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.
Saturday TV Ratings: I Am Raquel Welch, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, NHL Hockey, March Madness
Saturday, March 21, 2026 TV ratings were released, highlighting a mixed slate of new episodes, specials, and live sports. The CW’s new episode of "48 Hours" anchored the night, while specials like "I Am Raquel Welch" and the theatrical release of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" attracted notable attention. Sports programming—including an NHL Bruins‑Red Wings matchup, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, the 2026 World Baseball Classic, MLS action, and the NCAA March Madness tournament—dominated viewership. Reruns such as "Saturday Night Live" rounded out the schedule, with percentage changes tracked against prior episodes.
OpenAI Jokes About Retiring Sora, Then Backtracks
OpenAI is retiring Sora, or as it will forever be remembered… …just kidding it will not be remembered.
Why Apple TV's Longest-Running Series For All Mankind Is Ending with One Final Season
Apple TV+ announced that its sci‑fi drama *For All Mankind* will conclude with a sixth season, making it the streamer’s longest‑running series alongside *The Morning Show*. Season 5 launches on March 27, followed by the spin‑off *Star City* on May 29. The creators...
LG Electronics Announces New Programming on LG Channels at NewFronts
LG Electronics unveiled a slate of new exclusive programming for its LG Channels during the NewFronts event in New York. The lineup includes a puppy‑soccer tournament called World Pup, a culinary lifestyle channel “All Chewed Up,” an expanded Fantasy Life sports...
BTS Returns to U.S. Stage as Full Group After Four‑Year Hiatus
South Korean megastar BTS reunited on a Manhattan rooftop for the Spotify X BTS: Seaside concert, marking the group's first full U.S. appearance in almost four years. The intimate show featured new tracks from their "Arirang" album and was limited...
Spotify Finally Protects Artists From AI Identity Theft
From Grok to Grammarly, more and more people are finding that AI systems have appropriated their identities for financial gain. I wrote about another of those companies — Spotify — taking a belated step to do something about it https://www.platformer.news/spotify-artist-profile-protection/?ref=platformer-newsletter
Tech Press Shields FB Spokesperson Despite $375M Fine
I find it weak for any tech press to provide anonymity to a Facebook “spokesperson” to question the jury verdict when (likely the same) spokesperson is on Twitter boasting about it only being a $375 million fine. Print that. I’ll...
Animated Fairly Tale ‘Proud Princess’ Debuts On Demand April 7 From Level 33
Level 33 Entertainment will launch the Czech‑produced animated fairy‑tale "Proud Princess" on demand on April 7, 2026. The story follows young King Benjamin, who disguises himself as a gardener to win over the proud Princess Carolina, leading to a daring...
‘SNL’ UK Promo: Host Jamie Dornan Finds Out He Won’t Be The Next James Bond
Saturday Night Live expands to the UK with an eight‑episode series on Sky One, streaming a day later on Peacock for U.S. viewers. Host Jamie Dornan jokes about missing the James Bond role in a promo sketch, adding star power to...
Meta Is Letting Creators Fill Their Reels with Shopping Links
Meta announced that creators on Instagram and Facebook can now embed up to 30 clickable shopping links directly within a Reel. The feature expands affiliate and brand partnership options, eliminating the need for third‑party link‑in‑bio tools. Facebook limits product tags...
Nielsen, Schmielsen
Nielsen postponed its February audience measurement report after major streamers complained that a recent methodology change caused a sudden drop in their reported viewership. The delay highlights the sensitivity of streaming platforms to Nielsen’s data, which serves as the industry’s...
Keith Hernandez Still Cashing Substantial ‘Seinfeld’ Residual Checks
Former Mets star Keith Hernandez still receives roughly $5,000 each year from his 1992 guest appearance on the sitcom Seinfeld. The cameo, in the episode “The Boyfriend,” has generated residual checks for more than three decades. Hernandez discussed the ongoing...
Chasing Clout over Talent Fuels Toxic Social Media Culture
Gotta get them views, ad revenue, sell books, and stay relevant instead of actually developing a talent or skill. This fuckin modern culture... Where just being perpetually angry and spouting bullshit can make you famous. Imagine the damage that Koresh, Manson, or...
Why Does Watching TV Feel Like Homework? (Just Me?)
Streaming platforms have turned binge‑watching into a cultural norm, offering entire seasons on demand and an ever‑expanding catalog of titles. Emerging research links prolonged, uninterrupted viewing to higher anxiety, depression, and sleep disruption, while the sheer volume of choices fuels...
Former Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Reportedly Signs with Sports Media Agent Sandy Montag
Mike Tomlin, the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, has signed with veteran sports‑media agent Sandy Montag, head of The Montag Group now operating under The Team. The partnership positions Tomlin for broadcast contracts as NFL networks and streaming services vie...
Sage, Orban to Demo Virtualized EAS at NAB
Sage Alerting Systems and Orban Labs will demonstrate a virtualized Emergency Alert System (EAS) at the NAB Show, using a deck‑size industrial PC to handle alerts alongside normal audio. The demo integrates AES‑67 audio output and AAC‑LC streams for live...
Sounds Like Prince Harry Is Still Trying to Make Polo Happen
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are developing a scripted polo drama for Netflix, following a poorly received documentary series they executive‑produced. The untitled project will be written by Francisca X. Hu and set in Wellington, Florida, the host of the...
New Sky/Netflix Partnership Set to Bring Big-Ticket Sport to a Pub Near You
Sky Business and Netflix have forged their first partnership to broadcast Tyson Fury's return fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov in UK and Irish pubs on April 11. Sky Business secured exclusive commercial rights to stream the event in hospitality venues, while...
Radio Tower Home to Three Spokane AMs Comes Down
A 439‑foot historic AM tower that served Spokane’s KXLY (920), KXLX (700) and KTRW (630) was dismantled by helicopter this weekend. The three stations are transitioning to a 360‑foot directional tower built in 2003, after QueenB Radio secured a Special...
OpenAI Kills Sora Video App, Disney Kills Deal
OpenAI announced on March 24 2026 that it is shutting down Sora, its generative video app, and cancelling the three‑year, $1 billion partnership with Disney that would have let users create videos featuring Disney characters. Sora, launched in December 2024, quickly fell behind rivals...
The French TV Show That Paints Celebs in a Good Light (Literally) Is Going Viral — Here’s How to Stream From...
French daytime talk show "Quotidien" has gone viral in the U.S. because its sophisticated lighting makes celebrity guests look flawless. Hosted by Yann Barthès since 2016, the program features A‑list stars such as Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Timothée Chalamet. The show airs...
Tuesday Discussion Post
Halina Bennet’s Tuesday discussion post, published on March 24, 2026, serves as a brief community note on her Substack platform. The post features her avatar and a screenshot of a tweet that highlights an upcoming WelcomeFest 2026 lineup, mentioning Matthew...
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Joins CBS Series ‘Einstein’ As Series Regular
Oscar‑nominee Aunjanue Ellis‑Taylor has been added as a series regular to CBS’s upcoming drama Einstein, portraying Captain Frost, a seasoned police officer counting down to retirement. The show, starring Matthew Gray Gubler and Melissa Fumero, joins CBS’s 2026‑27 broadcast lineup...
The 6 Best AI Content Detectors in 2026
AI‑generated text is proliferating across emails, articles, and subtitles, prompting a surge in detection tools that differentiate machine‑written from human content. After extensive testing of over 18 solutions, Zapier identified six top performers—Sapling, Winston AI, ZeroGPT, GPTZero, Copyleaks, and Pangram—each excelling...
Modern TV's Relentless Yearly Seasons Erode Quality
Legitimately the worst aspect of modern TV. It would have been nearly unthinkable even 15 years ago for a show like Pluribus not to be ready to go each year with a new season (I remember the extreme let down...
Focused Effort on Instagram & Threads Drives Growth
My mind is actually blown 🤯 The second I decided to take Instagram + Threads seriously… everything started growing. Proof that focus changes everything. ✨
Results Are In: NBC’s Olympic Creator Bet Won Gold — Inside the Playbook
NBCUniversal’s Olympic Creator Collective delivered more than 4 billion impressions during the Milan‑Cortina Winter Games, a 437 percent jump from Beijing 2022. The program, now in its second iteration after a successful Paris pilot, paired over 25 influencers with athletes, while Project Fortius...
Early Review Predicted Sora's Social App Potential
Back when Sora launched, this was what I wrote about Sora in Above Avalon Daily. https://www.aboveavalon.com/dailypremiumupdate/2025/10/1/meta-launches-vibes-openai-launches-sora-2-sora-as-a-social-app
HBO Max Leverages Harry Potter Trailer for UK Launch
It’s not random the decision to drop the first trailer of #HarryPotter HBO series this WED. After a long wait, #HBOMax will finally be launched in the U.K. this THU, so using one of the biggest British pop culture phenoms ever...
Who Was Melanie Olmstead? The Yellowstone Connection And Tribute Explained
The season‑two finale of Paramount’s neo‑Western “Yellowstone” closed with a dedication to Melanie Olmstead, a transportation professional whose credits include John Carter, Hereditary and Point Break. Olmstead, born in 1968 and deceased in 2019, is not listed among the series’ crew,...
Trump Admin Battles Creators Of ICE Reporting Tools
The Trump administration is being sued by the creators of the EyesUp app and the Facebook group “ICE Sightings – Chicagoland,” who allege the government coerced Apple and Meta to remove their platforms in October. Apple cited Guideline 1.1.1, while...
Threads to Publicly Show 10K+ View Counts, Optional
Threads will soon publicly display profile level recent view counts for accounts with 10K+ views in the last 30 days. Creators will be able to turn it off. via @lindseygamble_
The Internet Is Being Deleted (And You Haven’t Noticed)
The post warns that a systematic erasure of digital history is underway as big‑tech platforms and governments aggressively remove online content. It highlights how documentation of war crimes, police violence, immigration enforcement, and grassroots activism is vanishing from the web....
Reject Shady $800 Offers From Sued Companies
A company offered me $800 for a post, the first google search said they were sued by the FTC with other 90% negative reviews. Dawg, get out of my inbox 😂
Fox News Pays $787M for 2020 Election Lies
always remember, Fox News paid out $787 million for spreading lies about the 2020 election.
ArtSound FM in Canberra Adopts DHD Consoles
ArtSound FM in Canberra has upgraded its studio infrastructure by installing two DHD SX2 mixing consoles and a compact TX2 unit, replacing three in‑house consoles from 2005. The rollout, funded in part by the Community Broadcasting Foundation and managed by...
Live YouTube Deep Dive Into Jay‑Z X GQ Interview
Thinking about doing a YouTube live tomorrow to dissect this Jay-Z x GQ interview... We have a lot to discuss...Stay tuned.
ABC Leads Evening News Ratings with 8.8 M Viewers
EVENING SHIFT: Evening News ratings for 5 days ended 3/20: ABC's World News: 8.821M NBC's Nightly: 6.512M CBS EN: 4.166M (three nights)
APMG Partners with Tech Company to Streamline Distribution of ‘Marketplace’ Digital Content
American Public Media Group (APMG) has teamed with Distributed Media Lab (DML) to launch a widget‑based distribution system for Marketplace’s digital stories. The new "collection" widget lets public‑media stations embed curated sets of Marketplace articles directly on their websites, eliminating...
TGL TV Ratings Expected to Surpass 600k Tonight
I have a feeling tonight's TGL TV ratings may be slightly higher than the 500-600k it's been averaging.
Facebook and Instagram Compared to Big Tobacco
Boom. Accountability domino number one. And this isn’t Los Angeles which is imminent. Facebook/Instagram = Big Tobacco, a menace, has been the case to these juries of everyday Americans. 1/2 https://t.co/OwSwmKSMeX
Law&Crime Launches a New Subscription Service for True Crime Enthusiasts
Law&Crime announced the launch of Law&Crime+, a subscription platform delivering immersive true‑crime content. The service provides exclusive access to case files, raw footage, and early trial coverage for high‑profile cases such as Karen Read, Alex Murdaugh and Bryan Kohberger. Subscribers...
Clients Demand Predictive Audience Insights and ROI Clarity
Client questions I hear most: -Can you forecast where audience taste is going? -How does Title X actually stack up vs comps? -Who is the actual audience, how do they behave, what are their other preferences? -How can we improve the bottom line...
Disney Pledges Continued AI Engagement, Respecting IP Rights
In the wake of the @soraofficialapp shutdown, Disney said it "will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators.”...
Digital‑First Titles Lead Visitor Interest at 2026 Taipei Book Fair
Three reports indicate that digital‑first titles captured the most visitor attention at the 2026 Taipei International Book Exhibition. The strong response underscores a growing preference for digital publishing in Asia, with potential ripple effects for global publishers.
New Next Course Newsletter Debuts with Noma LA Review
I recently launched a thing: An online newsletter, “Next Course,” featuring essays, simple recipes, travel advice, and more. Please check it out. My debut column looks at the most controversial restaurant in the world: Noma L.A., where I lunched last...
Independent Journalists Expose US Propaganda on Cuba Crisis
They're livid that independent media figures like Hasan traveled to Cuba to report directly on what's happening and expose the amount of blatant propaganda in the US media ecosystem. This is why independent media/journalism that challenges MSM narratives is so...
Ford Secures Five-Year MLB Official Automotive Partnership, Replacing Chevrolet
Ford Motor Co. announced a five‑year exclusive partnership with Major League Baseball, ending Chevrolet's two‑decade run as the league's official automotive sponsor. The deal, unveiled by Ford’s global CMO Lisa Materazzo on March 23, kicks off on Opening Day March...
New Doc ‘Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN’ Produced by ESPN Historian Mike Soltys Arriving April 6
ESPN announced the premiere of "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN" on April 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET, a documentary produced by network historian Mike Soltys and directed by Greg DeHart. The film chronicles Bill and Scott Rasmussen’s 14‑month quest to...
Witbe Unveil AI-Native Video Streaming Test, Monitoring Infrastructure At 2026 NAB Show
Witbe will debut an AI‑native video streaming test and monitoring infrastructure at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The solution weaves artificial intelligence through four layers—real‑device execution (Witbox), AI‑driven automation (Agentic SDK), operational control (REC) and intelligent analysis (Smartgate). Leveraging...