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.
OpenAI Teams with Smartly to Deploy Conversational Ads Inside ChatGPT
OpenAI has announced a partnership with Helsinki‑based ad‑automation platform Smartly to roll out conversational, interactive ad units inside ChatGPT. The move upgrades OpenAI’s early static ad placements into a dialogue‑based format that lets users engage directly with advertisers, signaling a new revenue stream for the AI chatbot and a fresh channel for marketers.
OpenAI's TBPN Acquisition: Risky Hail Mary with Flawed Logic
My Inside Orchard essay this week is about OpenAI buying TBPN. I discuss two reasons OpenAI is buying the media company and the holes in OpenAI’s logic. It’s a Hail Mary pass with low odds of succeeding as planned.
The Hasan Piker Paradox
Hasan Piker, the far‑left Twitch streamer, is drawing unprecedented attention from mainstream Democrats, who are appearing on his livestreams to tap his youthful audience. A recent statistic cited by David Frum suggests Piker’s viewership rivals traditional cable news in certain...
Local Grants and National Initiative Cushion Washington Post Cuts
Donations to dynamic local outlets – and support from one big national initiative – have offset major downsizing at The Washington Post. Celia Wexler Reports: https://tinyurl.com/2xfrabf4 Related IP Resources: Journalism Grants -https://tinyurl.com/4nwuxehu Washington D.C. Grants -https://tinyurl.com/2e3wspm8 Civic & Democracy Funders -https://tinyurl.com/4zbzy78h Journalism
The Runarounds Canceled After One Season At Prime Video
Prime Video has pulled the plug on "The Runarounds," cancelling the teen rock‑band drama after just one eight‑episode season that premiered in September 2025. The series followed a group of high‑school graduates in Wilmington, North Carolina, chasing musical stardom, and...
Ateme Delivers Full End-to-End Streaming Platform to Moldtelecom
Ateme has equipped Moldtelecom with a complete end‑to‑end streaming platform, covering everything from encoding to delivery, operations, and analytics. The operator upgraded its compression head‑end, moving more than 200 channels to TITAN Edge for contribution and TITAN Live for distribution. It also...
Bay Area Radio Station Clowned for AI-Generated ‘Fourth Period’ in Sharks Coverage
Bay Area sports station 95.7 The Game posted an AI‑generated caption claiming the San Jose Sharks rallied in a non‑existent fourth period, a factual error that quickly drew criticism. KNBR host Adam Copeland highlighted the mistake on social media and...
Bomani Jones: Young Journalists Can’t ‘Build a Brand Through Social Media Now Like I Did 15 Years Ago’
Bomani Jones says the era when journalists could build a personal brand solely through Twitter is over. Algorithmic feeds now prioritize video clips and aggregator accounts, pushing original text commentary into obscurity. Jones, with over 530,000 X followers, advises aspiring...
Flipboard Social Web Project Launches With 'Rolling Stone,' Others
Flipboard has rolled out “social websites” through its Surf reader app, extending the platform to the open web and Google Play. The service lets creators and publishers build custom, searchable feeds that aggregate posts, videos, podcasts and community conversations from...
All 4 Seasons Of True Detective, Ranked
HBO’s True Detective anthology, once hailed for its groundbreaking first season, has produced a mixed legacy across its four installments. Season 1 tops the ranking with its moody noir storytelling and iconic performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, while Season 2...
James Marsden Breaks Down ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ Season 2 Premiere and Reveals the Secret to Playing a Charming Douchebag
James Marsden returns to Apple TV+ as Owen Ashe in the Season 2 premiere of “Your Friends & Neighbors.” The wealthy, charismatic bachelor disrupts Westmont Village, sparking tension with Jon Hamm’s Coop and Olivia Munn’s Samantha. Marsden landed the role through personal connections with his co‑stars, and...
OpenAI Acquires TBPN: (Yes the Tech News Podcast)
OpenAI’s recent acquisition of the tech‑focused media brand TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network) is examined, with speculation on the deal’s valuation and its strategic purpose ahead of OpenAI’s IPO. The hosts explain TBPN’s unique format—daily three‑hour live streams featuring deep...
Netflix - Yes Netflix - Jumps on the AI Bandwagon with Video Editor
Netflix unveiled its new Video Object and Interaction Deletion (VOID) model, a vision‑language system that can erase objects from footage while plausibly re‑animating the remaining scene. The tool can transform costly reshoots—such as turning a car‑crash climax into a simple...
Shae Cornette Defends ‘First Take’s’ Affinity for the Dallas Cowboys
Shae Cornette, who took over as host of ESPN’s “First Take” after Molly Qerim’s departure, defended the show’s frequent focus on the Dallas Cowboys. She explained that the program’s reactionary, 24‑hour news cycle leads it to spotlight topics like Dak...
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Confirms 'One of Show's Biggest-Ever Losses' In Dramatic New Season
ITV’s flagship quiz *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?* returns for its 36th season, promising unprecedented drama with two contestants potentially clinching the £1 million (≈ $1.28 million) top prize. The broadcaster also teases a “biggest‑ever” loss, as one player is set to...
Trump Admin To Court: Don't Strike Down Video Privacy Act
The Department of Justice is urging the First Circuit to uphold the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) as Hearst Television faces a lawsuit over sharing users' video‑viewing data with ad‑tech firms. A lower court dismissed the case, finding the...
How Millions in Taxpayer Dollars Are Helping Fund House Members' Reelection Bids
Incumbent House members are leveraging the centuries‑old franking privilege to funnel taxpayer dollars into their own reelection campaigns. In the 2024 cycle they spent $44 million on franked mail and $19 million on other communications, with about $5 million earmarked for TV and...
OpenAI's Media Takeover Signals AI-Driven News Era
10 months ago, I predicted OpenAI would buy media companies. This week they did. 58K subscribers. Nine figures. Under their political strategy team. Without original journalism, AI is a snake eating its own tail. This is the new model. TBPN is the opening...
IZEA Unveils ZED, AI‑Powered Platform to Scale Enterprise Creator Marketing
IZEA announced ZED, an AI‑driven creator‑marketing operations platform that centralizes planning, collaboration, automation and real‑time analytics for enterprise brands. The solution, limited to IZEA staff and clients, aims to replace fragmented campaign workflows with a CRM‑like system capable of handling...
OpenAI Buys Live Tech Show TBPN, Expands Media Footprint
OpenAI has acquired TBPN, a fast‑growing daily livestream that covers technology and business, keeping the show's editorial independence while folding it into OpenAI’s global affairs unit. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, marks the AI firm’s most visible...
Paramount Pursues $110 B Warner Bros. Discovery Deal as California AG Threatens Antitrust Action
Paramount Pictures has announced a pending $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the largest media merger of the year. California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned the state will aggressively challenge the deal, citing red‑flag concerns over competition, newsroom consolidation and...
Nielsen Renews Multi‑Year Deal with TelevisaUnivision, Expanding Hispanic Audience Measurement
Nielsen and TelevisaUnivision have signed a new multi‑year measurement and data agreement that spans national and local broadcast, cable, streaming and radio assets, including the ViX platform. The renewal gives advertisers a single, cross‑platform view of the fast‑growing Hispanic audience...
Roku Posts $1.39B Q4 Revenue, Net Profit but Shares Slide on Valuation Concerns
Roku announced fourth‑quarter 2025 results with revenue up 16% to $1.39 billion, platform revenue rising 18% to $1.22 billion and net income of $80.5 million. Despite the upbeat numbers, the streaming‑device maker’s shares retreated as investors and analysts flagged a price‑to‑earnings multiple near...
The Conclave at 50: Virtual Toast Previews Final Conference
The Conclave, a five‑decade‑old nonprofit for radio programmers, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a virtual toast on April 17. The online event will feature industry veterans and Community Marketing Revolution founder Seth Resler, offering reflections on the organization’s history and a...
Fox News Tops Competitors in Q1 YouTube Viewership
Fox News Media logged 1.5 billion YouTube video views in Q1 2026, outpacing all major news outlets. Its nearest rival, MS NOW, recorded 974 million views, while CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS lagged further behind. The network’s YouTube audience grew 21 percent year‑over‑year and 51 percent...
Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Is Helping Out on Viral Fraud Videos Now
Right‑wing YouTuber Nick Shirley teamed with former DOGE engineer Edward Coristine to analyze a massive Medicaid dataset and claim widespread fraud in California. Coristine, now head of engineering for the White House National Design Studio, supplied the data and urged...
Dakota Mortensen Will Be Edited Out of Vanderpump Villa / An Animorphs Series Reboot Is in the Works / James...
Reality‑TV heavyweight Vanderpump Villa is scrubbing cast member Dakota Mortensen after police opened a domestic‑violence investigation that also implicates Taylor Frankie Paul. Meanwhile, a new Animorphs series reboot is moving forward, reflecting streaming services' appetite for nostalgic young‑adult properties. In...
NBA Capitalizes on Madness Matinees with Strong Sunday Night Audience
The NBA leveraged its new media rights to air “Sunday Night Basketball” against March Madness, delivering a combined 3.4 million viewers for the Knicks‑Thunder matchup on NBC. This marked the league’s strongest March‑Madness‑era audience in a decade, surpassing the 2016...
Even Fox News Isn’t Letting the Trump Administration Blame Biden for the Current Economic Mess
During a live segment of Fox News' "America's Newsroom," anchor Bill Hemmer cut off National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett when he tried to blame President Joe Biden for rising gas prices. The interruption highlighted an unusual moment of pushback...
Netflix Just Unlocked Sony Pictures Movies for Ad-Tier Subscribers Early
Netflix has removed the lock on Sony Pictures titles for its Standard with Ads plan, granting ad‑tier subscribers access to both legacy catalog movies and fresh Pay‑1 window releases. The change arrives years earlier than the 2027 deadline originally set...
Please Call Their SNL Episode ‘Jack Silver’
Jack Black and Jack White will jointly host Saturday Night Live, with Black serving as host and White as musical guest. Black revealed he only learned of White's involvement through a surprise phone call from the musician. The duo plans...
HarperCollins Partners With AI Company For Animation
HarperCollins has signed a multi‑year partnership with AI‑powered animation studio Toonstar to turn a slate of its books into original YouTube series. The first title slated for development is the middle‑grade series Friendship List, which will also spawn a HarperAlley...
Use AI only Where Real Content Is Impossible
The AI creative debate is simpler than people make it: Use it where real content is impossible or impractical. A mattress brand that can't ship product to creators. AI fills that gap at a fraction of the cost, and we're seeing...
NBC Sci-Fi Mystery ‘La Brea’ Finally Sets Netflix US Release
NBC’s sci‑fi drama La Brea will debut on Netflix US on May 1, 2026, bringing all three seasons and 30 episodes to the platform. The series, previously exclusive to Peacock, had already rolled out to international Netflix markets in late 2024. Netflix’s engagement data...
Reddit Is (Mostly) Shuttering R/All, but There’s Still a Way to Access It
Reddit announced it is deprecating the r/all feed for most users, redirecting the link to each person’s personalized Home feed. The move follows an experimental phase that began in December 2025 and concluded in February 2026, during which the site...
NYT's Decline: Fact-Checking Skills Eroding Among Reporters
I read the NYT every day from age 13 into my late 30s. It was always liberal, but it usually got the facts right. Now I’m seeing story after story that’s provably wrong, often on things anyone can fact-check in minutes. The real...
Fintech Biz Weekly's Easter/Passover Special Drops Sunday
Stay tuned for a special Easter (slash Passover) edition of Fintech Biz Weekly on Sunday.... lotta fun easter eggs 😉
Local Advertising: The Long-Term Hard Sell?
The webinar highlighted a rapid decline in traditional local advertisers such as car dealerships, grocery chains, and big‑box retailers, leaving media outlets with shrinking revenue. Corey Elliott and Gordon Borrell explained that digital commerce and changing consumer habits are driving...
Join My First Twitter Space Tonight at 9 Pm
Heads up that I’m chatting with @MacroEdgeRes and @DonMiami3 tonight at 9pm—my first Twitter space in a long while, join us! https://t.co/Z6jMw46ttX
Bluesky's AI Feed Tool Meets User Distrust; Twitter Eyes Similar
Bluesky announced an AI layer that allows users to customize their social feed. I want this. Bummed that their users reject this over AI distrust. I look forward to seeing what twitter delivers with the ability to use grok to...
Fox, Sinclair Slam NFL Antitrust Exemption for Streamers
An NFL Partner 👇 Fox, Sinclair Decry NFL Antitrust Exemption as Sop to Streamers https://t.co/ORRVrmc6xZ via @sportico @crupicrupicrupi
YouTube Secures Yet Another Core Update Victory
Oh look YouTube wins another core update, truly, who could have seen this coming? 🫠
Netflix Introduces AI-Powered Video Editing Tool
Netflix - yes Netflix - jumps on the AI bandwagon with video editor https://t.co/Hw7dJeymBT https://t.co/OxGqjfHPaA
Saramonic Air SE Delivers Football‑Field Range Wireless Audio
Saramonic Air SE wireless microphone review, including tests and audio demo. This compact wireless lav mic system keeps a strong connection at distances beyond the length of a football field, giving vloggers tons of flexibility. My review: https://t.co/9xHsO8Xw7a #microphone https://t.co/bsbqbFt2iC
Legacy Media Gives Antiscience Fringe a False Platform
In #ScienceUnderSiege, @PeterHotez & I criticize legacy media outlets like @nytimes for platforming antiscience and, in particular, engaging in performative neutrality where fringe views are presented as if they deserve consideration. From today's Times: https://t.co/J5kGcLpgiY https://t.co/wwB2lfh5wp
Focus on Your Own Game, Not Bigger Teams
You’re creating content solo or with a tiny team. And you’re comparing yourself to people wirh full time content crews. Be inspired by their come-up story, but ignore what they’re doing today. They’re playing a different game. Play your own...
Disney+ Greenlights Animorphs Series with Coogler’s Proximity
‘Animorphs’ TV Series in Development at Disney+, Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media to Produce (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/cxKS8d6H8x via @variety
Game Awards Hits 10M+ Subs, Expands YouTube Partnership
A great moment with @YouTube CEO @nealmohan as we celebrate 10 million+ subs for @thegameawards Our partnership with YouTube continues to evolve — with ambitious plans to scale TGA to even greater global heights in the years ahead. Can’t wait to...
Big Media Deals Reveal Hidden Undervalued Gems
the 9-figure acquisitions of The Free Press and TBPN tell you that: - yes, most media properties are overvalued and sinking - but also, some are way way undervalued bullish on the next gen
MrBeast Docuseries Explodes: 2M Views, Doubling Fast
Can’t believe the reaction to our "45 Days with @MrBeast" docuseries 😭 Episode 1 already has 2M views Episode 2 just dropped and on pace to double it Been working on this for 8 months, excited to finally have it out there https://t.co/nduBCBG6yL