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.
TV Azteca to Bring Dolby Atmos to Free-To-Air TV in Mexico
Dolby Laboratories and Mexico’s TV Azteca have agreed to deliver Dolby Atmos immersive audio over existing ATSC 1.0 free‑to‑air transmissions. The rollout, announced at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, will bring three‑dimensional sound to millions of households without requiring new broadcast standards. Partners Imagine Communications and Ateme will provide the necessary encoding and distribution technology. The initiative targets live sports, promising a cinema‑like audio experience for OTA viewers.
Design Shows for Clipability, Harvest Millions of Views
TBPN is a 7k-live-viewer pod that sold to OpenAI for $200M because their average clip gets 257k views. Everyone's talking about the strategy. Here's the structure: 1. Format is engineered for clippability, not the other way around 3 hours/day, live, 5 days a...
TikTok's Emerging Ad Formats Now Covered By Zefr
Zefr is extending its AI‑powered brand safety, suitability, viewability, and invalid‑traffic measurement to TikTok’s Search, Smart+ and TikTok Lite ad formats. The new integration lets advertisers verify safety across TikTok Search Feed, Search Results and automated traffic campaigns. It also...
The Doctor Will Post You Now
Physicians face a growing dilemma as patients turn to TikTok, chatbots and other digital platforms to evaluate and choose their providers. Without a visible online presence, doctors risk becoming financially invisible to algorithm‑driven search tools. Existing professional standards, such as...
THE CHEAP SEATS Returns Tonight as 10’s Comedy Standout
Network 10 launches the sixth season of "The Cheap Seats" on Tuesday, 21 April at 8:40 pm. Hosted by Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald, the news‑based comedy revisits off‑beat headlines and cultural quirks, with Mel Tracina returning as Cultural Correspondent. The series,...
TikTok's AI Is Secretly Stealing Your Content
Since Oracle co‑founder Larry Ellison took a controlling stake in TikTok, the platform quietly launched an AI remix feature that automatically grants it rights to alter and repurpose user videos. At the same time, a wave of fake accounts has...
CLARKSON’S FARM Season 5 Set for June Return
Jeremy Clarkson’s farming reality series returns to Amazon Prime Video with Season 5, slated to debut on June 3, 2026. The eight‑episode run will be released in three batches across June, following a staggered drop schedule. The new season follows Clarkson and his...
HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION? Back for Season 14 on 10
The Australian news‑quiz show "Have You Been Paying Attention?" returns for its 14th season on Channel 10, premiering Monday, 4 May at 8:40 pm. Hosted by Tom Gleisner, the series brings back regular panellists Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang, while rotating comedians join...
SUNRISE Kicks Off All-Day ANZAC Tribute on Seven Network
The Seven Network will deliver an all‑day ANZAC Day broadcast beginning at 4:20 am AEST on Saturday, 25 April, starting with a live Sunrise segment from the North Bondi RSL dawn service. The schedule expands through midday with 7NEWS covering Gallipoli and...
Is Sam Pang Ready for GLENN & MICK’S CELEBRITY INTERVENTION?
Sam Pang is the focus of the latest episode of Channel 7’s comedy‑reality series Glenn & Mick’s Celebrity Intervention. The duo of Glenn Robbins and Mick Molloy, joined by co‑host Lawrence Mooney, put Pang’s acting choices and wardrobe under scrutiny. Guest appearances...
Fire TVs to Gain Adaptive Display Option to Increase Text and Menu Size
Amazon announced that its Fire TV lineup will receive a new Adaptive Display accessibility feature in the coming months. The option enlarges text, menus, and on‑screen content, using intelligent scaling that boosts smaller fonts more than larger ones to preserve...
Pacific Drug Probe Deepens in Part Two on FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
The ABC’s Foreign Correspondent aired a second‑part investigation revealing that the Pacific is morphing into a major drug‑smuggling corridor. Reporters traced cartel tactics from South America to the Solomon Islands, where narco‑subs ferry massive cocaine loads. In Tonga, the episode...
ISED Inquired About ‘Opt-Out Mechanism’ for AI-Generated News Summaries on Tech Platforms
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has asked what a fair opt‑out mechanism would look like for AI‑generated news summaries on platforms such as Google’s AI Overviews. News publishers argue these summaries siphon traffic, with up to 60%...
Our Longing for Inconvenience
In a New Yorker essay, poet Hanif Abdurraqib argues that relentless digital convenience erodes the richness of experiences that arise from friction. He highlights how on‑demand streaming, instant shopping, and dating apps compress moments that once required patience and effort....
The MPA's Wins Against ByteDance Are Real. They May Not Last.
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) secured a de‑facto ban on ByteDance’s AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, preventing its rollout in the United States. The agreement obliges the Chinese firm to filter copyrighted material, embed attribution watermarks, and cooperate with industry‑led monitoring....
Mass Effect TV Series Writer Claims They Were ‘Caught Off Guard’ by Rewrite Rumors
Prime Video’s upcoming *Mass Effect* series is in active development, with screenwriter Daniel Casey—known for *F9* and *10 Cloverfield Lane*—leading the script. A report from The Ankler claimed the show was being rewritten to appeal to non‑gamers, sparking fan concern. Casey responded...
China’s Top Streaming Site Under Fire Over AI Actor ‘Database’
China's leading streaming platform iQIYI unveiled Nadou Pro, a tool that connects AI creators with actors willing to license their digital likenesses. More than 100 Chinese celebrities have signed up for the new "artist database," sparking a social media firestorm...
Radio’s Problem Isn’t Relevance, It’s the Balance Sheet
Radio isn’t dying; its biggest challenge is balance‑sheet strain. Companies such as Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media, Audacy and iHeartMedia are letting licenses lapse because debt, bloated overhead, or loss of local relevance make stations unprofitable. The author argues the root...
The Internet Archive Makes 758 Classic PC Gamer Demo Discs Available to the Public
The Internet Archive has uploaded a collection of 758 classic PC Gamer demo discs, covering titles from the 1990s and early 2000s. The archive includes popular games such as Soldier of Fortune, Left 4 Dead, Need for Speed: High Stakes, and...
Where To Watch Last Year’s Oscar Contenders On TV This Year
The 2025 Oscar season’s top nominees—including Elle Fanning, Jacob Elordi, Kate Hudson, Chase Infiniti and Oscar Isaac—have swiftly resurfaced on streaming television. Their new series and season returns arrive just weeks after the Oscars, positioning them for potential Emmy consideration....
The New Roku City Screensaver Game Has Me Hooked - and It's Free to Play
Roku introduced Roku City Dash, a free, remote‑controlled game embedded in the Roku TV home screen. The title lets users pilot a spaceship through the iconic Roku City screensaver, with gameplay that mirrors the Flappy Bird craze and speeds up...
Deezer Says 44% of New Music Uploads Are AI-Generated, Most Streams Are Fraudulent
Deezer reports that AI‑generated tracks now account for 44% of all new uploads, roughly 75,000 songs daily. Its proprietary detection system flags AI content with a false‑positive rate under 0.01%, preventing those tracks from appearing in recommendations. Despite the volume,...
Wayvia Launches Shoppable Next Generation
Wayvia unveiled Shoppable Next Generation, an AI‑powered shoppable media platform that links every marketing touchpoint—display ads, social posts, email—to a real‑time purchase path. The solution surfaces live pricing and inventory from both physical and online retailers, and feeds confirmed sales...
How Advertisers Are Thinking About Meta’s Affiliate Tool Rollout
Meta unveiled a suite of creator‑focused affiliate and checkout tools at Shoptalk, extending shoppable Reels on Instagram and product‑tagging on Facebook. The affiliate program, backed by partners such as Amazon, eBay, Temu, Shopee and Mercado Libre, lets creators earn commissions...
Placeholder Partners and Frictionmaxxing Fatigue
The After School Monday Edition outlines a wave of cultural and marketing shifts, from Coachella brand activations now topping tens of millions of dollars to AI‑generated influencers flooding festival feeds. It flags the rise of “frictionmaxxing,” a luxury‑focused experience model,...
Artemis II Unites Global Audience Through YouTube Live
When @NASA's Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific, they not only completed a 10-day historic mission, but also captured the world’s imagination and united a global community on @YouTube. Over the course of their journey, NASA's official YouTube broadcast...
Mass Effect Show Writer Denies It’s Being Rewritten For ‘Non-Gamers’
Writer and executive producer Daniel Casey publicly refuted a report that Amazon’s upcoming Mass Effect TV series is being rewritten for “non‑gamers.” He said the quote originated elsewhere and was never communicated to the show’s creative team. The series is...
TikTok Pediatrician Shares S.E.R.E.N.E. Framework for Toddler Tantrums
Pediatrician Dr. Mona posted a TikTok video that breaks down toddler tantrums and introduces the S.E.R.E.N.E. framework. The short clip stresses consistency, emotional validation, and parental calm as the core levers for reducing meltdowns. The doctor also points parents to...
Filmmaker’s Five‑Second Drone Clip Unveils Iceland’s Hidden Canyon
A veteran adventure filmmaker released a five‑second drone clip that captures a little‑known canyon deep in Iceland’s Highlands. The brief reveal shows basalt cliffs, a turquoise river and dozens of waterfalls, underscoring the technical skill required to film in such...
MGM+ Launches 'From' Season 4, Sets Stage for Final Season
MGM+ debuted the fourth season of its horror mystery series 'From' on Sunday, April 19, 2026, delivering ten weekly episodes. The launch coincides with a confirmed renewal for a fifth and final season, underscoring the network’s long‑term commitment to the...
AI Mode's Side‑by‑side View Could Boost Publisher Traffic
Good to know that AI Mode's new display (opens the page side-by-side with AI Mode) includes Scroll-to-Text highlighting (which is better for analysis in GA4, rank tracking tools, etc.) ALSO this is likely a hot take but I don't think this...
Netflix Targets $3 Billion in Ad Revenue by 2026, Accelerating Shift to Streaming Ads
Netflix announced that its ad-supported tier is on track to generate $3 billion in advertising revenue by 2026, roughly twice the 2025 figure. The projection follows a Q1 where total revenue rose 16.2% YoY to $12.25 billion and the platform added 70%...
Scheduling Posts Doesn't Hurt Reach—Stop Believing the Myth
The "I won't schedule my content becuase it decreases reach" conversation is one I'm tired of having... ... but I'm having it again because I keep seeing people stay stuck behind this idea.
Choose Creation Over Regurgitation in the Tweet Era
In this new media world you’re either a tweet writer or a tweet reader A creator or a regurgitator
The Most Valuable Asset Class Is Disinformation
The post reframes disinformation as a for‑profit industry with a classic supply chain: costly newsroom producers, cheap content creators, powerful buyers such as fossil‑fuel and tobacco firms, and digital platforms that auction audience attention. It highlights the collapse of newsroom...
FT Raises 2026 Buyout Cap to £120k for One Year
news: The FT is offering buyouts. Pay determined by length of service. However, "for this year only, we have agreement to lift the cap on individual payments in 2026 from £100,000 to £120,000."
Riz Ahmed's “Bait” Targets 21 Emmy Categories Including Limited Series
Riz Ahmed’s ‘Bait’ Plans 21 Category Emmys Campaign, Including Limited Series (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/Lk88rl6PSK via @variety
MFF & CO Developing Cinematic Universe Based on ‘Possible,’ William Ury’s Best-Selling Guide to Conflict Resolution (EXCLUSIVE)
International studio MFF & CO has secured the rights to William Ury’s bestseller “Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict.” The company will build a cinematic universe centered on a fictional anthropologist‑negotiator who operates in volatile geopolitical hotspots....
Silicon Valley's Endless Short‑form Video Is Dying
Congrats, Silicon Valley, you built an infinite Jerry Springer machine and no one wants to use it anymore because it makes them look like Jerry Springer. Me on the inevitable death of "clipping" and, probably, the entire short-form video industry. https://t.co/JcKYLDTFR2...
The Onion to Acquire Infowars, Turn It Into Self‑Parody
The Onion Says It Has a Deal to Take Over Alex Jones’ Infowars, Plans to Relaunch It as Parody of Itself https://t.co/Pfn8DMMOGx via @variety
If Comments Are the New Frontline, How Is Your Brand Showing Up?
AI is becoming the frontline of social media engagement, with brands like Warner Bros. Discovery deploying AI to filter low‑value comments and beauty and CPG leaders using AI to discover where conversations happen. Teams aim to answer comments and DMs within 24 hours,...
New Role Switcher Makes Product Shipping 100x Faster
We just made shipping a great product 100x easier @ngrushkovsky just shipped a plan / role switcher I can quickly impersonate any account on any tier with any role Ideal for quickly reviewing paywalls and feature access #buildinpublic https://t.co/rQaGV92TGl
AI Leadership Meets FIRE Principles on DisrupTV
On Friday 11 AM PT @DisrupTVShow interviews Joseph Kim, President and CEO DRUID AI, and Paul McCarthy, author of The F.I.R.E.D. Leader https://t.co/Z6ceWPWeKR @ValaAfshar @rwang0 #DisrupTV
Bots Account for 37% of Web Traffic, Redefine Analytics
Web traffic metrics increasingly hide a structural distortion. Malicious bots generate 37% of activity, so marketing analytics, ad spend and cybersecurity baselines must be recalibrated because a growing share of “users” is no longer human. Source @StatistaCharts via @antgrasso https://t.co/kfAwyiqWYw
The Onion to Rebrand Infowars as Comedy Site
SCOOP with @NYTLiz: The Onion has a new plan to take over Infowars. It has entered into an agreement to license the Infowars brand and plans to operate it as a comedy site. A Texas judge must approve the deal. https://t.co/YYPmqDHvnv
Elisabeth Moss Secures Guest Actress Emmy Nod for ‘The Testaments’
Elisabeth Moss Wins Emmys Petition, Will Compete as Guest Actress for ‘The Testaments’ After Reprising ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Role (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/2w48rqQPmW via @variety
Snapchat's Growth Hacking Sparks DAU and Engagement Concerns
⚡️ Snapchat Growth Hacking Raises Concerns on DAUs/Engagement ⚡️ $SNAP Ever since becoming a public company, Evan Spiegel, Snap’s Co-Founder, has been critical of growth hacking... https://t.co/cUVqO01ZFu
Back in Athens, Discussing Music Journalism at Ohio MIS
It was amazing to be back in Athens for @ohio_mis last week. I was privileged to conduct keynote interviews with @nabilayers and @ilovelucius and join a panel on the state of music journalism with @anniezaleski and Marcus J. Moore. Thanks to Josh...
Amazon Prime Video to Stream All Six NBA Playoff Games Thursday‑Friday
Amazon Prime Video is scheduled to have all six NBA playoff games this Thursday & Friday. https://t.co/OQK3tw5f0L
Lower ROAS Enables Scalable, Profitable Meta Campaigns
The ideal situation is to have the lowest ROAS possible on Meta while scaling and being “profitable” The higher you need that ROAS to be, the harder scaling becomes.