Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions hit 2.24 billion in 2025, overtaking pay‑TV revenue
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, surpassing pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit levels in 2026 as operators focus on monetising existing users.
Also developing:
Google Gemini AI Interview Spotlights Regulatory Crackdown on Its Ad Dominance
Google’s Gemini AI answered a probing interview about the company’s sweeping control of search, ad tech and digital infrastructure. The dialogue highlighted a $700 million Play Store settlement, a court‑ordered data‑sharing mandate and ongoing antitrust cases that threaten Google’s ad‑revenue engine, raising alarm for advertisers and martech firms.
2026 TV Upfronts Recap: Hi-Tech Ad Buying, Creator Fever and 'Baywatch'
The 2026 TV upfronts highlighted a shift from mass‑reach ratings to AI‑driven, addressable advertising that tailors ads to individual viewer segments. Streamers unveiled tools like NBC’s Performance Insights Hub and Netflix’s habit‑based targeting to give marketers real‑time performance data. YouTube’s...
AI’s Cyborg Problem: You Have to Embrace It to Really Succeed but 90% of People Can’t or Don’t Want To
A recent study by AI researcher Vivienne Ming identified three ways people use generative AI: automators who offload thinking, validators who merely confirm biases, and a small minority of "cyborgs" who tightly integrate human judgment with AI output. The cyborgs,...
Finding the Right Podcast Sponsors: A Step-by-Step Guide
Podcast creators face heightened sponsor expectations in 2026, with brands demanding authentic audience trust, detailed analytics, and multi‑platform integration rather than simple read‑through ads. Successful monetization hinges on deep audience insight, a data‑rich media kit, and relationship‑building through networks and...
Netflix Scales Ad‑supported Tier to 250 M Users, Adds 15 Markets and AI Tools
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now serves over 250 million monthly active users and will roll out to 15 additional countries in 2027. The company is pairing the expansion with AI‑powered advertising tools and a slate of new originals, live...
Apple Podcasts Debuts ‘A Psychic’s Story’, a Mainstream Dive Into Intuition
Apple Podcasts has released ‘A Psychic’s Story’, a series hosted by Nichole Bigley that explores psychic phenomena, intuition and spiritual pilgrimage. The launch includes episodes from an Egyptian pilgrimage and a collaboration with the ParaPods Network, signaling a growing appetite for...
Virtual Eye Powers 15 Graphics Outputs for PGA Championship, Anchored by 24-Hour Production Pipeline
Virtual Eye is delivering 15 graphics outputs for the PGA Championship, using a 24‑hour production pipeline that spans crews in New Zealand, the United States and Scotland. The remote operations hub in Dunedin works overnight, leveraging AWS infrastructure to provide live 3D...
AMC+ Secures Exclusive U.S. Streaming Rights to 13 Seasons of Doctor Who
AMC+ announced it will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home for 13 seasons of the British sci‑fi series Doctor Who, covering 176 episodes from 2005‑2022. The deal, effective June 11, is positioned as a strategic move to deepen AMC+'s genre‑focused...
UK Regulator Clears $3.7 B Getty‑Shutterstock Deal, Demands Editorial Divestiture
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority gave conditional clearance to Getty Images' $3.7 billion takeover of Shutterstock, on the condition that Shutterstock sells its global editorial business. The decision follows a CMA probe that began in November and lifts a major regulatory...
YouTube Upfront 2026 Rolls Out Custom Sponsorships and Creator‑Led Shows, Expanding Ad Revenue
YouTube unveiled custom sponsorship options and a slate of creator‑led series at its Brandcast Upfront, with CEO Neal Mohan and top creators like Alex Cooper and Trevor Noah fronting the announcements. The moves aim to lock brands into direct partnerships...
Google Rolls Out AI‑Powered Bidding and Budgeting Across Search, Shopping, and Performance Max
Google announced AI‑powered bidding and budgeting for its Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. The new features—Journey‑aware Bidding, Smart Bidding Exploration, and Demand‑led Budget Pacing—aim to automate spend decisions and boost conversion volume by up to 27%. Advertisers will see...
Digital Voter Suppression Ads Tied to Lower Election Turnout Among Specific Demographic Groups
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin‑Madison used a custom tracking app to log every political ad shown to thousands of volunteers before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. By linking ad exposure data with official voting records, they found that seeing...
Nickelodeon and Spin Master Renew ‘PAW Patrol’ and ‘Rubble & Crew’
Nickelodeon and Spin Master have renewed the flagship preschool series PAW Patrol and its spinoff Rubble & Crew for two additional seasons each. Both shows received 26‑episode orders, bringing PAW Patrol to Seasons 14‑15 and Rubble & Crew to Seasons 5‑6, with new episodes...
TV Azteca Internacional Launches Production Services Division for the US Hispanic Market
TV Azteca Internacional has unveiled a new Production Services division aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market. The hub provides 360° end‑to‑end solutions—including creation, playout, multichannel delivery and real‑time supervision—leveraging Mexico’s talent pool and advanced infrastructure. Led by Production Director Julián...
ATV Distribution Announces the Second Season of A.B.I.
ATV Distribution announced that the Turkish drama A.B.I. (A Broken Inheritance) has been renewed for a second season after dominating Turkish ratings since its Jan. 13 debut. The series, produced by OGM Pictures and starring Kenan Imirzalıoğlu, led the distributor’s catalog at...
Streamlining Commerce Media Ad Inventory Management
Companies with rich first‑party data are turning to commerce media to monetize premium ad inventory across in‑store, digital, and emerging channels. However, traditional CRMs and order‑management systems cannot handle the fluid nature of ad products, leading to pricing errors, inventory...
Fair Is Fair
The Investigative Post’s Rohingya refugee story highlighted the vital role of nonprofit journalism, prompting New York to become the first state to fund community‑focused news through a refundable tax credit. However, the tax credit excludes 501(c)(3) outlets, leaving nonprofit publishers without...
NFL Brings in the Nickel Package as a Defense Against Streaming Beefs
The NFL reiterated that broadcast TV remains central to its distribution while expanding its streaming partnership with Netflix, adding three additional game windows and the NFL Honors presentation under a four‑year extension. Netflix, with roughly 90 million U.S. and Canadian subscribers...
WNBA Starts Off of Last Year’s Pace, but Still on the High Side
The WNBA’s new media‑rights agreement will broadcast 40 games on major networks this season, marking a significant expansion of national exposure. Viewership continues to climb, with the recent draft drawing over one million viewers for the third straight year. Overall...
Jemele Hill Says WNBA Fans Want Journalists as Cheerleaders, Not Critics
On her Flagrant and Funny podcast, Jemele Hill warned that WNBA fans now expect journalists to act as cheerleaders for the league rather than independent critics. She cited the sport’s $3 billion media‑rights deal and soaring attendance as factors reshaping expectations,...
Peacock’s 2026 NFL Lineup Features Holiday Exclusive, Sunday Night Football, Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Game & More
Peacock will serve as the exclusive streaming home for NBC’s 2026 NFL slate, delivering 26 regular‑season games, the Hall of Fame opener, and the full playoff package. The schedule features a historic Thanksgiving matchup in Buffalo between the Chiefs and...
TikTok World 2026 Rolls Out AI-Agent Ads Platform and Premium Formats
TikTok announced the TikTok Ads Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, an AI‑agent infrastructure that lets external AI tools create, manage and optimize campaigns without manual input. The company also launched premium ad placements, including TopReach and Branded Buzz, to boost...
AIMS to Offer IPMX Education at InfoComm 2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) will return to InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas to deliver IPMX education for the Pro AV community. AIMS will debut its free Official IPMX Training Series, a three‑level curriculum covering fundamentals to advanced networking. Board...
Savannah Louie To Rejoin WANF Atlanta As ‘ATL Live’ Co-Host On June 1
Savannah Louie, the recent winner of Survivor Season 49 and current Season 50 competitor, will rejoin Atlanta’s WAN TV (WANF) as co‑host of the daytime show ATL Live on June 1. Louie previously anchored for Atlanta News First before leaving for the reality series, and now returns to...
Pablo Torre: Fox Is the ‘Little Guy’ in NFL Rights Battle
Fox Sports, the smallest bidder for the next NFL media‑rights package, is confronting a stark financial gap versus tech behemoths Amazon, Google and Netflix. Rupert Murdoch’s recent meeting with former President Donald Trump aims to pressure the league and regulators...
TikTok Unveils Ad Updates at TikTok World Including Search Hubs, Branded Buzz, and MCP Integration with Claude and ChatGPT
TikTok announced a suite of ad‑product upgrades at its sixth TikTok World event, merging TopView and TopFeed into a unified TopReach daily reach buy and introducing Search Hubs, a brand‑controlled slot at the top of TikTok Search results. The new...
LinkedIn Reportedly Planning To Launch Thousands Of Creator-Led Events
LinkedIn is gearing up to host up to 4,000 paid creator‑led events each year, aiming to enlist more than 1,000 creators by mid‑2027. Early pilots with high‑profile professionals have already generated $19 million in Premium Event revenue over the past six...
Age Assurance Debate Arrives in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is debating how to embed age assurance into its upcoming digital ID‑linked wallet, a move that could shape online child safety policy. The country’s Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 addresses some harms but lacks a coherent framework for platform‑level age...
Tech CEOs Summoned to Congress for Another Hearing on Social Medias Risks for Children
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a June 23 hearing to question the CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap about the safety of their platforms for children. The hearing follows a January 2024 session and comes amid mounting legal actions,...
Why CTV Strategy Needs a Reset in an Agent-Driven Ecosystem
Connected TV (CTV) is poised to move from a branding‑only role to a performance engine as AI‑driven agents compress the consumer journey. The article argues that fewer clicks and impressions make traditional digital signals less reliable, while CTV still captures...
Paramount+ Launches 'Dutton Ranch,' Yellowstone Spinoff Targets Loyal Fans
Paramount+ premiered 'Dutton Ranch' on May 15, 2026, bringing back Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler for a Texas‑set continuation. The series, led by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, is the latest effort to leverage the franchise’s fan base and...
NBC Tops Broadcast Ratings as Advertisers Shift to Sports and Cross‑Platform Reach for 2026‑27
NBC reclaimed the broadcast‑season ratings crown from CBS for the first time since 2007‑08, prompting advertisers to double down on sports‑heavy lineups and cross‑platform measurement. Executives from NBC, CBS and ABC outlined how brand‑safe inventory and multi‑screen data will steer...
NYT Faces Staff Revolt After Kristof Op‑ed Alleges IDF Used Dogs to Rape Prisoners
The New York Times’ May 11 opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof, which claimed the Israeli Defense Forces used dogs to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners, has ignited a wave of internal dissent among staff and prompted Israel to sue the paper. Critics...
Scam-As-A-Service: Is Your Media Spend Subsidizing Fraud?
Meta faces a wave of lawsuits alleging it operates as a "scam‑as‑a‑service" by allowing fraudulent Medicare ads that generated about $14.3 million in 2025 revenue. The company reported a record Q1 2026 net income of $26.8 billion, a 61% year‑over‑year rise, and...
Disney Unveils 'One Disney' Super‑App, Making Disney+ the Digital Hub
Disney announced its One Disney super‑app, with Disney+ as the anchor, to unify streaming, parks, and consumer products. CFO Hugh Johnston said the move will boost revenue and target double‑digit streaming margins, after operating income rose 88% to $582 million.
Upfront Buzzwords Spike Interest: What Are The Real Meanings?
At this year’s TV upfronts, legacy broadcasters and streamers are leaning on buzzwords like “agentic AI,” “outcomes,” and “fandom” to sell ad inventory. They highlight live sports, especially the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as a proven driver of brand awareness,...
TikTok’s Truth Shift Forces Brands to Rethink Gen Z Marketing
Brands are overhauling TikTok strategies as Gen Z’s algorithm‑curated sense of truth forces a rewrite of social‑media narratives. The rise of AI‑generated personas and a generation raised on short‑form video are pushing marketers toward hyper‑authentic content and new verification tools.
Guardian Photographer ‘Exposed to Risk’ After Farage Shares Press Card Picture
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted a photo of a Guardian photographer’s NUJ press card on his Instagram, claiming it highlighted a security risk. The photographer was covering a story about an alleged £5 million (≈$6.3 million) undisclosed gift from a Thailand‑based...
X, a Bastion for Hate, Claims It Will Reduce Hate Content in the UK
Elon Musk’s X has pledged to curb hate and terrorist content in the United Kingdom after Ofcom’s warning. The platform will aim to review 85% of reported hate posts within 48 hours and all terrorist material within 24 hours, with...
China's AI‑driven Short Dramas Replace Actors, Crews
China’s short drama industry is fueled by bite-sized, melodramatic, and smutty shows built for smartphone scrolling. Now, many are being made entirely with AI: no actors, camera operators, cinematographers, or CGI specialists required.
Spotify Expands Video Podcast Distribution as Apple Podcasts Integration Nears
Spotify has broadened its video podcast distribution by linking its Distribution API with five hosting platforms—Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans and Podspace—allowing creators to push video episodes directly to Spotify and earn revenue through the Partner Program. The company also announced...
VidCon Returns to Anaheim for 15th Annual Event With Twitch, Snap, Spotify Execs, Debut Brand Match Accelerator
VidCon will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on June 25‑27, 2026 for its 15th annual gathering, uniting creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders. The lineup features executives from Twitch, Snap, Spotify, Pinterest and Tubi, with Twitch CEO Dan Clancy...
3 AI Prompts I Used in Claude Cowork to Create 3 Apps That Analyze My Substack Exports for Real Growth...
The author demonstrates how to use Claude’s AI prompts to generate three single‑file HTML applications that analyze Substack CSV exports directly in the browser. The tools forecast subscriber growth, compute paid‑subscriber churn, tenure and lifetime value, and evaluate which posts...
Europe’s Creator Economy Reaches 8.6 Million Income-Generating Creators, Report Finds
The Creator’s Hub report shows Europe’s creator economy now includes 8.64 million income‑generating creators and was valued at €28 billion (≈$30.5 billion) in 2025. It projects the market will expand to €135 billion (≈$147 billion) by 2032, a 25.1% CAGR, outpacing the global creator economy’s...
AI Ads Match Human Performance—Unless Consumers Detect AI
AI-generated ads perform roughly as well as human-created ads, unless consumers suspect they were generated by AI. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich, Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, and elsewhere analyzed more than 16 billion ad impressions and 116...
Coach Embraces YouTube Long-Form Storytelling to Engage Youth
Brands like @Coach are taking notice of the massive opportunity to build deep, lasting connections on @youtube. They're shifting back to long-form storytelling and partnering with @youtubecreators in a way that's really resonating with people, especially younger generations. https://t.co/ToH7GWDIfG
Battle on the Beach, Crashers, Love It or List It, Extreme Buyers Club: HGTV Announces New and Returning Shows
HGTV unveiled a robust fall‑and‑summer slate, mixing returning hits with fresh concepts. "Battle on the Beach" returns June 1, giving teams $100,000 and a chance at a $50,000 prize, while the revamped "Crashers" launches June 8 with 72‑hour surprise makeovers. Long‑standing series...
HipHopDX's Closure Erases a Generation of Rap Writers
RIP HipHopDX. A lot of us (including me) got early bylines on that site. It's a shame how a generation of rap writing has been erased
Best Podcast Advertising Platforms in 2026
Podcast consumption surged in 2025, with 55% of U.S. adults listening in the past month and weekly listening time up 355% since 2015. Global podcast ad spend is projected to exceed $4 billion this year, prompting brands to shift budgets toward...
Dani Austin’s Unmedicated Birth Video Hits 89 Million Views, Fuels Parenting Debate
Influencer Dani Austin’s three‑part TikTok series documenting her unmedicated delivery has amassed nearly 89 million views, prompting a flood of reactions from parents and medical professionals. The viral clip has reignited debate over natural childbirth, hospital protocols and the role of...