layer for Outcome‑Based Ads
TripleLift announced TL Spark, an intelligence layer that stitches together supply, creative, audience data and measurement to power outcome‑driven programmatic buying. The launch arrives as AI‑powered ad spend is projected to hit $57 billion this year, and two‑thirds of buyers say...
IPL 2026 Ad Race Sees Digital-First Categories Dominate CTV
The IPL 2026 advertising landscape shows a stark split between Connected TV (CTV) and Linear TV. Digital‑first categories such as e‑commerce media, entertainment and social platforms captured 35% of CTV ad volume, while traditional mouth fresheners led Linear TV with...
BookCon Highlights Publishing's Author‑Indie Consumer Shift
This year's BookCon definitely underlines one of the greatest transformations in book publishing in the last 10 years. It is more author-driven, indie-driven, and consumer-driven than ever before. BookCon can succeed and grow; the industry-facing BookExpo remains as dead as...
'American Idol' Finalists Hard-Launch Their Relationship
Season 24 of American Idol saw finalists Brooks Rosser and Rae Boyd publicly confirm their romance during the April 20 live episode, effectively hard‑launching a new power couple on the show. The 22‑year‑old Baltimore singer and the 24‑year‑old from Frederick had...
Maxine Peake's "Powerful" Historical Drama Lands New UK Streaming Home
Mike Leigh’s 2018 historical drama *Peterloo*, starring Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear, has been re‑added to Prime Video’s UK catalogue. The film dramatizes the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, a pivotal moment in the fight for parliamentary reform and expanded voting rights....
PBS in Minneapolis Is Taking Over Control of a Smaller PBS Station, Likely a Sign of Things to Come
Twin Cities PBS (TPT) has taken operational control of Austin‑based KSMQ Public Television through a no‑cost asset transfer that took effect on April 14. The agreement lets TPT manage daily operations while preserving KSMQ’s local identity and service to the Rochester‑Austin...
Netflix Drops ‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2 Trailer
Netflix unveiled the official trailer for Season 2 of its animated adaptation of Capcom’s Devil May Cry, slated to debut on May 12. The new season pits Dante against his estranged twin Vergil, deepening the series’ family‑drama and supernatural conflict. Creator Adi Shankar promises a...
‘The Creative Is Coming Out of the Internet’: What This Year’s Webby Winners Say About Advertising
The 2026 Webby Awards highlighted a shift in advertising where creative originates on the internet rather than being imposed on it. Winners showcased AI‑enhanced campaigns, from a Dr Pepper jingle generated online to the “death of Duo” stunt, and blended digital...
2026 Tribeca Festival TV Lineup Announced: Season Two Premieres of ‘Adults,’ ‘X-Men ’97’ and More
The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, announced its 2026 television and podcast slate, running June 3‑14 in New York. Highlights include world premieres of FX’s *Adults* season two, Disney+’s *X‑MEN ’97* season two, and Netflix’s final season of *Survival of the...
New Programmatic 'Transparency' Initiative Excludes Advertisers
The IAB Tech Lab announced a new Programmatic Governance Council aimed at boosting transparency in the roughly $200 billion U.S. programmatic advertising market. The council brings together agencies, publishers and platforms such as Dentsu, Omnicom, Disney, Amazon Ads and The Trade...
YouTube Expands Its AI Likeness Detection Technology to Celebrities
YouTube announced that its AI‑driven likeness detection system, originally tested with a limited creator group, is now available to the entertainment sector. The tool works like Content ID, scanning uploaded videos for AI‑generated faces that match enrolled celebrities, talent agencies...
IAB Tech Lab Launches Programmatic Governance Council
IAB Tech Lab announced the creation of a Programmatic Governance Council, bringing together leading agencies, publishers, and ad‑tech platforms such as Dentsu, Disney, Amazon Ads, and The Trade Desk. The council targets the roughly $200 billion U.S. programmatic advertising market, which...
The AI Content Flood Isn’t Just an Information Problem — It’s a Trust Problem
By 2026, roughly 90% of online content will be AI‑generated, and existing detection tools fail more than half the time. Research shows readers rate AI‑written material as equally credible, often finding it clearer and more engaging than human prose. This...
800 Pound Gorilla Goes Direct-to-Fan with a Comedy Streamer
800 Pound Gorilla Media is launching Gorilla Comedy+, a dedicated comedy streaming service featuring over 250 stand‑up specials from names like Patton Oswalt and Pete Holmes. The platform, built with Cineverse’s AI‑powered Matchpoint technology, will debut on May 5 with a...
Rockstar Games Co-Founder Dan Houser Unveils Cast of His Sprawling ‘Absurdaverse’ Video Game-TV Series Franchise; First Animated Shorts to Premiere...
Rockstar co‑founder Dan Houser announced the first voice cast for his new “Absurdaverse” franchise, a comedy‑satire universe that will span an untitled animated series and a AAA open‑world video game. The initial lineup—Rachel Dratch, Dan Soder, Ari Matti, Annie Lederman,...
Terence and Rachel Winter Team With Bizaar Studios for Animated Series (Exclusive)
Emmy‑winning writer Terence Winter and Oscar‑nominated producer Rachel Winter are developing an adult animated series titled "Nouvelle" with the year‑old Bizaar Studios. The show, inspired by Jacob Tomsky’s memoir "Heads in Beds," follows the staff and guests of a luxury...
The Involuntary Bankers: 3 Survival Strategies for French Producers Facing the 2026 TV Crisis
At the New French Fiction conference in Paris, consultant Jérôme Dutoit warned that French film and television producers will face a severe financing crunch by 2026 as traditional broadcasters shrink and streaming platforms dominate. He outlined three survival strategies: expanding...
Trench Warfare Meets Steampunk: BBC Snaps Up Canal+ WWI Drama "The Sentinels"
The BBC has bought the UK broadcast rights to Canal+’s ambitious World War I drama "The Sentinels," a series that fuses trench warfare with steampunk aesthetics. The eight‑part production, backed by a €70 million (≈$75 million) budget, follows a squad of super‑soldiers navigating...
Adobe and Speechmatics Deliver Cloud-Grade Speech Recognition On-Device for Premiere
Adobe Premiere now offers on‑device speech‑to‑text powered by Speechmatics, delivering accuracy within 5% of cloud models while keeping audio local. The new model processes an hour of audio in roughly 55 seconds and supports Windows, macOS, and a range of...
The Great Hijacking: Unions Slam "Vulgar" Parliamentary Probe Into French Public TV
France’s largest union coalition has denounced a four‑month parliamentary inquiry into the country’s public‑TV system as a "vulgar" political witch hunt. The unions argue the probe, launched by lawmakers, will be hijacked to shield right‑wing media magnates from accountability. They...
Good Pressure Points to Have in the Run-Up to Your Book Launch
The newsletter expands the concept of "pressure points" in a book launch, highlighting stressors that are actually positive signals of demand. It explains that spikes in pre‑orders, media inquiries, and social buzz indicate a campaign is gaining traction. By reframing...
MCD Closes
Farrar, Straus & Giroux announced the closure of its MCD imprint, citing financial realities. Publisher Sean McDonald will depart on April 15, and MCD titles will be absorbed by FSG in the fall, with paperbacks moving to Picador. The imprint...
Five Ways for Publishers to Attract and Retain High-Value Audiences
Q5’s latest report outlines five practical steps for publishers to attract and retain high‑value audiences. It stresses that journalism alone isn’t enough; commercial, product, and editorial teams must collaborate within organized structures. Senior leaders need a shared vision, transparent trade‑off...
The Makers of Playdate, the Console-with-a-Crank, Will No Longer Accept Games Created with Generative AI
Panic Inc., the maker of the Playdate handheld console, announced that any new games using generative AI for art, audio, music, text, or dialogue will be rejected from its Catalog store. The ban excludes custom‑written functions such as enemy AI,...
'Always On' Isn't Broken -- The Way We Use It Is
The article argues that today’s “always on” advertising has devolved into a blanket, budget‑draining approach that treats every audience as constantly receptive. It calls for a shift from a channel‑centric mindset to a behavior‑centric one, activating each medium only when...
StackAdapt Brings Campaign Intelligence Into Claude with MCP Server Launch
StackAdapt announced the general availability of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, which injects the platform’s campaign intelligence directly into AI tools such as Claude. The server lets advertisers query performance, creative status, and audience results in natural language without...
Multiviews on Live Sports Streaming at NAB 2026
At NAB 2026 the streaming industry zeroed in on live sports, with multiview solutions emerging as the centerpiece for delivering seamless, low‑latency experiences across devices. Executives highlighted the massive mobile‑first audience—India alone has 650 million streaming smartphones—prompting vendors to prioritize short‑form highlights...
Belle Époque Noir: "Paris Police 1910" Battles Global Giants with French Funding
Belle Époque Noir’s third instalment, Paris Police 1910, debuts on April 27, wrapping Fabien Nury’s acclaimed trilogy set in gritty Belle Époque Paris. The series is financed primarily through French public‑media grants, roughly €5 million (about $5.4 million). Its producers position the high‑budget historical drama as...
We're Getting Hit with Patel's Hangover
Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official, filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic, alleging the outlet’s report on his alleged alcoholism damaged his reputation. In a televised interview with Maria Bartiromo, Patel pivoted to claim that arrests related to...
Oprah To Receive Cannes LionHeart Award At This Creative Festival
Oprah Winfrey will be honored as the 2026 Cannes LionHeart, recognizing her decades‑long influence on culture and media. She will deliver a keynote on June 23 at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and receive the award that evening. The Lions...
3 New Ways Ads Advisor Is Making Google Ads Safer and Faster
Google Ads is rolling out three AI‑driven safety upgrades in its Ads Advisor tool. The platform will now proactively flag complex policy violations and guide advertisers through fixes, monitor accounts 24/7 with personalized security recommendations, and automate certification processes using...
NBC, Amazon Make Crucial Scorebug Errors in NBA Postseason
NBC and Amazon Prime Video each displayed incorrect timeout information on their NBA scorebugs during the 2024 postseason. NBC’s bug showed a Knicks timeout that didn’t exist in a Game 2 loss to Atlanta, while Amazon’s feed indicated a Miami...
OpenAI Turns on Cost-per-Click Ads Inside ChatGPT
OpenAI has activated cost‑per‑click (CPC) advertising inside ChatGPT, allowing marketers to bid $3‑$5 per click. The move follows a rapid decline in CPM rates, which fell from $60 to $25 per thousand impressions within ten weeks. By shifting to a...
Mediterráneo Takes Its Hit Series to Content Europe
Spanish production house Mediterráneo used this week’s Content Europe in Lisbon to launch its latest slate for the European market. The lineup includes the sci‑fi thriller *Point Nemo*, the equine‑drama *Pure Blood*, the talent‑agency comedy *Call My Agent*, the military...
Gregg Bell Returns to KJR-AM, Seattle
Sports media veteran Gregg Bell is rejoining iHeartMedia’s KJR Sports Radio in Seattle as the host of a new weekday show from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The program, titled “The Gregg Bell Show with Christopher Kidd,” follows the recent departure of...
Atresmedia Sales Takes Its Original Dramas to Content Europe
Atresmedia Sales showcased its original Spanish drama slate at Content Europe in Lisbon, unveiling titles such as The Maid’s Daughters, The Girl, Dreams of Freedom, Father There Is Only One, and Between Lands. The Maid’s Daughters is an eight‑episode period...
Aaron Miller Named DOS at CMG Tampa
Aaron Miller has been appointed director of sales for Cox Media Group’s Tampa station group, which includes talk outlet WHPT‑FM “102.5 The Bone” and five music brands. Miller returns to CMG after serving as senior vice president and market manager...
TALKERS Books Announces Publication of Playing the Clip: The Digital Media Creator’s Legal Guide to Fair Use
TALKERS Books has released *Playing the Clip: The Digital Media Creator’s Legal Guide to Fair Use*, authored by media attorney Matthew B. Harrison. The book codifies the “Play the Clip” technique—presenting source audio or video rather than merely describing it—and...
Pivot Podcast Clinches Third Consecutive Webby for Business
For third year in a row, @pivotpodcastofficial wins Webby for Best Business Podcat. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 🕺🕺🕺
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Brands Want To Know How Well Their Affiliate Content Is Performing In The AI Age
Adobe and other brands are struggling to attribute performance in AI‑driven search results. Partnerize’s VantagePoint, a generative‑AI attribution platform launched in 2025, promises to identify which affiliate content drives traffic and conversions. The new Influence Compensation Lighthouse Program ties the...
Hollywood’s Deepfake Stance: Complex, Not Purely Opposed
I think people automatically assume that Hollywood is anti-deepfake, but as I found out when reporting this story, the view is actually much more complex: "I know it’s not great, but it’s also exciting, because that means that there’s a...
Media Dumbing Down Silences Intelligent Voices
When I always say the dumbing down of uk media is jarring when you go back and see it. People can no longer publicly be smart in case it offends the stupid.
Brands Want To Know How Well Their Affiliate Content Is Performing In The AI Age
Adobe is turning to Partnerize’s VantagePoint generative‑AI attribution platform to solve the attribution blind spot created by AI‑driven search. The solution, now enhanced with the Influence Compensation Lighthouse Program, assigns influence scores (HaloIndex) beyond last‑click and automates publisher payouts. Brands...
Digital “Public Sphere” Is Private, Pyramid‑shaped.
"Today, what people confuse for a digital public sphere is neither open nor clearly delineated — it’s largely private and entangled. What we see is less a sphere than a pyramid." @bigblackjacobin https://t.co/yAu1akVbmE
Cinematic Feel Makes ‘Survivor’ Built to Last
The NAB Show honored CBS’s "Survivor" with the Spirit of Broadcasting Award, marking its 50‑season legacy and spotlighting the show’s shift toward a more cinematic production style. Host Jeff Probst, who became showrunner in 2010, explained how upgraded cameras and...