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.
ATX TV Festival Sets Lineup for Inaugural Indie TV Pilot Competition, Adds Indie-Focused Programming
The ATX Television Festival announced its inaugural Indie TV Pilot Competition and Showcase, slated for May 28‑31, 2026 in Austin. The program will screen independently produced pilots that lack worldwide distribution, with a judging panel of industry creatives selecting a winner for the scripted category. Additional panels will explore indie‑series success stories, including a conversation with Netflix‑picked comedy “Everyone Is Doing Great.” Strategic advisor Mark Duplass and crowdfunding platform Seed&Spark back the initiative, signaling a push to make ATX a marketplace for indie television.
“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” Becomes A Hit For Disney+
Disney+ launched the animated series “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” this month, set after The Clone Wars and following Darth Maul’s quest to rebuild his syndicate. The debut episode attracted 4.1 million global views within seven days, making it the...
YouTube Is Ditching ‘Clips,’ Officially Brings ‘Share at Timestamp’ to Phones
YouTube is retiring the user‑generated Clips feature, keeping existing clips viewable but ending the ability to create new ones. At the same time, the platform is rolling out a universal “share at timestamp” option on its mobile apps, allowing anyone...
An Emerging Ecosystem for Blind Audio Professionals ↦
Andrew Leland’s new Transom piece spotlights the growing ecosystem supporting blind and visually‑impaired audio journalists. He highlights that Pro Tools on macOS remains the industry‑standard, and blind engineers like Michelle Guadalupe Felix Garcia co‑founded the Audio Accessibility Alliance to push for inclusive tools....
“Pausing” Radio Stations
Townsquare Media has shut down 103.9 KKAM in Lubbock, Texas, joining a wave of AM and low‑performing FM stations being silenced across the industry. Recent divestitures by Townsquare, Cumulus, Audacy and iHeartMedia include license returns, nominal‑price sales and outright surrender of...
Brands Shift to Advocacy-Driven Creator Partnerships
I chatted with @gilliannivy for @adage on why we’re seeing a lot of brands launch more advocacy based creator programs.
As LPTV Market Evolves, Winemiller Readies For Focused Growth
The FCC has enacted its first major low‑power television (LPTV) rule changes in over four decades, allowing broadcasters to relocate facilities, resolve interference and expand coverage. Jeff Winemiller, owner of Lowcountry 34 Media, has filed more than 250 applications and plans to...
The PR Spend Transparency Study
The 2026 PR Spend Transparency Study reveals that global public‑relations budgets hit roughly $30 billion in 2025, marking an 8% year‑over‑year increase. Only 42% of agencies reported full client spend, highlighting a persistent opacity gap. Mid‑size firms are adopting spend‑transparency platforms...
Google Deepens AI Integration Across Ads and Search with Gemini Enforcement and AI Mode Expansion
Google’s 2025 Ads Safety Report shows Gemini‑powered AI blocked 8.3 billion ads, a jump from 5.1 billion the year before, and halted over 99% of policy‑violating ads before they reached users. The enforcement model now focuses on individual ads rather than whole...
Comments, Not Feed Posts, Drive Brand Impact
Harsh but true: Your brand feed posts don't matter. The comments do. “It’s not just about posting cadence and chasing follower growth. The best social media teams are optimizing their resources and time to live in the comments” Lessons from Social Media...
No Pitch, No Performance: Inside the Creator Event That Outran Its Own Venue at SXSW
Manychat reimagined its SXSW 2026 activation as a six‑hour, pitch‑free experience called “Creator Hub | Club,” drawing over 850 attendees and a line of 1,200 RSVPs. The event was divided into “The Hub,” an audience‑driven AMA and round‑table discussions, and...
Don’t Let Big Tech Hide Behind a Rainbow Flag
Lennon Torres, a trans woman, argues that Big Tech uses LGBTQ+ youth as a shield against regulation, citing recent lawsuits that held platforms liable for teen harm. Internal Meta documents reveal the "Accounts You May Follow" tool recommended millions of...
Townsquare and KSE Announces Digital Marketing Deal
Townsquare Media and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) announced a digital marketing partnership that will integrate Townsquare Ignite’s data‑driven platform into KSE’s radio assets. The collaboration allows KSE to scale its digital advertising offerings while leveraging Townsquare’s proven performance‑based solutions....
Talk Radio Mile Markers
Therapist Pamela Garber calls on talk‑radio hosts to feature mental‑health professionals more frequently, arguing that the relentless news cycle fuels widespread anxiety, fear, and confusion among listeners. She likens brief expert segments to "mile markers" in a marathon, offering timely...
Microsoft Previews 2026 NAB Show Trends, Plans
Microsoft is rebranding its media role at the 2026 NAB Show, shifting from a silent enterprise backbone to a software‑defined broadcasting leader. The company will showcase AI‑driven production tools, including Copilot’s agent‑to‑agent workflows, and emphasize its Azure‑based security stack for...
Week of April 6 Cable News Ratings: Artemis II Coverage Lifts Cable Nets
Cable‑news ratings for the week of April 6, 2026 showed a sharp lift for CNN after its live Artemis II moon‑flight coverage, making it the top network in the Adults 25‑54 demo during primetime. Fox News retained overall primetime dominance, drawing 3.05 million total viewers...
Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (April 13-17)
According to TALKERS, the week of April 13‑17 saw talk‑radio listeners gravitate toward ten high‑profile stories, with the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict and a series of Trump‑related controversies topping the chart. Other prominent topics included the looming expiration of the FISA‑702 surveillance authority,...
Distribution Is Just Sales in a Different Voice
Distribution and sales are not different departments. They're the same conversation at different distances. Every piece of content is either moving someone toward a decision or away from one. There's no neutral. The cold emails that get replies don't sound like cold emails. The content...
Asif Kapadia to Direct 70 Up, Last Chapter of Influential ITV Documentary Series
Asif Kapadia has been appointed to direct the concluding chapter of ITV's landmark documentary series *Up*, titled *70 Up*, which will air later this year. The series, launched in 1964, follows a cohort of Britons at seven‑year intervals and was voted...
Bluesky Outage: Coordinated Traffic Attack Causes Widespread Errors
Bluesky experienced a coordinated distributed denial‑of‑service (DDoS) attack that began early Thursday, April 17, 2026, and stretched into a second day. The flood of traffic crippled core functions such as feeds, notifications, threads, search and the Discover section, producing rate‑limit...
DStv Drops Premium Paywall on Fifa World Cup in Canal+-Era Shift
SuperSport will air all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches on every DStv tier, including the entry‑level Access package priced at R99 (~$5) per month. The move, announced under Canal+ ownership, marks a strategic shift away from using premium sport...
Netflix Founder Reed Hastings Exits Board After Launching Animation’s Streaming Era
Netflix co‑founder Reed Hastings announced he will leave the company’s board in June, ending almost three decades at the helm. During his tenure he transformed Netflix from a DVD‑mail service into a global streaming leader and made animation a core...
Week of April 6 Evening News Ratings: WNT Stays on Top
ABC World News Tonight (WNT) remained the most‑watched evening newscast in the United States for the week of April 6, drawing 8.42 million total viewers and 1.07 million adults 25‑54. NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News saw flat or declining numbers, with...
Horizon Takes Top Spot in April Global Media League Pushing Out Starcom
Horizon Media surged to the top of the April global media league, overtaking Starcom for the number‑one spot. The ranking, compiled by Campaign, reflects agency performance across programmatic, data, and creative services. WPP, the holding company behind several agencies, held...
Pinterest's Monetization Gap Signals Potential Upside
Pinterest stock looks undervalued. New analysis argues its ad revenue per user is way below peers like Meta. Closing that "monetization gap" could mean major upside. investing
BackLite UK Unveils The Knightsbridge as Newest Addition to Landmark Series
BackLite UK has upgraded the Piccadilly Underpass in Knightsbridge with two massive 2.8 m × 14.4 m digital screens, delivering over three million fortnightly impressions. The revamp, powered by Daktronics’ 10 mm Outdoor Blue LED panels, moves the site into BackLite’s premium Landmark Series aimed...
Netflix's TikTok‑style Feed to Boost Engagement and Ads
All the $NFLX bears are not pricing in a addictive TikTok-style video feed coming out at the end of April. This means doomscrolling clips from shows, movies & video podcasts. How it benefits Netflix: • ad revenue (big one )...
Spielberg Unveils ‘Disclosure Day’ Trailer, Calls for Original Films at CinemaCon
Steven Spielberg revealed the trailer for his upcoming alien drama Disclosure Day at CinemaCon, announcing a June 12 release and warning that studios that rely only on known IP will “run out of gas.” He also praised Universal’s move to lengthen theatrical windows and...
Luma AI Teams with Wonder Project to Debut Faith‑Focused Series on Prime Video
Luma AI announced a partnership with streaming service Wonder Project to launch Innovative Dreams, an AI‑powered production studio. Its first project, “The Old Stories: Moses,” starring Ben Kingsley, will debut on Amazon Prime Video this spring, showcasing a real‑time hybrid filmmaking...
Netflix Plans to Add a Vertical Video Feed, Use AI for Recommendations
Netflix will launch a TikTok‑style vertical video feed within its apps this month, expanding its short‑form content offering. The streaming giant is also deepening AI use for recommendations, search and advertising, building on its ChatGPT‑powered search and a recent acquisition...
Instagram Enforces Global Teen Account Restrictions to Shield Users Under 18
Meta has begun automatically converting all new Instagram users under 18 into “Teen Accounts,” applying a default private setting, follower‑only messaging and a strict “13+” content filter worldwide. The change aims to standardize child‑safety protections across markets and could reshape...
Winning in Sports Advertising Means Playing a Different Game
Sports advertising has moved from a single‑channel, game‑day focus to a multi‑platform ecosystem that includes linear TV, streaming services, highlight reels, and social media. Brands now allocate spend across these fragments, making visibility into competitor activity more complex. While live...
Week of April 6 Morning News Ratings: Savannah Guthrie Returns
NBC’s *Today* reclaimed the top spot in the April 6, 2026 morning‑news ratings after Savannah Guthrie returned from a two‑month leave. The show attracted 3.139 million total viewers and 630 000 adults 25‑54, posting a 6 % week‑over‑week gain and a 21 % year‑over‑year increase. ABC’s *Good...
AI Ghost Narratives Create a Minefield for Entities and Journalists
A recent CyberScoop op‑ed highlights three AI‑driven "ghost" breach narratives that have forced companies into costly crisis mode, resurrected old incidents, and fabricated expert quotes. In the first scenario, a language model fabricated a detailed data‑breach story that media outlets...
Behind the Blog: Jazz and Journalism
In its Behind the Blog column, 404 Media reflects on recent pieces, highlighting the "Madonna‑whore" algorithm discussion, reader tips, and a deep dive into jazz. The author also revisits a long‑form investigation into the wedding‑planning social‑media ecosystem, noting audience reactions...
Streaming Summit Returns to NAB April 20-21 with Eye on Sports, Bundling, Ads and AI
The Streaming Summit will reconvene at the NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 20‑21, featuring roughly 85 speakers from top streaming platforms, sports leagues, broadcasters and content owners. Sessions will explore monetization strategies across SVOD, AVOD and FAST, with...
Tyler Perry’s The Oval: Season Seven; Paramount+ Drops 22 New Episodes of BET Drama Series
Tyler Perry’s political drama The Oval has been quietly renewed for a seventh season, which premiered on Paramount+ with all 22 episodes released at once. The series, previously aired on BET, now streams exclusively, reflecting Perry’s multi‑year partnership with Paramount...
Disney Launches Infinity Vision
Disney announced Infinity Vision, a new certification that marks premium large‑format (PLF) theaters meeting strict technical standards. The program, developed with global exhibition partners, highlights the biggest screens, laser projection and immersive audio. It will debut with the September re‑release...
Netflix Q1 Ad Buys +16%, Expected To Double This Year
Netflix reported a 16% jump in first‑quarter ad spending, aiming to reach $3 billion in ad revenue by the end of 2026—double its 2025 total. The platform now works with 4,000 advertisers, a 70% year‑over‑year increase, and the ad‑supported tier was...
Week in Review: Netflix Talks Up Programmatic, Viant Acquires TVision, and Digital Video Sees Rapid Growth
Netflix reported Q1 revenue of $12.3 billion, staying on track for $3 billion in ad sales this year, with programmatic expected to represent half of its non‑live ad inventory. Co‑CEO Greg Peters said scaling programmatic will broaden the advertiser base beyond large...
Influence Is Everywhere, Yet Brands Can Still Connect
Brands are competing for influence. At Marketecture Live, Joanna O'Connell, Chief Intelligence Officer, @OmnicomMediaGrp , broke down how consumer decision-making has fundamentally changed: - Influence now comes from everywhere: friends, creators, AI, communities - Trust is shifting away from institutions toward people and...
Meta Editor Auto‑adds Related Media, Risk Unintended Publishing
Meta media buyers, LOOK OUT 👀 If you go to EDIT an ad, even just to look at an ad's setting without changing anything, the system automatically adds Related Media. It won't publish automatically, buuuut, it will queue to publish the next...
Stagwell Expands 'Owned Media' Management Team
Stagwell announced the creation of two senior roles—Chief Growth Officer and Chief Revenue Officer—filled by publishing veterans David Olesnevich and Drew Schutte. The hires follow Ben Berentson's appointment as CEO of Stagwell Owned Media and recent investments, including a 25%...
Olivia Rodrigo Debuts New Music Live on Apple Music
9am LA time.. @oliviarodrigo will be on the radio show to chat about her new music. Tune in live and free on @AppleMusic to hear it first: https://t.co/4bdr4A5q06
Competition and Privacy Law Clash over Micro‑targeted Ads
Reason number five thousand two hundred and twenty three why enforcement of competition laws and privacy laws overlap in a digital world. Especially with Google and Meta. Their biz is microtargeted mostly performance based ads delivered based on unprecedented...
Netflix CEO Downplays Nielsen Viewership Metric Shift
On yesterday’s Netflix earnings call, CEO Greg Peters addressed my scoop on Nielsen’s now-delayed methodological change that would depress NFLX’s share of total TV viewership. Peters: ok but that doesn’t change how people are really watching TV and it won’t affect...
Get Instant Email Alerts for New Modem Futura Episodes
Want to know when a New Modem Futura episode drops? Get a 10-second email alert so you never miss one → https://t.co/tcR9TfPzS2
Google's Dan Taylor on AI Mode & Evolving Marketing Measurement
In this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Google’s Dan Taylor about AI Overviews, AI Mode, the evolution of marketing measurement as platforms like PMax have gained a greater share of spend, Google’s UCP protocol,...
AI Could Police Journalism, Threatening Whistleblowers
From the people who brought you the destruction of Gawker.... Can AI judge journalism? A Thiel-backed startup says yes, even if it risks chilling whistleblowers https://t.co/11ib6IKtWl
Immersive Map View Videos Revolutionize Google Ads
If you focus on the ad side of Google, you should be following Anthony. Here's just another great find, which is super interesting. "Immersive map view videos in ads".