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.
Comedy Meets Culture: Jess a Couple Things Partners With Backyard Ventures
Backyard Ventures announced an exclusive partnership with Jess A Couple Things, the pop‑culture comedy show hosted by Jessie Woo. The deal positions BV as the sole representative for premium brand collaborations across the show’s Instagram, YouTube, podcast and other social channels. Jessie Woo brings over one million Instagram followers and a highly engaged, predominantly female audience. The partnership aims to expand the show’s reach while unlocking targeted advertising opportunities for brands.
SAVE THE DATE: TALKERS 2026 Conference Set for Friday June 5 at Hofstra University
The 27th annual TALKERS conference is slated for Friday, June 5, 2026 at Hofstra University’s modern campus on Long Island. After a one‑year hiatus in 2025, the event returns with its traditional partnership with WRHU‑FM and the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication....
Ofcom to Force Stations to Create Local News Locally
Ofcom announced new licence conditions requiring all local analogue commercial radio stations to broadcast mandatory local news bulletins. Weekday bulletins must air hourly between 6 am and 7 pm, with at least three bulletins on weekends and bank holidays, and stations previously...
How a Former Hedge Fund Analyst Built a Six-Figure Newsletter Covering Asia’s Overlooked Stocks
Michael Fritzell, a former hedge‑fund analyst with 15 years in investment banking and buy‑side roles, left finance in 2021 to launch Asian Century Stocks, a paid newsletter spotlighting overlooked Chinese and Southeast Asian companies. Leveraging his Mandarin fluency and on‑the‑ground...
Brave Bison Appoints Ed Knights as Head of Growth
Brave Bison, the UK‑based influencer‑marketing and digital‑media platform, has named Ed Knights as its new Head of Growth. Knights joins from senior roles at Born Social and M&C Saatchi Performance, where he led performance‑driven campaigns for major brands. The appointment...
Week of Feb. 9 Cable News Ratings: Total Viewers Grow
For the week of Feb 9 2026, Fox News, MS NOW, and CNN all recorded higher total viewership, with Fox News maintaining its lead in primetime and total‑day audiences. Fox News posted a 5% rise in primetime total viewers (2.768 million) and a 7%...
Broadpeak Launches Multiview For Live Sports at 2026 NAB Show
Broadpeak announced the launch of its Multiview solution for live sports at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The technology lets broadcasters, streaming platforms and telecom operators deliver multiple simultaneous feeds on a single screen, offering viewers the ability to...
Carson Roney: Discipline Of An Athlete, Instinct Of A Content Creator
Carson Roney leveraged her athlete’s discipline to build a multi‑platform creator business after college, turning TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat into revenue streams that now outpace her previous wait‑staff job. A surge in posting frequency during the COVID‑19 lockdown sparked rapid...
March 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Daylight Savings Time, Applications for New LPTV/TV Translator Stations, Political Windows, and More
The FCC’s March 2026 calendar is packed with compliance milestones for broadcasters. Daylight‑Saving Time begins on March 8, forcing AM stations to verify sign‑on and sign‑off times, while a filing freeze on March 12 pauses all Class A, LPTV and translator modifications until...
Unfiltered Media Podcast
Barb CEO Justin Sampson appeared on the Unfiltered Media podcast on 25 February 2026 to examine mounting pressures on traditional media measurement currencies. He explained how fragmented consumption across streaming, social and gaming platforms is eroding legacy TV‑rating models. Sampson...
Olympic Snowboarder Maddie Mastro Generated The Biggest Engagement Surge On Team USA’s Instagram – All On Organic Content
U.S. halfpipe snowboarder Maddie Mastro, reigning World Cup champion, generated the largest organic engagement surge among Team USA accounts during the lead‑up to the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. In the 30 days surrounding the Games her Instagram engagement rose nearly...
DUPAY: The Income Protection Platform Turning Unpaid Creator Invoices Into Recoverable Revenue
DUPAY, launched in May 2023, offers a subscription‑based income‑protection platform for creators, agencies, and small businesses. Leveraging AI‑generated demand letters and a three‑letter escalation protocol, the service reports an 81% success rate in recovering unpaid invoices across 16 countries. Beyond...
Design for AI Agents First, Not Human Users
Here's my new deep dive on why you need to build your product for AI agents first. I spent a decade obsessing over intuitive user experiences (and I still do!). But the "user" in UX is quickly becoming an AI agent instead. For...
F1 CEO: Audience Reach on Apple Will Be ‘Even Bigger’ than ESPN
Formula One has signed a reported $150 million per‑year deal with Apple, ending its ESPN partnership that delivered a record 1.32 million U.S. viewers in its final season. Apple TV+ will stream every practice, qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix at no extra cost, while...
Why “Magic Links” And Passcodes Are Taking over News Logins
News publishers are increasingly replacing passwords with email‑based magic links or one‑time passcodes. Small‑scale outlets using platforms like Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv cite reduced security overhead and faster onboarding as primary benefits. Industry voices argue that magic links combat password...
AiMCO Wants to End the ‘Wild West’ Era of Influencer Marketing in Australia With Its 2026 Summit
The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) will host its 2026 Summit on Feb 26 in Sydney, aiming to shift the perception of influencer marketing from a “Wild West” to a disciplined, brand‑ready channel. The not‑for‑profit body, which introduced Australia’s first influencer...
Digital Media Company Raptive Crosses $4B In Publisher Payouts
Raptive, the ad‑management platform for independent sites, announced it has paid $4 billion to its publisher partners, confirming its status among the top‑10 global media companies. The network now spans more than 6,500 premium sites, reaching 223 million unique monthly visitors and...
Valerie Bertinelli Launches Subscription Direct-to-Fan Platform ‘Valerie’s Place,’ Including New Episodes of ‘Home Cooking’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Former Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli has launched a subscription‑based direct‑to‑fan platform called Valerie’s Place, priced at $2 per month. The service, built on Visible Things’ technology, offers new episodes of her show Home Cooking, original programming, podcasts, live streams,...
ITV Studios Produces the Spanish Version of Parents’ Evening for Atresmedia
ITV Studios announced that its hit UK celebrity game show Parents’ Evening will be adapted for the Spanish market by Atresmedia, with production handled by ITV Studios Iberia. The format, created by Ranga Bee Productions and hosted by Romesh Ranganathan...
ABC News Is No. 1 Broadcast Network for Coverage of the State of the Union, Beating NBC by 1.4 Million...
ABC News topped all broadcast networks in live‑plus‑same‑day viewership for the 2026 State of the Union, drawing 4.912 million total viewers. The coverage outperformed NBC by 1.43 million viewers and CBS by 1.65 million, while also beating Fox and the combined cable audience...
Apple Could Monetize Default AI Like Safari Search
AI Tracking Transparency In November, Apple updated its App Store developer guidelines to require developers to obtain affirmative, opt-in consent from users before sending “personal data” to third-party AI services. A pertinent question is: if Apple is able to dissuade developers...
IHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God Announce the Fourth Annual Black Effect Podcast Festival Presented by State Farm® on April 25...
iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God announced the fourth annual Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta on April 25, 2026. The day‑long event, presented by State Farm, will feature hosts Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Loren LoRosa, with tickets on...
Progressive Talk Media Star Thom Hartmann Interviewed
Thom Hartmann, a leading progressive talk‑radio host, appears as Michael Harrison’s guest on the Up Close Far Out video series hosted by TALKERS magazine. Hartmann’s daily program airs on hundreds of terrestrial stations, SiriusXM Progress 127, Free Speech TV, Substack,...
TV Agency Launches Book Division Targeting YA, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Recently, the LA-based TV literary agency Kaplan Stahler brought on Jillian Davis to start their book department. She focuses on authors of YA, romance, and women’s fiction. I’m grateful to Jillian for answering a few questions about the unique space she’s...
The Art (And Science) Of Measurement with Extreme Reach’s Sherman Li
Extreme Reach (XR) operates as a full‑stack ad‑operations hub, handling everything from payroll and asset management to multi‑platform delivery. The company recently announced a digital integration with Nielsen One, allowing advertisers to attach audience measurement data directly to each ad....
AudioUK Appoints Chris Baughen as Chief Executive Officer
AudioUK announced that Chris Baughen will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer on 30 March 2026. Baughen arrives with more than two decades of experience at Wondery, Spotify, Global and Deezer, spanning radio, streaming and podcasting. His appointment coincides with a...
If the Bot Lies, Who Pays?
A federal court in Georgia dismissed Mark Walters’ defamation lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the complaint lacked the required fault element. The ruling underscores that AI systems themselves cannot be liable for defamation because they lack intent and legal personhood. Liability...
TV Media Buyers Want Outcomes – So Nielsen Is Introducing More Advanced Audiences
Nielsen announced the addition of more than 200 advanced audience segments to its Nielsen ONE cross‑platform dashboard, drawing on Scarborough’s extensive U.S. consumer surveys. The new segments span demographics, purchase behavior and lifestyle categories, and are intended to improve TV...
EE and Kevin Bacon Part Ways After 14 Years
EE announced it is ending its 14‑year partnership with actor Kevin Bacon, who has been the brand’s voiceover since 2012. The telecom giant will replace Bacon with popular radio and TV presenter Nick Grimshaw, who will begin recording new ads...
Jameson Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Activations
Jameson Irish Whiskey marked St. Patrick’s Day with a series of high‑visibility activations across the UK, featuring a branded food‑truck, pop‑up bars, and a multi‑media partnership with the English Football League (EFL). The campaign leveraged live match broadcasts, digital content,...
Week of Feb. 9 Evening News Ratings: Nightly News Gets Olympic Boost
NBC Nightly News anchored from Milan posted week‑to‑week gains in both total viewers and the coveted Adults 25‑54 demo, buoyed by its Milano‑Cortina 2026 Olympic coverage. The broadcast recorded 7.797 million total viewers and 1.24 million demo viewers, up 8% and 13% respectively,...
FIPP Announces a Trio of AI-Related Actions for Its Members
FIPP has launched three AI‑focused initiatives to help its publishing members navigate the rapid rise of generative AI. An AI Working Group, led by Elsa Esparbé and Tim Bulley, will craft a strategic framework to protect IP and audiences. The federation also...
How The New York Times Covers the SOTU Under Intense Deadline Pressure
The New York Times deploys more than 50 journalists to cover each State of the Union, anticipating both scripted content and spontaneous incidents. Editor Elizabeth Kennedy, who heads the White House team, coordinates reporters, photographers, and digital staff to meet...
Dale Anglin Tells Us How Press Forward Is Leveraging Local News to Build Community
Press Forward, led by inaugural executive director Dale Anglin, is a philanthropic initiative that provides grant funding to local news organizations across the United States. Anglin, formerly vice president for grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation, emphasizes community restoration through hyperlocal...
Dystopian Drama with "Gut-Wrenching Twists" Said to Be 'Unlike Anything on TV' Is Coming to Netflix
Amazon Prime’s acclaimed dystopian series The Man in the High Castle will debut on Netflix on March 11, nearly seven years after its original finale. Created by Frank Spotnitz and starring Rufus Sewell, the show reimagines a world where the Nazis...
WAN-IFRA Introduces the NextGen AI Leaders Programme to Equip Emerging News Executives with Practical AI and Leadership Skills
WAN-IFRA has launched the NextGen AI Leaders Programme, a tuition‑free 12‑week initiative aimed at equipping 24 emerging news executives aged 25‑40 from Europe, the Middle East and Africa with practical AI and leadership skills. Backed by the Google News Initiative,...
Philadelphia’s New Brand Platform Positions Cream Cheese as Kitchen Staple
Philadelphia Cream Cheese unveiled its biggest ever marketing push, the “Really Philly Good” platform, developed by Johannes Leonardo. The campaign introduces a cowboy‑esque brand character, Phillyboy, featured in 19 short spots across linear TV, streaming, YouTube, social and audio. Targeting...
A Data-Driven Approach to Subscriber Satisfaction
Newsday, a Long Island‑based multiplatform news outlet, has leveraged the American Press Institute’s Metrics for News (MFN) analytics tool since 2018 to turn data into subscriber growth. By tracking audience enthusiasm for niche beats, the paper launched new content initiatives,...
Building Trust Through Strategic Collaborations
Factchequeado, a nonprofit serving over 68 million U.S. Latinos, has become the nation’s largest collaborative effort against Spanish‑language disinformation. By realigning its partnership strategy in 2024, the organization saw a 60% year‑over‑year rise in social media traffic after teaming with a...
Capturing Transformative Impact in Action
The American Press Institute (API) released its 2025 Impact Report, showcasing case studies that illustrate how the organization’s “learning out loud” philosophy is being applied across the media sector. By inviting journalism leaders to share insights, API synthesizes these lessons...
In This Cleveland Newsroom, AI Is Writing (But Not Reporting) the News
Cleveland.com’s editor Chris Quinn created an AI rewrite desk, hiring Joshua Newman to use an in‑house ChatGPT to turn reporters’ notes into polished stories, which humans then fact‑check. The experiment has kept story volume steady while giving reporters an extra...
Semafor Claims Media Trust Amid Controversial Allies
Wha? Semafor wants to restore trust in media (as if media ever had it) with the FCC's chief censor run rampant, the editor who's killing the WaPo, a Sunday host some do not trust, a Fox Sunday host, Germany's Murdoch,...
Crypto YouTube Viewership Drops Steadily Since 2021
This chart shows views to various crypto youtube channels. Retail interest (at least in terms of watching these channels) has declined since 2021. https://t.co/D6n1vfcPVF
Gripping and "Dark" Mystery Thriller Branded "Masterpiece" Is Now Streaming on Netflix
Netflix has released the eight‑episode Korean mystery thriller *The Art of Sarah*, starring Shin Hye Sun as a deceptive luxury‑brand executive. The series follows Detective Park Mu‑gyeong as he investigates a body that appears to be Sarah, uncovering a web...
Andrew Marchand Analyzes MLB Rights, ESPN Sunday, NBC Olympics
New pod: @AndrewMarchand returns to gab about MLB media rights, ESPN's Sunday night strategy and NBC's Olympic performance. https://t.co/unMXYcxV6h
Wired's “Gay Mafia” Cover Sparks Editorial Backlash
Wired's cover displays shockingly bad editorial judgment. 'Wired' cover on tech's 'gay mafia' ignites controversy https://t.co/RPQthrkQGm
Grey’s Anatomy Star Patrick Dempsey Planned to Reunite with Eric Dane on New Show Before His Death
Patrick Dempsey disclosed that he had been arranging for his late Grey’s Anatomy co‑star Eric Dane to appear as his brother in the upcoming thriller Memory of a Killer. The casting plan collapsed after Dane succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,...
Banijay Entertainment and Talpa Studios Present New Format, The Bycicle Race
Banijay Entertainment and Talpa Studios have unveiled "The Bicycle Race," an eight‑episode adventure‑reality format created by EndemolShine Nederland and Talpa Studios for Dutch broadcaster SBS6. The series follows six celebrity duos as they bike across India, facing tactical challenges and...
Screenverse Leaders Share Insight on DOOH Buying Strategy
Screenverse executives David Weinfeld and Montana Accavallo discussed premium buyer expectations on the CX Innovators podcast, highlighting how data‑driven demands are reshaping digital‑out‑of‑home (DOOH) buying. They explained that integration of supply‑side and demand‑side platforms is crucial for securing repeat, high‑value...
Adform Becomes First-Ever DSP to Join ISBA’s Partner Programme, Championing Digital Sovereignty for British Advertisers
Adform announced it is the first demand‑side platform to join the Institute of Shared Business Advertising (ISBA) Partner Programme, positioning itself as a champion of digital sovereignty for UK brands. The partnership aims to give advertisers greater visibility, accountability and...