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:
The Good, the Bad, and the Basic Rule Changes Affecting the 2026 Emmys
The Television Academy has unveiled a slate of 2026 Emmy rule changes, adding new professional titles such as Associate Casting Director and Key Costumer, and splitting sound‑mixing awards into nonfiction and reality categories. Main‑title themes become eligible if they appear in at least half of a series’ episodes, while a new Legacy Award and a rename of Outstanding Television Movie to Outstanding Movie aim to broaden eligibility. The Academy will now probe AI usage in submissions without forcing disclosure, and the Variety Series category shifts to an area‑award model requiring a 90% affirmative vote. Short‑form categories are now tracked, with nominations proportional to submission volume.
Apple’s AI Playlist Playground Is Bad at Music
Apple launched the Playlist Playground beta, an AI‑driven tool that creates Apple Music playlists from text prompts. Early testing shows the system repeatedly misinterprets genre cues, delivering tracks with vocals when instrumental black metal was requested. It also struggles with...
Netflix Price Hike Erodes Cable‑cutting Savings
How's that cable-cutting looking now? 🤦🏼♂️ Netflix Hikes Prices Again, Impacting All Plan Tiers https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-price-hike-2026-all-plans-1236548184/
Boutique Agency Prioritizes Strategic, Quality Outbound Pitching
At @theinfluencerleague , we take outbound pitching very seriously. We do not pitch for volume, and definitely not for funsies. If a client says they want to work with a dream brand, we build the strategy to make that happen,...
Blocking The Internet Archive Won’t Stop AI, But It Will Erase The Web’s Historical Record
The New York Times has begun blocking the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine from crawling its site, citing concerns that AI firms are scraping its content for training models. Other major publishers, including The Guardian, are following suit, threatening to cut off a vital...
Mastodon Is Making Its Decentralized Social Network Easier to Use with Its Latest Revamp
Mastodon announced a major redesign of user profiles aimed at simplifying the experience for mainstream users and organizations. The overhaul consolidates posts into a single Activity tab, adds hashtag filtering, and streamlines custom fields and editing controls. The changes debut...
Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘The Glass House’ Premiere Breaks New Ground as Series Mania Closing Gala (EXCLUSIVE)
Amazon MGM Studios’ limited series "The Glass House" debuted as the closing gala of Series Mania, marking the first French‑language scripted series produced by the studio’s Canadian unit and the first Canadian Prime Video Original to secure that slot. The...
The Biggest Bundle?
The article traces how newspapers became dominant by bundling diverse content types—news, sports, lifestyle, and ads—leveraging continuous‑feed presses, the telegraph, and rail distribution. The internet later unbundled each component, precipitating a 45% drop in U.S. newspaper circulation and the loss...
Twitch Earns Innovation Nod for Athlete‑musician Streaming Strategy
Twitch has been picked by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies of 2026. Why? "For letting athletes and musicians in on the streaming action," I'm not quite sure how a recruitment strategy is innovative... but maybe it's better than just...
Dissent Discontent: FCC’s Gomez Shares Anti-Nexstar Statement
Anna M. Gómez, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, issued a public dissent on the Nexstar Media Group‑TEGNA merger after Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone approved the deal with rule waivers. Gómez criticized Chairman Brendan Carr and the Trump‑era leadership for politicizing...
Pelican Taps Chris Burkward as Global Ambassador in 50‑Year Anniversary Push
Pelican announced a year‑long global partnership with explorer‑photographer Chris Burkward, unveiling the "Case Chronicles" content series to mark its 50th anniversary. The collaboration will see Burkward test new Pelican gear, including the Aegis 4‑wheel case, in extreme environments and drive...
AirWatch 365 Launches Globally From GatesAir
GatesAir has taken its AirWatch365 managed‑service platform global, adding the Edge Gateway appliance that links FM, DAB and TV transmitters to a 24/7 NOC. The service, delivered through the GatesAir Care program, aggregates telemetry, alarm data and analytics in a...
HBO Drops First Harry Potter Trailer, Announces Christmas 2026 Premiere
HBO unveiled the first teaser for its multi‑season Harry Potter adaptation, confirming a Christmas 2026 launch and introducing a brand‑new ensemble that includes John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu as Snape. The announcement has ignited both excitement over the franchise’s...
Disney's Tech Deal Collapse Hits as OpenAI Shuts Down Sora
OpenAI announced the shutdown of its viral AI video generator Sora and confirmed that a pending partnership with Disney was among the projects being abandoned. The move underscores a strategic shift for OpenAI toward enterprise services and leaves Disney without...
Trash(no)more: Reminder to Radio as April 1 Approaches
Attorney and digital‑media specialist David Oxenford issued his annual reminder to broadcasters as April Fools approaches, warning that the FCC’s Broadcast Hoax Rule (Section 73.1217) strictly prohibits false announcements of crimes or catastrophes. The rule demands a clear disclaimer for any fictional...
The Needle: NBA Vs. MLB Tale of the Tape, Part III
The Needle column dissects NBA versus MLB television ratings, showing that when only exclusive national telecasts are considered, the NBA averages 2.7 million viewers and MLB 2.6 million – a razor‑thin gap. While MLB’s regional broadcasts inflate its daily audience, the NBA...
Fiction Newsletter Scales to $13k ARR, Targets $100k
My fiction paid newsletter on Substack, Commercial Fiction Club, is up to $13k ARR. Goal is to hit $100k ARR by end of the year. Subscribe here: https://nicolascolefiction.substack.com
You Won’t Have to Wait As Long to Watch SNL UK This Week
Peacock, the Comcast‑owned streaming service, will start posting new episodes of Saturday Night Live UK at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT instead of the previous 9 p.m. ET slot. The change, announced for this weekend, shortens the U.S. audience’s wait time by eight hours....
USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab
USSI Global has opened its Media Transport Solutions Lab in Melbourne, Florida, offering a platform‑agnostic environment to test alternatives to the FCC’s C‑Band media transport. The lab lets broadcasters, MSOs and network operators configure and re‑configure satellite, IP and cloud...
Apple App Store Earnings Surpass Global Box Office Fourfold
Apple App Store billings are greater than 4 times the total Box Office globally. https://asymco.com/50
Netflix Increasing Prices Again for All Plans, Including Ad-Supported
Netflix announced a second price increase this year, raising its Standard With Ads tier from $7.99 to $8.99, the Standard Without Ads tier from $17.99 to $19.99, and the Premium tier from $24.99 to $26.99. The new rates take effect...
Iran, Lebanon and the Fog of War: From Media Gaslighting to AI and LEGO Propaganda
In this episode of *It’s Not You, It’s the Media*, the hosts dissect how Western media is handling the escalating conflicts in Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine, highlighting a stark silence on Lebanon’s devastation while Iran dominates headlines. They expose the...
All In The Family Is Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video has added the full nine‑season run of the landmark sitcom *All in the Family*, making all 208 episodes instantly streamable for subscribers. The series, which first aired in 1971 and dominated U.S. ratings for five straight seasons,...
Global NextGen TV Takes Center Stage at 2026 NAB Show
The 2026 NAB Show will feature a high‑profile session on NextGen TV, bringing Brazil’s Minister of Communications Frederico de Siqueira Filho and FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty together to discuss ATSC 3.0 deployment. The two‑hour panel will examine Brazil’s TV 3.0 initiative, the U.S. rollout...
From 90s Optimism to Lawsuits over Child Addiction
When the internet was just starting in the 90s, there was a genuine optimism about the future of our digital future. This week in a In a "bellwether" trial Meta and YouTube (Google) were found liable for designing platforms to addict...
News Diaries: How a Minnesota Mom and Minister “Blew Past” Her Screen Time Limits when ICE Came to Her City
Nieman Lab has launched a new “News Diaries” series that interviews everyday people about how they find and consume news. The first entry features Sophie, a Minneapolis minister and mother, who describes how the federal Operation Metro Surge intensified her...
Plan Monthly, Film Weekly, Repurpose Daily for Efficiency
My new content workflow... 📆 Monthly: strategy + planning only. No creating. 📆 Weekly: film + edit same day. Done in under 2 hours. 📆 Daily: 1 hour on supplemental content from that video.
Uproxx Makes Play for TV Ad Spend With TikTok-Ready Shows
Uproxx TV debuted at NewFronts, positioning itself as a top‑10 entertainment property on connected TV with over 160 million monthly viewers, more than half of whom watch on traditional TV screens. The company is launching creator‑driven shows like “Love, Songs,” leveraging...
European Football Returns to Aussie Pubs in New Broadcast Deal
Foxtel Business has signed an exclusive agreement with beIN SPORTS to distribute its three linear channels across Australian pubs and clubs, ending a six‑month blackout of major European football and top‑tier tennis. The package restores live rights to LaLiga, Serie...
Baobab Studios Acquires Roblox Title Rights for Film and TV Development
Baobab Studios announced it has secured exclusive film and television rights to three of Roblox’s most‑visited titles—Natural Disaster Survival, Barry’s Prison Run, and Deepwoken. The trio accounts for nearly 10 billion visits, demonstrating sustained, multi‑generational engagement. Baobab will develop animated feature...
Dejero, Eutelsat, Others to Offer `Field to Air’ Demo at NAB Show
At NAB 2026, Dejero and partners demonstrated a live “Field to Air” workflow that spanned multiple exhibition booths, delivering a continuous real‑time signal from capture to broadcast. The demo combined Dejero’s TITAN Command system, which blends 5G cellular and Eutelsat’s...
Where to Stream the PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE 2026 in Australia
ESPN has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 Pakistan Super League across Australia and New Zealand, delivering all 44 matches live on Disney+ and through Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch TV and Sky NZ. The T20 tournament features a host of Australian...
Instagram to Sell Reels Ads for Viral TV and Movies Content, ‘Cultural Moments’ Like NFL Games and Black Friday
Meta announced that Instagram’s Reels Trending Ads will now include a "TV & movies" category and dedicated line‑ups for cultural moments such as NFL games, Black Friday and Fashion Week. A limited‑alpha reserve‑buy option will let brands secure up to...
How To Save TV News: Paul Beban
In this episode, Jonathan Larson interviews veteran TV journalist Paul Beban about the challenges facing television news and how it might be revitalized. They discuss the historic role of TV news as a shared national fact‑base, the decline in audience...
Stan Rolls Out Red Carpet at Perth Film Premiere for WHALE SHARK JACK
Stan rolled out the red carpet in Perth for its original feature *Whale Shark Jack*, previewing the film at Luna Leederville before its national debut on April 2. The event gathered the cast, directors Miranda and Khrob Edmonds, screenwriter Kathryn...
Sky Adds Disney+ and HBO Max to UK Bundles
Nice to see Sky Tv including: • Disney + • HBO Max Included in their plan in the UK. (Both basic/with ads version)
Apple Music Launches Dedicated Concerts Page for Live Fans
Apple Music Concerts page is here, and the feature is almost perfect for live music lovers. https://t.co/3l1pUcywkB
WEBTOON Unifies CANVAS with New Creator Tools and Translation Program
WEBTOON Entertainment is rolling out a unified international CANVAS platform beginning in spring 2026, merging its regional user‑generated content services into a single global hub. The platform will support seven languages—English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese and German—allowing creators...
Bluesky Activity Spikes Post-Musk, Then Wanes
Bluesky saw a surge in activity following Elon Musk’s political involvement in late 2024, but engagement has since declined. @soberlook The Update https://t.co/EGLX7QmA3x https://t.co/SdRLZVcZMc
TMZ Debuts TMR for Daily Chappell Roan Gags
TMZ launches spinoff site TMR (Thirty-Mile Roan) to post hysterical daily updates about Chappell Roan
Why Streamers Must Become?Proactive About Piracy?Before It Is Too Late
Piracy has outpaced the streaming industry, evolving into a commercial operation that rivals legitimate platforms. In Japan, illegal distribution cost roughly $38 billion in 2025, and when counterfeit media are included the damage approaches $67 billion. Modern pirates sell turnkey streaming services...
Emmys Reveal Unpredictable Competition Across All Categories
#Emmys: An Unsettled Field Unfolds Across Drama, Comedy and Limited Series Categories https://t.co/bayY5ZZn34 via @Variety
Netflix Hikes U.S. Subscription Fees Across All Tiers
Bloomberg: "Netflix increased the price of its [U.S. AVOD plan] by $1 to $8.99 per month. The standard plan without ads rose by $2 to $19.99 per month, while the premium plan climbed $2 to $26.99... The last time Netflix...
Microdramas: TikTok‑Soap Fusion Sparks Billion‑Dollar Debate
https://t.co/jWLaJ1bkhT On this week's ep of @EquityPod, we sat down with Henry Soong, Watch Club founder, to discuss the multi-billion dollar industry of microdramas -- think TikTok meets soap opera. What are your thoughts? A fun new style of app, or a...
DOD Moves to Curb Media After Court Strikes Policies
After many of its policies were declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL in court on Monday, the US Department of Defense is now taking a new stance to RESTRICT media coverage on the military. THE DOD = ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SPINNERS OF FAKE...
X Forces Users Into Pricey Xpremium+ Upgrade
Sneaky, sneaky @X making us move to Xpremium+ over Xpro to keep features we have become accustom to. Don't recall an announcement just log in and today it shows up. 370.29% increase to keep features along with some added...
Japan‑Australia WBC Game Becomes Netflix Japan’s Top‑Viewed Title
"The 2026 World Baseball Classic, for which Netflix held exclusive streaming rights in Japan, set a historic record. The Japan vs. Australia game is now the most-watched title ever on Netflix in Japan - surpassing every series, film, anime, and...
X Algorithm Favors Conservatives, Suppresses Traditional Media Posts
X’s feed algorithm “promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media.” See this thread for details:
Instagram Launches Reels Ads for TV, Movies, Cultural Events
Instagram to Sell Reels Ads for Viral TV and Movies Content, ‘Cultural Moments’ Like NFL Games and Black Friday https://t.co/yxkIQNZSec via @variety
Fewer Reply‑guy Bots Could Boost Organic Reach
Now that reply-guying may be dead, will the algorithm become more generous with post exposure?