Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions top 2.2 bn, revenue hits $176B
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 for the first time as pay‑TV revenue fell to $170 billion. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit rates in 2026, prompting operators to focus on monetising existing users.
Atresplayer Deepens Partnership with Claro Video in Latam
Atresplayer, the streaming arm of Spain’s Atresmedia, has broadened its partnership with Claro Video, embedding its entire video‑on‑demand catalog and four flagship linear channels into the Claro platform across 14 Latin American markets, including Mexico. The deal upgrades the 2021 add‑on arrangement into a core offering, granting Claro subscribers seamless access to premium Spanish‑language series, reality formats and telenovelas. This integration positions Atresplayer as a major content source within the region’s competitive streaming landscape. It also reinforces Atresmedia’s three‑decade presence in the Americas.
Heritage Brands Embrace Creator Economy: Nat Geo Launches Program
As audience behavior continues to shift toward personality-driven media, more heritage brands are adapting. National Geographic is the latest legacy institution to launch its own creator program.
IAB Unveils 2026 NewFronts, Marking a Defining Moment for Streaming, CTV, and AI-Powered Video
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the 2026 NewFronts event, scheduled for March 23‑26 in New York, spotlighting AI‑driven video, streaming, and CTV innovations. The four‑day conference will feature live and virtual sessions from tech giants like Google, Meta, and...
Last Year Was A Deadly One For Journalists: 129 Were Killed Reporting On Conflicts
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported a record 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, with roughly two‑thirds of those deaths attributed to Israeli actions. The deadliest single incident was a Houthi‑targeted strike in Yemen that claimed 31 lives,...
DCN’s Media Industry Must Reads: Week of February 26, 2026
Digital Content Next’s weekly roundup spotlights pivotal media developments, from a U.S. judge rebuking a government search of a reporter’s home to the UK’s impending stricter regulation of Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. It highlights publishers navigating AI‑driven marketplace deals,...
Reporting Andrew Arrest, Robot Reporters at Mediahuis and Dom’s Verdict on Prince Harry Trial
The Future of Media Explained podcast examined how journalists disclosed the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, weighing the public interest against privacy concerns. It revealed Mediahuis’s initiative to deploy AI agents for generating first‑line news stories, signaling a shift toward automated...
How to Cover Child Welfare — and Not Just the System
The article urges journalists to place children and families at the center of child‑welfare reporting, questioning the language and systemic biases that often obscure lived experiences. It highlights the need to move beyond crisis‑driven stories, showing how sensational coverage can...
AI Versus Accuracy? We’re Willing to Make the Trade-Off.
Researchers at Northwestern’s GAIN initiative and the Center for News, Technology, and Innovation found that news readers overwhelmingly prefer AI chatbots and summarization tools over direct visits to publisher sites, valuing speed, perceived neutrality, and control. Participants acknowledge the answers...
RTL Deutschland Seals Sony Pictures Deal for RTL+ and Free-TV
RTL Deutschland has signed a new agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment Deutschland, delivering a substantial package of Sony films to its streaming platform RTL+ and free‑TV channels. The deal covers the second pay‑window, granting RTL+ early and exclusive access to...
UK and US Consider Further Regulation to Protect Live Sport on FTA TV
Governments in the UK and US are weighing new rules to safeguard live sport on free‑to‑air television. In Britain, Labour MPs are pushing to broaden the ‘crown jewels’ list of protected events, a framework unchanged since 1998. In the United...
Why AI Gives Media Companies a Syncing Feeling
Artificial intelligence has become inseparable from media strategy, yet a pronounced syncing gap threatens its impact. Consumers adopt generative AI tools at breakneck speed, while media firms struggle to translate that demand into sustainable revenue. AI shows clear productivity gains...
‘End Streaming Fraud.’
Streaming fraud—artificial plays generated by bots and AI‑created content—is siphoning royalties from legitimate artists, songwriters, and labels. Fraudsters exploit gaps in distributor and platform safeguards, inflating streams to capture revenue from the finite pool that streaming services allocate. The IFPI...
Does The Trade Desk Need to Get Acquisitive?
The Trade Desk (TTD) is feeling pressure as major agencies pull spend toward Amazon’s DSP and its own OpenPath and Kokai platforms stumble. Recent earnings missed revenue expectations, highlighting a slowdown despite the company’s $12 billion market cap and strong growth...
UK News Giants Form ‘NATO for News’ Group to Control AI Scraping
Five leading UK news organisations—Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC and Sky News—have created the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (SPUR) coalition to develop shared AI licensing standards. The group aims to curb unlicensed scraping of journalistic content by...
CTV Is Defining the Future of Streaming Ads
Connected TVs now reach over 85% of U.S. households, with roughly 60% of Gen Z streaming on them, and have surpassed cable as the primary source of video consumption in 2025. Advertisers are shifting focus to CTV because it gathers the...
Chelsea Citizen Banks Campaign Wins and Local Goodwill, but yet to Turn Profit
The Chelsea Citizen, a hyper‑local news site launched a year ago in London’s affluent Chelsea and Kensington borough, has leveraged campaigning journalism to influence council decisions and attract high‑profile support. Notable victories include halting a proposed 29‑storey Battersea tower and...
Why Most Live Streams Won't Exist in 30 Days
Live streaming generated roughly $78 billion in 2025 and approaches $100 billion by 2024, yet most platforms delete recordings within days or weeks. Twitch, Instagram Live, and TikTok Live automatically purge VODs, while YouTube’s archival is optional and often de‑prioritized. This creates...
Agencies Using Open, AI-Driven Media Buying Are Outperforming the Market – AI Digital’s Open Garden Framework Animation Shows Exactly Why
AI Digital unveiled an animated explainer of its Open Garden Framework, highlighting how AI‑driven, open‑ecosystem media buying outperforms closed‑platform approaches. The data shows advertisers achieve 2.9‑times higher performance, 26% greater ROI, and make decisions 73% faster when leveraging predictive analytics...
Influencer & Creator Networks: Partnering for Sustainable Audience Growth
Creator marketing is exploding, with U.S. ad spend projected at $37 billion in 2025 and the broader creator economy expected to hit $480 billion by 2027. Traditional publishers are scrambling to partner with influencers to stay relevant, as creator‑driven content outperforms editorial...
Report: The Future of Sport Is Multi-Format, Multi-Channel Offerings
Altman Solon’s seventh Annual Global Sports Survey warns that linear TV can no longer anchor sports consumption. Executives are urged to shift toward multi‑format, multi‑channel offerings that blend live games, highlights, and interactive content. The report highlights a 6 percent rise in...
AdPlayer.Pro Introduces New Results-Driven Features in Its Ad-Enabled Video Player
AdPlayer.Pro has rolled out new configuration capabilities for its ad‑enabled video player, targeting both instream and standalone video placements. The updates expand ad‑interval settings and aim to boost performance amid a market slowdown reported by over 40% of its users....
Ashwini Vaishnaw Demands Fair Revenue Share for Content Creators
India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged social media platforms to adopt a fair‑revenue‑share model that compensates journalists, newsrooms, independent creators, influencers and academics. He framed the demand as a correction needed as synthetic media and misinformation proliferate online....
Campaign Big Global Awards 2026: Winners Revealed
The Campaign Big Global Awards 2026 have announced their winners, with agencies from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas taking top honors. VCCP and Serviceplan emerged as the most celebrated firms, each securing multiple category wins. The results underscore the...
The Retro Innovation of ‘The Pitt,’ With Lead Producer John Wells
In this episode of The Town, host Matt Bellany talks with veteran TV producer John Wells about the unconventional production model behind HBO Max’s procedural drama “The Pit.” Wells explains how the show revives the classic broadcast‑style format—15 episodes per...
Veritone Renews Licensing Deal with U.S. Soccer
Veritone has renewed its multi‑year licensing agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation, extending access to the league’s archive through the Veritone Digital Media Hub. The AI‑driven platform will index full matches, highlights, interviews and multi‑camera angles, making footage searchable and...
The Ultimate Royalties Checklist for Independent Musicians
Symphonic has released a free “Ultimate Royalties Checklist” for independent musicians, outlining the full spectrum of royalty streams—from performance and mechanical to neighboring rights and YouTube Content ID. The guide provides a step‑by‑step “before you release” roadmap, registration checklists, and...
BeIN Extends F1 Rights Across 10 Asian Territories
beIN Asia Pacific has extended its exclusive Formula 1 broadcast partnership through the 2030 season, covering ten Asian territories. The agreement secures live transmission of every Grand Prix, practice, qualifying, Sprint and related feeder series such as Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy...
WPP Launches New Elevate28 Strategy with Four Core Divisions and £500m Savings
WPP unveiled its Elevate28 strategy, reorganising the group into four core divisions and targeting £500 million in savings over the next three years. The plan places media at the centre of growth, reflecting a shift after a 5.4% revenue decline in...
Uncommon Hires Lola Neves as Head of Planning
Uncommon has appointed Lola Neves as its new head of planning, bringing a seasoned strategic mind to the agency. Neves previously served as chief strategy officer at Neverland, where she oversaw multi‑channel brand initiatives. Her move reflects Uncommon’s ambition to...
Shiine Media Drives Rooftop Rideshare OOH Growth Across WA
Shiine Media, a Perth‑based rooftop rideshare OOH operator, is experiencing rising demand for its mobile digital inventory as advertisers target events and nightlife districts. The company runs 20 rideshare vehicles equipped with 40 programmable LED panels that can be geofenced...
NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball” Stronger in Olympic-Adjacent Return
NBC’s "Sunday Night Basketball" returned alongside the Winter Olympics and posted a multi‑year high audience. The Celtics‑Lakers matchup earned a 2.5 Nielsen rating, 4.52 million viewers on NBC and 5.6 million when Telemundo and streaming data are added. This marks the largest...
Four Years On: Strengthening Independent Media in Ukraine
Four years into Russia's invasion, WAN‑IFRA’s Stronger Together programme continues bolstering Ukraine’s regional media with grants, investigative‑journalism training, and digital‑transformation support. The initiative has helped newsrooms publish over 90 investigative pieces while improving business models and leadership capacity. A new...
Will Andrew Bring Down the Monarchy? – Podcast
The Guardian’s "Today in Focus" podcast examines Prince Andrew’s trade‑envoy scandal as MPs vote to release related documents. Andrew was recently arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and continues to deny wrongdoing tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The episode...
CTV Fueled Magnite’s Q4 Growth As Display Falters
Magnite reported Q4 revenue of $205 million, a 6% year‑over‑year increase, driven largely by its fast‑growing connected‑TV (CTV) segment. While the DV+ platform’s display revenue grew modestly 4% to $101.5 million, CTV revenue surged 32% to $93.6 million, representing 48% of the quarter’s...
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron Lauds ‘Besties’ Netflix Relationship
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron highlighted the growing partnership with Netflix, noting that exclusive theatrical events such as the KPop Demon Hunters premiere and the Stranger Things series finale drove 35% of the film's total audience and generated $15 million in...
Monday TV Ratings: CIA, The Voice, The Rookie, Wild Cards, Memory of a Killer
Monday, February 23, 2025 fast‑affiliate ratings were released for CBS’s Monday lineup, covering new episodes of shows such as CIA, The Voice, The Rookie, Wild Cards, and American Idol. The CIA drama showed a modest dip in viewership, sparking speculation about its renewal...
The WaPo Shiva Begins
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner announced his support for an eleventh‑hour bid to acquire the UK broadsheet The Telegraph. He and a small group of conservative transatlantic investors are mobilizing financing for Dovid Efune, the publisher of the New York Sun, to...
Snapchat Launches Inaugural Snappys Awards for Creators
Snapchat announced The Snappys Awards Show, its first-ever awards show dedicated to celebrating the creators shaping culture on Snapchat.🏆 Hosted by Matt Friend, the event will take place on March 31 at Snapchat’s Santa Monica headquarters and will bring together creators,...
Netflix Unscripted Live Events Head Sahara Bushue Exits
Netflix’s unscripted live events division is undergoing a leadership change as Sahara Bushue, the director of unscripted series, has left the company. Bushue was responsible for recent projects such as the Star Search reboot, Rhythm & Flow, and Building the...
Media Needs ‘Self-Critical Reflection’ After Years of Negative Trump Coverage, Axel Springer CEO Says
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner urged media outlets to conduct a self‑critical reflection after repeatedly misreading Donald Trump’s electoral appeal, calling the coverage predictable and polarising. Speaking at Semafor’s “Restoring Trust in Media” summit, he highlighted the need for curiosity‑driven...
Investors Question Netflix's Push for WBD Amid Skepticism
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos will say he looks long term, but if Netflix ups its bid for WBD, investors who clearly are skeptical about the deal — even as is — may get even more concerned: why does Netflix want...
FCC Examines Shift of Sports From Broadcast to Streaming
D.C. Memo: @BrendanCarrFCC Has @FCC Looking at Migration of Sports Programming from Free TV to Streaming Platforms https://t.co/9Jr851pmvN
IPA Names DEI Champions on iList 2026 Shortlist
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has released the iList 2026 shortlist, highlighting agencies that have demonstrated outstanding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The shortlist features a select group of agencies that will be interviewed by a panel...
Swarm AI Agents Build Websites From Scratch, Editable
This is probably the most insanely cool AI product I've tried in recent memory. A swarm of AI agents designing a website from scratch. And you can edit things manually at any time (see my manual edit at the end 😅)....
Nexstar, Scripps, Sinclair Express Regulatory Optimism
Broadcasters are buoyed by FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s hints of relaxed ownership rules and a Trump endorsement of Nexstar’s $6 billion Tegna acquisition. Nexstar, Scripps and Sinclair all highlighted this regulatory optimism in recent earnings calls, stressing strategic M&A and operational...
WBD on Discovery Global’s Potential
Paramount Skydance argues that the Discovery Global spinoff would not add value for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders, positioning itself as the stronger bidder against Netflix. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, also CEO of Discovery Global, highlighted the global reach of DG's linear...
DoubleVerify Holdings Inc (DV) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
DoubleVerify reported a 15% year‑over‑year revenue increase to $657 million in 2024, driven by double‑digit growth across measurement, activation and a 25% surge in supply‑side revenue. The company recorded a record $8.3 trillion in billable media transactions and delivered a 33% adjusted...
30 English-Language News Outlets in Europe to Follow
Journalism.co.uk lists thirty English‑language news outlets across Europe, ranging from state‑funded broadcasters like Deutsche Welle and France 24 to independent digital platforms such as Politico Europe and Sifted. Many of these outlets expanded after Brexit, filling a gap for pan‑European coverage in...
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc (CCO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Clear Channel Outdoor reported fourth‑quarter 2020 revenue of $541 million, a 27% year‑over‑year decline, but showed sequential improvement in the Americas. The company added 74 digital billboards in Q4, bringing its U.S. digital inventory to over 1,400 screens, and expanded programmatic...
USA TODAY Co Inc (TDAY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
USA TODAY Co. reported Q4 2025 revenue of $585 million, down 5.8% year‑over‑year, while adjusted EBITDA rose 16.6% to $91.1 million, marking its strongest profitability in four years. Digital revenues hit an all‑time high, representing 47% of total revenue and driving a...