Today's Media Pulse
Publicis resumes recommending The Trade Desk after fee dispute
Publicis has lifted its ban and is again recommending The Trade Desk to advertisers, ending a months‑long clash over alleged hidden ad‑tech fees. The dispute had driven The Trade Desk’s shares down roughly 13% and prompted the exit of its chief marketing officer. Both firms issued a joint statement confirming the reconciliation.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-LOVE acquires Baltimore station in undisclosed deal
X Launches Creator Subscriptions 2.0 With Exclusive Threads, Paid Partnership Labels
X has introduced Creator Subscriptions 2.0, adding Exclusive Threads that let creators lock parts of a conversation behind a paywall. The update streamlines the subscription setup to two steps and places subscriber‑only content directly in the creator’s main feed. A new analytics dashboard and shareable subscription cards give creators clearer earnings data and promotion tools. X also rolled out a Paid Partnership label to flag sponsored content, with the features now available worldwide.
Bill Links AI Liability to Human Standards, Threatening Immunity
So I actually read the bill. It would attach liability to the chatbot answer ONLY IF there would similarly be liability if a person said the same thing. It’s a challenging question, sure, but I don’t think the public will be okay...
Meteorologist Kellianne Klass Joins KIII Corpus Christi
Veteran meteorologist Kellianne Klass will start as the morning weather anchor for KIII’s 3NEWS First Edition on March 9, 2026. Klass, an Emmy award winner with nearly ten years of experience covering hurricanes, tornadoes and other extreme events, most recently served at...
The Capture Branded "Best Thriller on TV" And "BBC's Most Underrated Drama" In Season 3 Reviews
The Capture returns for a third season after a four‑year gap, positioning itself as the “best thriller on TV” according to early critics. The story follows Inspector Rachel Carey, now Acting Commander of Counter‑Terrorism, as she pilots a new surveillance...
Neil Brown Named New Chairman of Poynter Institute Board of Trustees
The Poynter Institute announced that longtime president Neil Brown will also serve as chairman of its Board of Trustees, succeeding Paul Tash after a 20‑year tenure. Brown, who joined Poynter in 2017 and previously edited the Tampa Bay Times, will...
Why Unleashed Brands Tapped VaynerX to Pump up Social Media Marketing
Unleashed Brands, the youth‑enrichment operator behind Urban Air Adventure Parks, appointed former Burger King CMO Pat O’Toole as chief marketer and enlisted VaynerX to overhaul its social media strategy. Moving away from a purely lower‑funnel, conversion‑heavy approach, the partnership launched...
HBO Comedy 'Rooster' Is Worth Crowing About
HBO’s new comedy “Rooster” debuts Sunday, March 8, starring Steve Carell as Greg Russo, an insecure thriller author navigating personal and professional turmoil. The series is created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, with Jonathan Krisel directing, and has been lauded...
Influencer Pay Lacks Transparency: Here’s What the Numbers Say
Marketers are increasingly splitting influencer efforts between in‑house teams and agencies, with 52% adopting a hybrid approach and 16% moving fully in‑house. Only 25% of agencies tie compensation to key performance indicators, and just 51% of marketers have full visibility...
Hulu + Live TV Should Disney+'s Streams to Its Channel Guide
Disney will retire the standalone Hulu app by 2026, moving its on‑demand library into Disney+. Hulu + Live TV will stay as a separate subscription but its future home is unclear, with options including the Disney+ app or the merged Fubo platform....
YouTube TV Is In Talks For a Massive New Sports Deal
The NBA is in advanced talks with YouTube TV, Amazon, ESPN and DAZN to launch a centralized streaming hub for local team broadcasts, potentially as early as the 2026‑27 season. The effort gained urgency after Main Street Sports Group collapsed,...
New Station Virgin Radio 90s to Launch on DAB in London
Virgin Radio is set to launch a dedicated 90s channel, Virgin Radio 90s, on DAB in London and online across the UK on Monday 9 March at 10 am. The station will deliver nonstop 90s music, ranging from dance anthems to...
Netflix Acquires Movie Production Firm Founded By Ben Affleck
Netflix announced the acquisition of InterPositive, Ben Affleck's AI‑focused filmmaking‑technology firm, to bolster its in‑house production capabilities. The deal underscores Netflix's commitment to integrating generative AI tools that enhance, rather than replace, creative talent. Meanwhile, German media conglomerate Axel Springer...
Savannah Guthrie to Return to the “Today” Show
Savannah Guthrie announced she intends to return to NBC’s “Today” show despite her mother’s ongoing disappearance investigation. Paramount CEO David Ellison discussed the pending Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, emphasizing that CNN will retain editorial independence while expanding into streaming. CNN’s...
Free MLB.TV Is Back For T-Mobile Customers, But Only For a Few Days
T‑Mobile has revived its partnership with Major League Baseball, offering eligible customers a free MLB.TV subscription for the 2026 season—a service normally priced at $149.99. The benefit applies to qualifying T‑Mobile and Metro by T‑Mobile voice and data plans, but...
“Love Story” Becomes FX’s Most Watched Limited Series On Streaming
Ryan Murphy’s limited drama "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" has become FX’s most‑watched limited series on streaming, delivering over 25 million hours viewed across its first five episodes on Disney+ and Hulu. The fifth episode attracted 51 % more viewers...
John Lewis Enlists Daisy May Cooper to Highlight What Mums Want for Mother’s Day
John Lewis has teamed up with actress Daisy May Cooper for its Mother’s Day social campaign, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi. The initiative spotlights what mums truly want, moving beyond conventional gift tropes. Launched across digital channels, the content aims...
Gender Equality Attitudes Stuck In Neutral As Advertisers Face Split Audience
A new Ipsos global survey shows public attitudes toward gender equality have plateaued, with little movement over recent years. The study reveals modest generational shifts, as younger respondents are marginally more supportive of progressive norms while older groups retain traditional...
A Little Dog Continues To Grow The Kennel
A city‑owned golf course in Delray Beach, Florida, houses a Class B AM radio station that transmits at 5 kW during the day and 500 W after dark. The station currently airs a Spanish‑language Christian format. Ownership and programming leadership are shifting to...
Czech TV Viewing Rises as Out-of-Home Data Added to Official Measurement
Czech television viewing jumped sharply in February after Atmedia introduced a new audience metric that adds out‑of‑home consumption. Average daily viewing rose to 4 hours 11 minutes, a 10% year‑on‑year increase. Out‑of‑home viewing accounted for about 7% of total time but drove roughly...
Aviva and Direct Line Kick Off Review to Consolidate Media Agencies
Aviva has launched a comprehensive review of its media agency arrangements following the recent acquisition of Direct Line. The review seeks to consolidate the agencies handling Aviva’s and Direct Line’s advertising to create a unified communications strategy. By aligning media...
“Bluey” Tops The Nielsen Chart Once Again
Bluey reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s Acquired Shows chart for the week of Feb 2‑8, 2025‑2026, logging 871 K minutes and breaking into the overall top‑10. Disney’s family‑friendly slate continues to dominate the acquired‑show rankings, while Netflix’s original hits The Lincoln...
Electric Car Brand Changan Enters UK Market with New Media Agency
Chinese automaker Changan announced its entry into the United Kingdom by signing a partnership with a leading UK media agency to launch its electric‑vehicle line. The collaboration will drive a £5 million marketing push aimed at introducing the brand to British...
Is Autopilot Killing Your Team’s Creativity?
The article warns that radio hosts slipping into autopilot lose the spark needed for fresh content. When routine thinking filters out everyday moments, potential story ideas vanish. The author argues that true creativity stems from keen observation and emotional reaction...
How The Atlantic Won ‘Tortoise and Hare’ Race versus Digital News Start-Ups
The Atlantic has entered a profitable “virtue cycle,” reinvesting subscription revenue to expand its newsroom and content offerings. Subscriber numbers jumped to 1.5 million in 2025, with half of those digital‑only, after a 14.7% year‑on‑year increase in 2024. The magazine capitalized...
Entravision Net Loss Improves In Q4 Thanks to AI Ad-Tech Division
Entravision Communications posted a fourth‑quarter net loss of $18.2 million, a sharp improvement from $56.4 million a year earlier, while full‑year loss narrowed to $79.2 million. The turnaround was driven entirely by its Advertising Technology & Services (ATS) segment, which saw revenue jump...
Benjamin Hale on How to Expand a Magazine Article Into a Book
Benjamin Hale explains how his Harper's article on a 1978 Ozark murder expanded into the book Cave Mountain because he had far more material than the 15,000‑word limit allowed. He outlines his nine‑box grid method, a nine‑square outline that builds...
Movistar Plus Adds Mandatory Ads when Accessing TV Channels
Movistar Plus has expanded its mandatory pre‑roll advertising to several Atresmedia linear channels, adding a 30‑second non‑skippable ad before viewers can watch live broadcasts. The system, first rolled out on RTVE channels, limits exposure to one ad per 30 minutes...
People Are Wondering Who Is Running The White House's X and Tik Tok Accounts, Running War Communucations
White House officials have begun using X and TikTok to broadcast real‑time updates about the Ukraine war, blending official statements with short‑form video content. The posts have sparked speculation about who actually manages these accounts, as no clear staff roster...
Entravision Restructures US Leadership, Names Audio President
Entravision announced a major leadership reshuffle, naming Eduardo Maytorena as President of Entravision Audio to oversee radio, digital audio, and national sales. Winter Horton was promoted to Chief Revenue Officer, while Jeff DeMartino, Maria Martinez‑Guzman, Jessica Martinez, LeaAnna Hernandez and...
Daily Mail Amends Electric Car Story After Yougov Poll Showed Public Could Have Been Misled
The Daily Mail published a July 2025 story that compared electric‑vehicle prices with a £22,000 petrol‑car figure, implying a stark cost gap. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit argued the comparison was misleading because the petrol figure did not represent an...
DigitalAudience Accelerates UK Expansion with Local Leadership
digitalAudience is accelerating its UK footprint in 2026 by appointing Paul Smith as Managing Director and Cristina Ghiuta as Customer Success Manager. The hires aim to drive market development, partnership growth, and customer onboarding for the company’s privacy‑first data‑collaboration platform....
How to Chart a Career Path in Modern Hollywood, With Rachel Sennott
In this episode of The Town, host Matt Bellany chats with multi‑talented actor‑writer‑producer Rachel Sennott about carving a career path in today’s Hollywood. Rachel recounts how she broke out of NYU’s siloed acting program by collaborating with film students, building...
London Book Fair 2026: Program Highlights
The London Book Fair 2026 will host a three‑day seminar program from March 10‑12, featuring hundreds of publishers, authors, technologists and industry leaders. Highlights include keynotes from Tom Weldon of Penguin Random House UK and Joanna Prior of Pan Macmillan, alongside sessions...
The Audiobook Boom and the Opportunity for Radio Presenters
The global audiobook market, valued at $6.8 billion in 2023, is projected to exceed $31 billion by 2030, creating a surge in demand for skilled narrators. Radio presenters, already adept at mic work and audience connection, see a natural pathway into long‑form...
Volumetric Video Won Gold at the Olympics. Is an Oscar Next?
Volumetric video captured the Winter Olympics, delivering multi‑angle replays that can be re‑framed in post‑production. The technology proved its worth at Milano Cortina 2026, where AI‑enhanced volumetric replays approached cinematic quality. Outside sport, artists like Radiohead have experimented with the format, but...
Shoppable Content Meets Cloud Gaming on CTV
At Streaming Media Connect 2026, Fuse Media’s CRO Karl Meyer and Spaceback co‑founder Joe Hall discussed how shoppable content is converging with cloud gaming on connected‑TV platforms. Samsung’s early integration of on‑demand gaming into its smart TVs set the stage,...
7:30 Announces New Executive Producer
ABC News appointed Dani Isdale as the new Executive Producer of 7.30, succeeding Joel Tozer. Isdale brings 26 years of award‑winning international journalism experience, including BAFTA, News Emmy and RTS honors. She currently serves as Deputy Head of Foreign and...
Ellison Offers Vague Platitudes on Paramount's CNN Future
After nearly a week of being mum about it, David Ellison *finally* commented on CNN's future under Paramount—but he offered little more than empty platitudes and dodged the larger questions that loom over the network. More in @get_status: https://www.status.news/p/david-ellison-cnn-cbs-news-future
Analyst Predicts HBO Max Closure by 2027
'We expect HBO Max to essentially be shut down at the end of 2027 ' -- MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman in a research note today...
Live Streaming Latency vs On-Demand Infrastructure Reliability
The transition from broadcast to IP delivery has sharpened the focus on live‑stream latency, exposing a 30‑60 second gap that threatens viewer engagement. Unlike Video on Demand, live events cannot rely on pre‑encoding buffers, forcing engineers to balance immediacy against stability....
German Right‑wing Group Axel Springer Acquires UK Telegraph
The German Murdoch (no longer with New York right-winger Dovod Efune) buys the Telegraph. Expect it to invade America alongside Springer's Politico & Business Insider. Just what we need: more right-wing media. Axel Springer buys Telegraph in £575m deal https://t.co/T3uAE3VSvY
Axel Springer Snags Telegraph, Undermines RedBird‑IMI Deal
SCOOP: AXEL Springer to buy Telegraph, gate crashing an earlier deal RedBird IMI had with the Daily Mail. With dream team @DanielThomasLDN @ArashMassoudi https://t.co/JXU4G9iMuj
NFL Reportedly Wants New Rights Deals in Place by Start of Next Season
The NFL is accelerating its media‑rights negotiations, aiming to lock in new agreements before the 2026 season starts in September, earlier than the previously expected fall window. Talks will begin with Paramount and then Fox, with contracts likely extending through...
Media Highlights Heritage PR, Ignores 60k Youth Protest
Notice how PR letters from Heritage Foundation-affiliated grifters pushing to pass surveillance laws get written up immediately in MSM outlets, but not ONE major news outlet is covering the 60,000 young people coming together to voice opposition.
X Bans Undisclosed AI War Clips for 90 Days
X Defunds The Deepfakes: Undisclosed AI War Clips To Face 90-Day Revenue Ban | Republic World https://t.co/hUVPj3L7Nj #war #wardeepfake #Deepfake #DeepfakeDetection #AIGeneratedContent #AISecurity #DigitalForensics #SyntheticMedia #MediaManipulation #CyberSecurityAwareness #Disinformation #Misinformation #AIEthics #AIRegulation #TrustInMedia #ContentAuthentication #OnlineSafety
Estrella TV Sees Strongest Ratings in 5 Years
Estrella TV’s latest Nielsen report marks its strongest performance in half a decade, with a 51 percent lift in prime‑time audience among adults 18‑49 and a 65 percent year‑over‑year gain for February. The surge pushes the network’s average to 40,900 viewers in...
Will David Ellison Remake the NFL Market?
David Ellison, backed by Skydance and RedBird Capital, has embarked on a $125 billion media buying spree, acquiring Paramount for $8 billion, securing a $7.7 billion UFC broadcast deal on CBS, and moving to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery for roughly $110 billion. These transactions dramatically expand...
Today Is Bandcamp Friday
Bandcamp Fridays, launched in March 2020 during the pandemic, waive the platform’s revenue share so every purchase goes directly to artists and labels. The program has generated over $120 million for independent musicians and has become a vehicle for charitable fundraising....
Tubi Horror Guide: A Growing Lineup of Free Horror Moises, Channels, & TV Shows
Tubi has assembled one of the largest free horror libraries on any streaming platform, offering hundreds of titles across classic, cult, and modern sub‑genres. The service runs two dedicated 24/7 FAST horror channels and continuously refreshes its on‑demand catalog, with...
Big Question: How YouTube Thinks of Its Place in Video Ecosystem
YouTube now accounts for over 12% of all TV viewing time in January, outpacing Netflix by roughly four percentage points, according to Nielsen’s latest "The Gauge" report. The platform’s VP for the Americas, Tara Walpert Levy, framed YouTube as a...