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.
David E. Kelley Gives Minor Update On ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3
HBO’s hit drama Big Little Lies is moving toward a third season, according to creator David E. Kelley, who confirmed a reunion of the original cast but could not share specifics. The series will be written and executive‑produced by Francesca Sloane, who signed a two‑year overall deal with HBO. Production is waiting on author Liane Moriarty’s sequel novel, slated for release on August 25, 2026, which introduces a ten‑year time jump. Kelley’s other project, Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles, premieres April 15.
Defamation Lawsuits Against Thai Journalists Draw Criticism From Rights Groups
Thai Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin has filed criminal defamation lawsuits against Isaan Record journalists Hathairat Phaholtap and Kowit Photisan for reporting a bribery scheme involving Thai officials and Finnish berry farms. The suits seek roughly 50 million...
Threads Gains Momentum with Coachella Party and New Features
Threads team is BUSY Of all the Meta platforms, I'm glad this one is getting a chance to shine They hosted a Coachella party They kicked off a digital scavenger hunt with KATSEYE (link below) They pre-announced a new live chat feature, like a...
Eric Stoltz Turned Down The Lead In A Hit Cop Show That Redefined An Entire Network
Eric Stoltz was originally offered the lead role of Vic Mackey on FX’s groundbreaking series *The Shield*, but he turned it down. The part went to Michael Chiklis, who dramatically reshaped his image by losing weight, shaving his head, and embracing the character’s...
The Curse of Oak Island Season 13 Episode 22 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
The History Channel’s hit series The Curse of Oak Island returns with Season 13 Episode 22, titled “Road Trip,” on April 14, 2026. The episode airs at 9 PM ET (6 PM PT) and continues the Lagina brothers’ quest, featuring fresh discoveries in the Money Pit and new...
OpenAI Acquires TBPN, Merging AI with Trusted Media Reach
OpenAI announced the acquisition of TBPN, a media‑tech company with a highly engaged audience of founders, investors and operators. The deal bundles AI expertise, content creators and a distribution channel, prompting marketers to reassess how they reach niche audiences. Financial...
China Deploys AI‑Generated Animation to Revamp Communist Party Messaging on Social Media
China's state broadcaster CCTV launched a five‑minute AI‑generated animation that has amassed over 1 million views in days, using martial‑arts tropes to frame the Iran war and mock the United States. The move reflects Beijing's broader push to modernize Communist Party...
Write Daily, Publish Publicly, Turn Content Into Sellable Capital
My free guide to building a massive online audience: Write: • 300 words per day • Create with your reader Publish: • Practice in public • Double down on what works Expand: • Turn high-performing topics into longer-form pieces • Turn longer-form pieces into Intellectual Capital you can sell
Audiobooks Costly, Recoup Slowly; Avoid Amazon‑Exclusive Royalty Shares
Author Truth about audiobooks 1. They cost a lot to be made. $200-$600pfh (per finished hour) on average. Depending on your style- single, duet, or dual narration and how many narrators. 2. Unless you already have a midsize following it...
Can Reddit's International Expansion Drive More Upside in the Stock?
Reddit’s focus on international markets is fueling rapid growth, with 2025 international revenue climbing 76% to $417 million and global daily active users rising 28% to 68.9 million. Advertising earnings surged 74% to $2.1 billion as more verticals post double‑digit gains and the...
Apple TV’s 10-Part Crime Drama Is Quietly One of Its Best Shows
Apple TV+ launched the ten‑episode crime comedy Bad Monkey on August 13, 2024, starring Vince Vaughn as a former Miami cop turned health inspector. Set against the sun‑splashed Bahamas, the series blends off‑beat humor, a quirky murder mystery, and vivid ecological commentary...
Misinformation Outpaces Truth: Social Media Needs Throttling
Brandolini’s law, also called the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, argues that it takes an exponentially greater amount of time, effort, and energy to counter just one piece of misinformation. I'm beginning to really and truly think our society isn't going to survive...
The Boys Season 5 Premiere Gives One Doomed Character A Death Worthy Of Anime
The Boys season 5 premiere sees A‑Train intervene to rescue Hughie, only to be killed by Homelander after a clumsy fall. His death is portrayed with a defiant laugh, echoing anime tropes like One Piece’s “Will of D.” The episode...
How to Get Your First 1000 FB Followers (Without Running Ads)
The post outlines a step‑by‑step, ad‑free blueprint for reaching the first 1,000 Facebook followers. It emphasizes daily posting, strategic commenting on viral niche content, and active participation in relevant groups. Additional tactics include list‑style posts, reels, live video, and reciprocal...
The Utter Disgrace of the BBC (and Rest of MSM)
A post on a tech forum cites The Grayzone article alleging that the BBC appointed a 27‑year‑old Iranian activist as a senior Iran correspondent and claims she is a CIA‑linked propaganda asset. The same thread accuses BBC Middle East editor...
Your Owned Prime Video Movies Shouldn't Have Ads — Here's How to Stop Them
Amazon introduced Prime Video Ultra, a $4.99‑per‑month add‑on that replaces the former $2.99 ad‑free tier. The new plan expands offline downloads to 100 titles, allows up to five simultaneous streams, and upgrades playback to 4K/UHD with Dolby Atmos. Most owned...
How High Potential's Fanbase Affected Season 2's Romantic Storylines
TVLine reports that the fervent fanbase for the Morgan‑Karadec ship drove the writers of *High Potential* to deliberately keep the duo apart in Season 2. Executive producer Kaitlin Olson said the surge of online speculation inspired two new, polarizing romances—Morgan with...
Podcast Prioritizes Bombs Over NASA, Leaving Listeners Disheartened
i was listening to some news podcast and they literally cut off the nasa woman mid-sentence to talk about bombs in iran....and it was v depressing
CreAtIva
creAtIva Magazine, part of the CODAME ART+TECH ecosystem, publishes four print volumes each year that showcase generative AI art from an international pool of creators. The publication curates content through open calls evaluated by a global panel of digital artists,...
Adam West Heads Quirky NBC Comedy Post‑Super Bowl
📺 April 11, 1986: Adam West headlined the one-hour comedy “The Last Precinct” which made its time slot premiere on NBC. Its first episode had aired after Super Bowl XX nearly three months prior. The series featured an odd mix...
Calls for Transparency Over YouTube Ban Mystery
super interesting that the most recent video caused the ban? doesn't YouTube still have a 3x policy? It's clearly not actually violence. Could they have traced/confirmed it back to Iran? Could it be the Eminem IP? Deserves transparency.
New Star Wars Series Called "Gritty" And "Visually Stunning" As It Lands Perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
Disney+ launched "Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord," an animated series set after The Clone Wars. Created by Dave Filoni and starring Sam Witwer as Maul, the show has earned a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 36 critic...
Grok Wrongly Flags Single Substack Account, Needs Review
This is a terrible rationale by Grok. It needs investigation. 1) I just tried ~12 unique substack accounts using an open dot substack link. Only this super sensitive Julie K Brown is flagged. 2) this is the default share syntax...
Social Media Managers Rebranded as Growth Engineers
They’re calling social media managers “growth engineers” now, she’s 100% spot on with this analysis
The Shield Used Story Ideas That Were Too Dark And Twisted For Nash Bridges
Shawn Ryan began his TV career on the light‑hearted CBS procedural Nash Bridges, but his darker story concepts were deemed too twisted for the show. While shadowing real police officers, Ryan absorbed the gritty realities that would later fuel his vision....
Your First Line Must Hook in 1/8 Second
You have 1/8th of a second to stop someone from scrolling past your content. That's it. Your first line is everything. If it doesn't create curiosity, tension, or surprise, nobody reads line two. Write your hook like your business depends on it. Because it does.
TV Highlights | 2026 Week 16
TV Blackbox’s Week 16 guide outlines Australia’s broadcast and streaming lineup as the first‑quarter reality‑show cycle wraps and networks pivot to new Q2 offerings. Highlights include the finale of Married At First Sight on Nine, Australian Idol’s Grand Final on Seven,...
Will NASCAR’s Food City 500 Air In 4K?
Fox will produce an upscaled 4K broadcast of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, while the race will also air in HD on FS1. Viewers can access the 4K feed via the Fox One app using a...
Filipino Girl Group BINI Makes History as First All-Filipino Act on Coachella Stage
Filipino girl group BINI performed a 45‑minute, 10‑song set on the Mojave stage at Coachella, becoming the first all‑Filipino act to appear at the festival. The debut sparked worldwide trending on social media, marking a milestone for Original Pinoy Music...
Lorne Michaels Says He’ll Keep Steering SNL Amid Retirement Rumors
Lorne Michaels, the 81‑year‑old creator of Saturday Night Live, told Vanity Fair he has no intention of stepping down, even as fans speculate about his exit ahead of the season‑51 finale. The comments came alongside the New York premiere of...
Cuban President Rejects NBC's Step‑Down Question, Citing Sovereignty Amid U.S. Pressure
Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel told NBC News host Kristen Welker on Thursday that he would not step down, turning the question back on the United States. The interview, the first with a U.S. broadcast network, comes as Washington ramps up...
Advertiser ID: Weighing Personalized Ads vs Privacy Risks
The more you use your computer, the more personalized the ads become. Helpful, or big privacy problem? Here are the pros and cons of keeping "Advertiser ID" enabled for Windows and MacOS users: https://t.co/2Jztl0woVh #privacy #mac #windows #advertising https://t.co/iNVrslkfb4
K Wave Media Inks $100M+ Global HYBE Distribution Deal for BTS, SEVENTEEN
K Wave Media Ltd. (NASDAQ:KWM) signed an exclusive global distribution agreement with HYBE covering BTS, SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM and other acts. The deal, effective April 3, 2026, is projected to generate $50‑$75 million in incremental revenue and push total annual revenue past...
DoubleVerify Exposes AutoBait AI Ad‑Fraud Network Draining Millions From Advertisers
DoubleVerify’s fraud lab uncovered AutoBait, an AI‑generated ad‑fraud network spanning more than 200 Made‑for‑Advertising domains. The system can produce a full article for under $2.25 while generating hundreds of ad impressions, costing advertisers millions and undercutting legitimate publishers.
What To Watch This Week: 50+ Premieres, Finales, And More
TVLine’s weekly guide lists more than 50 new episodes, finales and specials debuting across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms from April 12‑18, 2026. Highlights include HBO’s Euphoria Season 3, multiple documentary releases on Netflix and Hulu, and the season‑ending run of...
Attack on Titan Studio Slammed for AI Use and It Won't Be the Last Time
WIT Studio, the creator of Attack on Titan, faced fan outrage after using generative AI in the opening sequence of Ascendance of a Bookworm, prompting an apology and a promise to replace the clip. The studio, which posted a ¥170 million...
Remote Control Technology Has Come a Long Way
Remote control for broadcast transmitters has evolved from basic STL/TSL links that only reported power levels to sophisticated cloud‑based platforms that deliver real‑time temperature, voltage, generator status, and live video. By leveraging SNMP, modern systems like American Amplifier Technologies' EmPower...
Judgment: Cases that Changed Australia: April 14
The four‑part ABC documentary "Judgment: Cases that Changed Australia" opens with the legal battle to overturn Tasmania’s anti‑homosexuality statutes. In the early 1990s, activists Rodney Croome and Nick Toonen risked 21‑year jail terms, leading to a landmark High Court decision...
UFC Benefits From Masters Lead-Out, Ratings Awaited
There’s two hours of UFC on CBS to benefit from the Masters lead out today. With news in between but still should add a good number of viewers. Interested to see what their TV ratings are tonight.
First US Newsroom Strike For AI Protections Staged by ProPublica's Journalists
ProPublica journalists, represented by the ProPublica Guild, staged a 24‑hour strike on Wednesday, marking the first U.S. newsroom walkout explicitly demanding safeguards against AI‑driven layoffs. About 150 union members picketed the New York headquarters, with coordinated pickets in Chicago and...
LA County Officials Meet To Secure ‘Baywatch’ Production’s Future In Venice
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath convened city officials, production leaders and agency representatives to address logistical hurdles threatening the Fox‑backed Baywatch reboot’s stay in Venice. The series, backed by a $21.1 million California tax credit, will continue filming through July...
Netflix's Hit Rom-Com Series Nobody Wants This Gets New Cast for Returning Season 3
Netflix’s romantic‑comedy series “Nobody Wants This” has confirmed a fresh slate of talent for its third season, set to debut later this year. The returning leads Kristen Bell and Adam Brody will be joined by comedians Sarah Silverman and Andrew...
Cillian Murphy’s $297 Million Horror Movie Streams on Netflix Today
Paramount Pictures’ survival‑horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II, which earned roughly $297 million worldwide, has been added to Netflix’s catalog six years after its theatrical debut. The film, directed by John Krasinski and starring Cillian Murphy as Emmett, retains a 91%...
The Lownie Report Podcast: Ellie Leonard on the Epstein Files, Jane Doe 4 and Donald Trump
The Lownie Report podcast featured investigative journalist Ellie Leonard, who detailed her work uncovering new angles of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Leonard discussed her research into the mysterious Jane Doe 4, connections between Epstein and former President Donald Trump, and the...
Pentagon Asks Court to Keep Its Restrictions on Journalists
The Pentagon has asked a federal judge to keep its journalist‑escort policy in place while it appeals a court ruling that struck down broader media restrictions. Judge Paul Friedman previously found the Pentagon’s credential rules unconstitutional after The New York Times sued....
How to Watch ‘Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever,’ New Investigative Series on the Longevity Industry
Kara Swisher is launching a six‑part investigative series, *Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever*, on CNN beginning April 11. The docuseries examines the booming longevity industry, testing treatments like ketamine and red‑light therapy while interviewing leaders such as Bryan Johnson, Sam Altman and...
Millions Tune In for Vatican‑POTUS Showdown Coverage
Somewhere north or south of ten million people will likely tune in at the same this Sunday to watch a highly trusted news brand report on rapidly evolving dynamic between the Vatican and POTUS. Not sure where else this could...
CapeTalk 567 Keeps It Real With XPN-AM
CapeTalk 567, a 28‑year‑old AM station in Cape Town, upgraded its on‑air audio chain by swapping the legacy Orban 9200 Optimod for an Orban XPN‑AM processor installed at its Greenpoint studio. The new XPN‑AM provides separate processing paths for the...
Wednesday: Season Three; Lena Headey, Andrew McCarthy and James Lance to Guest on Netflix Series
Netflix confirmed that Lena Headey, Andrew McCarthy and James Lance will guest‑star in season three of Wednesday. Production is currently underway near Dublin, Ireland, joining a slate of newly announced cast members and returning leads such as Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta‑Jones....
The Pitt's Nurse Assault Storyline Gets An Honest Reaction From A Real ER Doctor
HBO’s *The Pitt* dramatizes a nurse being placed in a headlock, a scenario that Dr. Robert Glatter of Lenox Hill Hospital says mirrors a disturbing reality in U.S. emergency departments. He cites a study where 100% of ER nurses faced...