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.
Indie Pass Launches $6.99 Monthly SaaS for Indie Game Discovery
Indie.io announced Indie Pass, a $6.99‑per‑month subscription service that will launch on PC on April 13 with more than 70 indie games. The platform promises a curated catalog, a recommendation engine, and a revenue model that pays developers based on player engagement, positioning itself as a low‑cost alternative to Xbox Game Pass.
Chuck Norris' Family Condemns AI-Generated Videos After Star's Death
Chuck Norris' family posted a warning on Instagram demanding fans stop sharing AI‑generated videos that spread false information after the actor died on March 19. The appeal underscores growing concerns over deepfake technology and its impact on public discourse.
DAZN, TikTok to Livestream Serie A Match
DAZN is teaming with TikTok to livestream a Serie A match—Juventus versus Genoa—directly to users in the UK and Ireland. The free broadcast will appear on the @DAZNFootball TikTok channel on April 6, 2026, kicking off at 6 pm BST. Both companies frame...
Ticker: ABC News Anchor Reportedly Exiting
ABC News will not renew co‑anchor Janai Norman’s contract, ending her tenure that began in 2016 and most recently as weekend Good Morning America anchor. Meanwhile, CBS News 24/7 settled a three‑year collective bargaining agreement after a recent walkout, and the...
When Trauma Becomes Trope
The essay critiques humanitarian journalism, tracing its origins from 19th‑century war reporting to today’s crisis coverage. It argues that media narratives often serve political convenience, reinforcing colonial power dynamics and generating compassion fatigue. The piece highlights how NGO funding blurs...
"Unmissable" And "Truly Original" BBC Drama Confirms Exciting New Cast Additions
BBC has announced new cast additions for the upcoming drama *First Day on Earth*, created by and starring Michaela Coel. The series follows a British‑Ghanaian novelist who flees personal turmoil and travels to Ghana, promising Coel’s blend of humor and...
HRC 2026 Session To Plot Digital Future for Hispanic Radio
The Hispanic Radio Conference (HRC) 2026 will host a dedicated session on "Digital Platforms for Hispanic Radio Stations," addressing the rapid shift toward online audio. Recent data shows 81% of U.S. adults (about 233 million) listened to online audio last month,...
Broadcasters Foundation Plots Four-City Media Mixer Run for 2026
The Broadcasters Foundation of America unveiled its 2026 Media Mixer tour, kicking off in Los Angeles on April 23 with a free networking event hosted by Fox 11 anchor Marla Tellez. The series will visit four cities—Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland and Arizona—expanding the foundation’s...
13 Ways Solo Morning Hosts Can Sound Like a Team
Radio stations transitioning to solo morning hosts must recreate the energy of a multi‑person team by turning listeners into co‑hosts. The article outlines 13 practical tactics—ranging from frequent phone‑line promotion to trivia games, audio pattern disruptors, and curated caller panels—to...
RAB Extends 2026 Radio Mercury Awards Entry Deadline
The Radio Mercury Awards has extended its 2026 entry deadline to April 17, giving audio creators extra time to submit work across 17 categories plus a Best of Show. The 35th annual competition introduces new categories such as Single Placed Spot:...
What to Watch This Weekend: April 3, 2026
Apple TV+ rolls out the highly anticipated second season of "Your Friends and Neighbors," while Hulu adds the British nuclear‑smuggling thriller "Atomic." Prime Video debuts the crime‑driven film "Crime 101" starring Chris Hemsworth, and the $400 million box‑office hit "The Housemaid"...
Birmingham v Blackburn: Live Stream, TV Channel, Where to Watch on TV Today
Championship side Birmingham City host Blackburn Rovers on Friday, 3 April, at 15:00 BST at St Andrew’s. The fixture will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and streamed via the Sky Sports app and Bet365’s in‑play service. Birmingham sit ten...
Edgar Wright’s The Running Man Is a Streaming Success
Edgar Wright’s *The Running Man* bombed at the box office, failing to recoup its roughly $110 million budget, but quickly became a streaming hit after its December 2025 debut on Paramount+. The film topped Paramount+ and iTunes charts in the UK...
Red Seat Ventures Launches Speakeasy, a New Hosting, Distribution and Monetization Platform Built for the Next Generation of Creator Media
Red Seat Ventures, a Fox Corporation Tubi Media Group division, unveiled Speakeasy, an owned‑and‑operated platform that unifies hosting, distribution and monetization for audio and video creators. The service bundles AI‑powered analytics, ad‑supported revenue, and subscription options via an integration with...
Disney+ Original “Gold Land” Trailer Released
Disney+ unveiled the trailer for "Gold Land," a new Korean drama set to debut on April 29, 2026, on both Disney+ and Hulu. The series follows Heeju, a small‑town girl who stumbles upon a cache of smuggled gold and becomes...
Belgian Shopping Center Is Embracing ‘Livestream Commerce’ on TikTok
Waasland Shopping in Saint‑Nicolas, Belgium, has launched a monthly livestream commerce series on TikTok, featuring influencer Jaël Ost and guest creators. The inaugural broadcast on April 2 attracted roughly 12,500 live viewers and generated an equal number of likes, while shoppers...
“20/20: The Neighbor From Hell” Coming Soon To ABC, Hulu & Disney+
Disney announced that the next episode of its award‑winning documentary series “20/20,” titled “The Neighbor From Hell,” will premiere on ABC Friday, April 3, 2026, and stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day. The hour‑long report examines the June 2, 2023...
K-Pop Has an AI Problem
AI‑generated K‑pop trio GLXE debuted using Suno’s generative music platform, delivering fully synthetic vocals and videos without traditional idol marketing. Major Korean labels are now integrating AI into songwriting, video production, and talent scouting, positioning AI as a cost‑saving tool...
Playable Ads Trends in Mobile Games & Apps - February 2026
The February 2026 playable‑ads roundup highlights a surge in high‑budget campaigns, with the royalty‑themed Kingdom‑Match3 titles dominating the market. Increased investment from major networks like Applovin has amplified spend on SDK‑driven playables across multiple genres. Creators are leaning heavily into...
The Stack: AI Surges While Social Platforms Face Scrutiny
OpenAI secured a $122 billion funding round, lifting its valuation to about $852 billion and hinting at a future public listing. The company also extended its advertising pilot to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, giving brands more time to test AI‑assistant ads. In...
Season Six of The Global Hit Series "The Chosen" Premieres Exclusively on Prime Video, November 15, 2026
Prime Video and 5&2 Studios announced that Season 6 of the globally‑watched series “The Chosen” will debut on November 15, 2026, with three episodes released simultaneously followed by weekly installments through December 6. The six‑episode arc culminates in a standalone theatrical release slated for spring 2027....
The Subscriber Retention Funnel: Turning One-Time Viewers Into Loyal Audiences
Streaming services are grappling with rising churn, which has climbed from 2 % in 2019 to 5.5 % in 2025, while retention rates linger between 30 % and 40 %. Traditional mass‑mail and generic push tactics no longer engage users, prompting a shift toward...
The "Spotify of China" Just Got a Whole Lot Cheaper
Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), the dominant music‑streaming platform in China with 528 million monthly active users, reported $1.24 billion revenue for the latest quarter, up 16% year‑over‑year and just above forecasts. While total MAUs slipped 5% YoY, the paying‑user base grew...
Independent Report Compares Codec Royalty Costs Across Two Major Licensing Pools
An independent analysis by Jan Ozer for Streaming Learning Center compares royalty costs between Access Advance’s Video Distribution Patent Pool and Avanci’s Video program across eight typical streaming service models. The study finds Avanci’s royalties can be 1.9‑times higher for...
AI-Enriched Metadata Drives Better CTV Content Discovery
Cineverse’s cineSearch platform uses AI to generate scene‑by‑scene, emotion‑focused metadata, enabling natural‑language queries that match how viewers think about what to watch. By extracting thousands of contextual dimensions—mood, feeling, genre nuances—the system moves beyond traditional descriptive tags. SUMM8’s Jamie Mackinlay stresses...
Boathouse’s New Chief Strategy Officer Says It’s Time For Agencies To Take The Reins Of Measurement
Boathouse appointed Sonia Chung as its first Chief Strategy Officer, tasking her with dismantling data silos that tie marketers to Big‑Tech platforms. Chung argues agencies should build their own measurement infrastructure, using AI to fuse structured and unstructured signals across paid,...
Why to Invest in Lowering Sports Streaming Latency in 2026
Live‑sports streaming still lags broadcast by 30‑45 seconds, prompting industry leaders to debate the ROI of cutting latency. DAZN, BT Group and TATA Communications cite split‑rights scenarios and real‑time betting as drivers for faster delivery. Technical hurdles include low‑latency protocols,...
Netflix Confirms “City Hunter 2” For 2027 Worldwide Premiere as Ryo Saeba Returns in Live-Action Sequel
Netflix announced that the live‑action sequel “City Hunter 2” will debut worldwide on its platform in 2027, following the 2024 film’s strong performance. The original manga, celebrating its 40th anniversary, has sold over 50 million copies and remains a cultural touchstone...
Inside the Stream – Netflix’s Ad-Free Price Gap Widens as Industry Revenue Grows
Netflix announced a $1 monthly increase for its ad‑supported tier and a $2 hike for its ad‑free plans, widening the price gap between the two options more than any of its rivals. The move signals a strategic push toward ad‑supported...
How Samsung Ads And Crumbl Got Their CTV Campaign To Perform Like Social
Crumbl partnered with Samsung Ads for a seven‑week CTV acquisition campaign in Q4, leveraging Samsung’s integration with AppsFlyer to track performance. The effort generated over 16,000 app installs and a 23% conversion rate, slightly higher than the brand’s typical social‑driven...
Transparency Brought Down The Trade Desk’s Publicis Deal but It May Not Be Enough to Win Its Other Clients
The Trade Desk’s relationship with Publicis collapsed after a leaked transparency audit, prompting rivals to tout their own openness. However, agency buyers largely dismissed transparency as a decisive factor, focusing instead on margin and control. Competitors such as Nexxen are...
Saudi TV Drama About Iran Hostages Revived as War Sours Relations
Saudi state broadcaster has revived a dramatized series about the 1979‑1981 Iran hostage crisis, portraying Iranian agents as villains. The revival coincides with a sharp deterioration in Riyadh‑Tehran relations after Iran’s involvement in regional conflicts, notably the Gaza war. The...
TNT Open to Early Talks with NHL, Silberwasser Says
TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser says the network is "extremely interested" in extending its NHL partnership and is ready to begin talks whenever commissioner Gary Bettman decides. The league’s renewal timeline may be tied to the NFL’s ongoing media‑rights negotiations,...
Freedom of Money Launches Next Week; E‑books Pre‑order Now
Update on my book Freedom of Money. The launch is set for next week. Unless the editors pull me in for one more round 😂 E-books are now available for pre-order. English 👉 https://t.co/UxgYxYJ3NF Traditional Chinese 👉 https://t.co/ItFd8FEyuK The English physical book will also...
SFGATE Creates Direct Line to National Parks Reporting
SFGATE has introduced a WhatsApp channel that delivers real‑time alerts from its National Parks bureau, extending its award‑winning coverage of Western U.S. parks directly to readers' phones. The bureau, launched a year ago, has reported on issues ranging from lead...
WRTV Anchor Swears Live After Sudden Sale
Ok, did anyone see the new WRTV news here in Indy? Apparently the Scripps newsgroup sold the station to a local entity unexpectedly. I guess the news crew thought in was an April fools trick. So today...
TheWrap’s Creators X Hollywood Summit Unites Top Influencers and Studios to Redefine Marketing
TheWrap hosted its first‑ever Creators x Hollywood Summit in Los Angeles, gathering Issa Rae, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade, digital storyteller Dhar Mann and former NFL star Brandon Marshall. The event, backed by Whalar, The Lighthouse and major studios, unveiled a multiyear...
Main Street Set to Begin Winding Down FanDuel Sports Network RSNs
Main Street Sports Group announced it will wind down its FanDuel Sports Network regional sports networks within roughly five weeks, ending NBA regular‑season coverage and NHL first‑round playoff broadcasts. The move follows the loss of its core Major League Baseball...
Will Philippines’ Anti-Disinformation Bills Empower State to ‘Decide the Truth’?
The Philippines is debating a suite of anti‑disinformation bills, most notably House Bill 2697 introduced by Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos. The proposal would criminalize the creation, financing or operation of troll farms and impose up to 12 years imprisonment and...
Great Content Fails without Compelling Title and Thumbnail
We posted a video that many people said was our best video in years, yet it was one of our worst performing videos in years. People who watch it love it. The problem is the title an/or thumbnail were not...
Only a Few Creators Profit; Many Stay Marginal
This is brilliant on-the-ground reporting on “timepass” economy by @_sabahgurmat. Very few content creators will graduate to making big money, I suspect. For every Stringer Bell, there will be a thousand Wallaces. 👇
This '50s Western Is A Forgotten Gem That Completely Changed Television
The 1955 ABC series *Cheyenne* became television’s first hour‑long Western and the inaugural show to feature a consistent lead character across multiple seasons. Starring Clint Walker as the itinerant cowboy Cheyenne Bodie, the series ran for seven seasons, delivering 108...
OpenAI Buys Talk Show to Steer AI Narrative
OpenAI is moving beyond technology into storytelling. By acquiring a tech talk show, the company is positioning itself to shape how AI is explained, discussed and understood by the public. In the AI era, influence is not just built through products, but...
Understand Content and Reporting Are Not the Same
A lot of people need to be educated on the difference between content and reporting.
Jen Psaki, Ari Melber, JB Smoove: New Speakers Join Ankler X NAB Show
The Ankler x NAB Show in Las Vegas announced a star‑studded lineup, adding former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, MSNBC anchor Ari Melber, and comedian JB Smoove as speakers. Marcus Mabry of MS NOW will unveil a new platform...
Founders Fund Conflates Chatter with Real Journalism
Founders Fund has been at the head of queue of misrepresenting what journalism is, especially in light of the ongoing holy war that the tech world thinks it is engaged in w/ legitimate media. Understand that just talking all day...
Sponsor Fintech Business Weekly to Reach 91k Decision Makers
Looking to reach senior execs & decision makers in fintech, banking & govt regulators? Reach out about sponsoring Fintech Business Weekly to get in front of 91,000+ loyal readers & listeners.
Carnegie Medal 2026 Longlists Reveal 38 Children’s and YA Titles
The Carnegie Medal committees have released the 2026 longlists, naming 38 titles—19 for the Medal for Writing and 19 for the Medal for Illustration. The announcement signals the next phase of the UK’s most prestigious children’s literature awards and sets...
Decoder Unpacks Facebook Jury Verdicts with Newton, Feiner
find Nilay Patel's Decoder podcast today. it's a deep dive on the Facebook jury verdicts last week and the implications. Casey Newton and Lauren Feiner are guests. they all do a great job laying it all out. Newton especially.
OpenAI Assures TBPN’s Editorial Independence and Control
WSJ: “But TBPN will remain editorially independent, retaining control over its programming, editorial decisions, guest selection and production schedule, OpenAI said.” https://t.co/jp8fE9rKjL