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.
Video: "Dandelion" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Netflix is launching "Dandelion," an original Japanese series that streams globally on April 16, 2026. The show adapts Hideaki Sorachi’s debut work, known for the popular manga "Gintama," and follows the 21st Division’s Dandelion Clan as they guide restless spirits to the afterlife. By focusing on character‑driven encounters rather than fast‑paced action, the series offers a contemplative take on supernatural duties. The release adds another exclusive title to Netflix’s expanding anime portfolio.
Agentic AI Is Reshaping Newsrooms — By Reinventing Oversight, Not Replacing Journalists
Newsrooms across Europe and the U.S. are moving beyond AI‑generated copy to deploy agentic AI systems that orchestrate entire editorial workflows. These AI agents commission briefs, pull background data, cross‑check claims, flag legal risk and monitor audience reaction before a...
CBS Ratings Plummet: A Complete Catastrophe Exposed
Nellie Bowles mocked our CBS News reporting this week. But there's no other way to describe the network's cratering ratings other than a complete catastrophe. Our response on Power Lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0185sL5Dzy0
Tim Miller and Joy Reid
Jim Acosta hosted a live video on March 27, 2026 featuring Tim Miller, Joy‑Ann Reid, Jane Fonda and Joan Baez to discuss the importance of protecting the First Amendment. The conversation highlighted recent legal challenges to free‑speech protections and the role of journalists and...
David Simon Says Billionaire Owners Lack Capacity to Sustain Journalism
"The Wire" creator David Simon calls out billionaire newspaper owners Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, telling @get_status that they have "no capacity for sustaining journalism" or finding a way to modernize it and help "it survive.”
Friday Send: The Wardrobe Edition
Louis Cheslaw, longtime fashion writer and WITI collaborator, is launching a new Substack publication called Wardrobe. The newsletter will deliver menswear insights every few days, drawing on his decade‑long industry relationships and on‑the‑ground reporting trips to Paris, London, New York,...
New England Sports Network’s 360 Streaming Service Saw Record Boston Red Sox Opening Day Viewership
New England Sports Network’s direct‑to‑consumer platform NESN 360 logged its highest‑ever streaming audience for the Boston Red Sox’s March 26 opening‑day win, surpassing the previous record by 17.5% and beating the 2025 opening‑day benchmark by 38%. The service, priced at $239.99...
Tubi Mocks Netflix’s Latest Price Increase, With a Savage Take Down of Paid Streaming Services
Netflix announced a second price increase in 2026, pushing its ad‑supported tier to $8.99, the standard plan to $19.99, and the premium tier to $24.99 per month. Tubi responded with a tongue‑in‑cheek social post highlighting its zero‑dollar price, reinforcing its...
Talamasca, Watson, and DMV All Just Got Tossed on the Friday Night Cancellation Pile
AMC announced the cancellation of *Talamasca: The Secret Order* after just one season, joining CBS's decision to pull the plug on both *Watson* and *DMV* as they wrap up final episodes. The three shows represent a mix of genre spin‑offs...
Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ Hits ₹1,000 Cr Worldwide, Sets New Bollywood Record
Ranveer Singh’s blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge has amassed more than ₹1,000 crore (about $120 million) worldwide within its first week, overtaking Pathaan and becoming the fastest Indian film to reach the milestone. The feat underscores a shift toward aggressive global distribution and...
Hachette Pulls AI‑Accused Thriller, Igniting Publishing Fallout
Hachette Book Group cancelled a buzzed thriller after allegations that substantial portions were generated by artificial intelligence. The move has provoked a firestorm of reactions from readers, writers and publishing professionals, highlighting a growing clash over AI use in fiction.
Netflix Announces Another Subscription Price Increase
Netflix revealed a new increase to its subscription fees, marking another adjustment in its pricing strategy. The move comes as the streaming market tightens and the company seeks to sustain revenue growth despite subscriber churn concerns.
#508 - The TikTok Shop Playbook for Creator-Driven Growth
In this episode, host Shivali Patel interviews e‑commerce veteran Josh Hadley about scaling sales on TikTok Shop by leveraging small creators. Hadley shares how his brand turned a 25% revenue drop into a 100% YoY growth surge by building a...
Netflix Announces Another Subscription Price Increase, Details Undisclosed
Netflix confirmed it will raise its subscription fees for U.S. customers, marking the latest adjustment in its pricing strategy. The company did not reveal the specific increase amount or the rollout schedule, leaving analysts to speculate on the impact on...
Edit and Publish YouTube Videos in Two Hours
I used to have a content manager to help me edit my YouTube videos. The videos looked great, but the process made me so disconnected from my own content. Now, I record a video and get it edited and scheduled in...
OpenAI Pulls Plug on Sora Video Generator After Six Months, Sparking Debate on AI Video in Marketing
OpenAI announced the shutdown of Sora, its standalone AI video platform, just six months after launch. The decision follows rapid user adoption, a surge of deep‑fake and copyrighted content, and mounting moderation challenges. Marketers are left to reassess the viability...
Insufficient Source Data to Report on Netflix Price Increase
No verifiable information was found in the supplied sources regarding Netflix's recent price increase, preventing a factual news report.
Bud Williamson Adds Another Hudson Valley FM Translator
Bud Williamson, owner of Classic Hits “WALL Radio,” is expanding Hudson Valley Public Radio’s footprint by acquiring an FM translator from K‑LOVE Inc. The new translator will serve listeners between Albany and Catskill, filling a coverage gap in the Mid‑Hudson...
SongDNA Reveals Charlie Puth’s Creative Process Behind “Changes”
best part of our SongDNA feature is how it lets fans dive into the amazing creative process & human artistry behind a song. love the new @spotifyforartists video series where artists talk through the songDNA for one of their hits....
The Simpsons' Former Boss Reveals Moment the Show Was "Almost Cancelled"
Former Simpsons writer‑producer Mike Reiss revealed that Fox executives nearly pulled the plug on the series after viewing the unaired pilot, which they called catastrophic despite a $13 million budget. The network’s disappointment stemmed from weak jokes, subpar animation and background...
Golden State Legislator Calls for $80 Million to Help Public Media
California Assemblymember Chris Ward introduced a proposal to inject a one‑time $80 million infusion into the state’s public‑media ecosystem, allocating $60 million to stations, $10 million to infrastructure and $10 million to ethnic outlets. The plan also includes tax credits for qualifying news organizations...
Colorado Public Broadcasters Explore Merger
Rocky Mountain Public Media and Community Radio for Northern Colorado, the operator of KUNC, have signed a nonbinding agreement to explore a merger. The proposal would combine finance, fundraising and human‑resources functions while keeping both stations locally owned and pledging...
The Face Magazine To Close
The Face, the once‑iconic music and fashion magazine founded in 1980, announced its closure after a seven‑year revival. The title originally shuttered in 2004, relaunched in 2017 with Harry Styles on the cover, and most recently featured Robyn before ending....
Crunchyroll Sets Same-Day English Dub Launch for 'Witch Hat Atelier' Anime
Crunchyroll announced a same‑day English dub launch for the high‑fantasy anime Witch Hat Atelier, premiering April 6 with Episodes 1 and 2 simulcasting in both English and Japanese. The rollout includes dubbed tracks in eight languages—English, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese,...
Ticker: Versant Looking to Acquire Vox’s Podcast Division, According to Report
Versant, the parent of MS NOW and CNBC, is in early‑stage talks to acquire Vox's podcast division, which produces roughly 40 shows. The potential purchase aligns with Versant's strategy to broaden its political news, opinion, sports and entertainment verticals beyond traditional...
AI Speeds Writing, Not the Time‑consuming Reporting
Reporting new info takes time. Writing up the new info does not. Unless it's very complex info in which case the manner in which the info is presented is as important as the reporting part. Unclear what the AI achieves beyond the illusion...
Why Your AI Media Stack Is Leaking Revenue — And What Fixes It
Many B2B marketers have invested in AI-driven bidding, dashboards, and attribution tools, yet revenue gaps persist. Jonathan Prantner of OneMagnify explains that the root cause is fragmented data foundations rather than the AI tools themselves. He introduces an AI‑native media...
Crunchyroll Is Now Available as a Channel in the Apple TV App
Crunchyroll is now available as a channel within Apple’s TV app, letting users subscribe and watch anime without a separate app or login. The service is billed through the Apple ID at a starting price of $10 per month, reflecting...
‘Unapologetically Schmaltzy’: How Love Story Became Disney+’s Most-Streamed Drama Ever
Disney+ announced that Ryan Murphy’s nine‑part series *Love Story* has become the platform’s most‑streamed drama ever, with later episodes drawing 50% more global viewers than the February pilot. Social‑media searches for JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette surged over 9,100% in the...
Reddit Posts Get Repurposed by Facebook Farm Accounts
Incredible how I will see a post on the front page of Reddit and then a day or two later the same thing shows up on Facebook from some slop account .. FB is trying so hard to incentivize “original”...
Get Up to 80% Off Paramount Plus First Two Months
What better way to welcome in the weekend than a Paramount Plus deal that knocks off up to 80% of your first two months. https://t.co/Ej7cpQQOd9
Braves Bet On Gray For More Blooper and Acuña
The Atlanta Braves and Gray Media have inked a multi‑year deal to simulcast 25 regular‑season games on free, over‑the‑air stations and the team’s new BravesVision platform. Raycom Sports, a Gray subsidiary, will produce end‑to‑end live coverage, starting with Opening Day...
Major Outlets Reveal Journalists Turning to AI Writing
yesterday both WSJ and WIRED published pieces about journalists using AI to write their stories https://t.co/G8CQwY7lRr
Court Ruling Marks Potential ‘Big Tobacco’ Moment for Big Tech
Could this landmark court ruling be “Big Tech’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment,” as @sachalouise put it? It certainly sounds like a new chapter for social media platforms regarding accountability and social responsibility. Via @MickeyCarroll0 @SkyNews https://t.co/oAVv0UjrZg
EDItEUR Releases Latest ONIX 3.1 Revision 3
EDItEUR has launched ONIX 3.1 revision 3, introducing four optional enhancements while preserving full backward compatibility with earlier 3.1 releases. The update adds a composite for reviewer details, a element within , inverted and for better...
The Roku Channel Adds Salem’s Video Offering
Salem Media has signed a distribution agreement with Roku to place its Salem News Channel FAST stream directly in Roku’s Live TV guide. The deal follows a recent launch of the channel on Amazon’s Prime Video FAST platform and moves...
The Worst-Case Scenario for AI and the News Is Already Here
A wave of AI‑generated deepfakes sparked a conspiracy that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dead, despite abundant video evidence of his public appearances. Within weeks, the claim generated roughly 800,000 posts from over 213,000 users and amassed more than...
Homebodies
SBS Digital Original "Homebodies" is a six‑episode, 10‑minute series that follows trans man Darcy confronting his pre‑transition ghost in the Australian bush. The show, starring Luke Wiltshire, Claudia Karvan and Jazi Hall, has been selected for the prestigious Series Mania...
Case Study: Option Media Builds Trust in Every Transfer
Option Media, a 25‑person post‑production hub in Belgium, switched from FTP to Signiant in 2013, eliminating transfer failures and accelerating workflows. The platform now moves roughly 6.5 TB of media each month across 23 custom‑branded portals, handling multilingual, high‑volume projects for...
Random Algorithm Exposure Reaches the Audience I Want
I don't know what everyone has been complaining about with the algorithm and the reach. In this experiment there are a ton of people who see a random meaningless tweet of mine and they're the kind of people that I...
Producers Aim Sensitive Portrayal of JFK Jr.'s Fatal Flight
‘Love Story’ Producers Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson on Tackling Final Episode With JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Fateful Flight: ‘We Didn’t Want to Be Gratuitous’ https://t.co/YJ1lpCYEo8 via @variety
Altibox Taps Comcast Technology Solutions for Centralized Video Management
Comcast Technology Solutions has been chosen by Altibox, the Scandinavian IPTV leader, to power its next‑generation Altibox TV service using CTS’s Cloud Video Platform. The cloud‑based solution will handle on‑demand ingest, metadata, rights management and multi‑tenant asset consolidation for subscribers...
Surprise Substack Live with PBS NewsHour's Geoff Bennett
Joyce Vance announced a surprise Substack Live session featuring PBS NewsHour co‑anchor Geoff Bennett, scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. The live stream invites readers to submit questions, fostering real‑time dialogue with a prominent journalist. Vance emphasizes Bennett’s dedication to...
This Pretzel Startup Turned a Viral TikTok Moment Into Months’ Worth of Sales—In Just Three Days
Baltimore entrepreneur Marcus Moore’s pretzel brand Moore Crunch went viral on TikTok after a news clip hit 2 million views, prompting a three‑day order volume normally seen over three to four months. The company, launched in October 2022, offers five flavors at...
‘SPARK’ Issue 2 Now Available for Free Download
Studio KÄ founder Adja Soro has released the March 2026 issue of the monthly magazine *SPARK* as a free 40‑page PDF. The issue is dedicated to African animation and profiles 20 African women shaping the industry, from studio founders to emerging talent....
How the Bible Became Bingeable
The evangelical‑driven series “The Chosen” has evolved into a multi‑platform franchise, amassing over 308 million viewers, a yearly convention, extensive merchandise, and a forthcoming spinoff, “Joseph of Egypt,” as it heads into its sixth season. Its success has sparked a wave...
ITV Responds to Reports of Ben Shephard's 'Troubling' This Morning Approach
ITV has pushed back against tabloid claims that Ben Shephard’s interview style on This Morning has become overly aggressive, citing guest discomfort over personal‑topic questioning. The network highlighted the presenter’s popularity, affirmed no changes to the hosting lineup, and noted...
Meta's Creator Partnerships Down for a Week, No Update
Meta's creator partnerships has now been broken for a week. Still no word from Meta on the fix. https://t.co/aF10GFNR7l
Martin To Exit As A Key Audacy Radio Programming Leader
Senior Vice President of Programming and head of music initiatives Michael Martin announced he will step down from Audacy effective May 1, ending a 17‑year tenure that began at CBS Radio in 2009. Martin, who launched Audacy’s annual *We Can Survive*...
Russ Talks Ownership, Fan Engagement and ‘Making Music Every Day’ at SXSW
Rapper Russ has demonstrated that a relentless release schedule and full ownership can rival major‑label powerhouses. After posting 200 songs in 2015, he scaled to $100,000 a month and peaked at $280,000 in monthly earnings without any label backing. His...