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.
Reporters Seek Comment. What Happens Next May Surprise You.
The New York Times insists on giving every story subject a chance to comment, even when sources are unresponsive or pre‑empt the narrative on social media. Deputy business editor Pui‑Wing Tam and tech reporters Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac stress that outreach is essential for fact‑checking and preventing mis‑representation. Their approach underscores the paper’s commitment to accuracy, fairness, and reader trust in fast‑moving tech coverage. The interview reveals that persistence, not avoidance, drives the newsroom’s standards.
Shop the Look. Don't Ignore the Creator.
Instagram is piloting a "Shop the Look" feature that automatically adds AI‑generated product recommendations to creators' posts without their knowledge. The rollout is invisible in creator analytics, stripping them of control over which items are promoted. With 58% of consumers...
‘Hacked’ Daily Mail Harry Story Came From Press Office, Says Royal Editor
Prince Harry is suing the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, alleging that several articles about his private life were obtained through illegal hacking, phone tapping and “blagging.” Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English testified that the contested stories were...
Children Get Help to Cope with the News of Latest Middle East Bombings
Children’s news outlets across Europe and the U.S. are redesigning coverage of the latest Middle East bombings to suit young audiences. They pair hard facts and historical context with transparent source‑selection guidance, while framing the story in hopeful, distance‑focused language....
All-Star "Mind-Bending" Thriller Branded "One of the Best Things on Television" Gets New UK Home
The cult‑favorite series Dispatches from Elsewhere has landed on the UK’s ad‑supported streaming service ITVX, joining its existing homes on Prime Video and Netflix. The ten‑episode, mind‑bending thriller, starring Jason Segel, Sally Field, André 3000 and Richard E Grant, draws on the real‑world augmented‑reality game...
Idris Elba Appeared In A Forgotten Vampire Show That Tried To Be The British X-Files
Ultraviolet, a 1998 British six‑episode horror drama starring Idris Elba, follows a secret vampire‑hunting unit backed by the government and the Vatican. The series blends police procedural storytelling with a science‑based take on vampirism, earning frequent comparisons to The X‑Files. A...
Goalhanger: Over Three Million Views, Streams and Downloads in 48 Hours
Goalhanger swiftly launched emergency episodes of its flagship shows after Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed, amassing more than three million views, streams and downloads within 48 hours. The four episodes—The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Politics: US, The Rest...
YouTube Rolls Out a Big Update to Make It Easier to Find What You Want
YouTube is rolling out a natural‑language video search that lets users type full‑sentence requests about topics, moods or ideas instead of exact titles. The beta interface offers prompt examples such as “inspire me to pursue new hobbies” and an open...
Agencies Should Shift to Solution-Led Pricing Models, Global Agency Body Says
VoxComm, the global agency coalition, is urging firms to abandon legacy fee structures and adopt solution‑led pricing models. The guidance argues that AI‑driven insights enable agencies to tie compensation directly to measurable brand growth outcomes. It outlines a framework for...
Creator Television Launches ‘Made By Her’ Programming For Women’s History Month
Sabio Holdings announced Creator Television’s month‑long “Made By Her” lineup for Women’s History Month in March 2026. The programming showcases five female digital creators—Daphnique Springs, Jenny Lorenzo, Julie Nolke, Wengie, and Khadija Mbowe—each hosting original shows from 1‑9 p.m. PT. The...
German Music Market Experiences 2025 Growth Slowdown As Streaming Gains Fail to Offset Another Physical Decline
Germany’s recorded music market posted €2.42 billion in 2025, marking a modest 2.3% year‑over‑year increase – the slowest expansion in several years. Streaming revenue rose 3.8% to €2.08 billion, representing 84.4% of digital income, while physical sales slipped 5.9% as CD revenue...
Monday Memo: If It Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, It Doesn’t Matter
Holland Cooke’s memo argues that advertising copy should prioritize the customer’s problem over the company’s credentials. He illustrates the shift with side‑by‑side rewrites for plumbing, dental, auto glass, and veterinary services, turning generic service lists into direct, benefit‑focused calls. The...
Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (2/28-3/1)
Over the weekend, TALKERS identified five stories that dominated news/talk radio conversation. The top item was the U.S. and Israel strike on Iran and reports of Khamenei’s death, followed by a sharp oil price spike and market reaction. Defense sector...
UK Government Opens Consultation on Social Media Age Restriction, Curfews and Games Crackdown
The UK government has launched a consultation, running until May 26, 2026, to explore stricter controls on children’s access to social media, AI chatbots and online games. Proposals include minimum age thresholds, nighttime curfews, and bans on addictive design elements...
Rare Asset May Not Return Soon, Says Sarandos
💯 Priceless quote from Ted Sarandos ending his post-mortem interview with @Lucas_Shaw Lucas: "If you feel like this is a rare asset, that also means that an asset like this may not come up again anytime soon, right?" Ted: "Possibly. Or...
Audiomack Is Where Fandom Becomes Fun, Active, and Social
Audiomack’s built‑in remix tool, Audiomod, has generated over 260 million fan‑made plays from 30 million users since its February 2024 launch, marking a 23 % year‑over‑year increase. The feature lets listeners edit tracks—speed, pitch, presets—and share creations without external software, turning passive streaming into...
ICYMI: February’s Biggest Headlines + Bonus Insights
Lia Haberman’s February ICYMI newsletter recaps ten pivotal platform updates that are reshaping the social media landscape. It also provides the full, unedited transcript of a session on pitching speaking opportunities, a trend‑watch feature highlighting brands that dominate Threads comments,...
Inside the DM Economy: Cam McMaster on Providing AI Infrastructure for Creator Inboxes
Australian entrepreneurs Cam McMaster and Chris McLoghlin launched InboxAgents.ai and Guardii.ai in 2025 to give creators a unified AI‑powered inbox and abuse‑filtering layer. The tools aggregate direct messages and emails, surface high‑value brand inquiries, and quarantine harassment, helping creators recover...
Jetpak Media Founder Kai Battaglene on Why Content Substance Matters More Than Delivery in the Creator Economy
Kai Battaglene, founder of Jetpak Media, argues that creator campaigns underperform because brands prioritize convenience over contextual relevance. Drawing on a decade in Australian media and senior roles at Spotify and ARN, he launched Jetpak in October 2025 to craft...
Twitch’s Mary Kish on Why Community (Not the Algorithm) Drives Creator Success on the Service
Mary Kish, Twitch’s Head of Community, argues that the platform’s competitive edge lies in deep, real‑time community interaction rather than algorithmic distribution. In 2025 Twitch welcomed 9 million new streamers, prompting the community team to embed engagement tools—badges, raids, and moderation...
LOST iN’s Subway Food TourSignals a New Model for Creator-Led Travel IP
LOST iN has launched *Subway Food Tour*, a creator‑led travel series that follows food influencer Jeremy Jacobowitz as he explores off‑beat eateries along a single subway line. The show is co‑produced with Andrew Zimmern’s Intuitive Content, giving the venture production...
India’s Ad Watchdog Deploys Influencers to Combat Greenwashing, Dark Patterns
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rolled out its first influencer‑led consumer awareness campaign targeting greenwashing and dark‑pattern advertising. Eight prominent Indian creators, including Shraddha Jain and Aisha Ahmed, will disseminate educational content on evaluating sustainability claims and...
Creator-Led Agency The Now Agency Launches, Secures BJ’s Restaurants, MLSE Among Early Clients
The Now Agency, a creator‑led social‑native firm founded by Gabe Feldman and Jonathan Chanti, officially launched in June 2025 under the Reign Maker Group. Within its first year it landed marquee clients including BJ’s Restaurants, Les Mills, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment,...
From Dubai to Miami Beach, Creator Economy Conferences Fill April 2026 Calendar
April 2026 will host a packed lineup of creator‑economy conferences across Dubai, New York, London, Lisbon, Los Angeles and more. Events such as the Dubai Creator Summit, Social Media Week, NAB Show and Canva Create bring together nano‑to‑macro influencers, brands, marketers and...
Inside Mercedes-Benz’s Custom Amazon Prime Video Ads Push Around the NBA
Mercedes‑Benz USA teamed with Amazon Ads to launch a series of custom creative spots that aired during Prime Video’s NBA broadcasts in January and February, featuring Dirk Nowitzki showcasing GLS features. The campaign targets younger, diversified luxury buyers by leveraging live‑sports...
AiMCO Recognizes Top Creators, Brands, And Agencies At Inaugural Sydney Summit And Awards
Australia’s Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) held its first summit and the 2025 AiMCO Awards in Sydney, celebrating creators, brands, agencies and technology partners. The event highlighted the “Creator Era” theme and featured keynotes from major players such as MECCA, Tourism...
I Watched Fox Cover the Iran War. It Was Straighter than I Had Expected — but Woefully Incomplete.
Fox News' 8 p.m. Sunday broadcast, hosted by Will Caine, presented a relatively straightforward newscast on the Trump‑ordered strike against Iran after the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. The hour featured retired Gen. David Petreaus, Lt. Col. Allen West, and Iranian exile...
Iyuno Taps Dante AV to Sync Audio and Video Content
Iyuno, a global media‑localization provider, has added Dante AV video to its Burbank facility to transmit low‑latency video alongside its existing Dante audio network. The company selected Bolin D20H Ultra transceivers to deliver synchronized video feeds to voice‑over and ADR...
Divisive 6-Part Irish Crime Drama Is Trending Number 1 on This UK Streamer Right Now
Irish crime drama "The Vanishings" has risen to #1 on a UK streaming platform's trending chart, outpacing titles like "Rich House Poor House" and "The Curfew." The six‑part series, starring India Mullen and Allen Leech, dramatizes the real‑life "Vanishing Triangle"...
Technical Assistance for Ukrainian Media: “Voices of Ukraine” By The Fix Foundation and ECPMF
The Fix Foundation and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom have launched the “Voices of Ukraine” programme to provide equipment grants to Ukrainian media operating inside the country. The initiative targets regional, frontline and hyper‑local outlets, offering up...
CNN's Streaming App Fails; Merge Back to HBO Max
If CNN can't get a decent sub growth push with the recent strikes in Iran, it should be a sign that a standalone CNN streaming app is a Bad Idea, and should be brought back into HBO Max. Then again,...
Age‑Verification Laws Threaten Free Speech, Empower Government Control
“All lawmakers will claim that they are [enacting age verification] to protect youth from some harm, but they fail to mention the convenient power it hands to government to control and chill speech they oppose, and even punish their critics,”...
YouTube’s AI Slop Problem And How Marketers Can Compete via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
YouTube’s platform is being flooded by low‑quality, mass‑produced AI videos, dubbed “AI slop,” which now appear in roughly one‑in‑five Shorts recommendations to new users. A Kapwing analysis identified 278 dedicated AI slop channels that together generated 63 billion views, 221 million subscribers...
Paramount Keeps HBO Intact After $110B Warner Merger
That’s a relief: Ellison said, “Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO. They built a phenomenal brand. They’re a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it.“
Paramount Merges HBO Max with Paramount+, Retains Cable Assets
New: Paramount Will Combine HBO Max and Paramount+, Won’t Sell or Spin Off Cable Assets https://t.co/o9Loe8qBMA
C15 Studio Renews Deal with Formula 1 for Free Streaming Channel
C15 Studio has renewed its multi‑year agreement with Formula 1 to continue operating the free, ad‑supported Formula 1 Channel in the United States. The updated deal adds live broadcast rights for the 2026 F1 Academy Series, the sport’s all‑female development championship. Launched...
Google Discover Gets Major Profile Updates – New Article
Nice new article on Google Discover and the latest Discover profile changes by my teammate @JohnnyHerge https://t.co/iQap8dufeJ
Paramount's UFC Deal Returns Fights to HBO
Paramount boss David Ellison confirms their @ufc agreement enables them to put fights on @HBO, sorta brings HBO back to its fighting roots @BrandoLightShed $PSKY $WBD https://t.co/Dph8xQXjcP
268. Going Viral: How To Balance Authenticity and Spectacle
In this episode, Matt Abrahams talks with Stanford professor Angele Christen about the tension creators face between authenticity and the algorithmic push for drama and spectacle. Christen explains how granular metrics reward conflict‑driven or extreme content, creating short‑term virality but...
Banning Kids From Social Media Harms Everyone
The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all by @TaylorLorenz https://t.co/Oop5i0wy6J
Focus on Churn Retention, Not Just Cost Cuts
the only analysis on this, imo, outside of "efficiency savings" through mass layoffs (🤮🤮🤮🤮) and tech stack consolidation is what percentage of "churn and return" customers from these two cohorts would extend their subscription lifetime with very little CAC increases.
'Scream 7' Earns Franchise-Best Opening
Paramount Skydance’s horror sequel “Scream 7” opened with $64.1 million in U.S. box‑office revenue and $97.2 million worldwide, marking the strongest debut in the franchise’s history. The film achieved this with a modest $11.8 million national TV advertising budget, anchored by a $10 million Super...
Paramount CEO: No Production Cuts, Streaming Demands Investment
"We have no intention to pull back on production," says Paramount CEO David Ellison, who adds combining streaming requires investing in content to achieve growth goals.
Bruce Honors Mascots While Chasing P&G Sale
Meet Bruce. He’s Got a Long Line of Advertising Mascots to Honor in Quest to Sell for Procter & Gamble https://t.co/CEGcvtR0UM via @variety
Nippon TV Returns to Series Mania Forum with Two New Scripted Formats
Nippon TV is returning to the Series Mania Forum to debut two new scripted formats, the suspense thriller *The Right to Judge* and the high‑voltage drama *Escape*, each ten 60‑minute episodes. *The Right to Judge* has already logged more than...
Paramount CEO: No Asset Sales if WBD Merger Proceeds
Paramount CEO David Ellison says no asset sales planned at this time if WBD deal goes through.
Paramount to Merge Paramount+ with HBO Max
On investor call, Paramount confirms it plans to put P+ and HBO Max together, making one service from the two.
Current Most Popular Novel Comps
The author surveyed the most‑comped novels from January‑February 2026 deals on Publishers Marketplace, noting how these titles differ from earlier 2025 favorites. The list serves as a benchmark for writers seeking effective comparative titles when querying agents. The piece also...
The High Cost of the "Digital Existence Tax"
The author details a personal "digital existence tax" of roughly £7,600 annually, equivalent to £633 per month, covering storage, communications, web hosting, security, AI tools, legacy services, and Stripe fees. AI‑related expenses have surged from £8 per month in 2021...
Focus 360 Names Karen Henderson Senior VP of Sales
Focus 360 LLC announced the appointment of Karen Henderson as Senior Vice President of Sales. Henderson arrives from Katz Media Group, bringing extensive experience across terrestrial radio, satellite, and out‑of‑home advertising. In her new role she will steer sales strategy...