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.
WPP Media Wins Strategic Media Mandate for KFC and Pizza Hut Singapore
WPP Media has been selected as the integrated media agency for KFC Singapore and Pizza Hut Singapore after a competitive pitch. The agency will handle media strategy, planning and buying, using its AI‑driven WPP Open platform to turn consumer insights into measurable sales growth. The deal deepens WPP Media’s existing global partnership with the two fast‑food brands and positions both chains to strengthen their market share in Singapore’s crowded quick‑service restaurant sector.
We’re Ruining LinkedIn. Here’s How to Fix It.
The piece warns that LinkedIn’s feed is being flooded with AI‑generated posts, with Originality.AI estimating that more than half of longer articles are likely assisted by large language models. While AI can streamline writing, the author argues it is eroding...
Video: "Man on Fire" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Netflix is debuting "Man on Fire," a seven‑episode drama starring Emmy‑winner Yahya Abdul‑Mateen II as former Special Forces mercenary John Creasy. The series, based on A.J. Quinnell’s books, follows Creasy’s battle with PTSD as he protects a teenage girl on...
License-Layer Security: The Missing Piece in OTT Content Protection
Modern OTT services rely on DRM to protect streamed video, but DRM only secures content in transit. Attackers now target the license layer, extracting keys from legitimate license responses and redistributing decrypted copies at scale. The article argues that license‑layer...
Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) and the Future of Streaming
Server‑guided ad insertion (SGAI) is a hybrid approach that gives publishers server‑side control over ad break timing while allowing the player to manage the actual ad rendering. It bridges the resource‑heavy client‑side insertion (CSAI) and the less flexible server‑side insertion...
Behind the Scenes of 'Ewilan’s Quest': A French Fantasy Epic
“Ewilan’s Quest”, the French fantasy saga created by Pierre Bottero, has become a cultural touchstone in French young‑adult literature. The series, which began as a novel trilogy, has expanded into graphic novels, a Netflix adaptation, and a thriving fan ecosystem....
"Calabasas Confidential" Premieres Only on Netflix May 29
Netflix will debut the drama series "Calabasas Confidential" on May 29, 2026. The eight‑episode, 50‑minute show follows a group of college graduates who reconvene in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas for a tumultuous summer. Produced by Wheelhouse’s Spoke...
Apple, Google Host Mobile Nudification Apps
Apple and Google’s app stores continue to host more than 100 AI‑driven nudification apps that can strip clothing from real‑person photos and generate explicit content. The Tech Transparency Project found that search terms like “nudify” and “deepnude” surface multiple such...
Facebook's 2026 Rules for Reach & Relevance
In this episode, Michael Stelzner, Jerry Potter, and Facebook ads expert Tara Zerker break down Meta's 2026 updates that prioritize original short‑form video and crack down on low‑value reposts. They explain how Meta will use a content "fingerprint" to identify...
Countdown to NAB Show 2026: Benztown’s Dave “Chachi” Denes
Benztown President Dave “Chachi” Denes previewed NAB Show 2026, emphasizing AI’s dual role as disruptor and opportunity for radio. He highlighted Benztown’s AI‑driven products AirReady and SPECai, and announced two new SPECai enhancements at the show. Denes also underscored the...
Women To Watch: Cherise Richards; 94.9 WQMX, Akron
Cherise Richards is the midday host, Assistant Program Director and Music Director at 94.9 WQMX in Akron, while also hosting a weekend show on 107.3 Alternative Cleveland. She champions live, unscripted radio, training eight part‑time on‑air personalities without voice‑tracking. Richards integrates personal...
Logitek Features Glide Glass Console
Logitek unveiled Glide, the first fully self‑contained glass console that runs without an external PC, paired with a new 2RU platform called JetFlex. JetFlex serves as a console engine, audio router, and modular AoIP I/O device, supporting Livewire, Dante and...
Fire TV Gets Free UI Overhaul and New Channels
Own a Fire TV device? You're getting a free update soon, with refreshed layout and new streaming channels — and Amazon's also launching a slimmer Fire TV Stick https://www.techradar.com/televisions/streaming-devices/own-a-fire-tv-device-youre-getting-a-free-update-soon-with-refreshed-layout-and-new-streaming-channels-and-amazons-also-launching-a-slimmer-fire-tv-stick
Winning Growth Comes From Intent, Not Mere Reach
Reach is a vanity metric dressed up as a growth strategy. Everyone's optimizing for impressions. The ones winning are optimizing for intent. Reach tells you how many people saw you. Intent tells you how many were ready. Those are not the same thing. Ran cold email...
Documentaries to Watch Now: Cover-Up (2025)
"Cover‑Up" (2025), directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, profiles Pulitzer‑winning journalist Seymour Hersh and his landmark investigations of the My Lai massacre and Abu Ghraib abuses. The film blends the tension of 1970s political thrillers with rigorous reporting, offering a...
Audio-Technica Launches Two New Broadcast Mics
Audio‑Technica introduced two new mid‑side stereo broadcast microphones, the BP350ST‑UB and BP350ST‑UL, aimed at professional broadcast, production, and field‑recording markets. The BP350ST‑UB features a 5‑inch gooseneck and low‑profile boundary housing for discreet stereo capture, while the BP350ST‑UL is a compact...
AEO, GEO, SEO: Who, What & Why
Reza Moaiandin of SALT.agency explains that SEO, AEO and GEO are interconnected facets of AI‑driven search, not separate silos. He highlights a 20% adoption tipping point for generative AI that is compressing discovery, comparison and purchase into a single interaction....
Smiling Friends Ended Just as It Was Becoming a Phenomenon / CBS Expects to Lose Its Total Viewership Crown to...
Adult Swim’s "Smiling Friends" concluded after two seasons despite a rapidly growing cult following and strong streaming metrics. The series had achieved a 0.5 rating in the 18‑34 demo and over 15 million cumulative HBO Max streams. Meanwhile, CBS projects that...
The Next Phase of Mobile Monetization Belongs to Publishers Who Diversify
At Gamesforum Barcelona, PubMatic warned that relying solely on Cost‑Per‑Install (CPI) is no longer enough for mobile game publishers. E‑commerce and performance brands are shifting budgets toward outcome‑based advertising, growing faster than traditional user‑acquisition spend. Publishers must diversify revenue by...
AdPlayer.Pro SaaS Video Ad Tech Provider Reports Q1 2026 Results
AdPlayer.Pro reported Q1 2026 results highlighting the rollout of configurable ad‑display and player‑cycle intervals across all video placements. Early testing showed an average 8% lift in ad performance for both outstream and instream formats, boosting publisher inventory value and revenue. The...
Digest: Netflix to Refocus on Ads and Content After Warner Bid; IAB Sets AI Commerce Media Guidelines; WPP in Talks...
Netflix is set to report its first earnings since abandoning the Warner Bros. Discovery deal, highlighting a renewed emphasis on advertising and original content. The company projects Q1 revenue of $12.18 billion, up 15.5%, with ad‑supported tiers expected to generate about $634 million. Meanwhile,...
Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert Take Aim at J.D. Vance’s ‘Rough Week’
Vice President JD Vance faced a barrage of criticism on late‑night shows after a rough week that included defending Donald Trump’s remarks about the Pope, denying a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and failing to broker a cease‑fire in Iran....
How to Safely Manage Multiple Facebook Accounts Without Getting Restricted
Marketers and growth operators often need several Facebook profiles to run campaigns, but Facebook’s policy permits only one personal account per individual. Restrictions arise not from the number of accounts but from shared device identifiers, IP overlap, and repetitive behavior...
Why the World Cup Exposes Sports Streaming's Biggest Engagement Gap
The World Cup will attract over five billion viewers, but its engagement spikes end with the final whistle. In contrast, gaming platforms sustain daily interaction through persistent systems, social layers, and reward mechanics. The article argues that sports streaming must adopt...
This Video of ‘Iran Capturing US Pilot’ Was Filmed in Pakistan
The South China Morning Post fact‑check revealed that a viral video claiming Iran captured a downed U.S. F‑35 pilot actually depicts a paraglider in Chitral, Pakistan. The clip, originally posted on YouTube on May 10, 2025, was miscaptioned amid heightened tensions after...
AI Answer Engine Drive More Effective Advertisng at Reach and Independent
Taboola’s AI‑powered answer engine, Deeper Dive, is now live on dozens of publisher sites including Reach, The Independent and Huffpost UK. The tool draws about seven million monthly users, with roughly one in six visitors asking questions, and delivers ad conversion...
Apple News Revenue Helped BBC Science Focus Double Size of Team
BBC Science Focus has more than doubled its editorial team and monthly page views after focusing on Apple News and Apple News+ subscriptions. The platform now accounts for roughly 45% of the title’s digital revenue, delivering about $8.30 per subscriber per month...
Beef Season Two Review – the Best Show on TV Becomes an Unlovable White Lotus Rip-Off
The second season of Netflix’s anthology drama Beef swaps its original parking‑lot feud for a luxury country‑club setting, starring Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac. While the premise—rich owners versus ambitious staff—mirrors the formula that made The White Lotus a hit, the season...
Top Equipment Needed for Podcasting in 2026
In 2026 podcasting has become a core B2B marketing channel, and the right equipment is now a credibility system rather than a nice‑to‑have. The market for podcast hardware is expanding at a 22.8% CAGR, while 73% of listeners tune in...
New IPA Bellwether Defies Gloomsters with Budgets Up
The IPA’s Q1 2026 Bellwether Report shows UK marketing budgets rising 7.3%, the strongest growth in nearly two years and a rebound from a flat prior quarter. Increases are led by events, PR and main‑media spend, while market research is the...
Amazon MGM Pledges 15+ Theatrical Releases, Hits #2 Box Office
In an electric #CinemaCon panel, #AmazonMGM made it clear: it’s not an experiment, they are fully committed to theatrical, officially renewing their commitment to exhibitors to deliver AT LEAST 15 theatrical Releases per year, & announcing that #ProjectHailMary just had...
Live Sports Is Powering the Next Wave of Streaming Innovation
Live sports is driving the next wave of streaming innovation as massive, concurrent viewership demands ultra‑low latency and broadcast‑grade quality. Rising U.S. sports media rights, projected to exceed $37 billion by 2030, force providers to seek new monetization models. AI, cloud...
While Adtech Builds the Homescreen Pipes, Advertisers Can Still Tap Into the Opportunity
The CTV homescreen has become the primary gateway for viewers, consolidating fragmented streaming audiences into a premium advertising surface. However, each OEM—Samsung, LG, Roku, Google TV—imposes its own creative specifications, creating operational friction for advertisers. The IAB’s Ad Format Hero...
TCL Unveils 2026 Product Lineup for South Africa, Bringing Revolutionary SQD-Mini LED TV Technology to Local Consumers
TCL announced its 2026 South African lineup, introducing the first SQD‑Mini LED TVs—C7L and C8L—paired with Bang & Olufsen audio. The C7L launches at roughly $1,050 for the 65‑inch model, while the C8L 75‑inch starts around $1,580. The rollout also includes...
Expedia Courts Non-Travel Brands With New Adtech Deal
Expedia Group has partnered with ad‑tech platform Magnite to monetize its vast first‑party data set. The deal gives brands and agencies access to roughly 200 petabytes of traveler data for targeting across streaming TV, video, display and audio. Expedia’s travel media...
Measurement Biggest Barrier to DOOH Investment, Azerion Finds; It’s Partly a Perception Problem
Azerian’s February‑March 2026 study of 128 UK media planners reveals that while 68% have increased out‑of‑home (OOH) usage and 93% consider it vital to omnichannel strategies, 58% view measurement and attribution uncertainty as the primary barrier to further investment. The...
Hard Truths For Retail Media At The IAB Connected Commerce Summit
At the IAB’s 2026 Connected Commerce Summit, industry leaders warned that retail media is at a crossroads, noting the market cannot sustain hundreds of undifferentiated commerce media networks. The new IAB report stresses that future growth will come from tapping...
Omar Oakes: What Is Your Content Actually Worth when the AI Crawlers Come for It?
Media executives are confronting a new dilemma: how much their content is worth to AI firms that harvest it for massive language models. Le Monde has signed licensing deals with OpenAI, Perplexity and Meta, while Wikipedia’s editors voted to ban...
As RFPs Shrink, Multicultural Publishers Fight For Dollars With First-Party Data
Multicultural publishers are seeing RFP volumes shrink and referral traffic dry up, pressuring them to prove scale for advertisers. To counteract the reach gap, firms like Q Digital and AURN are adopting AdGrid’s Audience Accelerator, a first‑party data platform that...
Should HBO Cast a Black Actor as Aegon?
I wonder if HBO is going to be brave enough to cast a Black man to play Aegon The Conqueror. Aegon's mother was a Velayron...which means Aegon would more resemble Baela or Laenor...and not the Chris Hemmsworth/Henry Cavil that keeps...
Myer Teams with News Corp to Launch Glamour in Australia
News Corp Australia is set to launch Glamour Australia, a digital‑first lifestyle platform aimed at Gen Z and Millennial women, later this year. Myer has signed a multi‑year exclusive agreement to serve as the magazine’s beauty partner, integrating e‑commerce and insider...
Public Health Advocates Turn to Influencers to Fight Online Misinformation
Public health experts are teaming with social‑media influencers to curb health misinformation online. Harvard’s Creator Program, launched three years ago, equips TikTok and Instagram creators with evidence‑based toolkits and virtual training, reaching audiences of millions. Early studies show modest but...
Agencies Compete for SEO Talent as Client Demand for Zero-Click Expertise Surges
Ad agencies are racing to fill senior SEO positions as brands clamor for zero‑click and AI‑driven search expertise. Eight firms, from indie shops to large holding companies, posted roles with salaries ranging from $100,000 to $260,000. The hiring focus extends...
How College Athlete Carson Roney Went From TikTok Dances to Gatorade Commercials
Carson Roney, a college basketball and volleyball player, turned TikTok dance videos into a 5 million‑follower empire. By partnering with Wasserman manager Erin Convey, she expanded her content to fashion and beauty, securing long‑term deals with Gatorade, the NBA and other...
Auto-Translation Bridges Divides, Amplifies Serbian Voices
Sometimes when stories like the 60 Minutes one break, people can get nationalistic and defensive. But instead, many Serbians started speaking out And because of the new translation feature, it made connecting with them very easy For awhile I used to want...
AI Floods Book Market, Threatening Human Authorship
AI is starting to reshape the book market at scale. Thousands of AI-written or AI-polished books are now being sold, raising concerns about quality, originality and the erosion of human authorship. It feels familiar. What was once a dystopian idea is quietly...
Ogilvy APAC and Quad China Launch Tuborg’s New Global Campaign “You Don’t Have To”
Ogilvy APAC and Quad China have launched Tuborg's new global campaign “You Don’t Have To,” aimed at young people overwhelmed by social‑media pressure and performance anxiety. The rollout features two global films directed by Cannes Lions Grand Prix‑winning director Terence Neale,...
Ready for BBC Breakfast: Maths, Comedy, and Awkward Seating
Very excited I’m about to hit the BBC Breakfast sofa to talk about maths and comedy. Please rate how awkwardly I sit on the couch. Show details: https://t.co/AVbB7zDPA2 https://t.co/BFPKJGNE3a
Get Your New Release in Front of Global Media
Got a new single, EP, or album coming? I get your music in front of journalists, tastemakers, and media across the U.S. and worldwide — with full SEO built in, so people can actually find you. Eric@ThatEricAlper.com
Refusing Extra ESPN Fees Amid Poor App Experience
ESPN will not get a dime more from me outside what I already pay (~$20 a month) as part of my YTTV subscription. We still don’t have ESPN app access yet, but oh well. Not missing much outside an awful...