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:
Versant Acquires AI‑Driven StockStory to Bolster CNBC’s Digital Investing Platform
Versant has purchased AI‑powered financial insights firm StockStory, bringing its data‑driven analysis into CNBC’s digital suite. The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, is part of Versant’s broader shift toward subscription‑based, technology‑focused growth after a 2025 earnings slump.
Understanding Succession’s Success Reveals Media’s Hidden Appeal
Everyone hates on media but everyone wants to be part of it but few people actually understand what makes it work. Why do you think Succession was so successful?
Can NFLX's Content Strength Sustain User Engagement & Revenue Growth?
Netflix’s robust content engine logged 96 billion hours viewed in H2 2025, fueling higher retention, lower churn and stronger pricing power. Original titles grew 9% year‑over‑year, and a slate of marquee releases through 2026—including Bridgerton S4 and ONE PIECE S2—aims to sustain engagement. Management ties...
Daily Crime and Justice | Celebrity Trials, True Crime, Law, and Justice.
In this 1‑hour‑35‑minute episode, host Reed Carter delivers a rapid‑fire rundown of current and classic celebrity‑related murder cases, from the recent Luigi Mangioni shooting of a CEO to infamous trials like O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers, and Casey Anthony. He...
What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem
In this debut episode of "What We Don't Know," hosts Matt Brittin and Hayaatun Sillem introduce their new series on leadership in a chaotic, uncertain world. They share personal reflections on stepping down from high‑profile roles and outline the show’s...
Tubi Teams Up With Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, & More To Expand In Canada
Tubi is adding more than 600 movies and TV series from Disney, NBCUniversal, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate to its Canadian catalog. The ad‑supported service has seen monthly active users climb 30% year‑over‑year since its 2020 launch. A long‑term...
Who Should We Be Talking To
LexBlog is launching the LexBlog Library, a structured, citable repository of over two million pieces of legal practitioner publishing. The platform treats practitioner insights as secondary law, positioning them alongside traditional scholarly sources for citation by judges, researchers, and AI...
OpenAI Funds TBPN for Positive AI Spin, Claims Independence
idk seems kinda telling that OpenAI is simultaneously saying they spent untold $$$ on TBPN to promote more "constructive" narratives about the AI industry but also they plan to let them keep editorial independence (which, lol, TBPN not exactly a...
Corporate IP Buzzwords Reveal Desperation, Not Innovation
It feels like we're getting one of these press releases every other day. I get it. The let's 'leverage IP' corporate lingo is bounced around so often I imagine publishers are thinking WOW WE COULD GET RICH. But there's something...
Malaysia: Youth on Social Media Shaping the Digital Economy
Malaysian youth are turning social media platforms into engines of commerce, generating an estimated $4.7 billion in gross value added and supporting 147,000 jobs by 2025. The government highlighted this trend at the launch of a socioeconomic impact report, linking it...
Press Play: How the Indie Publisher Behind ‘Heartbeat’ Is Remixing the Music Magazine
Broccoli Publishers, known for niche collectible titles, has launched *Heartbeat*, its first print magazine devoted to sound and music culture. The debut issue pairs in‑depth, "time‑agnostic" stories—from 2000s Michigan punk ephemera to Suzanne Ciani’s Buchla synth work—with curated playlists printed...
Prime Video's Top 10 Shows and the 3 You Need on Your Watchlist Right Now (April 3–April 5)
Prime Video released its weekly Top 10 chart, showcasing a mix of comedy, thriller, sci‑fi, and animation. The list is led by the adult superhero series Invincible, while Scarpetta and Young Sherlock occupy the second and third spots respectively. Newer titles...
The Content Moderator’s Dilemma: How Removing Toxic Speech Distorts Online Discourse
A new 2025 study introduces a semantic‑space metric based on Bhattacharyya distance to quantify how removing toxic tweets reshapes online discourse. Analyzing five million U.S. political tweets, the authors find that stricter toxicity thresholds produce measurable shifts, reaching roughly 20%...
How To Save TV News: Lizz Winstead
In this episode of "How to Save TV News," host Jonathan Larson talks with activist and media veteran Lizz Winstead—co‑founder of Air America Radio, former head writer of The Daily Show, and founder of the abortion‑rights nonprofit Abortion Access Front....
The Edge of Night: 1956 Crime Soap’s 20-Year Run
📺 April 2, 1956: Daytime drama “The Edge of Night” debuted on CBS. The "Perry Mason"-esque series focused on crime, setting itself apart from other soap opera fare. It ran as a live broadcast on CBS for most of its...
Underneath the Umbrella Productions Launches with 'Wizard of Id,' 'B.C.' Adaptations
Goodman Pictures and veteran animator Tim Johnson have launched a new studio, Underneath the Umbrella Productions. The company has secured the rights to adapt the classic comic strips “Wizard of Id” and “B.C.” as well as the National Book Award‑winning...
AI‑Curated X News Hub Showcases Community’s Best Content
“Today was a lot,” concludes my AI: https://t.co/kiuZ7QXLzb The only news site showing you the best of the AI community here on X. And only on X. And all built and written by AI. After reading your posts here on X. Every...
BBC Confirms '80s Drama That'll Have You 'Gripped and Spine-Tingled' Based on Paranormal Podcast
The BBC has commissioned a four‑part horror drama, *The Witch Farm*, set in 1980s Wales and slated for BBC One and iPlayer. Created by Danny Robbins, the series adapts his *Uncanny* paranormal podcast and follows a London couple confronting a...
![[Comment] Targeted Advertising in Generative Artificial Intelligence Chatbots: A New Public Health Risk](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/26ba616f3e3f2861b999eb892835dbac.webp)
[Comment] Targeted Advertising in Generative Artificial Intelligence Chatbots: A New Public Health Risk
OpenAI announced it will embed targeted advertising in the free and low‑cost versions of ChatGPT, pairing the rollout with safeguards such as ad‑response separation, privacy protections, age gating for users under 18, and limits on health‑related ads. The move addresses...
Colin Jost Is Set to Play a Dentist/Drug Kingpin in a Peacock Drama Series — While Staying on SNL
Colin Jost, longtime Saturday Night Live co‑anchor, is set to make his television acting debut in an untitled Peacock drama series where he will portray a dentist turned drug kingpin. The series is based on the true story of Larry...
YouTube Experiments with TV-Style Channels for CTV Viewing
YouTube is piloting TV‑style channels with the launch of “Coachella TV,” a 24/7 streaming channel that will feature archival performances and highlights from the 2026 festival. The experiment follows earlier tests with roughly 40 musicians and is designed to let creators...
Watch: Reporting While Black
Howard University’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications hosted a panel titled *Reporting While Black*, featuring prominent journalists Joy Reid, Michael Harriot, Jason Johnson, and Karen Attiah. The conversation centered on how Black journalists are leveraging Substack and other direct‑to‑audience platforms...
Report Shows Document Posts on LinkedIn See More Engagement
Socialinsider’s 2026 LinkedIn Benchmarks, analyzing 1.3 million posts from 16,645 business pages (Jan 2024‑Dec 2025), reveal that native document posts—PDFs displayed in a carousel—generate the highest engagement on the platform. Video and image updates trail behind, a reversal of trends seen on most...
Debate Over 39% Cap: Statute or FCC Rule?
But that's a highly controversial issue -- with some insisting the 39% cap is statutory and only Congress can change it. Meanwhile, @NXSTMediaGroup and many more say the 39% cap is an @FCC rule that the agency is free to...
Plex Adds Even More Free Channels – Here’s What’s New
Streaming platform Plex has added a new batch of free ad‑supported (FAST) channels, pushing its catalog beyond 600 live streams at no cost. The additions span international news, niche sports like bowling, classic TV from FilmRise, nostalgic Hasbro animated titles,...
Instagram Allows Creators to Schedule Trial Reels
Instagram introduced a scheduling feature for Trial Reels on April 2, 2026, allowing creators to set future publish times for videos shown to non‑followers. Trial Reels, launched in December 2024, already boosted non‑follower reach by 80 % and prompted 40 % of users to increase...
New Michael Jackson Documentary Series Coming to Australia and New Zealand
The Michael Jackson Story, an eight‑part documentary produced by Fremantle’s Emmy‑winning 72 Films, will debut on the BBC before rolling out to Australia’s Nine Network and New Zealand’s Sky TV. The series combines never‑seen archive footage with fresh interviews from La Toya...
Seafarer Unfairness
Thousands of commercial sailors are trapped in the Persian Gulf after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping lane. At least 20 vessels have been attacked, resulting in ten deaths and numerous injuries. Roughly 20,000 seafarers, including...
As the World Turns Launched TV’s First Half‑hour Serial Drama
📺 🌎 April 2, 1956 “As the World Turns” debuted on CBS. It is TV’s first half-hour serial drama and TV’s highest-rated daytime drama from 1958-78. It expanded to one hour daily on Dec. 1, 1975. Helen Wagner starred as...
HBO Max Invades Britain — Testing a New Playbook for Global Streaming
Warner Bros. Discovery has launched HBO Max in the United Kingdom, but unlike rivals it is deliberately avoiding the commissioning of British‑origin content. The service is banking on global intellectual property such as Harry Potter and U.S.‑produced series to attract...
Why John Quincy Adams Is *Deeply*underrated
In this episode the hosts discuss the upcoming book on John Quincy Adams, arguing that his true legacy lies in his lifelong public service rather than his brief, contested presidency. They highlight Adams’s unique resume—witness to the Battle of Bunker...
What Is a Paywall if Not a Pesky PNG Blocking Your View
Delia Cai’s April 2, 2026 newsletter preview teases a pay‑walled post that blends pre‑Easter banter with tech and travel insights. The piece mentions a collaboration between Jia and Robyn, Cord’s new project, Caper’s design solution, and Jeremy’s reading recommendations for Japan. A...
OpenAI's TBPN Acquisition Makes Strategic Sense, Not Madness
People keep telling me the OpenAi/TBPN deal is crazy and makes no sense and I think they're overthinking it. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-openai-bought-tbpn-2026-4
Wrong War, Wrong Victim, Wrong Victor
NewsGuard’s Reality Check exposed a pro‑China X account that shared a miscaptioned photograph from the Russia‑Ukraine war, falsely claiming it showed a U.S. soldier begging Iran for mercy. The post, which amassed 198,300 views and 225 likes in four days,...
Media, Telecom, and Amazon Deals Dominate Latest Industry Headlines
■ As @circlecitybcast Begins Layoffs at Newly Acquired ABC Station in Indianapolis, @FCC Democrat @AGomezFCC Posts Gloating, Told-You-So Reaction ■ @WeAreSinclair Executives Urge FCC to Dig Deeper into TV Sports Issues ■ @NTCAconnect CEO Romano Says Some Telecom Act Reforms “Don’t...
I Was a Broke American Living in New Zealand. A Viral TikTok Turned My Taco Stand Into 3 Restaurants.
American expatriate Sean Yarbrough turned a TikTok‑fueled taco stand into three New Zealand restaurants within three years. After quitting a burger‑flipping job, he launched Broke Boy Taco with a three‑item menu and leveraged a revenue‑share kitchen partnership. A viral TikTok...
Plex Begins New Interface Rollout and Paid Pass Requirement for Remote Streaming on Fire TVs
Plex is rolling out its redesigned interface to Amazon Fire TV devices beginning next week, following a staggered launch that started on Apple TV in early 2025. Alongside the visual overhaul, Plex will enforce a paid‑pass requirement for any remote...
All Eligible Snap Creators Can Now Offer Subscriptions
Snapchat has rolled out its Creator Subscription product to every eligible creator globally, letting them set monthly fees for exclusive Snaps, Stories and ad‑free experiences. In the pilot, creators retained roughly 60% of subscription revenue and saw Spotlight posts boost...
Ashlee Simpson Wins 'The Masked Singer' Season 14 as Galaxy Girl Amid Trump’s Prime‑Time Address
Ashlee Simpson was unveiled as Galaxy Girl and crowned the winner of The Masked Singer Season 14, with sister Jessica Simpson cheering her victory. The finale aired alongside a presidential address that forced networks to shift programming, highlighting the clash...
Stop Judging Lav Mics, Start Criticizing Phone‑down Intros
Speaking as someone who gets really bothered by a lot of social media video production trends, habits, styles, tropes, etc, I gotta say, I do NOT mind when creators hold a lav mic near their mouth instead of clipping it...
Russia's Ukraine War: Million Casualties, Negligible Gains, Rampant Corruption
From PBS News Hour: Russia has had 1,000,000+ casualties in their war with Ukraine, the slowest territorial gains in modern warfare, and barbaric corruption in their ranks. Reported by @SimonOstrovsky and interview and data by @SethGJones. https://t.co/mtRTSFs5UY
TikTok Gamifies DMs With Emojis, Pixelated Alligators
TikTok has introduced a retro‑style mini‑game that lives inside its direct‑message interface, letting users send a single emoji to launch a pixelated alligator‑crossing challenge. The game mirrors recent chat‑based titles such as Threads' basketball and Instagram’s hidden emoji game, and...
Sterling K. Brown Joins Emmy Drama Lead Nominees
#Emmys: Lead Actor (Drama) Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise” Jon Hamm, “Your Friends and Neighbors” Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses” Mark Ruffalo, “Task” Morgan Spector, “The Gilded Age” (HBO Max) Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (HBO Max) *** https://t.co/p7Zh9apYTo via @variety https://t.co/hNqAbG2wKv
Break the “Elvis Effect” By Being Truly Exceptional
There's a weird feature of being a creator I call the Elvis effect. Which is that if you are a 28-year-old white guy named David, your followers will be 28-year-old white guys named David. To beat the Elvis effect, you...
Stranger Things Animated Series Returns to Netflix April 2026
There are some great returning shows heading to Netflix in April 2026, including the Stranger Things animated series. https://t.co/sexPlbrR82
EmDash Shows Promise but Still Trails WordPress
6 Reasons Why Cloudflare’s EmDash Can’t Compete With WordPress ● It's a promising preview of a CMS of the future. ● Solves the plugin safety issue. ● It is an early developer Beta release. ● Future versions may challenge WP, but not this one. https://t.co/PxvBnw73Qu
Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Brings Dungeon Crawler Carl to Pe
‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ TV Series From Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door, Chris Yost Lands at Peacock (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/k9ruqtP5re via @variety
Ayesha Harris Promoted to Series Regular; Supriya Ganesh Departs
‘The Pitt’ Ups Ayesha Harris to Series Regular for Season 3, Supriya Ganesh Exits (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/aMom1OsoyM via @variety
Tech Leaders Decry Media Yet Crave Its Spotlight
So many tech execs and investors complain about the media. But boy do they all wanna be a part of it in some way...
Creators' Rights Claim Masks Push for Economy‑Destroying Laws
This "creators bill of rights" is nothing but PR slop when the people involved are also pushing laws like KOSA and repealing Section 230, two policies that would destroy the creator economy as we know it.