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 Ads Don’t Work Nearly as Well as Believed
Traditional TV ads still dominate ad spend, with $139 billion allocated versus $33 billion for streaming, yet new research from the University of Notre Dame shows they are only about half as effective as previously believed, overstating impact by roughly 55% for food‑delivery campaigns. By pairing second‑by‑second smart‑TV viewing data with actual purchase histories, the study isolates the true sales lift of TV spots and uncovers which viewers respond best. The findings suggest advertisers are overspending on low‑performing placements and need more precise measurement tools.
Mubi CEO Says Subscriber Base Rebounds to Record 1.7 Million After PR Storm
Mubi’s chief executive Efe Cakarel told the Wall Street Journal that the arthouse streaming service has recovered from a fallout that cost it 200,000 subscribers, climbing to a record 1.7 million users in the first quarter. The rebound underscores the platform’s...
Connected TV Becomes First Real Testbed for AI‑Driven Agentic Advertising
Connected TV (CTV) is emerging as the inaugural arena for agentic advertising, as budgets grow 9.5% YoY and manual workflows strain publishers. AI‑driven agents are being deployed to automate pricing, pacing and inventory allocation, offering a potential solution to CTV’s...
The Rookie Renewed For Season 9 At ABC
ABC has officially renewed the police procedural "The Rookie" for a ninth season, confirming the order while Season 8 is still on the air. The series, starring Nathan Fillion—who also serves as an executive producer—continues to follow LAPD rookie John Nolan...
Lee Rayburn Taking Over WPR Middays From Larry Meiller
Larry Meiller will step down after more than 13,000 broadcasts, ending his tenure on Wisconsin Public Radio’s midday call‑in show at the end of June. Lee Rayburn, a Madison native who joined WPR in 2019, will take over the multi‑topic...
Meta Set to Overtake Google as the World’s Number One Digital Advertiser
Emarketer forecasts Meta will generate $243.46 billion in ad revenue in 2026, narrowly surpassing Google’s $239.54 billion. The gap reflects Meta’s rapid climb from $196.17 billion in 2025, driven by AI‑enhanced tools like Advantage+ and strong performance on Facebook, Instagram and Reels. The...
Ticker: Fox News Media Partners With Kalshi
Fox News Media announced a sponsored integration with prediction‑market platform Kalshi, embedding Kalshi’s real‑time data forecasts into Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Weather and the Fox One streaming service. The partnership will feed live political, economic, weather and cultural insights...
Pakistan Television Channel Pulled up for Airing Asha Bhosle Tribute in ‘Wilful Defiance of Supreme Court Judgment’
Geo News aired a tribute to Indian legend Asha Bhosle on April 13, prompting Pakistan's media regulator PEMRA to issue a show‑cause notice for allegedly defying the Supreme Court’s ban on Indian content. The notice cites a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that...
YouTube’s AI Is Scanning Your Channel Right Now
YouTube’s AI now scans an entire channel before a human reviewer ever looks at it, flagging content that violates its monetization rules. Six specific triggers—reused clips, repetitive formats, lack of original perspective, community‑guideline breaches, copyright issues, and restricted topics—can instantly...
War as a Pretext: Gulf States Are Tightening the Screws on Speech—Again
Amid the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, Gulf states have intensified crackdowns on speech. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and others have arrested hundreds for posting war‑related images or commentary, invoking broad cybercrime...
New York Times Shakes Up Senior Exec Ranks as It Leans Into Product, Data and AI (Exclusive)
The New York Times announced a senior leadership overhaul as CTO Jason Sobel prepares to leave and a search for a New York‑based successor begins. Alex Hardiman and Hannah Yang were promoted to executive vice presidents, gaining shared oversight of engineering and data...
Pluto TV Will Add 4 New Early 2000s Series to Its Free Streaming Lineup
Pluto TV is adding four early‑2000s series—Hart of Dixie, Arrow, The 100 and Everwood—plus the sitcom My Wife & Kids to its free, on‑demand and linear channels in May and June. The move follows NRG research showing 72% of Gen Z prefer content from...
Judge Tosses Trump's Lawsuit Against WSJ over Epstein Letter
Federal Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump’s $20 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. The judge found the complaint failed to meet the actual‑malice standard required for...
Ignoring PR Until Crisis Shows Its True Value
The "you don't need PR" posts are back for their annual resurfacing. Always the same format: listicle, humble brag about media hits, mom is proud. What they miss: media relations is one part of the job. Counsel, strategy, issues management. That's the...
Sports Publisher On3 Tries AI Recommendations To Keep Engagement In Its Home Court
On3, a sports‑focused publisher with 15 million monthly visitors, has deployed Mula’s AI‑powered recommendation engine across about 20 of its sites to sustain engagement and revenue per session (RPS). The system leverages first‑party data to surface articles, vertical video and Fanatics‑linked...
Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports Streaming
Irish firm Stegawave launched a real‑time forensic watermarking platform for live sports streaming. The solution embeds invisible watermarks into live feeds, enabling detection of illegal IPTV redistribution within minutes and allowing content owners to block source accounts. In a pilot...
Greece Bans Social Media Under 15, UK Campaigners Debate Lower Age to Be Raised in House of Lords
Greece has enacted a law that will prohibit anyone under 15 from accessing social‑media platforms, with enforcement beginning in January 2027. The measure is framed as a public‑health response to sleep disruption, anxiety and other mental‑health risks linked to addictive design....
Four Ways to Level up Your YouTube Live Engagement
YouTube is expanding its Live platform with four new engagement tools. Viewers can now send gifts on both horizontal and vertical streams, and the feature is rolling out to creators in Canada, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Purchases of...
Sam Levinson and ‘Euphoria’ Cinematographer on How the Show’s Harrowing Opening Scene Was a Metaphor for Rue: ‘One False Move...
After a four‑year break, HBO’s "Euphoria" returns with a daring opening sequence that sees Rue attempting to drive a car over a makeshift border wall, a visual metaphor for her precarious drug‑smuggling life. Creator Sam Levinson rewrote the script after...
Dropbox Enlarges Big Spaceship's Scope As Social AOR
Dropbox has elevated Big Spaceship from project‑based work to its official social agency of record, expanding the scope to full‑funnel duties and IRL activation content for 2026. The partnership has already driven quarter‑over‑quarter engagement gains among Dropbox’s 700 million users, supported...
'Extreme' Reveal: TDA Boulder Unboxes Orijen Freshprey
TDA Boulder launched Orijen Freshprey with "The World’s Most Extreme Unboxing," filming at 12,000 feet in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. The campaign partners with outdoor creators Wander with Willow and showcases the product in a rugged, outdoor setting, diverging from...
Orban's Traditional Media Grip Falters on Social Platforms
Politico - Orbán lost on social media: Orbán dominated traditional media channels, where Fidesz is estimated to control roughly 80 percent of the landscape, by installing loyalists in public media and enabling Fidesz-aligned business figures to acquire hundreds of regional...
NBA Playoffs Set to Leave Local TV Behind in Streaming-Heavy Shift
The NBA’s postseason will be shown exclusively on national networks and streaming platforms, ending local TV coverage for the first round. The Play‑In Tournament moves to Amazon Prime Video, while first‑round games split among NBC, Peacock, Amazon, ESPN and ABC...
The Purpose Of An Investigative Report
Investigative reports are the definitive record of an inquiry, translating findings into actionable outcomes such as disciplinary measures, training programs, or legal proceedings. They must be clear, comprehensive, and free of extraneous detail to protect the organization from liability. A...
Tucker Carlson Launches Book Imprint With Skyhorse
Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host and podcaster, has launched a new book imprint called Tucker Carlson Books in partnership with Skyhorse Publishing. Skyhorse, which has issued memoirs by Woody Allen and Melania Trump, will handle distribution and editorial support....
Archer Teams with ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ for First Entertainment Deal
Archer Meat Snacks announced its first entertainment partnership, teaming with the upcoming theatrical release *Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu*. The multi‑channel campaign includes three co‑branded snack packs, a 30‑second ad spot on Disney+ and sports playoffs, and a QR‑code reward that gives...
Student Journalists May Produce a Quarter Million Bylines a Year. Here’s What that Looks Like
Student journalists are set to generate roughly a quarter‑million bylines in 2026, based on an AI‑driven analysis of 870 RSS feeds that represent about 80% of U.S. college newspapers. The data shows a dramatic rise in output, with some campuses...
How Advertisers Can – And Cannot – Get In Front Of Chatbot Shoppers
Advertisers face a stark reality: there is no paid gateway to appear in most LLM‑driven shopping chats. Google’s AI Overview (AIO) ads are the sole open‑market option, automatically surfacing in search results without exclusion controls. ChatGPT’s ad pilot remains a...
Grass Valley Expands Studio Berlin Deal For Cinematic Live Workflows
Grass Valley is expanding its partnership with Studio Berlin by delivering a new batch of 24 LDX cameras—12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR units and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm systems, including two compact C180 models. The cameras will be integrated into Studio...
AIP, Castlabs To Demo Next-Gen Streaming Ad Formats
Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) and Castlabs will demo next‑generation streaming ad formats at the NAB Show in Las Vegas (April 18‑22). The showcase centers on AdBlendr, AIP’s server‑guided ad insertion engine, paired with Castlabs’ PRESTOplay player to deliver non‑intrusive formats such as...
How to Operationalise Platform Policy at Scale
Alice Hunsberger’s third Trust & Safety Insider guide tackles the often‑overlooked challenge of operationalising platform policy at scale. While policy writing accounts for roughly 20% of the effort, the remaining 80% involves translating rules into actionable guidance for human reviewers,...
Turn Job Hunt Downtime Into a Value‑Building Venture
Without meaning to be insensitive: Really find it hard to get inside the brain of someone sitting around applying for jobs for six months, waiting to be hired. It for sure doesn't take all day to apply. You have unbelievable amounts of...
King of Ads' Update Could Disrupt Traditional Agency Model
An update worth checking out from "the king of ads." This could upend the traditional agency model.
Poser: Jaime Ray Newman, Jessie Cohen, and More to Recur on Netflix Drama Series
Netflix’s drama series Poser has expanded its ensemble, adding four recurring actors—Jaime Ray Newman, Jessie Cohen, Tess Paras and Candace Allen—to portray Jess, Jenny, Samantha and Melissa respectively. The show, created by Lauren Iungerich, follows a toxic female friendship and already stars Daisy Jelley, Sadie Stanley, Annie Murphy,...
Invincible Season 4: Two Episodes Left, Release Date Revealed
Only two more episodes remain of Invincible season 4 — here's when the first of those will be released. https://t.co/xREdP4S8BV
Watch NBA Play-In on Prime Video with Free Trial
How to Watch the NBA Play-In Tournament On Amazon’s Prime Video; Free Trial Available https://t.co/LvTFg1jiGe via @TVAnswerMan
Dan Stevens, Felix Kammerer and Agnes O’Casey Join ‘Legacy of Spies’ as BBC/MGM+ John Le Carré Series Starts Production
BBC and MGM+ have begun filming "Legacy of Spies," an eight‑part series that weaves John le Carré’s Cold War novels *The Spy Who Came in from the Cold* and *A Legacy of Spies* into a new thriller. Matthew Macfadyen returns as Michael Smiley, while...
Clancy’s Breakthrough Came From Pro‑American Niche Publishing
A lot of people miss the real reason Tom Clancy broke through. Mainstream publishers wouldn’t touch his first book. The Naval Institute Press did. Why? He was unapologetically pro-American at a time when defeatism sold better than strength and publishers wanted...
AI Overviews Now Favor YouTube, Reddit Over Listicles
This is still anecdotal, but I'm seeing fewer listicles and a lot more YouTube, Reddit and older content appearing in AI Overviews the past few days. Are others seeing the same? https://t.co/INXk4X6yLv
BBC & MGM+’s ‘Legacy Of Spies’ Adaptation Finds Its Bill Haydon & Casts ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ Star...
BBC and MGM+ are launching an eight‑part adaptation titled “Legacy of Spies,” based on John le Carré’s Cold War novels and the 2017 prequel sequel. Dan Stevens leads the cast as the enigmatic double‑agent Bill Haydon, joined by Felix Kammerer as Stasi enforcer...
Visionular’s Auroravision Aims To Bring Tier-1 Live Production To Standard GPU Servers
Visionular has unveiled AuroraVision, an AI‑native production platform that delivers Tier‑1 live‑production features on standard GPU servers. The software provides real‑time slow‑motion replay, AI‑driven video reframing, 4K/8K up‑scaling and object tracking without specialized cameras or signal‑chain hardware. AuroraFlex extends the...
The Chatbot Closed the Sale. The Publisher Created the Demand. That’s a Problem.
Criteo has embedded sponsored product placements directly into ChatGPT answers, turning AI responses into a new ad inventory. The move sidesteps traditional attribution because the publisher content that shaped the recommendation never appears as a clickable URL, leaving creators without...
Neither Debt Nor Equity: How Copyright Capital Is Funding Creators Banks Won’t Touch
Copyright Capital, founded by former M&A banker Jack Ojalvo in 2022, offers a novel financing model for digital creators that sidesteps traditional debt and equity. The Geneva‑based firm evaluates creators primarily on actual revenue, not subscriber or view counts, and...
CURRENT ISSUE: April 13, 2026
Radio Ink’s April 13, 2026 issue spotlights MediaCo CRO Brian Fisher in its cover story, exploring his strategic vision for the company. The issue also publishes the annual Radio’s Top 20 Leaders 2026 list, ranking the most influential radio executives....
Do TV Shows or Movies Show More Streaming Ads?
Ampere Analysis reports that streaming movies carry about 40% fewer ads than TV series. On average, movies see roughly three minutes of ads per hour versus just over five minutes for shows, giving viewers 36 minutes of uninterrupted content between...
Monday Memo: The 2026 Case for Weekend Talk Radio
Consultant Holland Cooke argues that as podcast listening surpasses traditional spoken‑word radio, podcasters should leverage weekend talk radio to boost credibility and efficiency. Broadcast radio provides an established, trusted audience and makes it easier to attract guests. A live call‑in...
Nate Lundy Show Debuts on The Bet in Denver
Audacy’s Denver sports‑betting station KAMP‑AM, branded as The Bet 1430, has added the "Mile High Sports" show hosted by veteran broadcaster Nate Lundy to its weekday lineup. The program will air from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, positioning the station to capture...
EBay Taps Fashion Influencers to Stock NYC Pop-Up Market
eBay is launching a three‑day pop‑up called “The NYC Edit Market” in SoHo from April 17‑19, showcasing pre‑loved items curated by ten local fashion influencers. The event blends physical retail with eBay’s digital platform, allowing visitors to list items on‑site...
Creator Economy NYC Partners With Social Media Week to Host Creator Economy Exchange Session on April 16
Creator Economy NYC is teaming with Social Media Week to host a "Creator Economy Exchange" during ADWEEK’s New York conference on April 16. The half‑hour session will feature eight rotating stations covering topics such as long‑form content, AI workflows, partnership...
Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (April 11-12)
Talk radio’s weekly roundup highlighted five headline‑grabbing stories that dominated the airwaves from April 11‑12. Listeners heard intense debate over Iran’s nuclear talks and a potential U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside the Rep. Eric Swalwell scandal. The weekend...