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.
Netflix Cancels Upcoming Real-Life Drama Following Millie Bobby Brown Exit
Netflix has scrapped the planned biopic "Perfect," which would have seen Millie Bobby Brown portray Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug. Brown left the project over creative differences, prompting the studio to abandon the film despite a summer production schedule and a recent director swap from Gia Coppola to Cate Shortland. The cancellation frees Brown to focus on Enola Holmes 3, the next installment of Netflix’s detective franchise. The move highlights Netflix’s willingness to cut projects lacking star commitment.
Jean Smart & Lisa Vanderpump To Appear On Good Morning America
Disney released the weekly guest lineup for ABC’s morning shows Good Morning America (GMA) and its spin‑off GMA3, highlighting appearances by actress Jean Smart and TV personality Lisa Vanderpump. The schedule runs April 13‑18 and includes a mix of entertainment, sports,...
Millennials Rejoice: There's An 'Animorphs' TV Show In Development
Disney+ has entered early development on an Animorphs television series, reviving the beloved 1990s sci‑fi book franchise for a streaming audience. The adaptation will be written and executive‑produced by Bayan Wolcott, with Ryan and Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian joining...
News: Joe Buck, Scott Van Pelt, Disney and More
Joe Buck told a podcast he would sign any contract to stay at ESPN beyond his current deal, which expires after the NFL season and Super Bowl. Scott Van Pelt confirmed he will remain the host of the late‑night SportsCenter...
Lisa Vanderpump & Terry Crews To Appear On “ABC News Live Prime With Linsey Davis”
Disney announced the upcoming week’s lineup for ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, featuring a mix of celebrity interviews and investigative reports. Highlights include appearances by actor Terry Crews, reality star Lisa Vanderpump, and author Emma Grede, alongside Prime Focus segments on topics...
ChatGPT’s $100B Ad Goal Demands Precise Product Discipline
How can ChatGPT reach $100BN in advertising revenue? "If my reverse-engineered input assessments are anywhere near what OpenAI used in its model to project $100BN in annual advertising revenue, then the team faces a formidable challenge, albeit one that is surmountable...
MUBI Lost 200,000 Subscribers Following Its 2025 PR Nightmare
MUBI’s 2025 PR crisis over a $100 million Sequoia Capital investment triggered a wave of backlash that cost the streamer roughly 200,000 subscribers, dropping its base to about 1.2 million by year‑end. The controversy also coincided with a $7.3 million revenue shortfall on...
A Trio of FCC ‘NIPRB’ Warnings Are Issued To Property Owners
The Federal Communications Commission issued Notice of Intent to Pursue Regulatory Action (NIPRB) warnings to three New York property owners after unlicensed FM pirate stations were traced to their buildings. The FCC’s notice demands immediate action to cease the illegal...
RNN to Launch as Radio News Option for U.S. Stations
Live Channel USA is debuting the Radio Network News (RNN) service as a bridge for U.S. stations starting May 23, one day after CBS News Radio ceases operations. The full national news network will launch on June 1, offering top‑of‑the‑hour...
Tales From the Crypt Will Finally Start Streaming on Shudder in May
Shudder will add the cult horror anthology *Tales From the Crypt* to its library on May 1, releasing a new episode each Friday until the series finale on June 12. The move follows a complex rights settlement that finally reunites the EC...
One Easy Pro-Consumer Trick Congress Will Never Pass
The post highlights how subscription services like Netflix and Disney+ routinely raise prices with little consumer friction, citing an Italian court that forced Netflix to refund illegal hikes and the FTC’s click‑to‑cancel rule that was recently voided. It argues that...
Birch Wins Again In Third FM Translator Interference Claim
Tom Birch, owner of Lakes Media, achieved a third Federal Communications Commission (FCC) victory against FM translator interference. After a two‑year battle that shut down co‑channel translator W234AR in 2018, a newer translator, W252EL at 98.3 MHz in Cary, NC, caused...
Pop-Up Station Aims To Boost College Radio Scholarships
WVYL Vinyl Radio, a pop‑up station, launched a 120‑hour marathon on Monday to raise scholarship funds for aspiring radio professionals. The stream, hosted on Live365, features one‑hour programs from college, community and commercial broadcasters worldwide, plus specialty vinyl content. The...
Study: Broadcasters Must `Prepare Now’ for Impact of FCC C-Band Auction
The FCC plans to auction the remaining 100‑180 MHz of upper C‑band spectrum by July 2027, effectively ending broadcasters’ long‑standing satellite option. Unlike the 2020 reallocation, this auction leaves no like‑for‑like replacement, forcing stations to consider Ku‑band, managed IP or hybrid delivery...
B*tchwork My AI Did For Me, Part 6: Writes and Publishes My Substack From a Text on My iPhone
A creator used a single iPhone text to trigger an AI workflow that drafted, illustrated, formatted, and published a Substack article to 102,000 subscribers within minutes. The system automatically generated a cover image, created a paid post, and queued social...
Twisted Metal Season 3’s Surprising Cast Exit Is a Bad Sign & Fans Are Furious
Twisted Metal, Sony’s live‑action series on Peacock, earned strong subscriber growth after its 2023 debut and a well‑received second season in July 2025. The show was renewed for a third season in November, but actor Mike Mitchell announced he will...
Fawesome Launches a Chuck Norris Collection
Future Today’s free streaming platform Fawesome has introduced a Chuck Norris Collection, featuring titles such as The Cutter, Top Dog, and a Chuck Norris documentary. The launch is part of a broader April refresh that adds award‑winning films, cult classics,...
Never Too Late for Censorship: Doki Doki Literature Club Gets Deplatformed by Google Play a Decade After Release
Doki Doki Literature Club, the 2017 indie horror game known for its unsettling exploration of mental illness, has been removed from Google Play after nine years on the store. Google cited violations of its terms of service concerning depictions of...
Are Netflix and Apple TV Fighting?
Netflix has replaced the native Apple TV player with its own custom player on the Apple TV app, stripping away several convenience and accessibility features. The move removes side‑click rewinding, circular‑gesture scrubbing, customizable subtitles, Apple’s Enhance Dialogue, and double‑tap end‑time display....
Radio Loses Ground in Q1 as FCC License Decline Continues
U.S. radio licensing fell in Q1, the first overall decline in more than a year, according to the FCC’s quarterly count. AM stations dropped 32 to 4,310, extending a five‑quarter slide that has erased over 70 stations. Commercial FM also...
What I'd Tell Aspiring "Content Creators"
Thomas Flight, a seven‑year veteran of video‑essay production, shares three core principles for aspiring creators: craft a clear creative identity that transcends platform labels, embrace continual iteration and experimentation, and establish a steady publishing rhythm while avoiding perfectionism. He argues...
Denmark Imposes Age Checks to Restrict Social Media to Kids Under 15
Denmark has enacted a law that blocks children under 15 from accessing major social‑media platforms, setting a baseline age of 13 but allowing parental exceptions. The measure mirrors Australia’s age‑assurance model and targets services such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat....
Ranking Canada's Podcasts By Reach (Ft. Rhys Waters)
In this episode, host Katie chats with Canadian podcast veteran Rhys Waters about his new tool, CanadaPod.biz, which ranks Canadian podcasts by estimated reach using download data, Apple reviews, and social metrics. Rhys explains the tool’s methodology, its current limitations—including...
TMZ Covers, Doesn’t Originate Paparazzi Affair Photos
This is an interesting point and obviously one I thought about carefully. We can debate lots of sides of what TMZ publishes or not but I don’t think they publish paparazzi photos of alleged affairs. They will cover that stuff...
ROAS Misleads When New Customer Rate Falls Below 80%
ROAS is the most deceptive metric in your ad account • ROAS looks healthy: your new customer rate is quietly declining • You push into cold audiences: ROAS drops so you pull back • You pull back: you recirculate warm demand through the...
TV Podcast Consumption: A New Audience Study
Samba TV’s new study, Podcasts On The Big Screen, reveals that 13% of American households streamed podcasts on television in Q1 2026. The measurement leverages chip‑based data from roughly 28 million U.S. TVs and cross‑device identity matching. The metric applies to Netflix‑linked...
Fear‑mongering AI Content Fuels Creators' Profits
Hyper inflammatory anti-AI content is performing extremely well across the internet, and stoking people's fears by making AI seem extra evil only results in more profit for the content creator/slop article producer. There are so many ppl creating this content...
Three Fresh Artists Join Tonight’s Capital XTRA Show
Got 3 very dope artists joining me on the show tonight: @tkandz_ @Blademusic @DeeRiginal Tap in from 9pm @CapitalXTRA 💫 https://t.co/3GTe2WbJcz
Twitch Star Calls Out Mr. Beast over "Most Uncomfortable" Livestream Ever
In April 2025 MrBeast launched his first Kick livestream, promising to keep the broadcast alive until a $5 million clean‑water goal was met, and using extreme punishments like snake‑covers and oil‑wrestling to spur donations. Twitch star Jynxzi, who contributed $100,000 after...
Live CEO Interviews From Raymond James Biotech Symposium
Programming note: On Tuesday of next week I'll be broadcasting @BiotechTV interviews from the Raymond James Biotech Symposium in New York. Current confirmed CEO interviews: $SEPN $AKBA $WVE $VERA $DYN $KRRO (and maybe more). Let me know any questions for...
Uncovering Hidden
You've probably already seen these pieces if you follow me, but if not, this @JohnCarreyrou piece on Bitcoin's inventor https://t.co/N1iqmSCi4D and this @jonathanvswan @maggieNYT piece on the Israeli role in persuading Trump to attack Iran are tremendous https://t.co/v5lbB5orfQ
Ivanka Trump’s Hustle Grindset
Former White House adviser Ivanka Trump sat down for a rare interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast, where she opened up about her emotional ties to her late mother, her turn to stoic philosophy, and the challenges of...
Video Dominates Attention; Reconsider Your Skill Priorities
sometimes i wonder if i should have learned more about video production than writing. not because writing is unimportant (the opposite actually) but attention has 1000% shifted to video for the majority of people
Journalists Are Human Too, Not Mythic Figures
Thank goodness for @KatjaGrace's piece here dispelling a lot of myths about journalists (TL;DR: we are also humans too) https://t.co/cC3bxhq2ao
Ninja Quits Streaming Indefinitely over “Unplayable” Arc Raiders Cheating Issues
Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced an indefinite streaming hiatus, citing that the third‑person shooter Arc Raiders has become "unplayable" due to rampant cheating and stream‑sniping. He said he will only consider playing League of Legends or non‑gaming content until the issue is...
Veteran CNN Correspondent Stephanie Elam Departs After 20 Years
Stephanie Elam, a veteran CNN correspondent, is leaving the network after working there for 20 years across two different stints that had her covering financial markets, natural disasters and even the death of Prince.... https://t.co/rE5R91jb6a via @variety
Welcome to Wrexham Renewed Through 2029, Season 5 Drops May 14
The #WelcomeToWrexham docuseries has been renewed for 3 seasons, taking the show through Season 8 in 2029. Season 5 premieres on Thursday, May 14, with two episodes; individual episodes drop each following week on #FXX and #Hulu. #streaming $DIS
‘Kill Blue’ Anime Global Streaming Premiere Set for April 11
DMM announced that the anime adaptation of Tadatoshi Fujimaki’s Shonen Jump manga “Kill Blue” will debut globally on April 11 across seven North American streaming services, including Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Prime Video. The series follows legendary assassin Juzo Ōgami, who is transformed into...
Kara Swisher Launches CNN Series on Longevity
With @karaswisher as her @CNN 6-part series on longevity and healthspan starts this weekend https://t.co/OvZxD33eJl https://t.co/Kn0Aux5G9n
Citizens Fill Journalism Gap as SF Chronicle Turns Biased
Crazy that in SF private citizens like @terronk have to do the leg work of journalists as the @sfchronicle is too busy cosplaying as the Pravda for our local progressive confirmation bias...
Longtime ESPN Play-by-Play Voice Mark Jones Leaving Network Sunday
ESPN veteran play‑by‑play announcer Mark Jones announced he will leave the network after the Magic‑Celtics game on Sunday, ending a 36‑year tenure that began in 1990. Jones, known for NBA and college basketball coverage and a former SportsCenter anchor, confirmed...
“Streamflation” Might Be Nearing a Crisis Point
Streaming giants are confronting a price‑inflation surge, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a 19.5% rise in video‑subscription costs in December. Major platforms—including Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and YouTube Premium—have all implemented price hikes in the past year. Deloitte’s latest...
How Authors and Readers Feel About the ‘Shy Girl’ Cancellation
A major publishing controversy erupted after Hachette pulled Mia Ballard's horror novel "Shy Girl" in the United States and United Kingdom, citing evidence that the book was partially generated by artificial intelligence. The cancellation sparked alarm among writers, leading debut...
Spotify Enables a Pure Audio Experience with New Video-Off Setting
Spotify introduced a set of toggles that let users turn off three types of video content: short looping visuals on the Now Playing screen, full‑length music videos, and all video podcasts. The controls are available on both desktop and mobile...
More Ad Revenue Woes For Corus, With Broadcast TV Dip
Corus Entertainment, owner of the Global broadcast network and several Canadian cable channels, reported a sharp decline in core advertising revenue for both its television and radio properties compared with a year ago. Despite the ad shortfall, the company posted...
YouTube Increases Premium Price Again, Says 90-Second Unskippable Ads Are a Bug
YouTube announced a U.S. price hike for its Premium service, moving the individual plan to $15.99 per month and the family plan to $26.99, with Premium Lite now $8.99. The increase follows previous hikes in 2023 and 2025 and mirrors...
After the Acquisition-at-All-Costs Era, Marketing Seeks Immediate Impact
The post‑acquisition era is giving way to fast‑paced, performance‑driven marketing, with brands demanding three‑to‑four‑month proof‑of‑concepts that show profitability. Influencer partnerships now make up 53% of deals on the Affilae platform, and commissions to creators account for roughly half of total...
10 TV Shows From Your Childhood You Won’t Believe Were Real
The article lists ten obscure TV series from the 1970s‑1990s that many viewers have forgotten actually existed, ranging from the animal‑shapeshifting crime drama *Manimal* to the musical police show *Cop Rock*. Each entry notes the show’s premise, brief run, and...
HBO Renews Steve Carell Series ‘Rooster’ for Second Season
HBO announced the renewal of the comedy series “Rooster” for a second season after the first four episodes drew an average of 5.8 million U.S. viewers, making it the network’s most‑watched freshman comedy in over a decade. The 10‑episode debut season,...
SchadenFriday: Washington Gets TMZ’d
Slate released a member‑exclusive "SchadenFriday" podcast episode titled "Washington Gets TMZ’d" on April 10, 2026. The show features Harvey Levin, founder of TMZ, who critiques Congress’s recess, the looming partial government shutdown, and the president’s controversial remarks. Produced by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn,...