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.
Fire Destroys Virginia Radio Station Transmitter Building
Early Tuesday, a fire engulfed the transmission building at WESR’s Tasley tower site, destroying the facilities for the 103.3 FM “The Shore” station, its sister 1330 AM outlet, and a 105.7 FM translator. The three signals, which serve Virginia’s Eastern Shore, went off‑air, though both AM and FM remain accessible through online streams. Station owner Charlie Russell confirmed efforts to secure a backup transmitter and restore over‑the‑air service. The incident marks a sudden outage for a broadcaster with roots dating back to 1958.
Give Value, Skip Intro, Automate Freebies for Reel Success
I've been testing Trial Reels... and I finally had one "pop off" 👀 What I've seen working so far: ✓ give a TON of information away in the video ✓ these aren't posts for people to get to know you ✓ use a ManyChat...
AI Makes Thousands of Manga Series Affordable to Animate
A full K-pop action series just got made in 3 days on Higgs with Seedance 2.0. One person. No studio. No budget. There are over 100,000 manga and webtoon titles that have never been animated because it costs $150K to $300K per...
Growth at Risk as SCREEN AUSTRALIA Report Flags Industry Capacity Crunch
The Screen Australia‑commissioned Olsberg SPI Production Infrastructure and Capacity Analysis (PICA) 2026 reaffirms Australia’s reputation as a world‑class hub for high‑value film, TV, animation and games, but flags four pressure points—business scalability, skills gaps, unclear career progression, and infrastructure constraints—that...
Take Control: Ditch Your Meta Agency Today
You should fire your meta agency. Go to your Facebook ad account, select all your campaigns, and click View History or view edits. Every single change your media buying agency has made will show up there. What you'll probably find is that...
FCC Extends Audible Crawl Rule Waiver for 18 Months
The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau has granted an 18‑month waiver, extending the pause on the Audible Crawl Rule until November 29, 2027. The rule, adopted in 2013, requires broadcasters to provide an audio description of visual emergency graphics for blind and...
“IMPACT X Nightline: Terror On The Trails” Coming Soon To Hulu & Disney+
Disney+ and Hulu will debut “IMPACT x Nightline: Terror on the Trails” on April 9, 2026. The true‑crime episode revisits the Trailside Killer case, featuring survivor Lisa Rinna, victim’s brother John Alderson, former defender Jay Ruskin, and other witnesses. It blends personal testimonies with investigative...
WATCH | Stan Drops First Look at Richard Gadd Drama HALF MAN
Stan has released the first trailer for Half Man, a six‑part drama created, written and executive‑produced by award‑winning comedian Richard Gadd. The series pairs Gadd with BAFTA‑winner Jamie Bell to portray two brother‑like men whose lives intertwine over three decades of...
2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insights: Big Blue Marble
At the 2026 NAB Show, Big Blue Marble highlighted the accelerating convergence of broadcast and streaming into a single delivery ecosystem. Senior Solutions Architect Rene van Koll emphasized adaptive, cloud‑native architectures, multi‑CDN strategies, AI‑driven orchestration and autonomous resilience for live events. The company’s...
Disney, Google Seek Dismissal Of Children's Privacy Claims
Disney and Google are asking a California federal judge to dismiss a class‑action lawsuit that accuses them of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by failing to label child‑directed YouTube videos as “Made for Kids,” which allegedly enabled targeted...
How to Add EPUB, MOBI, and PDF Files to Your Kindle - Follow My Easy Step-by-Step
Amazon will block all Kindle devices released before 2013 from the Kindle Store starting May 20, 2026, preventing purchases, borrowing, and downloads. The article shows how owners can keep these legacy devices functional by sideloading EPUB, MOBI, PDF and other...
DigitCAP Unveils ‘AIOps’ For ATSC 3.0
DigiCAP announced AIOps for ATSC 3.0 at the NAB Show, an AI‑driven operations layer built on generative AI, large language models, and the Model Context Protocol. The solution replaces traditional dashboards with proactive, data‑rich automation designed for cloud‑based broadcast stations. By...
‘Influencer Marketing Is Replacing The Role TV Once Played’
Influencer marketing is rapidly eclipsing traditional television as the primary channel for brand building, a trend highlighted at a recent gathering of digital creators hosted by Sunshine Socials. Two young marketers shared data showing that influencer‑driven campaigns deliver higher engagement...
Comedian RHYS NICHOLSON Tapped to Host 2026 SPA Awards
Australian comedian and TV host Rhys Nicholson has been confirmed as the master of ceremonies for the 24th Annual Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards, scheduled for Thursday 30 April 2026 on the Gold Coast. The ceremony will cap off the...
Why Every Streaming Service Suddenly Wants a Podcast Strategy
Late last year Netflix kicked off a streaming‑podcast rush by striking deals with Spotify and iHeart Media to host popular shows as video series. Since then, Tubi, MS Now, Roku, Amazon and others have announced multi‑million‑dollar partnerships or acquisition talks to...
From Thought Leadership to the LexBlog Library: What We’ve Built with ProVisors
LexBlog partnered with ProVisors in 2020 to syndicate member blogs, growing the Thought Leadership site to over 20,000 posts from 800+ contributors. A new single‑post submission form now lets advisors publish without maintaining a personal blog, granting them platform credentials...
What Most Brands Get Wrong Measuring Influencer Marketing ROI
Influencer marketing ROI should be measured by engagement, user‑generated content, intent signals, and retail impact rather than mere impressions. Brands that focus on engagement rates above 1% and total interaction volume capture genuine consumer interest. Leveraging UGC not only reduces...
Airdate: A New ANZAC
"A New ANZAC" is a four‑part SBS documentary that follows the Australian War Memorial’s largest redevelopment to date, including a new Parade Ground slated for ANZAC Day 2024. Episode one details how construction teams preserve the memorial’s historic fabric while...
Academy Software Foundation Adds OpenPGL as New Hosted Project
The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) has added OpenPGL, an open‑source path‑guiding library, as its newest hosted project. Developed originally by Intel, OpenPGL lets artists achieve more realistic lighting while keeping rendering performance high. The library is already integrated into major...
SMPTE to Host First-of-Its-Kind ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow at 2026 NAB Show
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host a full‑day, in‑person ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow bootcamp at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 21. The program runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and delivers six hands‑on modules...
PBS’ ‘Frontline’ Makes New Hires Including Disney’s Marjon Javadi
PBS’s flagship investigative series Frontline is bolstering its newsroom with three senior hires. Marjon Javadi, formerly Disney’s VP of Original Documentary Film and Series, joins as managing director of GBH’s long‑form Documentary Unit, overseeing Frontline Features and cross‑program strategy for...
Globo and Teletica Bring She’s The One to Costa Rica
Globo has signed a new licensing agreement with Costa Rica’s leading broadcaster Teletica to air the telenovela “She’s The One.” The series previously set engagement records for Globo, generating more than three million social mentions, 1.2 billion total views and attracting...
The Price Is Right Models’ Battle Against Bob Barker Is Getting the Movie Treatment / Uma Thurman Returning to Dexter:...
A feature film is in development that dramatizes the 2024 Business Insider investigation into The Price Is Right models’ allegations of sexual harassment by longtime host Bob Barker. The project, announced by Hollywood sources, will adapt the exposé into a...
Exhibitor Viewpoint: Shure at the NAB Show
At the 2026 NAB Show, Shure highlighted a portfolio that bridges the creator economy and professional broadcast, emphasizing plug‑and‑play USB microphones, digital wireless, and AI‑driven processing. The company showcased the DCA901 Digital Capture Array, which lets engineers steer microphones in...
‘This Famous Butt’: How Verizon Created that Ad with Connor Storrie
Verizon launched a four‑minute horror‑styled brand film, “Look Behind You,” starring Connor Storrie and directed by Nia DaCosta. The ad blends a spooky cabin narrative with a tongue‑in‑cheek focus on the actor’s famed glutes to showcase the reliability of Verizon’s...
Netflix Documentary on Killing of Jason Corbett Nominated for Emmy
Netflix’s documentary "A Deadly American Marriage"—co‑produced by journalist Brian Carroll—has been nominated for an Emmy. The film revisits the 2015 killing of Irish‑born Jason Corbett in North Carolina, the subsequent legal battles, and the 2024 release of his wife and...
Corus Taps Appear for IP-First Operations
Corus Entertainment has partnered with Appear to replace its legacy leased‑circuit news contribution network with an IP‑first architecture that uses the SRT protocol. The upgrade leverages Appear’s X Platform and a Skyline Dataminer‑driven orchestration layer to consolidate media processing and...
Making More Than Money on Substack
The author, a longtime creator, has turned Substack into a revenue engine, earning five‑figure income within weeks of activating paid subscriptions. By centralizing writing, email newsletters, and a direct audience list, Substack eliminates the need for brand deals or viral...
Interview: Karen Nelson-Field, Author of The Attention Economy, on Why Not All Reach Is Equal
In this episode, Dr. Karen Nelson‑Field explains why traditional media metrics like impressions and time‑in‑view are misleading, arguing that not all reach is equal because they don’t reflect actual human attention. She describes her biometric research that shows a large...
Spotify Launches New Playlist Technology for Smarter Podcast Streaming
Spotify is extending its Prompted Playlist feature from music to podcasts, allowing the AI‑driven tool to auto‑generate podcast queues based on listening history and real‑time signals. The rollout is limited to Premium subscribers in Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and...
Stingray, Anuvu Partner to Bring Audio and Video Content to Cruise Passengers
Stingray announced a partnership with maritime connectivity specialist Anuvu to distribute its curated audio and video channels across the global cruise market. Anuvu’s MTN‑TV platform, which serves more than 300 ships and commands over 80% of the cruise entertainment market,...
NBC Thrilled With Year 1 Of NBA Deal
NBC celebrated a strong debut season after rejoining the NBA under the league’s 11‑year, $76 billion media rights agreement. The network’s flagship innovation, “On The Bench,” placed analysts on each team’s bench for full‑game coverage, debuting on Monday and expanding to...
NAB Show: Proton Camera Innovations To Launch Proton Pro Minicam
Proton Camera Innovations unveiled the Proton Pro, a 30 mm × 30 mm × 49 mm, 79‑gram miniature broadcast camera at the NAB Show. Built around a 2/3‑inch global shutter sensor, it eliminates rolling‑shutter distortion in high‑speed sports shots. The camera ships ready for professional workflows with...
NAB Show: Kokusai Denki To Feature New, Affordable 4K Broadcast Camera
Kokusai Denki Electric America will unveil the Z‑HD6500‑S1, an affordable native 4K broadcast camera, and the RU‑2500JY remote control panel at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The camera uses a 2/3‑inch UHD sensor and global‑shutter technology, mirroring the...
ProPublica’s Union Staged a 24-Hour Strike over AI, Job Protections
ProPublica’s union, representing roughly 150 journalists and business staff, staged a 24‑hour strike to protest the outlet’s AI policies and lack of layoff protections. The bargaining committee seeks seniority safeguards, a "just cause" clause, and the right to refuse AI...
The Literary Job AI Can’t Replace
The article defends human ghostwriting as a vital, under‑appreciated craft that delivers polished books and sustainable careers for writers, even as AI tools flood the market. It cites recent controversies—Hachette’s cancelled AI‑authored novel and Grammarly’s withdrawn feature—to illustrate industry backlash...
NYTimes AI Tracks “Manosphere” Amid Opaque Definitions
The @nytimes uses a custom AI tool to track the “manosphere”, via @NiemanLab. As so often, it's hard to know what to think about this without knowing the answers to a few questions: 1) How is the manosphere defined by...
The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data
JustWatch’s March 2026 data shows a surprising tilt toward prestige cinema, with the 2025 historical drama *Hamnet* leading the list. International arthouse titles like Norway’s *Sentimental Value* and Brazil’s *The Secret Agent* rank high, while genre‑bending hits such as *Sinners*...
We’re Finally Holding Tech Accountable for Harming Teens. What Happens Next? (Opinion)
A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for harms to teenagers, marking the first major legal acknowledgment that social‑media platforms are designed to be manipulative. The verdict has accelerated legislative actions on age verification, school cellphone bans, and broader...
Black Representation Struggles Without Near‑Universal Audience Support
Honestly? Because when you look at the actual numbers in Western countries, Black populations are always a minority. So it would take damn near 100% buy in to keep certain programs afloat. A lot of other groups have committed to...
How to Remove Unnecessary AI Watermarks From Images
While it's good to be able to differentiate AI-created photographs from real photos, there are many images that don't need the AI mark. Here's how to remove it, as needed, and how it all works behind the scenes: https://t.co/m8yBJd6MVt #ai...
Powell's Latest Signals on Fed Policy Direction
Watch today's Bloomberg Radio segment for my latest take: https://t.co/EvzXgapmer #powell #federalreserve #dimartinobooth #economy #bloomberg #bloombergradio https://t.co/hSZnTlk8YH
Execs Courting Substack Researchers Signals Shifting Media Outreach
Industry execs talking to Substack researchers? What's next, investors talking to podcasters? It's not 2013 anymore bro... https://t.co/in3xaJJerS
MLB Launches YouTube Hub for Young Fans
Inspiring to see sports leagues like @MLB meeting the next generation of fans where they are ⚾ Check out MLB Clubhouse, their new @YouTube channel where kids can learn more about baseball and softball: https://t.co/kldfCvbCz4
NYT's Powerful Brand Fuels Thriving Non‑news Revenue
There's a lot of cope about the NYT only thriving because of recipes and games. The question is: Why was NYT able to build out these non-news revenue streams? It's because the newspaper has an incredible brand, such that it could be...
Avatar Franchise Rakes $6.7B, Future Still Undecided
🧵New @thewrap: #AvatarFireAndAshTHx4ELEMENTS franchise at Disney should be looking at the next installment after 3 global hit films making $6.7 billion for the company. But James Cameron tells us “We haven’t even made a decision if we’re going forward right...
Google AI Overviews Frequently Wrong, Listicles Skew Answers
It's live: @trippmickle & a few other authors from @nytimes published new research about how frequently Google's AI Overviews are wrong. It includes a quote from both @thomasgermain and me about listicles influencing AI responses. Check it out - https://t.co/cIouYjP8kt https://t.co/jMhk3MH27F
500 Creators Converge to Shape Media’s Future
Press Publish LA: The Hollywood Creator Summit May 28th on the Fox Studios Lot 500 Creators. One Room. Learn where the future of media is heading. Seats by application only. https://t.co/LGXCg0akX1 https://t.co/9KVwGnpQFe
NY Times' Twitter Silence Hurts Engagement
It's almost certainly true that part of the reason the NY Times twitter account doesn't get much engagement is because they're not really even trying. But also: https://t.co/GtHN3UR5VU
Iranian Pilot Rescue Poised for Netflix Series
“The pilot rescue in Iran will make for a great Netflix show one day” AI: here you go