Today's Media Pulse
Fox to acquire Roku in $22 billion deal, creating a top U.S. streaming platform
Fox Corporation announced a $22 billion acquisition of Roku, paying $160 per share. The combined entity would become the third‑largest TV platform in the United States by viewing time, leveraging Roku’s reach in roughly 100 million households and targeting $400 million in annual cost synergies.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Netflix acquires Radford Studio Center for $400M
Samsung TV Plus Partners With Dhar Mann Studios to Premiere Its First Original Series
Samsung TV Plus is debuting its first original scripted series, "Unlikely Romances," a four‑part romance created by YouTube star Dhar Mann and his studio. The series launches Friday exclusively on the ad‑supported FAST platform, marking Samsung’s inaugural creator‑led original content deal. Until now, Samsung TV Plus relied mainly on licensed catalog titles, similar to rivals Roku, Tubi and Pluto. This move signals a strategic shift toward original programming to attract viewers and advertisers.
Nielsen Brings ‘Big Data + Panel’ Insights To Prisma
Dominant audience measurement firm Nielsen is partnering with ad‑tech company Mediaocean to embed its Big Data + Panel audience measurement within Mediaocean’s Prisma platform. The integration lets marketers create advanced first‑ and third‑party audience segments in Nielsen Audience Builder and view corresponding...
MENA Audiences Can Stream FIFA World Cup 2026™ Through Talabat, TOD by beIN Partnership
Talabat has teamed up with TOD by beIN, the exclusive streaming platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the MENA region, to offer its Pro subscribers a complimentary one‑year entertainment subscription. The bundle gives users access to live World Cup...
YouTube to Integrate with Publishers' Paywalls, Says Exec
Interesting, extending publisher paywalls to YouTube -> A YouTube executive says YouTube is working on integrating its platform with publisher paywalls after Le Monde "pushed us to start developing that solution" "Speaking at the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Marseille,...
Canadian Government Rows Back on ‘Streaming Tax’ for DSPs
The Canadian government has reversed a planned 5% levy on digital streaming platforms under the Online Streaming Act, citing concerns that the tax would raise prices for consumers. Instead, it will fund Canadian culture with a $600 million CAD (≈$440 million USD)...
Understanding the 3 Categories of Online Chatter
Tim Gilman, Oshkosh Corp’s external communications lead, outlined three tiers of online chatter—Noise, Issue, and Crisis—at the PR Daily Conference. Noise consists of isolated complaints that require monitoring only, while an Issue signals a growing pattern that warrants early engagement....
A $500 Billion Reminder of How the Duopoly Wins the Internet
In the most recent quarter, Google and Meta together surpassed a $500 billion annual run rate in advertising revenue, representing roughly half of the global ad market. Despite a decade of antitrust scrutiny, regulatory actions have yet to curb the duopoly’s...
Fluid Viewers, Fixed Budgets: What Real-World TV Data Reveals About Modern TV Viewing
Samsung Ads’ Behind the Screens 2026 report, based on first‑party data from over 70 million Samsung smart TVs in Europe, shows that Connected TV viewing has become highly fragmented. Households now launch an average of five apps, with total app launches...
Nominees for EBU Technology and Innovation Award 2026 Announced
The European Broadcasting Union has unveiled the nominees for its 2026 Technology and Innovation Award, highlighting cutting‑edge solutions from public service broadcasters across Europe. Highlights include ORF’s SMPTE ST 2110‑based content‑management centre that slashes rack space, CBC’s dynamic streaming platform...
CBS Fires Veteran '60 Minutes' Correspondent Scott Pelley Amid Power Struggle
CBS terminated veteran '60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday after a heated staff meeting, accusing him of insubordination. The move pits Pelley against new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and producer Nick Bilton, underscoring a broader battle for control of the...
In a TikTok World, The Epoch Times Is Taking the Long Road. Why? Call It a Feeling
The Epoch Times is rebranding around a new "Wisdom" section that delivers long‑form, evergreen stories aimed at readers seeking depth beyond politics. Senior marketing director Hadas Slonim says the move stems from a gut feeling, not a spreadsheet, and the content...
Pentagon Bars Press Access, Sparking First Amendment Outcry
The Department of Defense announced this week that its Pentagon press office is off‑limits to reporters, forcing journalists to be escorted at all times. The New York Times sued, calling the move an unconstitutional attempt to curb independent reporting. The...
Under the Microscope: Content in the Age of AI
On June 17, OpenAttribution.org convened a “Content in the Age of AI” forum at Drum Labs in Shoreditch, bringing together marketers, publishers, and platform leaders to address ownership and value of AI‑generated content. The event opened with MMC Ventures Head...
Always On
Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses, priced between $200 and $800, embed five microphones and a high‑resolution camera, making them attractive to news influencers covering protests and contentious events. Journalists like Jonathan Choe and content creators such as Nick Shirley have used...
YouTube Overtakes Netflix in Daily Viewing Time as TV Consumption Accelerates
YouTube has surpassed Netflix in average daily viewing time across 20 international markets, logging 99.1 minutes per account in 2025 versus Netflix’s 93.4 minutes. The shift is fueled by a rise in TV‑screen consumption, with YouTube’s TV share climbing to...
Thrad Launches Four Native Ad Formats for LLM & AI Conversation Environments
Thrad, an AI‑native advertising infrastructure platform, announced the general availability of four purpose‑built ad formats for large language model (LLM) and conversational AI environments. The formats—Card, Prompt, Carousel and Poll—appear inline with AI responses and use CPM, CPC or cost‑per‑engagement...
LG Research Highlights Growing Role of TV Home Screens in Film Discovery
LG Ad Solutions’ research of over 1,000 UK connected‑TV users shows the smart‑TV home screen is now a primary venue for film discovery. Ninety‑three percent of respondents reported seeing a new‑film promotion on their home screen, and 35% said it...
New York Times Passes 3m Digital Subscribers Outside US
The New York Times announced it now has more than three million paying digital subscribers outside the United States, pushing its total subscriber base to 13.1 million. International readers account for about a quarter of its digital‑only audience, reflecting strong growth in markets beyond the...
Zattoo Adds Four Rakuten TV FAST Channels
Zattoo has broadened its free ad‑supported streaming (FAST) portfolio in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by adding four new channels through a partnership with Rakuten TV. The lineup – Alles Action by Rakuten TV, 21 Jump Street, Abschnitt 40 and All Romance – targets action‑film fans, classic...
From Stations To Brands: How The Duopoly Is Rewiring Local Television
The traditional TV duopoly, once a regulatory compromise for cost savings, is being reshaped into a unified local‑brand strategy. Major groups such as Fox, CBS, and Gray are folding secondary stations into a single brand identity—e.g., Fox 11 Plus and Arizona’s Family—turning...
Madrid’s Teatro Monumental Updates Broadcast Tech
Alfalite has completed the installation of two UHD Finepix 1.5 MATIX AlfaCOB LED displays at RTVE’s Teatro Monumental in Madrid. The 3.00 × 1.69‑metre panels sit on either side of the stage, delivering full HD 1920 × 1080 resolution, 1.5 mm pixel pitch, 1,500 nits brightness and...
Editorial and Creative Leadership Promotions Come To NYPR
New York Public Radio (NYPR) has promoted Emily Botein to head WNYC Studios, Stephanie Clary to editor‑in‑chief of the WNYC and Gothamist newsrooms, and Eileen Delahunty to head of classical station WQXR. The moves place seasoned insiders in charge of...
Bitmovin and Akamai Collaborate to Bring New Energy to NRJ
Bitmovin and Akamai announced a joint solution for NRJ Group, making the French broadcaster the first to adopt Akamai Adaptive Media Player 2 (AMP2). The end‑to‑end platform combines Bitmovin’s player, observability and Stream Lab tools with Akamai’s CDN, aiming to simplify media...
Why Attribution Fixation Is Getting in the Way of Growth
The article argues that the marketing industry’s obsession with attribution modelling creates a false sense of certainty and diverts attention from true commercial value. While dashboards can detail which touchpoints drove conversions, boards and CFOs care about revenue growth, margin...
Gumtree Appoints Adnami as Exclusive Partner for High Impact Display Advertising
Gumtree, the UK’s leading classifieds platform, has named Adnami its exclusive third‑party provider for high‑impact display advertising across all its digital properties. The deal gives Adnami access to Gumtree’s full format portfolio and integrates its Sonar attention‑measurement technology into every...
Press Gazette Meets the UK Civil Servant Trying to Regulate Google
The UK Competition and Markets Authority’s Digital Markets Unit (DMU) is introducing rules that give publishers granular, page‑level control over Google’s use of their content in AI‑generated search answers. Google must supply detailed transparency data—including impressions, click‑throughs and attribution—and file...
At the Africa Soft Power Summit 2026, Africa's Creative Economy Moves From Promise to Power
At the Africa Soft Power Summit 2026, leaders shifted the narrative of the continent’s creative and digital sectors from promise to actionable capital. Panels highlighted the need for African‑built AI infrastructure, diaspora‑driven investment models, and new financing structures that capture...
EXCLUSIVE: Criteo Cuts ChatGPT Ad Minimums, Offers Incentives to Woo Retailer Brands
Criteo has slashed the minimum spend for advertising on ChatGPT from $50,000 to $10,000 and introduced media‑match incentive deals to attract retail brands. The platform now offers a direct product‑feed integration that lets agencies push inventory into OpenAI’s ad‑buying system...
The W3C Is Making A Critical Mistake About Measuring Advertising Effectiveness
The W3C’s draft Attribution Level 1 standard aims to replace cross‑site tracking but assumes attribution can serve as a proxy for advertising effectiveness. Critics argue that attribution merely observes exposure and conversion pathways without a counterfactual, so it cannot prove incremental...
Why Creator Lola Torres Prefers the Stability of Affiliate Marketing over Brand Partnerships
Lola Torres, a beauty creator with 540,000 LTK followers and 2 million Instagram fans, has built a business around affiliate marketing rather than brand deals. Her LTK content generated over $775,000 in Amazon gross sales between May 1‑19, driven by a 10.96%...
‘They’re Going to Be Extinct at some Point’: Why the Chief AI Officer Is a Transitional Species
The chief AI officer is viewed as a transitional role that will disappear once AI becomes embedded across all business functions, similar to the early mobile era. In the UK, one‑third of digital ad spend is expected to be AI‑driven...
The 5 Best News Apps in 2026
Zapier’s 2026 roundup identifies the five best news‑aggregator apps—Apple News, Google News, Flipboard, Ground News, and Rize—based on usability, customization, and source reliability. The review, conducted on an iPhone 15 with iOS 26.5, evaluates each app’s personal feed, content interaction, categorization, search, and customization features....
Consumers With Control Options Respond Better To Online Advertising
A Harvard Business Review study finds that giving consumers control over ad content or timing increases their attention to ads by 9‑15% and cuts annoyance by 8‑17% compared with a no‑choice experience. Overall, 70% of digital‑ad viewers feel annoyed, 18%...
Three ‘60 Minutes’ Correspondents Meet to Weigh Resignation
Scoop w/ @nataliekorach: The three remaining "60 Minutes" correspondents huddled together on Wednesday to discuss next steps as they contemplate whether to resign from the show.
Focus Beats Size: Tight Audiences Compound Faster
Distribution doesn't compound by adding more of you. It compounds by what you're known for getting tighter. A scattered feed at 100k followers converts worse than a sharp feed at 10k. Tighter beats bigger. Most founders chase bigger because tighter is harder.
Tony Dokoupil Praises Ex ’60 Minutes’ Correspondent Scott Pelley on ‘CBS Evening News’: ‘Valued Truth at All Costs’ | Video
Tony Dokoupil paid tribute to former "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley on CBS Evening News, lauding his unwavering commitment to truth. The segment highlighted Pelley’s storied career, including 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Great Recession coverage, as well as his...
The Growth of Subscription-Based Digital Services: What Consumers Expect Today
The subscription‑based model is reshaping entertainment, software and online services, with consumers demanding flexibility, affordability, personalization and reliability. In Canada, IPTV providers are capitalizing on this shift by bundling live TV, on‑demand video, sports and international channels into a single,...
Youtube Surpasses Netflix for Daily Viewing as TV Consumption Climbs
YouTube has overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing time worldwide, reaching 99.1 minutes per user in 2025 versus Netflix’s 93.4 minutes. The shift reflects a broader rise in long‑form video consumption and a notable increase in TV‑based YouTube viewing, which...
University of Alabama Nabs Court Win in Lawsuit over Student Magazines
A federal judge ruled that the University of Alabama does not have to reinstate the student‑run magazines Alice and Nineteen Fifty‑Six while the lawsuit proceeds, finding the plaintiffs had not shown a likely chance of success and that the suspensions...
Monday TV Ratings: The Quiz with Balls, Sullivan’s Crossing, Password, FBI, Richard Simmons Special
Monday, June 1, 2026 TV ratings show new episodes of Sullivan’s Crossing, The 1% Club and The Quiz with Balls aired alongside specials on Richard Simmons and the JFK assassination. Reruns of popular series such as America’s Got Talent, Password,...
WNMC 26 Highlights AI Strategies as Newsrooms Grapple with New Economy
At the 26th World News Media Congress in Marseille, publishers and WAN‑IFRA officials laid out competing AI tactics—from AI‑driven discovery tools at The Hindu to licensing negotiations highlighted by Ezra Eeman. The event underscored a split between experimentation and defensive...
Drowning in Possibility: The New Cost Crisis in Creative Production
The advertising sector is grappling with a paradox: generative AI makes creative generation cheap, yet many AI‑driven projects are costlier than traditional productions. Unlimited output fuels "iteration inflation," stretching approval cycles, stakeholder feedback loops, and quality‑control work. Consistency across AI‑generated...
Glitch Productions Shifts Viral AI Series to Theaters, Nets $5 M Ticket Sales
Glitch Productions moved the finale of its hit YouTube series The Amazing Digital Circus to cinemas, generating $5 million in ticket sales its first weekend and expanding to more than 4,000 screens globally. The experiment tests whether digital‑first content can revive...
Hemisphere Media Group Brings WAPA+ Fast Channel to Prime Video
Hemisphere Media Group announced that its Puerto Rican FAST channel WAPA+ will launch on Amazon’s Prime Video as a free, ad‑supported offering. The move brings 24/7 news, entertainment and lifestyle programming from Puerto Rico’s top broadcast network to U.S. mainland...
NJ PBS to Be Managed by Montclair State University
Montclair State University has been awarded a five‑year contract to operate New Jersey’s public television network, NJ PBS, beginning July 1, pending legislative approval. The deal includes two optional five‑year extensions and obligates the university to provide at least six hours of...
How to Buy Website Traffic in 2026
Buying website traffic in 2026 emphasizes quality over cheap clicks, focusing on users who complete high‑value actions such as app installs, registrations, or deposits. Self‑serve ad platforms give advertisers instant campaign launch, granular targeting, and real‑time optimization without manual negotiations....
Amazon Prime Video Is Publishing Its Own Netflix-Style Weekly Top 10 Lists, Just Without Any Numbers
Amazon Prime Video has begun publishing weekly Top 10 lists for its original films and series, mirroring Netflix’s public charts but without any viewership numbers. The inaugural week (May 25‑31) saw "Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War" top the film list and "Off Campus" lead...
Alibaba's CoInteract Improves AI Product Videos with Interaction Geometry
Many of the eCommerce product showcase videos you now see on Instagram and TikTok are AI-generated. It's generally fairly easy to tell because the hands may be mangled, the faces don't retain consistency throughout, and/or the person in the video...
When Meta, Google, and Apple Agree on “Privacy,” Watch Your Wallet
Meta, Google, and Apple are converging on a new browser ad‑measurement framework called Attribution Level 1, which promises privacy‑friendly, aggregated conversion reporting. The initiative follows Apple’s App Tracking Transparency and Google’s Privacy Sandbox, aiming to replace third‑party cookies with a unified,...
CHCH-TV Names Reporter Simone Gavros as New ‘Morning Live’ Co-Anchor
CHCH‑TV announced that reporter Simone Gavros will co‑anchor its Morning Live program starting June 22, succeeding longtime anchor Annette Hamm, who retires after a 40‑year career. Gavros, a three‑year reporter for the show, earned two RTDNA nominations and is praised for...