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.
The Old Rules of B2B PR Are Dead—Here’s What Works Now
The 2026 analysis of over 200 B2B journalist queries shows a fundamental shift in public relations strategy. CEOs remain valuable for brand narratives, but functional experts—product managers, growth marketers, and client specialists—are now preferred for niche coverage. Reporters also seek human‑focused stories about leadership, culture, and remote work, rewarding lived experience over polished marketing copy. Consistent, multi‑platform narratives that acknowledge market uncertainty are emerging as the new trust currency for B2B firms.
Preston Community Radio Station in Breach for Third Time
Preston Community Radio 23, operating as Juice Radio and now rebranded Beat 103, has been found in breach of multiple Ofcom licence conditions for the third time. Ofcom’s review revealed the station’s output consisted almost entirely of nonstop music, idents...
Associated Press Cannot Explain Bewildering Reporting on FDA’s Tracy Hoeg and Antidepressant Risks
The Associated Press published a story alleging that FDA senior regulator Dr. Tracy Hoeg was pushing a petition from Dr. Adam Urato to add pregnancy‑risk warnings to antidepressants and that their personal relationship constituted a conflict of interest. The author,...
Daily Mail Publisher Bundles Brands Into ‘Stack’ B2B2C Offer
DMG Media has introduced Stack, a B2B2C bundle that gives partners access to DailyMail+, The i Paper and New Scientist at heavily discounted rates. The seat‑based pricing starts at £2.99 per month for under 10,000 users and drops to £1.99...
Zefr Receives MRC Accreditation for Content-Level Brand Safety and Suitability Reporting on YouTube
Zefr announced it has earned Media Rating Council accreditation for its content‑level brand safety and suitability labeling and reporting on English‑language in‑stream YouTube videos across desktop, mobile web, mobile app, and connected TV. The accreditation marks the first MRC‑approved third‑party...
Paramount Could Face a High Cost for Changing CNN
Paramount Skydance is pursuing the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio, which includes the news network CNN. CNN projects $1.8 billion in revenue for 2026, making it a valuable asset. Critics warn that CEO David Ellison’s close relationship with former President...
Ekaki: How Ashish Chanchlani Made a Horror-Sci-Fi Series on Just 10% of a Bollywood Film’s Budget and Pulled Nearly 150...
Indian YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani’s five‑episode horror‑sci‑fi series Ekaki has amassed nearly 150 million YouTube views. The show, his debut as writer‑director, was produced on a budget roughly 10 percent of a typical Bollywood film yet delivered production values comparable to a Rs 300‑400 crore...
WMCI Morning Hosts Lead Radiothon Past $2 Million for St. Jude
Cromwell Media’s 101.3 WMCI celebrated its 25th annual radiothon, raising over $134,000 in a two‑day broadcast. The fundraiser pushed the station’s cumulative contributions for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital past the $2 million mark. Hosted by veteran morning personalities Bub McCullough and Renee Fonner, the...
Head of Creator Support
Fourthwall announced a search for a Head of Creator Support to lead and scale its creator assistance function. The role combines strategic oversight of people, processes, and tools with hands‑on ticket resolution, emphasizing an AI‑first mindset. Candidates must master Zendesk,...
CFP Board Launches New 'Dive' Ad in $27M Awareness Campaign
The CFP Board unveiled a new "Dive" television spot as part of its "It’s Gotta Be a CFP" campaign, allocating a $27.1 million media budget for 2026. The spring phase, worth $14.6 million, runs March 9‑May 17 and leans heavily on broadcast, cable, streaming...
The Man Who Refuses to Die Returns: ‘Sisu: Road to Revenge’ Sets Netflix Streaming Date
Sony’s action sequel *Sisu: Road to Revenge* will debut on Netflix US on March 21, 2026, after its November 2025 theatrical run. The film entered Netflix’s exclusive 18‑month “Pay‑1” window, joining other Sony titles in the streaming catalog. Despite a...
Automation Fears Ignore How It Democratizes Access
When automobiles first appeared, they were built by hand. Craftsmen assembled them the way carriage makers built horse-drawn wagons. Skilled mechanics fitted parts together piece by piece. It was slow, deliberate work, and if you owned a car in the...
Azerion Promotes Roxanne Harley to VP Strategy & Growth
Omnichannel advertising platform Azerion has created a new executive position, appointing Roxanne Harley as Vice President of Strategy & Growth. Harley, who previously headed UK growth, will now oversee strategic planning, product development, go‑to‑market roadmaps, and the company’s creative studio,...
Retention over Reach: The Strategic Reset Behind Publisher Apps
Publishers are re‑positioning mobile apps from peripheral channels to core retention tools, emphasizing habit‑forming experiences over sheer reach. Executives from the New York Post, Boston Globe, and Condé Nast highlighted that app users exhibit the highest engagement, multiple daily visits,...
Have You Been Hurt by Media Consolidation? I Have.
A veteran film producer with 40 years experience warns that media consolidation and the dominance of global streaming platforms have erased traditional financing, distribution, and revenue models for independent cinema. Worldwide licensing deals have eliminated territorial sales, mid‑budget films have disappeared,...
A New Global Push Would Make AI Companies Pay for News
Artificial intelligence firms have trained on vast amounts of journalism without paying publishers, prompting a global push for statutory licensing. Europe is leading the effort, with a parliamentary vote slated for March 10 on a regime that would require automatic fees...
As Newsroom Jobs Shrink, some Journalism Schools Teach Students to Go Solo
As newsroom positions dwindle, journalism schools are redesigning curricula to teach students how to operate as independent creators. Programs such as The New School’s newsletter course, Harvard Extension’s content‑creator class, and St. Bonaventure’s new content‑creation major embed entrepreneurship, digital design, and...
Major League Rugby and OS Studios Partner to Set Benchmark for Rugby Storytelling
Major League Rugby (MLR) has entered a multi‑year partnership with OS Studios, appointing the media firm as its chief engine for broadcast production, social content, and fan‑engagement strategy. The collaboration leverages OS Studios' expertise in gaming, music, and creator culture...
Don’t Get Mad, Get Even: Why Advertising Needs a Revenge Arc
The article argues that advertising has lingered in an endless apology cycle and should adopt a "revenge arc"—a bold, corrective narrative that turns criticism into opportunity. It cites recent campaigns where brands responded to backlash with assertive messaging, generating higher...
GB News Hires Chief Revenue Officer to ‘Close Gap’ Between Audience Growth and Advertiser Take-Up
GB News has appointed Ross Sergeant as chief revenue officer to bridge the gap between its rapidly expanding audience and advertising sales. Sergeant arrives from Allwyn, where he served as global media director, and brings experience from Asahi, Diageo and...
New Gravity Media Remote Production Facility Drives 900 Hours of ITV Programming
Gravity Media has launched a remote production gallery in Covent Garden to support ITV Studios’ MultiStory Media output, delivering 900 hours of live daily programming across shows like Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women. The facility features a 360‑degree LED set, 13...
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Dear Killer Nannies"
Hulu released the trailer and key art for “Dear Killer Nannies,” a Latin‑American drama that follows Juan Pablo Escobar’s childhood as the son of Colombia’s infamous drug lord. The series premieres on April 1, 2026 on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+...
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched MLB Spring Training Game in 10 Years with Team USA Vs. San Francisco Giants
ESPN’s March 3 spring‑training game between Team USA and the San Francisco Giants attracted 677,000 viewers, the network’s most‑watched spring‑training broadcast in a decade. The matchup lifted ESPN’s 2026 spring‑training average to 580,000, a 101 % increase over 2025, according to Nielsen. The surge...
Foos Gone Wild, Combate Global Launch New Televised MMA Fight Series
Foos Gone Wild and Combate Global announced a new amateur MMA series called Foos Fighting Championship, debuting March 26 in Burbank, California. The event will be broadcast live in Spanish on EstrellaTV and in English on Foos Gone Wild’s YouTube channel,...
Picnic Launches ‘Quality Video’ to Bring Transparency to Open-Web Video Buying
Picnic has launched Quality Video, an extension of its PIQ platform that evaluates open‑web video inventory based on real‑time behavior rather than static DSP labels. The solution measures signals such as pause on scroll, simultaneous playback, auto‑play and audio settings,...
Nano Interactive Launches NanoQ Agentic Media Planner Built to Transform Programmatic Planning
Nano Interactive unveiled NanoQ, an agentic AI media planner that automates audience creation and activation. Built on the company’s intent data and the continuously refreshed Intent Library, NanoQ translates natural‑language briefs into custom and off‑the‑shelf segments. In internal tests the...
Cumulus Moves to Dismiss ‘Retaliatory’ Nielsen Counterclaims
Cumulus Media filed a motion to dismiss all three of Nielsen's counterclaims stemming from an antitrust lawsuit, labeling them retaliatory tactics. The counterclaims—breach of contract, unfair competition, and declaratory judgment—rely on a single email allegedly sharing Nielsen data with Eastlan...
MOFA Closes Taiwan Review, to Shut Taiwan Today in Late 2026
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the shutdown of two long‑standing outreach outlets. The bimonthly magazine Taiwan Review, in print since 1951, ceased publication on March 4 and will fully terminate staff contracts by June 30. Its sister platform, the multilingual news...
Don’t Rob Your Sellers Of Their Greatest Power
The article argues that radio sales managers waste leverage by managing hope instead of measurable activity. It introduces "Time Spent Selling" as the true super‑power—focused, high‑quality interactions rather than idle research or optimistic forecasts. Managers should track and coach consistent,...
SI FanOS Powers Interactive Rally Predictor to Drive Community, Dwell Time and Conversion on Rally.TV
Sportz Interactive (SI) has teamed with the WRC Promoter to launch an interactive Rally Predictor on Rally.TV, built on SI’s proprietary Predictor Engine. The tool lets fans forecast stage results, driver performance and head‑to‑head battles throughout the World Rally Championship...
Wedotv BIG Stories and Wedotv Movies Launch on Freeview UK
wedotv has introduced its documentary channel wedotv BIG stories on Freeview UK, occupying channel 275, while wedotv movies now broadcasts as a full DTT channel on slot 98. Both services are built on Synapse’s FAST architecture, server‑side ad insertion and...
Should Writers Still Chase Big 5 Traditional Publishing in 2026?
The post questions whether chasing a Big 5 traditional publishing deal remains worthwhile in 2026. It weighs the emotional allure of editorial validation, marketing muscle, and industry rites of passage against the growing viability of self‑publishing and hybrid routes. The author,...
Digest: Axel Springer Acquires Telegraph for £575m; Indonesia to Implement Social Media Ban for Under-16s; UK Delays AI Copyright Rule...
Axel Springer agreed to buy the UK’s Telegraph for £575 m, ending a three‑year ownership limbo and fending off a Daily Mail bid. The deal marks the first change of hands in the paper’s 168‑year history. Meanwhile, Indonesia announced a phased...
Politicians Weaponize Moral Panic to Push Social Media Bans
I’ve been reporting on these legal efforts for years. Absolutely no one “controls” these ppl, these laws are simply being rammed through by politicians hungry for power under the guise of a fake moral panic about social media similar to...
Piers Morgan's Uncensored Names Rashida Jones CEO, Raises Funds
INBOX: Uncensored founded by Piers Morgan, appoints Rashida Jones as CEO, and secures capital raise to fund expansion.
A Closer Look at Saudi Arabia’s Creative Economy
Saudi Arabia’s creative economy is rapidly moving from the periphery to a strategic pillar of Vision 2030, driven by growth in advertising, gaming, design and content production. The sector is thriving amid a layered, globally‑connected Saudi society that demands more nuanced...
Overnight Summary Highlights Hidden Stories Amid News Noise
Because of news flow intensity, the Daily Discord Linkfest is now being formatted as an overnight summary + linkfest. Why read our summary rather than everyone else's? Because our community tries to flag stories buried by the noise. https://t.co/fdU8j6eDP1
"The Predator of Seville" Premieres on Netflix on March 27
Netflix will debut the true‑crime docuseries *The Predator of Seville* on March 27, detailing the assault allegations against Manuel Blanco, a tour guide known as “Manu White”. The eight‑part series, produced with Atresmedia and Newtral, weaves victim testimonies, previously unseen footage, and...
“Everyone’s Hiding Something” In Trailer For The BBC’s ‘Crookhaven’ Adaptation
BBC Studios is set to debut "Crookhaven", a teen‑drama adaptation of J.J. Arcanjo’s novels, on March 22. The series follows a secret school for young crooks who compete for the Crooked Cup while confronting the mysterious threat known as The Nameless....
ESPN and the Southern Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Extension
ESPN and the Southern Conference have signed a multi‑year media rights extension that will run through the 2031‑32 academic year, deepening a partnership that began over two decades ago. The deal guarantees a record slate of national linear broadcasts on...
Word Choice Reveals Bias: “Die” Vs “Killed”
What’s with this framing? Lebanese people “die” but Israelis are “killed” — what’s the deal with the selective word choice here?
Nine Cops the Worst of It on Historically Bad Day for Unmade Index
Nine Entertainment saw its shares plunge 6.97%, wiping out over $95 million in market value as the ASX200 opened down nearly 4% on an oil‑price shock. The broader Unmade Index fell to a record low of 378.3 points, reflecting heightened cost...
MPs to Quiz YouTube on Children’s TV and Video Content
Senior YouTube executives will appear before the UK Culture, Media and Sport Committee on March 10 to answer questions about the platform’s role in children’s television and video consumption. Ofcom data shows YouTube is now the most‑used app or site among...
The Privacy ‘Zealots’ Were Right: Ad Tech’s Infrastructure Was Always A Risk
The article argues that ad‑tech’s reliance on granular identity data created an inherent privacy risk, a point long raised by privacy advocates. Real‑time bidding and massive data extraction expose location and behavioral signals to a sprawling ecosystem of unknown parties....
John Oliver Earnestly Lobbies For A Role On A Daytime Soap Opera
John Oliver used a ten‑minute segment on Last Week Tonight to publicly lobby for a guest role on a daytime soap opera, citing Stephen A. Smith’s recent cameo on General Hospital as inspiration. He outlined specific character traits—ridiculous name, dramatic...
Stephen Colbert Rejects “Implied Parallel” To Blacklisted Screenwriter Walter Bernstein While Receiving Writers Guild Awards Honor
Stephen Colbert accepted the Writers Guild’s Walter Bernstein Award, honoring creators who confront social injustice, but he rejected any implied parallel to the blacklisted screenwriter. He emphasized that the 1950s Hollywood blacklist was an industry‑wide pact, not a law, and...
Disinformation on U.S.-Iran War Takes over the Internet
A wave of disinformation surged online after the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran’s Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which killed up to 168 civilians. Fake clips from flight simulators were presented as live combat footage, while out‑of‑context naval images and archival missile videos...
Federal Judge Rules that Kari Lake's Actions At Voice of America Are Null And Void
A federal judge declared Kari Lake's actions at the Voice of America illegal, nullifying layoffs that affected more than 1,000 journalists and staff. Former U.S. trade chief Robert Lighthizer stepped down from the board of Trump Media & Technology, raising...
EBay Sponsors Sky’s Saturday Night Live UK
Sky Media has named eBay as the headline partner for the UK launch of Saturday Night Live, bringing the American comedy brand to British screens on March 21. The deal centers on eBay Live, the platform’s interactive shopping experience, with eBay‑branded...
X Tests New Ad Format that Includes Product Mention Links
X is piloting a new ad format that automatically attaches product‑mention links to user posts, as seen with a Starlink CTA under a tweet. The format blends ads with organic content without compensating users, aiming to avoid skewed incentives. X...