Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions top 2.2 bn, revenue hits $176B
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 for the first time as pay‑TV revenue fell to $170 billion. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit rates in 2026, prompting operators to focus on monetising existing users.
CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’ Features Son Doong Cave, Sparking Global Adventure‑Tourism Surge
CBS’s flagship program “60 Minutes” aired a documentary on Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest underground chamber, giving Quang Tri province unprecedented exposure. Officials say the broadcast will attract high‑value tourists and accelerate the region’s adventure‑tourism agenda for 2026‑27.
Mass Bans on Meta and TikTok Accounts, Appeals Unavailable
Why are everyone’s meta and @tiktok accounts getting banned and no one is able to appeal?
NY State Bar Warns Movie‑Theater Attendance Has Slid Since 2002, Spotlighting Indie Revivals
The New York State Bar Association’s recent seminar highlighted a steady decline in U.S. movie‑theater attendance since 2002, worsened by COVID‑19 and streaming. Speakers pointed to indie theaters’ community‑event models and a surge of younger, horror‑seeking audiences as possible lifelines.
Pareto to Creato
YouTube now tops global media revenue, eclipsing Disney, but its dominance rests on a tiny fraction of creators. The creator economy follows an extreme power‑law: less than 1% of titles generate roughly 99% of consumption and revenue, far steeper than...
CNBC Documentary Spotlights Value‑Based Care as Engine for Brain Health and $6 Trillion GDP Boost
The Catalight Group and a coalition of health, economic and policy leaders premiered a CNBC documentary that frames value‑based care as the linchpin for brain health and a $6.2 trillion boost to global GDP. The film cites staggering productivity losses and...
Legacy Media Fails Democracy; Democracy Docket Grows
Legacy media is failing democracy. Rather than complain, I did something about it. Six years ago, I started Democracy Docket from scratch. Now, it has more than 425,000 subscribers. The work has never mattered more. Help it grow by subscribing...
Bestads Best of the Week Reviewed by Jen Speirs, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, Dublin
Jen Speirs, Chief Creative Officer of Droga5 in Dublin, judged this week’s Bestadsontv.com “Best of the Week” awards. The winners include Maxibon’s "GO FULL COOKIE" for Best TV, Tesco Mobile’s "Your second most important network" for Best Print, Mycar Tyre’s "The...
TV Ratings (30/3/2026): It’s Down To The Final 6 On Australian Idol
Overnight figures show 1.5 million Australians tuned in for Australian Idol’s Top 6 episode, with Seven reporting a national‑average audience of 910,000. The show eliminated Charlie Moon and Simela Petridis, trimming the competition to six finalists. Meanwhile, Seven’s Married At First Sight dominated the night, reaching 2.98 million viewers...
Public Trust in Traditional Media Stays Strong Despite Social Media Boom — Fahmi
A Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission study reveals that 87‑90% of adults aged 18‑35 first encounter news on social platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook, yet only 40‑50% trust those sources. In contrast, television, radio and newspapers—though accessed less...
Zuckerberg‑Musk Texts Reveal Bias Against Platform Fairness
I wrote about Zuckerberg's texts with Musk and how they undermine the principles of a fair and equal platform for everyone https://www.platformer.news/zuckerberg-musk-texts-trial-content-moderation/
Monday VOZ Ratings | A Big MAFS Challenge Brings a Big MAFS Audience
Monday’s VOZ ratings show Nine’s reality hit Married At First Sight Season 13 leading primetime with an average 1.82 million viewers, outpacing other commercial shows such as Australian Idol and Survivor. Across the five major metros, Nine captured 36.7% of total TV...
Mark Zuckerberg Is Doing Content Moderation Again
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has re‑entered the front lines of content moderation, signaling a hands‑on approach after months of criticism over policy enforcement. The move follows a series of high‑profile moderation missteps, including the rollout of a new support bot...
Raye's Experimental Second Album Hits 16M Streams; She Vows to Wait for Love Before Next Record
Raye released her experimental sophomore album "This Music May Contain Hope," which amassed over 15.95 million Spotify streams in its first day and earned a near‑perfect Pitchfork rating. The singer also announced she will not write her third album until she...
Google's AI Headline Rewrite Test Triggers Publisher Outcry
Google is piloting an AI-driven feature that rewrites the headlines of news articles in Search results, prompting sharp criticism from publishers who say the move oversteps consent and threatens editorial integrity. The dispute highlights growing tension between the search giant...
Former ‘RHONY’ Star Carole Radziwill Confronts Ghislaine Maxwell Ties Amid Epstein File Revelations
Carole Radziwill, a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” publicly addressed her years‑long friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell after her name surfaced in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files. Radziwill said she was unaware of Maxwell’s criminal...
Bluesky's Custom Algorithm Lets You Build a Chronological Feed
The Bluesky write your own algorithm idea is really good The bot behind it is the second most blocked account on the site now, I assume because AI mentioned Do people not know all feeds are AI run, and if you just...
Live Chat on Main Character Monday: Insecure HBO
Getting ready to go LIVE with @lifewithlieshia for Main character Monday to chat about our beloved #insecurehbo tap in: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZDkRWMcNrZk?si=O9Qn91xaGaLvKVOI
Carriage
Spectrum is adding its TV app to Amazon Fire TV devices starting April 15, 2024. The rollout lets Spectrum subscribers stream the full channel lineup, multiview, cloud DVR and video‑on‑demand content directly on Fire TV hardware. Compatibility covers Fire OS 6+ and...
Same Video, Millions Elsewhere, Barely a Handful on X
I create content for X, IG, YouTube, TikTok, and email. The video below will do 1-3 million views on IG, YouTube and TikTok but will perform horribly on X (maybe 20-50k views). The video also has a longer total life...
Seeking Unreported Uplifting Stories, Even at Dawn
Am I going to wake up extra early to get a front seat so I can ask about an uplifting story MSM refuses to report? YES I WILL
Droga5 ANZ Wins Qantas ‘Project Sunrise’ Pitch
Droga5 ANZ has been awarded the creative lead for Qantas’ “Project Sunrise” campaign, which will market the airline’s upcoming non‑stop flights from Australia’s east coast to New York and London. The win follows the final ground‑testing phase of the first...
Fans Ask: When Does The Pitt S2E13 Premiere?
Yet again, Dr. Robby is debating whether to stay or go. But when is The Pitt season 2 episode 13 airing on HBO Max? https://t.co/ibwrBOssOe
Starlink Outpaces Cable Firms in Airborne Uplink Speed
@Starlink is serving more uplink to a plane at 500 mph than Kabletown can deliver to your house with a wire. Yikes. $CMCSA $CHTR https://t.co/09s4MJ9QlX
Virgin Australia Moves to Build Retail Media Network
Virgin Australia has appointed former McKinsey and VML executive Scott Moore as head of a new Travel Media Network, signaling the airline’s move into retail media. The initiative will leverage Virgin’s digital properties and Velocity’s 80 commercial partners and 300...
Brian Florido Joins Linkby as Chris Wirasinha Gets Band Back Together
Brian Florido, former managing director of Val Morgan Digital, has been appointed commercial product director at Linkby. He will lead the Pubfeed platform, which distributes editorial content to publishers and charges brands on a cost‑per‑click or cost‑per‑impression basis. Florido’s hire...
Want to Watch All of the Yankees’ Games on TV This Season? It’ll Cost You over $1,200.
The New York Yankees will be broadcast across ten different networks and streaming services in 2026, including the debut of live MLB games on Netflix. Watching every regular‑season game costs cord‑cutters about $1,262 annually, $1,235 with a live‑TV bundle, and...
Twitter Users Rare Offline Despite Platform's Massive Presence
When I'm out and about in the world, people recognize me from IG or YouTube at a 20:1 ratio to X. Outside of SF, an X user in the wild is a rare sighting which is strange given how much surface...
Stop Using Black Vernacular for Marketing
I got sick of brands talking like black people. So I wrote about it. https://open.substack.com/pub/mocktalecreative/p/your-brand-is-not-a-black-person?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Boris FX Acquires Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, and Acid Pro
Boris FX announced it has acquired the Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, and Acid Pro suites from MAGIX Software. The deal brings the flagship video‑editing platform and professional audio tools under the Boris FX umbrella, along with the company’s AI engine. The 2026 Vegas Pro release...
EE TV Rolls Out AI-Powered Smart Search
EE has introduced Smart Search, an AI‑driven content discovery tool for its EE TV platform, allowing users to locate shows and movies by describing mood, theme, plot elements or memorable lines. The feature aggregates results from live TV, on‑demand libraries,...
Malaysia: Navigating an AI-Driven Media Landscape
Malaysia’s media ecosystem is rapidly evolving as smartphones and mobile internet become the dominant gateways to news, pushing traditional broadcast and print toward digital platforms. Social media algorithms now dictate content visibility, while artificial intelligence drives personalization, recommendation and moderation...
Hollywood Week: Netflix Hikes, Disney Stalls, Social Media Warning
Five things you need to know about Hollywood this week: Netflix’s price hike, Disney’s rough start and a social media addiction statement.
Netflix’s Price Hike and Opening Day Debut. Plus, HBO's ‘Harry Potter’ and the Millennial Nostalgia Era.
The episode breaks down Netflix’s recent price hikes across its ad‑free and ad‑supported tiers, examining how the moves fit into a broader strategy to push users toward the cheaper, ad‑supported plan and boost ad revenue. Hosts discuss the competitive streaming...
Turn Travel Passion Into Paid Writing for Top Magazines
I help you get paid to travel and write about it! Here’s how one of my Substack subscribers has landed paid writing assignments for National Geographic, Travel and Leisure, and Matador Network ✍️ https://jetplanecrew.substack.com/p/how-daria-got-published-in-national
So Dakota Can Do This, But We Can’t Get The Bachelorette?
Alex Cooper’s UnWell Network is debuting “Unwell Winter Games,” a four‑episode YouTube series that pits reality‑TV personalities and influencers in mental and physical challenges. The lineup includes controversial figures such as Dakota Mortensen, whose ex‑partner Taylor Frankie Paul had her...
Algorithm Shifts Push Artists Toward Real‑world Support
Whe that IG algo switched up artists been struggling… That TikTok don’t hit like it used to either… Now we gone see who loves the work in real life.
Tackling the ‘I Don’t Watch TV’ Myth
Kath Sroka of Nine argues the "I don’t watch TV" claim is a myth, noting that viewers still consume premium long‑form content on smartphones, laptops and shared screens. The shift is driven by live sport, reality shows and on‑demand series,...
Sophie Turner Sustains 'Minor' Injury, and Prime Video's 'Tomb Raider' Series Halts Filming
Prime Video announced that filming of its highly anticipated "Tomb Raider" series has been paused after lead actress Sophie Turner suffered a minor injury on set. The series, starring Turner as Lara Croft, is being developed by Emmy‑winner Phoebe Waller‑Bridge and co‑showrunner...
Discerning Between Beaver Vs. Human Gaze in “Hoppers”
The post reviews Pixar’s "Hoppers," highlighting its clever use of dual visual perspectives—"beaver gaze" versus human gaze—to balance realism and cartoonish charm. It then pivots to the accelerating adoption of AI tools in journalism, citing Wired and WSJ examples where...
How Google Ads Quality Scores Work: Boost Your Quality Score
Google Ads Quality Score, a 1‑to‑10 metric, gauges keyword, ad and landing‑page relevance and directly influences ad rank and cost‑per‑click. A high score can elevate ads to premium positions while reducing fees, whereas a low score may prevent ads from...
MTV Lawsuit Over Nick Cannon’s New Rap Battle Show Can Move Ahead, Judge Says
A federal judge refused to dismiss MTV owner Viacom's lawsuit against Zeus Network over Nick Cannon's new rap‑battle series Bad vs. Wild, allowing trademark claims to move forward. While the court threw out Viacom's copyright infringement allegations, it found the...
Twitter's Memetic Power Fuels Policy; Toxic Bots Profit
The daily discussion on X helps shape the national mood, which in turn shapes purchasing decisions, corporate capital allocation, votes (and, thereby, economic policy, war and peace, etc.) and so on. (This is a big part of Elon's rationale for buying...
Google Gemini’s Lyria Generates Full Songs Automatically
Creating song lyrics with AI is so 2025. Now you can compose entire songs using the Lyria model in Google Gemini. It's pretty darn astonishing. Here's how it works, with sample tracks in a variety of styles: https://t.co/7pNLIXLKWJ #gemini #lyria...
Bob Dylan’s AI “Lectures From the Grave” Are an Accidental Warning for What Not to Do: Review
Bob Dylan launched a $5‑a‑month Patreon called "Lectures from the Grave," offering AI‑generated monologues, a faux Mark Twain letter, a short story, and a vintage video. The pieces use synthetic voices and fabricated pen names, delivering historically themed content that...
NC Fans Unfairly Blocked From Baltimore MLB Games
Your annual reminder that it is a grave injustice that millions of people in NC are bizarrely in the Baltimore/DC MLB TV market (and thus totally blocked from watching their MLB teams play in BAL/DC, even when subscribed to the...
Netflix Prices up 150% Since 2013, Will Keep Rising
Netflix has increased its prices by 150% since 2013. The price increases will continue until customers tell the company to stop. https://t.co/2R8oGAahLC
News Holds Attention: Why Journalism Beats the Infinite Social Scroll
In an era of endless social feeds, journalism is emerging as the rare medium that captures genuine attention. Research shows 75% of Australians enter a focused state when consuming news, and advertising alongside reputable journalism delivers 6.4 times higher brand...
Paramount Plus: Top Picks, Limited-Time Deal Ends Soon
From Yellowjackets to Yellowstone, and from South Park to Star Trek, Paramount Plus is one of the best streaming services going — and you've only got hours left to jump on this deal https://t.co/h29Lkoy15n
Automated Social Reporting That Saves Hours
Manual social media reporting forces teams to export data, clean spreadsheets, and rebuild slide decks each week, turning strategy into admin work. Fragmented sources like Meta Business Suite, TikTok Business Center, and Pinterest Analytics require tedious stitching, leading to errors...
Connoisseur Media to Sell Its 4 Topeka Stations
Connoisseur Media announced it will sell its four Topeka radio stations—98.5 KSAJ, 106.9 KTPK, and the AM/FM pair 580/94.5 WIBW—to MSC Radio Group, a Kansas‑Nebraska broadcaster. The transaction, which stems from Connoisseur’s 2025 acquisition of Alpha Media’s Kansas assets, is awaiting FCC clearance...