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:
UFC 326: What You Need To Know About Streaming Holloway Vs. Oliveira 2
UFC 326 heads to T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7, 2026, featuring a lightweight rematch between former featherweight champion Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the symbolic BMF title. The event’s full card, including a middleweight clash between Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder and a bantamweight bout featuring Rob Font and Raul Rosas Jr., will stream live on Paramount+ with no pay‑per‑view charge, while CBS will broadcast portions of the prelims and early main card. This marks one of the first major numbered UFC events under the new media‑rights agreement with Paramount+, shifting how fans access the sport.
Roku Adds a New Feature Everyone Wanted, YouTube TV Makes Changes to Two Popular Channels, & More – The Top...
Roku introduced a dedicated search function within its Live Guide, letting users locate free‑live channels by name, genre or keyword via on‑screen typing or voice. The update also blends over‑the‑air antenna signals with streaming, streamlining the viewing experience for budget‑focused...
RF
OMG, #MurdochJournal puff piece on the aged interns making RFK's laughable-if-he-weren't-such-a-sicko social videos. They "have helped turn the 72-year-old Kennedy into a social-media maverick." No, laughingstock. How RFK Jr. Is Promoting ‘Real Food’: AI Videos, Memes and Celebrity Cameos https://t.co/fKogTdrMUE
President Donald Trump Launches Truth+, a Live TV Streaming Service With Both a Free & Paid Option
President Donald Trump’s media arm has introduced Truth+, a live‑TV streaming service that combines a free tier with a $9.99 premium Patriot Package. The free tier provides 21 live channels, over 1,000 on‑demand titles, DVR capabilities and multi‑device support, while...
When Free Content Isn’t Really Free: Understanding Modern Monetisation Models
Free online content is underpinned by affiliate marketing, where creators embed trackable links that generate commissions for purchases. Networks such as Awin, CJ Affiliate, and RevenueLab provide the infrastructure, even supporting crypto payouts, allowing niche publishers to stay afloat without...
WGA Releases Pattern Of Demands Ahead Of AMPTP Negotiations
The Writers Guild of America released its Pattern of Demands ahead of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, a step approved by 97.4% of its members. The document outlines broad objectives on health and pension contributions,...
RIP Jamie Dunn & Agro – Two Television and Radio Legends (Final Interview)
Australian entertainment icon Jamie Dunn, best known for puppeteering the beloved Agro character, died at 76, prompting an outpouring of tributes across the media industry. His final on‑camera interview, recorded in January 2026 for the streaming show McKnight Tonight, offered...
NHL Sees Early Bump for Post-Olympic Slate
The NHL’s post‑Olympic slate is showing an early ratings lift, with the first eight telecasts on ABC, ESPN and TNT averaging 603,000 viewers – a 23% increase over the pre‑Olympic baseline. ESPN’s coverage now averages 785,000 viewers, up 17% year‑over‑year,...
Surveillance Purity Culture Exposed via Viral Body Count App
I wrote about the viral “body count checker” app and surveillance purity culture for Playboy https://t.co/H6qGChWm7X
‘Scrubs’ Creator Bill Lawrence Addresses Revival’s Renewal Chances After Strong Premiere Ratings: “We’re Really Hopeful”
The *Scrubs* revival premiered to 11.36 million cross‑platform viewers, becoming ABC’s highest‑rated comedy debut in 17 years and the network’s top streaming launch in over a year. The show leads the network’s linear adults 18‑49 ratings after three episodes and holds 90%...
FCC Grants Transfer of 24 Wyoming Stations Following Divorce
The FCC has approved the transfer of Legend Communications’ 24 radio stations in northern Wyoming from Susan K. Patrick to her ex‑husband Larry Patrick. The move follows Susan Patrick’s felony conviction for under‑reporting roughly $9 million in income and a subsequent...
Ellison Doubts Shell, Predicts His Exit Post‑merger
NEW @PuckNews: David Ellison has lost faith in Jeff Shell and sources believe he is unlikely to survive at Paramount past its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. https://t.co/fSCgcW4ews
Wednesday TV Ratings: Chicago PD, Survivor, Abbott Elementary, Masked Singer, Police 24/7
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, TV ratings show new episodes across major networks, featuring Chicago PD, Survivor, Abbott Elementary, The Masked Singer and Police 24/7. Percent changes from each show’s previous original episode are reported, though exact numbers are omitted. The article links...
Shark Tank: Season 17 Ratings
ABC’s long‑running reality series Shark Tank entered its 17th season with a schedule shift from Friday to Wednesday nights, prompting speculation about its ratings impact. Season 16 averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18‑49 demographic and attracted 2.81 million viewers, providing...
ITV's New Dalziel and Pascoe Reboot Gets Update as New Leads Unite for Set Photo Together
ITV has started filming a six‑episode reboot of the classic crime series Dalziel and Pascoe, featuring Kerry Godliman as Detective Inspector Andrea Dalziel and Nina Singh as Detective Sergeant Paige Pascoe. The production was announced on Instagram with a behind‑the‑scenes photo of...
Free Audience Tickets Released for THE VOICE Knockouts and Quarter Finals
Free audience tickets have been released for the Knockouts and Quarter Finals of The Voice Australia’s 2026 season. Filming will occur at Carriageworks in Sydney on March 11 and March 19, with two studio sessions each day. The returning coaching...
SpotVault - Survivor (CBS) - Spring 2026 Ratings
Survivor’s Spring 2026 season posted an average of 5.0 million viewers and a 0.95 rating in the coveted 18‑49 demographic across its first two episodes. Both metrics represent double‑digit year‑over‑year growth, with total viewership up 44% and the demo rating climbing...
SpotVault - RJ Decker (ABC) - Spring 2026 Ratings
SpotVault’s Spring 2026 ratings show ABC’s new drama RJ Decker premiered Tuesday, March 3, at 10 p.m. with a preliminary rating of 3.692 and a 0.21 lead. The key 18‑49 demographic registered only 0.3 viewers, reflecting a 79% drop compared with earlier benchmarks....
Forget Podfade – Let’s Talk About Creator Fade
Industry commentator challenges the term “podfade,” arguing it mislabels creators who end shows. New data from The Creators 2025 shows podcast creation has reached mainstream adoption, with roughly one in six listeners having produced a podcast. However, only 12% of those...
Philly’s Fanatic Brings Back Sean Brace to Team With Jon Marks
Beasley Media Group’s 97.5 The Fanatic is bringing Sean Brace back to the weekday lineup, pairing him with Jon Marks for the revived "Middays with Marks" starting March 9. Brace and Marks previously co‑hosted The Jon & Sean Show from 2013‑2015,...
The 10 Fastest-Growing Australian Instagram Accounts of February 2026
In February 2026 Korean‑Australian actress Yerin Ha topped the growth chart, adding 692.6 K followers to reach just over 1 million. Creative director Christian Watson, physiotherapist Heidi Barlow, radio host Liam Stapleton and UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski also posted sizable gains, each surpassing...
Touchdown! Connoisseur Secures an ‘Operational QB’ For L.I.
Connoisseur Media announced internal promotions to strengthen its Long Island radio cluster. Sales Director Darren DiPrima has been elevated to Station Manager, a role that unifies programming, sales, promotions, and operations. Simultaneously, Patrick Shea will serve as Director of Technical...
NFL Network Talents Learn Their Fate After ESPN Takeover
ESPN has officially taken over NFL Network, absorbing all existing on‑air talent contracts as of April 1. Employees will remain under their current deals until expiration, after which they must negotiate new agreements with Disney’s ESPN division. The transition has sparked...
A Reporter in Nashville, Detained by ICE
Estefany Rodríguez, a Colombian journalist for Nashville Noticias, was seized by ICE in Nashville without a warrant and transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. She entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2021, filed for asylum, and holds...
MRC Raises Concerns About Nielsen National Big Data + Panel Television Service
The Media Ratings Council (MRC) has raised concerns about Nielsen’s National Big Data + Panel TV measurement after detecting a more than 10% decline in 25‑54‑year‑old audience impressions in the first half of 2025. MRC identified four priority areas –...
EsRadio Deploys DHD Audio Consoles
esRadio, part of Spain’s Libertad Digital group, has equipped its Madrid headquarters with two DHD RX2 audio production consoles. Each unit provides 18 physical faders, a layering function for expanded channel control, and integrated 10.1‑inch touchscreens. The installation also includes...
"Masterpiece" Crime Drama 'Packed with Adrenaline' Is Leaving This UK Streamer Soon – Don't Miss Out
Sons of Anarchy’s entire seven‑season run is currently available on the free UK streaming service U, but the catalogue will be removed shortly. The FX crime drama, which aired 92 episodes between 2008 and 2014, holds an 87% Rotten Tomatoes...
CEO's Personal Post Reveals Adorkable Brand, Bypasses Official Grid
The one thing people are missing about the McDonald's CEO discourse is he posted this on his own page It never made it to the McD's grid And if you look back at Chris K's Reels, his personal brand is being adork-able https://www.instagram.com/chrisk_mcd/
Octopus Newsroom Transforms Workflows At Griffin Media’s Oklahoma Stations
Octopus Newsroom has been installed at Griffin Media’s KWTV Oklahoma City and KOTV Tulsa, modernizing the stations' news production workflows. The two CBS affiliates generate more than 100 hours of news weekly and required a flexible system for rapid severe‑weather...
Pod Digital Media Expands Growth Audience Marketplace for Brands in 30+ Markets
Pod Digital Media (PDM) has entered a multi‑year partnership with One Venture Group to launch a growth audience marketplace spanning more than 30 U.S. markets and 72 live events. The platform matches brands with high‑value cultural audiences—such as jazz fans,...
Podscribe Launches AI Chatbot and Introduces YouTube SmartModeling to Improve Podcast & Video Ad Measurement
Podscribe unveiled two major product upgrades: an AI‑powered chatbot that lets advertisers query the platform’s podcast data in natural language, and YouTube SmartModeling, a new attribution framework for simulcast ads. SmartModeling replaces the old practice of mirroring podcast conversion rates...
Frequency and Flightpath Join Forces to Streamline Podcast Monetization
Frequency and Flightpath announced a strategic partnership that integrates Flightpath’s predictive analytics with Frequency’s Premium Publisher Network marketplace. The combined solution gives podcast publishers real‑time inventory insights, enabling coordinated cross‑network sales and reducing unsold ad slots. By embedding forecasting directly...
Nielsen Modernizes, Launching “mSurvey” For Digital Data Collection
Nielsen has introduced mSurvey, a digital diary system that modernizes how the company gathers listening habits from U.S. radio audiences. The platform replaces the legacy paper diaries and expands measurement to include podcasts, satellite radio, and digital music streams. By...
What Will Happen To DC Theatre Without A WaPo Theatre Critic?
In February, The Washington Post eliminated its entire arts and culture desk, including full‑time theatre critic Naveen Kumar, leaving Washington, D.C. without a dedicated regional theatre reviewer. Freelance pieces now fill the void, but coverage remains sparse. Thirty‑three local theatres...
Martin Clunes 'Passes on the Torch' As He Appears in Doc Martin Remake Best Medicine
Martin Clunes makes a cameo in the U.S. adaptation “Best Medicine,” playing Dr. Robert Best, the father of the series’ lead. The show, a remake of the British hit “Doc Martin,” premiered on Fox earlier this year with Josh Charles starring...
Axel Springer to Buy UK’s Telegraph in £575m Deal, Financial Times Reports
Axel Springer has agreed to acquire the UK‑based Telegraph Media Group for £575 million, a deal reported by the Financial Times. The purchase follows a failed £500 million bid by Daily Mail owner DMGT that faced regulatory scrutiny. By adding the Telegraph’s...
Operators Love CEO Products: How’s That Going?
Major media publishers such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and The Economist are launching high‑priced C‑suite membership programs that combine exclusive events, networking, and concierge services. These offerings aim to address CEOs' isolation and rapid disruption from geopolitics and...
Lana Condor Is Finally Bringing Lara Jean To XO, Kitty In Season 3 — Watch Announcement Video
Netflix announced that Lana Condor will reprise Lara Jean in XO, Kitty Season 3, premiering on April 2. The eight‑episode third season follows Kitty’s final year at KISS, promising new memories, family ties in Korea, and unexpected plot twists. Several To All...
A Worthy Sale Of A Warren County, N.J. Radio Station
A Warren County, New Jersey AM radio station is set to become wholly owned by Lawrence J. Tighe Jr. after an asset sale agreement was filed with the FCC. The transaction ends the long‑standing partnership with Norman Worth. Concurrently, the...
Video Panel: The Battle for Your TV Screen: Who Controls the Future of TVOS?
The Next TMT Talks panel examined how connected‑TV operating systems have become the primary gateway for streaming content, advertising, and data collection. Panelists from The Trade Desk’s Ventura TVOS, Whale TV, and ViewLift discussed their strategies to challenge incumbent platforms and capture...
Prediction Markets Targeting Students, Fueling Campus Gambling Concerns
Prediction markets are actively trying to turn college students into gambling addicts. They are some of the worst companies in America. It's pathetic that news organizations and other institutions are doing business with them. https://www.wsj.com/business/media/prediction-markets-campus-e57cd19f?st=5aB7uM&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Netflix Leverages AI to Accelerate Content Production
⚡️ Netflix Will Use AI to Increase the Velocity of Content Creation ⚡️ $NFLX @netflix released a short five minute explainer video with InterPositive founder and actor Ben Affleck, Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, and Netflix Chief Product and...
Sevio Releases 2025 Programmatic Monetization Performance Report for Financial Audience Publishers
Sevio released its 2025 State of Financial Publishers report, analyzing programmatic monetization across 4.14 billion impressions from sites ranging from 1,900 to 95.1 million monthly visitors in eight countries. The data shows revenue growth stemmed from higher monetization per impression rather than...
Join GDC Panel on Independent Game Journalism Rise
If you're attending GDC next week, please consider attending this panel about The Rise of Independent Game Journalism, featuring some so-called experts on the topic (Monday, 3:10-4:10pm, West Hall - Room 3005) https://t.co/pccS4g9IdS https://t.co/Vzw5nh6Fpe
CNN CEO Claims Best Weekend in Four Years.
CNN C.E.O. Mark Thompson emails staff: “On U.S. cable, we’ve had our best weekend in four years and have been #2 in all of cable (news and non-news) since the conflict started.” Here’s his note: https://t.co/FNhiGsX819
SVG Sit-Down: Midco Sports’ Andy Price and Craig DeWit on How the Dakotas-Based RSN Is Redefining Regional Sports Media
Midco Sports, a 95‑year‑old Upper Midwest technology firm, has turned its regional sports network into a national‑minded streaming platform, Midco Sports Plus, now reaching viewers in nine U.S. states. A new partnership with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) brings...
Spotify Launches Premium AI Tier, Becoming 2026 AI Winner
⚡️ Premium-Priced AI Tier Coming to @Spotify ⚡️ $SPOT Spotify will transform from AI loser to AI winner over the course of 2026 https://t.co/DgqxhetIEf
Court Upholds Reporters' Right to Question, Limits DoD Suppression
Summary judgment arguments still going…but going very well so far. Court clear on this: “reporters have to be able to ask questions…that’s what they’ve done…since the beginning of time.” Dept of Defense can’t do an end around to suppress viewpoints...
Hosting Interviews for Podcasts, Panels and Social Media
The Journalism.co.uk two‑day online course, priced at £295 plus VAT, teaches podcast hosts, content creators, and corporate communicators modern interview techniques. Led by award‑winning journalist Paul Connolly, the program covers preparation, question crafting, emotional storytelling, and handling high‑pressure or trauma‑sensitive...
Kobalt Inks Worldwide Sub Publishing and Admin Deal with the UK’s Sync Music Global
UK‑based indie publisher Sync Music Global has entered a worldwide sub‑publishing and administration agreement with Kobalt. The deal gives Kobalt responsibility for global administration of Sync’s catalog and includes a joint venture to co‑sign writers and accelerate market expansion. Sync’s...