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.
Ice Cube’s Iconic Comedy With 2 Sequels Tops Free Streaming Charts
Ice Cube’s 1995 comedy “Friday” has climbed to the #1 spot on Tubi’s free streaming chart in the U.S., according to FlixPatrol data from March 29‑30, 2026. The film, which later expanded into two sequels, moved from sixth place on March 27 to the top within days. Critical reception remains strong with a 77% critic score and 91% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The resurgence highlights the lasting appeal of low‑budget urban comedies.
What the Netflix–Warner Music Deal Really Means for Artists and Brands
Warner Music Group has signed a multi‑year, first‑look agreement with Netflix, giving the streamer priority access to documentary series and films about WMG’s legendary and contemporary artists. The partnership taps Netflix’s growing reputation for premium music documentaries and provides Warner...
Why Pre-Sales Determines How Well Revenue Will Scale
Advertising pre‑sales is a hidden bottleneck that determines how quickly and reliably revenue converts. Manual coordination across CRM systems, spreadsheets and email creates a structural tax on revenue capacity, leading to frequent pricing errors and proposal rework. A survey of...
Astrotalk Taps Everyday Uncertainties in New Ad Films
Astrotalk has launched a three‑film digital campaign for the IPL, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, that spotlights everyday dilemmas in relationships, careers and finances. Each short film shows a character turning to the Astrotalk app for a personalized astrological reading to...
X Advertiser Boycott Lawsuit Dismissed
A U.S. federal court dismissed the lawsuit accusing X, formerly Twitter, of colluding with major advertisers to withhold ad spend. The complaint named consumer‑goods giants Unilever and Mars, along with the World Federation of Advertisers, alleging a coordinated boycott of...
Addendums; Tenebrism; "Going a Journey"
The newsletter highlights the paperback release of John Ganz’s *When the Clock Broke*, now widely available in the U.S., U.K., and Commonwealth markets. It promotes the author’s film podcast with Jamelle Bouie and announces an upcoming “Dark Enlightenment” discussion at...
News They Don't Want You to See
Dave Bondy's "Keeping it Real" newsletter posted a teaser on March 30, 2026, but the full article is locked behind a paid subscription. The notice offers a seven‑day free trial to new readers, encouraging them to subscribe for unrestricted access....
Joy Personal Care Launches Hydra Refresh Gel TVC Featuring Sanya Malhotra
Joy Personal Care introduced a television commercial for its Hydra Refresh Gel, featuring Bollywood star Sanya Malhotra. The ad positions the gel as a lightweight, fast‑absorbing solution for skin hydration during India’s hot, humid summer. Executives from RSH Global highlighted the...
MS Dhoni Joins Kuku as Investor and Brand Ambassador of Microdrama App
Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni has invested in Kuku and taken on the role of brand ambassador for its microdrama app, Kuku TV. The AI‑driven storytelling platform, founded by three IIT alumni in 2018, boasts over 350 million installs across its...
ASU’s Cronkite School and Poynter Institute Launch Training Collaboration to Support Journalists and Media Professionals
Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and the Poynter Institute have announced a collaboration to embed Poynter resources into the school’s CronkitePro professional training platform. The partnership will give journalists access to Poynter’s WriteLane podcast, a media job...
Becoming Electric Lit’s Deputy Editor Is My Dream Job. Reading Got Me Here
Katie Henken Robinson, a longtime reader of Electric Literature, is stepping into the role of incoming Deputy Editor. Her journey from a coffee‑shop‑bound college student to a senior editorial position underscores the magazine’s commitment to free, inclusive literary content. Robinson...
LIVE with Mia Silverio: The Science of Storytelling
Mia Silverio, the head of research behind Scott Galloway’s most compelling presentations, will host a live masterclass titled “The Science of Storytelling” on March 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The session is exclusive to Prof G+ subscribers and promises to blend neuroscience‑backed...
Eurosport 3 and 4 to Launch in Poland
Warner Bros. Discovery is launching two new sports channels, Eurosport 3 and Eurosport 4, in Poland on April 1, 2026. The channels will be carried by 34 satellite and cable operators, expanding the existing Eurosport 1 and 2 lineup. Eurosport 3 will broadcast the full Speedway...
When Football Stopped Living in 90 Minutes
FIFA has named TikTok its preferred platform for the 2026 World Cup, signaling a shift from traditional broadcast to short‑form, algorithm‑driven video. The partnership will embed official footage alongside creator‑generated clips, making TikTok a co‑curator of the tournament narrative. By...
Will The Last of Us Come to an End with Season 3? HBO Boss Issues Update on the Show's Future
HBO chairman Casey Bloys confirmed that season 3 will likely serve as the final chapter of The Last of Us, though the network intends to keep the post‑apocalyptic universe accessible for future projects. Season 2 covered the first half of the second...
Imagine Communications to Showcase Purpose–Led Innovation Across Make and Monetize Portfolio at 2026 NAB Show
Imagine Communications will use the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas to unveil a suite of purpose‑led solutions across its Make and Monetize portfolio. New offerings include the Prismon software‑defined multiviewer, the compact SNP‑XS network processor, XVR subscription‑based playout engines,...
PRH Holds Four of Six Spots on 2026 Women’s Non‑Fiction Prize Shortlist
The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non‑Fiction announced a six‑author shortlist, with Penguin Random House (PRH) publishing four of the titles, among them a work by Arundhati Roy. The dominance of a single house highlights shifting power dynamics in the nonfiction...
France Beats Colombia 3-1 in Landover; Live Stream on NBC Sports Ahead of 2026 World Cup
France defeated Colombia 3-1 in a friendly at FedExField, streamed live on NBC Sports and broadcast on the network's TV channel. The match highlighted France's attacking options and gave fans a preview of the squad ahead of the 2026 World...
BET Launches the Creator Studio with "The Jason Lee Show" To Premiere April 8 as Flagship Series From New Digital-First...
BET announced the Creator Studio, a digital‑first hub for Black creators, launching with the flagship series The Jason Lee Show on April 8 across BET.com and YouTube. The studio consolidates production, distribution and brand support, offering podcasts, short‑form videos and social‑first...
Writers Decry AI While Unknowingly Using It Everywhere
Writers are the new censors? Largely because they don't know what AI is and that they use it all the time, even in expressing it here. Social media feed, content moderation etc Search, even for academic papers etc Email spam, dick pic filtering etc Phone...
Lawo at 2026 NAB Show: IP Innovation, Software‑Based Media Infrastructure & Dynamic Media Facility Workflows
Lawo will unveil a new software‑centric media infrastructure at the 2026 NAB Show, built around its HOME platform that runs containerized microservices on standard servers. The suite includes the HOME Multiviewer app, which can display up to 64 picture‑in‑picture tiles...
FOX Sports and The Workshop Content Studios Announce New Original College Basketball Documentary "March in the Garden" Premiering April 1...
FOX Sports and The Workshop Content Studios announced "March in the Garden," a new original college‑basketball documentary premiering on FS1 on April 1 at 6:30 PM ET. The film offers an all‑access look at the 2026 Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, featuring...
Video: HBO Releases Second Trailer for Season Three of the HBO Original Drama Series "Euphoria," Debuting April 12
HBO unveiled the second trailer for the third season of its breakout drama Euphoria, confirming a Sunday, April 12 premiere with weekly episodes on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. The season returns Emmy‑winner Zendaya and adds high‑profile guest talent...
Netflix Opens New Warsaw Office as Co-CEO Greg Peters Touts Expansion of Tech and Content Hub Poland
Netflix inaugurated a new Warsaw office, consolidating 300 engineers, creators and support staff under one roof. The hub joins Netflix’s only technology center outside the United States and will broaden work on infrastructure, gaming and production tools. Since launching in...
CN Launches App with Unlimited Access Offer
Construction News has rolled out a new mobile app for Android and iOS, giving industry professionals instant access to news, interviews, analysis and digital editions of its monthly magazine. The app also integrates the Ask CN AI research tool, push‑notification...
BBC Studioworks Draws on INFiLED to Upgrade National Lottery Production Facility
BBC Studioworks has chosen INFiLED’s DBmk2 LED panels to modernise the National Lottery draw studio at Television Centre. Two 5 × 3 metre screens with a 1.95 mm pixel pitch are mounted at a 90‑degree angle, allowing instant backdrop changes at the push of a...
Editorial Shift at Resilience
Long‑time editors Kristin Sponsler and Simone Osborn are leaving Resilience after steering the site from 2008 to 2026, overseeing two major redesigns and sustaining growth while many peers folded. Their departure marks the end of a formative era for the Post...
Telestream Expands Integration with Adobe Premiere, Media Encoder and Frame.io
Telestream announced an expanded integration of its Vantage platform with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder and Frame.io. The new Vantage panel inside Premiere lets editors submit sequences directly to automated workflows, where AME rendering, metadata application and delivery logic are...
From Unknown to 7K: Grateful for Every Follower
The last 15 months has been a surreal experience. From a relatively unknown content creator here in Singapore to growing pass 7K followers is pretty wild. Content creation has been a journey. We don’t always get it right, but we will keep...
CBS Axes
TV Talk: @cbs cancels its Pittsburgh-set medical mystery drama #Watson after 2 seasons + new @HBO @harrypotter trailer draws viewing record, via @TribLIVE https://t.co/HhvIThXGoZ https://t.co/IQi7VdmpWP
Google Is to Journalism What Vikings Were to Monks. Now Their Man Will Run the BBC
Matt Brittin, former President of EMEA Business and Operations at Google, has been named the Director‑General designate of the BBC. The appointment pits a tech‑industry veteran against a public‑service broadcaster steeped in decades of editorial tradition. Brittin will inherit a...
Bing Expands Ads Within Product Carousel Format
Bing tests more ads in its products carousel format https://t.co/vF3JldUz6i found by @SachuPatel53124 covered by @MordyOberstein https://t.co/Z9shE076of
ElevenLabs Announces Music AI App to Rival Suno, Udio
ElevenLabs is set to launch is music generation app soon to take on Suno and Udio https://t.co/9PYYgMIKJ9
The Battle for Attention on CTV: Premium Video Platforms Vs. YouTube
Connected TVs will be in 83% of U.S. households by 2027, prompting advertisers to lift CTV spend, with 70% planning a 17% increase in 2026. A VAB‑TVision study of 21 premium video platforms versus YouTube measured hard‑working impressions—co‑viewing, attention, and...
How to Turn the Insights You Already Have Into Better Commercial Outcomes
A global beauty brand shifted a large portion of its media budget to influencer and social channels to win Gen Z, but sales stalled despite higher engagement. The post‑campaign analysis showed the brand ignored existing consumer research that highlighted the continued...
Taking the Battle for Human Attention Seriously
A US jury has held Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately addicting young users, marking the first major legal finding that platforms can be responsible for harming mental health. The verdict frames human attention as a finite, collective infrastructure rather...
Research: Streaming Revenue Surpasses $150bn in 2025
Streaming subscription revenue reached $157.1 billion in 2025, surpassing the $150 billion milestone for the first time. The market has tripled since 2020, driven by international expansion, price hikes and the rapid adoption of ad‑supported tiers. The United States alone generated half...
Broadcasters Warn Operators on 5G API Gap
A coalition of broadcasters—including Sony, BBC, France Televisions and Neutral Wireless—has urged mobile operators to expose standardized QoD and QoS APIs through the GSMA Open Gateway. The request targets the CAMARA API set to give broadcasters real‑time control over 5G resources, improving...
Spain: RTVE in World Cup Ad Spat
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE is selling advertising slots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reigniting a long‑standing feud with private‑sector group UTECA. RTVE bought the rights for about $63 million and reported $94 million in commercial revenue last year, citing recent legal...
Canal+ Welcomes Paris Court Anti-Piracy DNS Ruling
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that DNS providers Google, Cloudflare and Cisco must block illegal streaming services, delivering a decisive win for Canal+. The judgment validates blocking via alternative DNS as technically feasible and proportionate, extending earlier rulings that...
Consumer Reports’ Membership Model Shields Revenue as Traffic Declines
Consumer Reports, the 90‑year‑old nonprofit testing products, now earns about 70% of its revenue from more than 4 million paying members, insulating it from the double‑digit traffic drops—up to 30% in the past 18 months—driven by search changes and GenAI. The...
IPTV Smarters Pro: The Complete Guide to Smarter Streaming in the Netherlands
IPTV Smarters Pro is a versatile media player gaining traction in the Netherlands, offering a sleek interface and cross‑platform compatibility on Android, iOS, Windows and major smart‑TV brands. The app supports both M3U playlists and Xtream Codes API, enabling users...
Maximize Your Author Potential with Top Publishing Services
Dublin Book Publishing positions itself as a full‑service partner for authors, offering editing, cover design, formatting, marketing, and distribution under one roof. The firm highlights specialized ghostwriting capabilities tailored to the Irish market and international audiences. Its self‑publishing platform promises...
Guardian’s First Substack Experiment Is Republishing Food Newsletter
The Guardian is piloting Substack by cross‑publishing its weekly food newsletter, Feast, which boasts over 100,000 subscribers and an almost 70% open rate. The experiment is part of the multi‑year Project Berger transformation plan to make the newsroom more visual,...
Pull The Radio Listener Along
Jeffrey Hedquist argues that radio ads succeed when they pull listeners with a story rather than push commands. He outlines a classic narrative arc—opening, conflict, climax—that creates an itch the advertiser can satisfy. By leveraging audio’s ability to evoke sight,...
REPLAY - Substack 0-$10k
Claire Venus, a Substack veteran, hosted a replay class on monetising newsletters, outlining four core models: paid newsletters, membership communities, live‑community experiences, and patron‑support. She shared her own pricing—about $27 per month for a membership—and emphasized mapping subscriber values over...
Tom Hardy's "Captivating" Crime Thriller Branded a "Must-See" Is on TV Tonight
Tom Hardy’s crime thriller *The Drop* is scheduled to air on Film 4 tonight at 10:50 pm, giving UK viewers a fresh chance to see the 2014 film. The movie also streams on Disney+ at a subscription cost of approximately $6.34 per...
Semillitas to Premiere Babar and the Adventures of Badou
Semillitas, the Spanish‑language children’s pay‑TV channel owned by SomosTV, will debut the animated series Babar and the Adventures of Badou on April 3, adding a 104‑episode library. The show follows Babar’s grandson Badou, delivering values‑focused stories that teach friendship, teamwork,...
BuzzFeed Teeters on Bankruptcy, yet Still Chases AI
BuzzFeed Nearing Bankruptcy After Disastrous Turn Toward AI https://t.co/ex9JehCYVz "The brutal reality check seemingly hasn’t put Peretti off from pursuing AI, though." -> hey, if you keep pivoting you may actually land on something people might care about lol
TAICCA Renews MOU with Series Mania, While “Serial Bridges Asia” Scales Up as a Cross-Regional Platform
Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) renewed its memorandum of understanding with Europe’s Series Mania at the Series Mania Forum, reinforcing Taiwan‑Europe collaboration. TAICCA also expanded its Serial Bridges Asia program by adding Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency, turning it into a...