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.
So You Made a Hit. Now the Real Hustle Starts
The Ankler column breaks down the post‑hit playbook for unscripted producers, using Jason Beekman’s Netflix No. 1 as a case study. It gathers advice from veteran creators like Mary Robertson, Anthony Carbone and Jen O’Connell on how to capitalize on momentum, build a project pipeline, and negotiate with buyers. The piece stresses that a hit does not guarantee immediate deals and that producers must act strategically to turn a single success into a sustainable business. It also contrasts how streamers and traditional networks respond to breakout titles.
Thursday TV Ratings: Law & Order: SVU, 9-1-1, Going Dutch, Ghosts, Trivial Pursuit
Thursday, April 2, 2026, featured a full slate of new episodes across major broadcast networks, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 9‑1‑1 and its Nashville spin‑off, Grey’s Anatomy, Ghosts, Trivial Pursuit, and several other series. The Fast Affiliate Numbers...
Campeões Estaduais, Flamengo E Cruzeiro Lideram Crescimento Digital Em Março
Flamengo and Cruzeiro, 2026 state champions, topped March digital growth among Brazilian clubs. Flamengo added 430,000 new followers, reaching 67 million total, driven mainly by TikTok and Instagram. Cruzeiro recorded 236,000 new followers, with Instagram contributing 54% and TikTok adding...
Fact-Checkers Reached More People in 2025. That Didn’t Help Their Finances
A 2025 survey of 141 fact‑checking organizations revealed that while 62% expanded their audiences, 76% reported financial vulnerability. Funding from Meta fell sharply, from 45.5% to 34.3%, and staff layoffs more than doubled to 38.3% of outlets. Coverage across all...
Red Seat Ventures Launches Speakeasy, Why Podcasts Work for Sports Fans, & More
Red Seat Ventures introduced Speakeasy, an all‑in‑one podcast hosting, distribution and monetization platform that supports RSS, HLS and video formats. Industry experts highlighted podcasts as a powerful channel for sports fans, noting that 76% of sports podcast listeners stay with...
My Video Chat with the Mighty Kara Swisher
In this episode, host Dan Carlin sits down with tech journalist Kara Swisher to discuss her new CNN series on longevity, "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever." They explore why ultra‑wealthy tech entrepreneurs are obsessed with hacking death, the mix...
Derek Blum Joins Arise Artists Agency As Unscripted TV Agent
Derek Blum has joined Arise Artists Agency as an Unscripted TV Agent, adding more than a decade of experience across major firms such as Innovative Artists, A3 Artists, UTA, Paradigm, and APA. At Arise, he will focus on staffing, representing...
Zendaya Thinks ‘Euphoria’ Will End After Season 3: ‘That Closure Is Coming’
Zendaya indicated on The Drew Barrymore Show that she believes Season 3 of HBO's *Euphoria* will likely be the series' final chapter. HBO has not officially confirmed the ending, leaving the network’s plans ambiguous. The third season premieres on April 12, 2026,...
MrBeast Says He Doesn't Have a Healthy Work-Life Balance and Juggles 15+ Hour Days
YouTube star MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) revealed he routinely works 15‑hour days, especially during the production of his Amazon series "Beast Games," and admits he lacks a healthy work‑life balance. Despite the grueling schedule, he shows no intention of slowing down....
TCL’s Internet Services Arm Partners With AdTech Agency Affinity for Smart TV Advertising
Chinese electronics maker TCL’s internet services division, TCL FFalcon, has teamed up with ad‑tech firm Affinity to serve as the primary demand partner for its Smart TV advertising platform. The integration will enable global brands to programmatically buy inventory across...
Graham Norton's "High-Stakes" ITV Gameshow with "Epic Challenges" Confirms UK Release Date - and It's Soon
ITV’s new high‑stakes gameshow The Neighbourhood, hosted by Graham Norton, will debut on ITV1 and ITVX on Friday 24 April, with episodes airing on three consecutive nights. The series places real households side‑by‑side, forcing them to live together while competing in epic challenges...
KTVJ TV Completes Major Signal Upgrade
CMC Broadcasting announced that KTVJ‑LD in Boise has completed a major signal upgrade, moving from VHF Channel 6 to UHF Channel 26. The station installed a GatesAir transmitter and Jampro antenna, boosting its effective radiated power from 3 kW to 15 kW—a five‑fold increase....
Few Accounts Dominate X, Warping Norms Like a Funhouse Mirror
A tiny number of accounts completely dominate this platform. The inequality of attention in X is more extreme than the most unequal countries. That would be fine, but the biggest accounts often spew junk and it distorts how people think about...
Suess on the Myriad Uses of AI in Media
Kyle Suess, co‑founder of Amira Labs, will discuss the "Myriad Uses of AI in Media" at NAB Show, highlighting the company’s AI‑driven tools that detect, diagnose, and resolve broadcast content issues in real time. Amira Labs’ solutions automate audio/video quality...
Richard Roeper Joins WMAQ Chicago As Entertainment Contributor
Veteran film critic Richard Roeper has been hired by NBC’s WMAQ Chicago as a multi‑platform entertainment and culture contributor, starting April 10. He will appear on NBC 5 News, the lifestyle show Chicago Today, and the station’s digital and social channels,...
Fake Missile Strikes, White House Memes and ‘Useful Idiots’: The AI War Within the War
Recent Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran have unfolded amid the early stages of an AI‑driven media landscape. Footage showing mass civilian graves in Iran was dismissed by AI chatbots as fabricated, while an Instagram account posing as a U.S....
The AP Is Offering Buyouts in a Pivot Away From Newspapers
The Associated Press announced voluntary buyouts for about 120 U.S. journalists as it pivots away from its traditional newspaper client base. Newspaper‑derived revenue now represents only 10% of AP’s income and has fallen 25% over the past four years after...
MLB, Fox Turn Up Tech, Reach Record World Baseball Classic Audience
The 2026 World Baseball Classic set viewership records, averaging 1.3 million viewers across Fox, FS1 and FS2—more than double the 2023 tournament. The championship game between Venezuela and the United States attracted 10.8 million viewers, nearly twice the audience of the 2023...
Why Even Major Piracy Takedowns Show the Industry Must Put Greater Emphasis on Proactive Protection Efforts
The U.S. Department of Justice recently seized domains of several high‑traffic piracy platforms that collectively drew tens of millions of visits and facilitated millions of illegal downloads. These sites operate like sophisticated, cloud‑based businesses, offering user experiences that mirror legitimate...
Why X (Formerly Twitter) Remains the Ultimate Public Affairs Radar
X remains the premier upstream source for breaking policy and market news, delivering real‑time signals that can swing stock prices and regulatory landscapes. High‑profile examples include a deleted Energy Secretary tweet that moved oil prices over 10% and a Citrini...
Italian Television Channel Does DLSS 5 Haters a Favor by Broadcasting Footage From Reveal Trailer, Then Copyright Striking Nvidia's Own...
Italian broadcaster La7 filed a copyright claim on Nvidia’s DLSS 5 reveal trailer, causing the official YouTube video to be blocked in Italy for over 24 hours. The claim stemmed from La7’s own talk‑show segment that reused the trailer footage. The...
The Business Model Challenges of the Dynamic Media Facility
The European Broadcasting Union’s Dynamic Media Facility (DMF) outlines a software‑driven reference architecture that replaces traditional hardware‑centric broadcast plants with interoperable applications on shared compute resources. By allocating processing power dynamically, broadcasters can run graphics, replay, transcoding and other workflows...
Three YouTubers Accuse Apple of Illegal Scraping to Train Its AI Models
Three prominent YouTube creators—h3h3 Productions, MrShortGameGolf and Golfholics—have filed a class‑action lawsuit accusing Apple of illegally scraping their copyrighted videos to train its generative AI models. The complaint alleges Apple bypassed YouTube’s controlled streaming architecture, violating the Digital Millennium Copyright...
Delta Airlines and YouTube Premium Launch In-Flight Concerts Recorded in Planes
Delta Air Lines has teamed with YouTube Premium to launch a new in‑flight music discovery series, featuring live‑style concerts filmed inside a Boeing 767. The initiative offers SkyMiles members a 14‑day YouTube Premium trial, beginning with a 30‑minute performance by...
Bad Bunny’s Spotify’s Billions Club Concert Film Is Coming Sooner Than You Think: Watch the Teaser
Spotify announced that Bad Bunny’s Tokyo concert film, "Billions Club Live With Bad Bunny," will debut on April 8. The one‑night event captures the Puerto Rican star performing 17 hits, a salsa remix of “MIA,” and surprise guest appearances at...
When Does The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Come to Streaming, Blu-Ray and DVD?
Nintendo and Illumination’s *Super Mario Galaxy* movie is set for a theatrical run similar to its 2023 predecessor, with home‑video windows still unannounced. Based on the prior film, a digital purchase could appear about 41 days after release, followed by...
Harry Potter TV Show Casting Crew Watched over 40,000 Auditions Before Losing Count
HBO’s Harry Potter series underwent an unprecedented casting marathon, with directors Emily Brockmann and Lucy Bevan reviewing over 40,000 audition tapes before they stopped counting. The exhaustive search spanned the UK, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, ultimately selecting Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella...
FOX's "Memory of a Killer" Renewed for Season Two
Fox has renewed the thriller series *Memory of a Killer* for a second season after the show amassed 16.2 million viewers across broadcast, streaming and encores, making it the network’s most‑streamed series ever. The premiere became the highest‑rated drama telecast of...
Twitch‑Minecraft Sponsorship Opens to Partners and Affiliates
Twitch and Minecraft are teaming up for a major campaign. Twitch Partners and Affiliates can access a Minecraft Sponsorship (the first time Affiliates are eligible). Partner offers are good (~$1+/CCV/Hour). Affiliate offers are okay. > https://dashboard.twitch.tv/monetization/sponsorships
Tightrope Media Systems To Debut Cablecast LiveBridge For Simultaneous Streaming’
Tightrope Media Systems is launching Cablecast LiveBridge, a cloud‑based service that lets municipal governments and community stations stream multiple live events simultaneously. The platform routes overflow feeds to web and OTT destinations while preserving Cablecast’s native recording, metadata, and archival...
Your Rage Fuels the Algorithm—Stop Unwanted Comments
I posted something very silly about LA. After a month's social media sabbatical, the algo wasn't showing anyone my posts anymore. Then I woke up to a lot of people telling me to fuck right off (some in highly amusing ways). Checked...
Twitter's Algorithm Now Floods Feeds with Catholic Content
The For You algorithm has slowly tilted towards showing you more stuff like whatever you most recently interacted with, and on the Monday morning after Easter that means it's just a live of every single Twitter user who's Catholic now.
Netflix's Void AI Can Remove Objects From Video and Show How Scenes Evolve without Them
Netflix unveiled Void, a video object and interaction deletion framework that can erase objects from footage while realistically updating surrounding physics such as shadows, debris and water ripples. The system is trained on a synthetic paired dataset generated with Kubric...
Solo Journalist Seeks API & AI Guidance
Anyone have experience using public data APIs to build custom reporting tools? I'm experimenting with using APIs and AI to build custom research tools for journalism. Would love to chat, especially if anyone has advice on how doing it as...
AI Provides Context News Media Often Misses
News outlets are very single-sensational-event focused. Most news (especially TV) does a terrible job of providing context, explaining the big picture, providing perspective, showing long term trends, etc.. AI excels at this.
Hannah Lane Heads to Dallas After Making Her Mark in Mississippi
Radio Ink 30‑Under Superstar Hannah Lane is leaving her morning‑drive role at New South Radio’s US 96.3 in Jackson, Mississippi, for a night‑time position at Cumulus Media’s New Country 96.3 (KSCS) in Dallas‑Fort Worth. Her last day in Jackson is April 10. Lane began...
New Yorker Probes Sam Altman, Questions ChatGPT’s Sycophancy
The @NewYorker's new story about Sam Altman is very worth reading. @RonanFarrow & @andrewmarantz interviewed 100+ people and reviewed docs about various concerns with Sam & OpenAI. The incisive kicker might also make people ask if ChatGPT's sycophancy is a bug...
AI, Values, and Trust: Rebuilding College Sports Media
Wrote a little bit this morning about AI in media and college sports administration...as well as values, service, and how to get fans (and readers) to trust you again. https://t.co/3aG47EVBNr
CBS Seals Deal With Byron Allen to Lease All of Late Night After Stephen Colbert Exits in May
CBS will lease its 11:35 p.m. ET late‑night slot to Byron Allen after Stephen Colbert’s final episode on May 21, 2026, moving Allen’s “Comics Unleashed” into the hour and keeping “Funny You Should Ask” at 12:37 a.m. The time‑buy runs through the 2026‑27 season,...
Tune In: Next Hour on Fox Business Big Money Show
Next hour in the chair at Fox Business Big Money Show. Join us. 👏🏻🔥 https://t.co/aaU5LFIeOU
Netflix Expands Kids Lineup, Adds Gaming App
Netflix Orders More ‘Ms. Rachel,’ ‘Sesame Street’ Episodes, Launches Kids Gaming App https://t.co/LPj03ZWA43 via @variety
Animotion Media Group Sets the Bar High
Animotion Media Group capped 2025 with strategic partnerships, regional expansion and record digital performance, including a deal with Emirati investor Madbridge, a content alliance with Abu Dhabi Media, and over 2 billion YouTube views. The company launched six new YouTube channels...
CBS Hands Entire Late‑Night Lineup to Byron Allen
CBS Seals Deal With Byron Allen to Lease All of Late Night After Stephen Colbert Exits in May https://t.co/LANSjGQxKA via @variety
3 Best New Netflix and Prime Video Arrivals for a Mid-Week Binge (Apr. 6-10)
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are rolling out three notable titles for the week of April 6‑10, aimed at viewers recovering from the Easter break. Prime Video launches the highly anticipated final season of the adult superhero series *The Boys* on...
Instagram Launches TikTok‑style Shop, Reshaping Influencer Marketing
Instagram just copied a big TikTok feature. Meta now has their own TikTok Shop. It’s either gonna ruin Instagram… Or revolutionize Influencer Marketing… https://t.co/wnlWi5RDr7
"Today's News" Livestream at 6 P.m. ET
Matt Taibbi and Michael launch a live "Today's News" broadcast at 6 p.m. ET, promising a rapid‑fire rundown of top headlines. The show will cover President Trump’s Easter message, the escalating conflict in Iran, the recent rescue of an American pilot,...
Police Drama Hailed as "Excellent" With Star of Hit Nostalgic Series Lands New UK Streaming Home
Canadian police drama "Cracked" starring David Sutcliffe has found a new home on Prime Video in the United Kingdom. The platform now offers the complete 13‑episode first season, while the eight‑episode second season remains unavailable. The series follows Detective Aidan...
Another Major Newspaper Company Seeks to End AP Contract Early
Another major newspaper company is seeking to end @AP contract early per news wire https://t.co/EK3WW5y8Qz https://t.co/AGwdQi1mwd
Saudi, Qatar, Abu Dhabi Fund 30% of Paramount‑Warner Deal
About 30% of Paramount's $81B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery is financed by the sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi—three countries attacked by Iran since the U.S. started its latest Middle East conflict. https://t.co/mOjqkF3fza
The 5 Best Streaming Devices (And Why They’re Better Than Your Smart TV)
Streaming devices outperform most built‑in smart TV platforms by offering faster processors, more memory, and regular software updates. The guide ranks Roku Ultra as the best overall, Apple TV 4K as the premium choice, Fire TV Stick 4K Max as the top...