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.
How to Stop Your Smart TV From Tracking You
Popular Science published a step‑by‑step guide for consumers to curb data collection on modern smart TVs. It outlines universal tactics—such as disconnecting Wi‑Fi or using a guest network—and brand‑specific settings for LG, Samsung, Sony, and Roku to disable advertising IDs and Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). The article emphasizes that while these actions may limit some smart features, they significantly reduce the amount of personal viewing data sent back to manufacturers and ad networks. By following the instructions, users can protect privacy without sacrificing core TV functionality.
Sequel To Korea’s Most Popular Zombie Movie Is Leaving Netflix
Netflix will remove the Korean zombie sequel Peninsula and its predecessor Train to Busan from its streaming library on May 2, 2026 as part of its regular catalog refresh. Peninsula, the third film in Yeon Sang‑ho’s trilogy, earned $42.6 million worldwide but received...
Bad News For Babylon 5 Fans
Amazon’s MGM has pulled the sci‑fi series Babylon 5 from free ad‑supported streaming services such as The Roku Channel and Tubi, ending legal, no‑cost access to all five seasons in the United States. Viewers now must either buy digital episodes, purchase...
Roku Quietly Adds A New Feature to Its Popular Roku City on Roku TVs & Roku Players
Roku has quietly upgraded its popular Roku City screensaver by embedding interactive billboards on the virtual cityscape. Pressing the up button on a Roku remote now jumps viewers directly to the highlighted movie or series instead of returning to the...
Netflix Signs on as Mumbai Indians’ Official Entertainment Partner for IPL
Netflix has become the official entertainment partner of the Mumbai Indians, launching a short‑form digital film that riffs on Rohit Sharma’s viral “Garden mein aaya hai kya?” meme. The parody, starring comedian Sunil Grover as a Rohit look‑alike, was designed...
MeitY Extends Deadline For Public Comments To IT Rule Amendments
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has pushed back the public comment deadline for its draft amendments to the 2021 Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code to April 29, up from April 12. The revisions would tighten oversight of...
What To Watch Saturday: Colman Domingo Hosts SNL, Sydney Sweeney Is Christy, And More
Saturday’s TV slate features a mix of live sports, new drama and late‑night comedy. Colman Domingo will host Saturday Night Live on NBC, while Sydney Sweeney headlines HBO’s new series “Christy,” a biopic of 1990s boxing champion Christy Martin. Netflix...
Reddit Comment Fuels Fatherhood Debate Over ‘Good Parents’ Claim
A viral Reddit comment stating “parenting is only hard for good parents” sparked a heated debate across social media, with many fathers weighing in on how the line fuels guilt and exclusion. The discussion highlights growing tension over how parenting...
First DMs, Now Replies: Instagram Lets You Edit Pesky Typos Out of Your Comments
Instagram is adding a comment‑editing button that lets users modify their remarks within 15 minutes of posting. The edit option appears directly beneath a comment and adds an “Edited” label once the change is saved. This mirrors the edit functionality...
DOJ Opens Antitrust Probe Into NFL TV Rights as $10 B Deals Near Renewal
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into the NFL’s television and media rights agreements, which generate more than $10 billion a year. The probe focuses on whether the league’s exclusive bundling of broadcast rights, especially Fox’s $2 billion...
Euphoria Feels Like It’s Aged Out of Relevance / Would the NFL Schedule a Feb. 27 Super Bowl? / The...
Norman Weiss argues that HBO’s third season of Euphoria has lost its cultural edge, delivering fewer audacious moments and more complacent scenes. While the series still sparks conversation, the reviewer notes a widening gap between the show’s early shock value...
Netflix Combines New Thriller 'Thrash' With Tyson Fury Fight for Weekend Push
Netflix will stream heavyweight bout Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 while debuting the shark‑hurricane thriller 'Thrash' on April 12, underscoring the platform’s dual strategy of live‑sport expansion and new original movies. The fight marks a high‑profile test...
Before Apple Music, There Was MapleMusic—Canada’s Forgotten Pioneer
MapleMusic, founded in 1999 by Andy Maize, his brother Jeff, and tech entrepreneurs, pioneered a hybrid e‑commerce and distribution platform for Canadian artists. It offered a real‑time sales portal that let musicians track inventory and merchandise, predating mainstream SaaS tools....
Amazon Luna Cuts Third‑party Game Purchases, Ends Bring‑Your‑Own Library
Amazon announced that Luna will no longer allow purchases from third‑party stores such as EA, Ubisoft or GOG, and the Bring‑Your‑Own Library feature will end on June 3 2026. Previously bought titles remain streamable only until June 10 2026, after which users must rely...
Deloitte Finds 40% of Americans Cut Streaming Subscriptions Amid Rising Costs
Deloitte’s 2026 Digital Media Trends report reveals that four in ten Americans have cancelled or reduced streaming services in the past three months. The cutbacks stem from higher food, gas and housing costs, while subscription prices continue to climb, prompting...
Popular Action Movie Joining Streaming — Just Months After Box Office Disappointment
Edgar Wright’s 2025 remake of *The Running Man* will debut on Amazon Prime Video on April 17, 2025, just five months after a disappointing theatrical run. The film grossed $69.5 million worldwide against a $110 million production budget, resulting in a roughly...
Alphabet Hikes YouTube Premium Fees by up to $4, First Raise Since 2023
Alphabet announced a U.S. price increase for YouTube Premium, adding $2 to the individual plan and $4 to the family tier effective June 2026. The move, the first since 2023, aims to fund service upgrades and creator payouts, while investors...
Amazon Luna Cuts Third‑Party Game Purchases, Shifts to Subscription‑Only Model
Amazon announced that Luna will no longer sell or stream games from third‑party stores like EA, Ubisoft or GOG. The Bring Your Own Library feature ends June 3, 2026, and all previously bought titles disappear from Luna on June 10,...
Call It the Bad Bunny Effect: Why Telemundo No Longer Is an Underdog
Telemundo, the NBCUniversal‑owned Spanish‑language network, has shed its underdog status, posting double‑digit audience growth and overtaking rivals in key markets. Nielsen data show an 11% rise in its national evening news viewership last year, while its Los Angeles station KVEA now...
Terminally Online: Everything Is Content and Content Is Online
In this episode of Terminally Online, hosts Claire Fogarty, Dan Pfeiffer, Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Caroline Reston dive into the latest Bravo reality‑TV scandal surrounding the divorce of Kyle Cook and Amanda Batula, the alleged affair with Wes Wilson, and the...
Harmonic Drives Hybrid Streaming Leadership with AI, Cloud Innovations
Harmonic unveiled upgrades to its hybrid streaming platform that combine AI‑agent connectivity via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), cloud‑native deployment on Red Hat OpenShift, and intelligent, policy‑driven asset orchestration. The solution lets service providers integrate custom AI agents for root‑cause analysis,...
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How the Internet Broke Everyone’s Bullshit Detectors
The rapid rise of AI‑generated and synthetic media is outpacing verification tools, as illustrated by Iran‑linked outlets producing Lego‑style propaganda within 24 hours and the White House’s teaser videos that sparked confusion. Automated traffic now drives about 51% of internet...
Europe Is Losing the Algorithmic War for Streaming – and That’s a Policy Failure
Europe produces over 2,000 films annually, yet its content captures only 18‑20% of streaming viewership despite representing roughly a third of video‑on‑demand catalogs. The upcoming 2026 review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) highlights a policy gap: a 30%...
YouTube Premium Raises Subscription Prices Across Plans in First Hike Since 2023
YouTube announced its first Premium subscription price increase in the United States since 2023. The standard plan now costs $15.99 per month, up $2, while the Music and Premium Lite tiers rise $1 to $11.99 and $8.99 respectively. The Family...
Joe Kernen’s Poor Preparation Undermines CNBC Journalism Standards
As I have repeatedly written on Twitter (in recent months)... the problem @SquawkCNBC viewers should have with Joe Kernen is not his politics (as that is his own business) - it is his lack of preparation (which causes...
Netflix Blocks Offline Viewing, Apple TV Lets You Stream
Damn annoying how a subscription service like Netflix deliberately doesn’t support offline mode. Got on a plane, wanted to watch my downloaded series, and could not. Netflix has an A+ eng team, so this is deliberate. But eg Apple TV doesn’t...
How Content Characteristics Foster Audience Engagement on Instagram
The study investigates how Instagram content traits affect audience engagement for Oman’s nation branding. Quantitative metrics and qualitative themes reveal that self‑created posts outperform collaborative or reposted material, confirming the power of authenticity. Visually refined images—strong composition, vivid colour, creative...
Media Uncritically Amplified Iranian Propaganda as Truth
Of course they didn’t but every news outlet published the Iranian propaganda like it was fact.
Is Canada's 'Netflix Tax' Worth the Hassle It's Getting From the U.S.?
Canada’s Online Streaming Act (C‑11) forces streaming platforms that earn at least $25 million CAD (~$18 million USD) in Canada to remit 5 % of revenue to a national fund for Canadian content. The rule, designed to boost domestic production, is being challenged...
Reliance Jewels Spotlights ‘Smart Gold Buying’ in Akshaya Tritiya Campaign
Reliance Jewels, in partnership with Network Advertising, launched a multi‑channel Akshaya Tritiya campaign titled “Shubh Akshaya Tritiya, Smart Akshaya Tritiya.” The film, starring Gajraj Rao and Pratibha Ranta, reframes gold buying as a culturally rooted yet financially savvy decision. By emphasizing gold’s dual...
Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street - Friday, April 10
On Friday, April 10, 2024, Maria Bartiromo hosted a 20‑minute episode of "Wall Street" on Fox Business. The broadcast featured a round‑table discussion that touched on former President Donald Trump’s political influence, rising tensions with Iran, and the outlook for global...
Beyond Paradise Star Eyes Epic BBC Crossover with The Tra
I'm all for BBC shows having an epic crossover episode — and one Beyond Paradise season 4 star has their eye on The Traitors. https://t.co/pLy0JQRFmq
Fury: The Real Fight Is Not in the Ring or Ad Spend, but Brand Alignment
Tyson Fury’s comeback fight will stream on Netflix to 300 million viewers, turning the bout into a massive branding platform. Havas Media argues that success for advertisers now hinges on aligning with the live‑sport moment rather than chasing low CPM reach....
‘Greenland 2’ Settles Into Top Spot on Disc Sales Charts
Lionsgate’s sequel *Greenland 2: Migration* debuted at No. 1 on the Circana VideoScan chart, leading overall disc sales for the week ending April 4, 2026. The title generated $17.8 million at the domestic box office and saw HD formats account for 47% of its...
Crocs India Ropes in Rakesh Bedi for Quirky New Digital Campaign
JioHotstar has introduced Tadka, a vertical micro‑drama vertical delivering 60‑ to 120‑second episodes designed for mobile thumbs. The service launches with more than 100 original titles and aims to exceed 1,000 by year‑end, coinciding with the Indian Premier League to...
Viewpoint: What Happens Next for Nexstar and TEGNA?
U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley extended a temporary restraining order by a week, delaying a decision on whether to issue a permanent injunction that could block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA. The deal, already cleared by the...
FOX Developing New Comedy “The Dogwood” For ABC
ABC has ordered a new multi‑camera comedy called “The Dogwood,” about a work‑aholic mom who leaves her marriage and becomes the most stereotypical divorced dad. The series is written by Gemma Baker, co‑creator of “Mom” and veteran writer on “Two...
Elon Musk's X Is Finally Cracking Down on Engagement Farming with Big Overhaul to Its Monetization Program
X, the platform owned by Elon Musk, announced a revamp of its revenue‑sharing program to prioritize original, high‑quality posts and de‑rank low‑quality engagement‑farming content. Product head Nikita Bier said new tools will identify original authors and allocate a portion of...
Apple TV’s Epic 2-Part Sci-Fi Is Climbing the Charts on Another Streamer
Apple TV’s sci‑fi series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is now streaming for free on Prime Video, despite traditionally requiring an Apple TV subscription. The two‑part show deepens the MonsterVerse by shifting the secretive Monarch organization from hunters to protectors of...
The Kitkat Convoy Stunt
A 12‑tonne shipment of limited‑edition Formula 1 KitKats vanished en route from Italy to Poland, prompting Nestlé’s KitKat brand to deny an April Fool’s joke and launch a “Stolen KitKat Tracker” for fans. The incident sparked a flood of social media...
‘I Literally Don’t Know a Word You’re Saying’: Anderson Cooper Mystified by Neil deGrasse Tyson During Artemis Crew Recovery
Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed lunar flight since 1972, splashed down off San Diego after a nine‑day orbit around the Moon, setting a new record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth. The four‑person crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist...
PBS FRONTLINE THE DEAL TRUMP AND Cedcot
The Frontline episode investigates the secretive deal between former President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, revealing how the U.S. deported hundreds of alleged gang members to El Salvador’s notorious Sikat prison and how Bukele’s dramatic drop in...
Top Drama Guest Actor Emmy Contenders Revealed
#Emmys Predictions: Guest Actor (Drama) Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt” Jeff Hiller, “Pluribus” Jonathan Pryce, “Slow Horses” Bill Pullman, “The Boroughs” Jeremy Irons, “The Morning Show” Samba Schutte, “Pluribus” https://t.co/IBYIERvfVt via @variety https://t.co/yaOQjO4ACC
AI‑generated Fact Checks Win Broader, Less Biased Approval
Neat experiment finds AI fact checks are rated as more helpful & less ideological than human ones "LLM-generated Community Notes can achieve broader cross-ideological acceptance than human-written notes, receiving more positive ratings from raters across the political spectrum" https://t.co/Ofg1kYNxYe
Marvel Drops Trailer for Disney+ Punisher Special “One Last Kill”
Marvel released the first trailer for the Disney+ special “The Punisher: One Last Kill,” confirming Jon Bernthal’s return as Frank Castle and revealing a darker, psychologically‑charged storyline. The teaser drops on April 9 and the special is slated for a May 12...
Need Help Finding Scene From Tv/Movie
A forum user is trying to locate a late‑1990s or early‑2000s TV or movie scene where two characters discuss an “out‑of‑context problem” involving conquistadors, firearms, and disease. The asker recalls the line predating its alleged appearance on the sci‑fi series...
Shandong Publishing & Media Posts 2025 Profit Drop as Revenue Falls 4.6%
Shandong Publishing & Media Co., Ltd (601019.SS) announced full‑year 2025 earnings of RMB1.173 bn ($164 m), a decline from RMB1.270 bn a year earlier, while revenue fell 4.6% to RMB11.179 bn ($1.57 bn). The results underscore pressure on China’s traditional publishing sector as digital platforms...
HBO Revises ICE Episode of “The Pitt” After Star’s Concerns Amid WBD Acquisition Battle
HBO asked “The Pitt” to tone its ICE‑focused episode for balance, prompting star Noah Wyle to voice early worries. After revisions, the March 19 episode aired with a more restrained approach, a change that comes as Warner Bros. Discovery battles...
Publicis Groupe to Acquire 160over90, Creating World’s Largest Data‑Driven Sports Platform
Publicis Groupe announced it will acquire 160over90, the Formula 1‑focused sports and culture agency, to build the world’s leading data‑driven sport and culture platform. The deal, still undisclosed financially, will integrate 160over90’s 670‑person team with Publicis Sports and Epsilon’s data assets,...
HBO Max Launches ‘Christy’ as VPNs Become Key to Global Streaming
HBO Max added the Sydney Sweeney‑led biopic ‘Christy’ to its U.S. lineup on April 10, 2026, after a disappointing theatrical run. With no unified streaming partner outside the United States, fans are turning to VPN services to bypass regional blocks,...