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.
Arch Platform Technologies, Wacom Integrate Wacom Bridge For Virtual Workflows’
Arch Platform Technologies and Wacom have integrated Wacom Bridge into Arch’s cloud GPU workstation platform, enabling artists to use Wacom pen displays with full driver support and reduced latency. The joint solution, launched on Feb. 24, offers a "local‑like" feel for remote creative workflows and supports Windows Server, Windows Client, and macOS. A free trial is available through an Arch subscription paired with an Amazon DCV license. The integration aims to simplify setup, support roaming profiles, and boost efficiency for distributed design teams.
Wowza Appoints Jon Corley Chief Technology Officer
Wowza announced Jon Corley as its new chief technology officer, tasked with steering the company’s AI‑driven streaming strategy. Corley will shape the technology vision, engineering roadmap, and product‑innovation agenda to embed artificial intelligence throughout Wowza’s platform. The move aligns with...
The Trade Desk Launches ‘Ventura Ecosystem’ to Further Optimize CTV Advertising
The Trade Desk unveiled the Ventura Ecosystem, a collaborative framework linking global TV operating systems and streaming platforms to streamline connected‑TV (CTV) advertising. The initiative offers participants access to The Trade Desk’s ad‑tech suite—including OpenPath, Unified ID 2.0/EUID, OpenAds, and upcoming...
How Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Used XR to Bring the Peaks of the Dolomites Into View
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports faced a visual gap when studio cameras cut off the snow‑capped Dolomite peaks visible from its Cortina studio. Director of Graphics Alex Dinnin solved it with extended reality, stitching live PTZ footage into a virtual scene that restores...
BBC Shrinks IBC Footprint as Remote Production Takes Center Stage
The BBC is scaling back its on‑site IBC presence for the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Games, opting for a leaner, remote‑production model anchored in Cortina, Livigno and its Salford headquarters. By consolidating editorial decisions in Salford and trimming infrastructure in Milan,...
Returning Near-Perfect BBC Thriller that Grips Fans Confirms Release Date with Action-Packed Trailer
BBC’s thriller *The Capture* returns for a third season on 8 March, with Holliday Grainger reprising Rachel Carey as Acting Commander of Counter Terrorism Command. The extended trailer reveals a London shooting whose footage has been altered by the covert “Correction”...
Radio Workflow Expands Its Platform
Radio Workflow has upgraded its cloud‑native broadcast platform, unifying sales, production, traffic and management for small‑to‑mid‑market stations. The expansion introduces Broadcast Buddy, an AI‑driven assistant that handles meeting prep, email summarization, contract drafting and system navigation. New sales tools let...
Vernon Kay Reveals Who Should Replace Wife Tess Daly on Strictly Come Dancing
Vernon Kay has publicly endorsed Alex Jones as the ideal replacement for his wife Tess Daly on BBC One’s flagship dance show *Strictly Come Dancing*. Daly and co‑host Claudia Winkleman stepped down after a combined 21‑year run, prompting a shortlist that also includes...
Sony Pictures Boss Says He Has “No Regrets” Selling ‘KPop: Demon Hunters’ to Netflix
Sony Pictures Animation’s “KPop: Demon Hunters,” released on Netflix in June 2025, became the streaming platform’s most‑watched original title, pulling in hundreds of millions of views. Although critics called the sale a financial misstep because Sony gave up theatrical, franchise,...
Ashley Mady On Why Safe Social and Consumer Products Strategy Are Converging In The Kids Creator Economy
Zigazoo, a safe‑social platform for Gen Alpha, has grown to over 10 million users and more than 1,000 kid creators, positioning itself as both a moderated community and a brand activation hub. President Ashley Mady emphasizes a “trifecta” strategy that merges product,...
BBC Studios’ Ghosts Lands Czech Adaptation
BBC Studios announced a Czech version of its hit scripted comedy Ghosts, joining six other territories that have adapted the series. The format, praised for its ability to embed local heritage into a house‑mate sitcom, will be produced by TV...
Amy Westervelt’s Drilled Joins the Pushkin Podcast Network
Pushkin Industries announced it will distribute the investigative climate‑change podcast *Drilled*, joining a roster that includes Malcolm Gladwell’s *Revisionist History* and Dr. Laurie Santos’s *The Happiness Lab*. The series, hosted by award‑winning journalist Amy Westervelt, has produced 14 seasons since...
Opinion: Enough Is Enough—Broadcasters Don’t Own the Airwaves
Michael Petricone argues that legacy broadcasters are receiving an outsized public subsidy by retaining exclusive rights to underused spectrum, even as fewer than 9% of Americans watch over‑the‑air TV. He cites the $95.8 billion annual economic value of unlicensed spectrum and...
JAR Expands Youtube-First Practice as Branded Podcasting Reaches a Video Reckoning
JAR Podcast Solutions announced the expansion of a dedicated YouTube‑first video podcast practice, creating a specialist team to produce video‑optimized branded podcasts. The agency emphasizes platform‑specific strategy, treating YouTube as a discovery engine rather than a simple upload destination. JAR’s...
Epidemic Sound Launches API To Embed AI-Powered Music Licensing Into Third-Party Platforms
Epidemic Sound has unveiled a developer API that lets third‑party platforms embed its extensive catalog of over 50,000 original tracks and 200,000 sound effects. The API is AI‑enhanced, offering text‑prompt, video‑prompt, SoundMatch, semantic search and an audio reference tool to...
What BodyArmor’s NCAA Deal Means for Coca-Cola’s Hydration Portfolio
BodyArmor has reclaimed the official NCAA sports‑drink title for the 2026 March Madness tournament, supplanting Powerade and rolling out a refreshed “Choose Better” campaign featuring athletes like Flau’jae Johnson and Jalen Brunson. The brand will be the exclusive hydration provider on‑court,...
Olaplex Links with ‘SNL’ Star to Blend Science, Style and Humor in New Ads
Olaplex has launched a new multichannel campaign titled “Science Never Looked So Good,” featuring Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman as the brand’s Chief Hair Officer. The 45‑second hero spot introduces the No. 3Plus bond‑repair treatment, which claims three‑minute application repairs three...
New York Bill Would 'Shackle' Media Firms, 'Washington Post' Editorial Board Argues
New York lawmakers are advancing a bill that would compel media companies to disclose any artificial‑intelligence tools used in their operations, a move the Washington Post editorial board warns could stifle innovation. At the same time, veteran CBS correspondent David...
QYOU Media Earns TikTok Agency Partner Badge, Expanding Creator Marketing Capabilities
QYOU Media has earned TikTok Agency Partner status, joining a select group of trusted advertising partners. The badge gives the Toronto‑Los Angeles agency direct access to TikTok’s premium tools, analytics, and support for both organic and paid campaigns. QYOU already...
MENA Music Market Embraces Multilingual Content As TikTok Accelerates Track Virality, Per Report
TikTok continues to dominate music discovery in the MENA region, with 84 % of songs that entered the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 first going viral on the platform. The time to reach 100,000 TikTok posts fell dramatically from roughly 340 days in...
David Begnaud Launches Media Company, But Will Continue At CBS News
CBS News contributor David Begnaud has founded an independent media company called Do Good Crew, which will produce a weekly newsletter, a podcast, and live events spotlighting everyday heroes. The venture’s inaugural podcast episode features an interview with Oprah Winfrey....
How Adidas Built A Loyalty Infrastructure That Blends Commerce, Fitness, And Content
Adidas has transformed its adiClub loyalty program into a multi‑dimensional ecosystem that blends commerce, fitness tracking, and user‑generated content. Members earn points not only for purchases but also for workouts, reviews, and outfit photos, with points serving both as tier...
You Can Still Rent DVDs & Blu-Rays By Mail in 2026 Almost 3 Years After Netflix Shut Down Its DVD...
GameFly continues to rent DVDs, Blu‑rays and 4K discs by mail, positioning itself as the sole major survivor after Netflix ended its DVD‑by‑mail service in 2023. The company’s movie catalog includes roughly 292 DVD titles and a growing Blu‑ray selection,...
The Boston Globe’s Print Edition Gets Snowed Out, Invoking Memories of the Blizzard of ’78
The Boston Globe announced it will not print today’s edition because a February 2026 blizzard made its Taunton printing plant inaccessible, opting instead to bundle the missed issue with Wednesday’s paper. The move mirrors the 1978 Blizzard, when the Globe...
Policyband Roundup: Tech, Regulation, Media Headlines
Policyband Headlines ■ @elonmusk: @Starlink Price Cuts Have Nothing to Do with @Amazonleo ■ @gigibsohn: @StephenAtHome Colbert ‘Got Some Things Very Wrong’ ■ U.S. Chamber Opposed to Jamming Cell Phones in State Prisons ■ Fire Fighters Want @FCC Progress on Location Monitoring Inside...
People Mistakenly Think Politico Mirrors Complex's Publishing Schedule
The fact that people honestly believe POLITICO coordinates their editorial calendar based off Complex’s web publishing schedule. I worry for our nation
A Major Satellite TV Service Is Shutting Down & Going Streaming Only
The American Forces Network (AFN) will cease its eight‑channel direct‑to‑home satellite service on March 22, 2026, moving all overseas viewers to the AFN Now streaming app. The shift affects hundreds of thousands of service members, families, retirees and civilians living off‑base in Europe...
Roy Wood Jr. Poised to Rival CNN’s Top Anchors
Roy Wood Jr. doesn’t sound like Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper or Erin Burnett. And yet, his importance to CNN could start approaching that of those popular anchors as CNN keeps digging into comedy programming as much as it does the...
YouTube Joins TV Giants, Yet Critics Dismiss Competition
State of the Union Tonight airing on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, Fox News, MS Now & YouTube and yet people still say YouTube does not compete with TV...
The Post-Scale Media Model Is Taking Shape in Gaming Journalism
Gaming journalism is pivoting from large, ad‑driven operations to lean, subscription‑focused models. Mothership reached 2,000 paying subscribers within a week of launch, while worker‑owned sites like Jank and Aftermath are gaining traction with modest fees. The contraction of legacy outlets...
Grab Attention: Proven Thumbnails That Drive Clicks
Thumbnails that made us stop 👀 Tiger chaos, a “cheating?” reveal, and pure Red Bull adrenaline. Get our free YT Thumbnails Hack Pack with 100 more top thumbnails: https://t.co/H5zQZBPsBe https://t.co/fNTUlQxN3l
WBD Pauses, Reviews Paramount Bid; Netflix May Renegotiate
After months of noisy fighting in public, these talks are once again quiet. WBD will take some time to assess the latest Paramount bid and Netflix will have a chance to amend its current agreement (if necessary).
Distinctive and Engaging – Zetland Hoping to Hit the Right Tone with Its Expansion Strategy
Zetland, Denmark’s audio‑first news publisher with over 40,000 paying members, is scaling its mission‑driven, ambassador‑campaign model across Europe. After a successful Finnish launch, Uusi Juttu, the company reached 20,000 members and is now rolling out Demo in Norway, hitting its...
Morning Joe Turns Into Moral Panic O’Clock
Good morning, kids. What time is it? It's Moral Panic O'Clock again on Morning Joe. https://t.co/KVOhRj4T80
Investigations Weaponized to Silence Media Under Trump
Exactly. Strong and important from NYT Editorial Board: “The investigation becomes the punishment, forcing media companies to spend millions on legal defenses and deterring them from publishing material that the Trump administration does not like.” 1/2
The Voice of the Uyghur Post
The Uyghur Post, launched by activist Tahir Imin last November, is one of the few Uyghur‑language news sites, delivering daily stories and a weekly podcast to a diaspora audience of roughly 30,000 monthly readers. It was created to fill the...
Google Experiments With Date‑Less Articles in Discover
Google is testing removing dates from articles in the Google Discover feed https://t.co/TB90cdSZ4z via @AndellDam confirmed by Google's @rajanpatel https://t.co/khavzoWVeu
Trump’s Plan Threatens Press Freedom, Editorial Board Reacts
...and then they came for the journalists, and The Times Editorial Board chooses to speak up. Legally Creative, Democratically Dangerous: Trump’s Plan to Twist the News https://t.co/Fg0GBHE3WB
YouTube ‘in Talks’ to Stream Four More Live NFL Games
YouTube is in advanced talks to add four live NFL games to its platform, a package previously carried by the NFL Network and now part of the league’s broader media‑rights reshuffle following the $3 billion sale of its media division to...
ITV and Disney Expand Partnership with Primetime Hulu Originals Window
ITV and Disney have deepened their UK partnership by adding an exclusive primetime linear window for two Hulu Original dramas on ITV1. The arrangement builds on the Disney+‑ITVX content‑sharing deal launched in July 2025 and introduces a branded slot called...
NEM Dubrovnik Gears Up for a New Edition
NEM Dubrovnik, the largest TV market in Central and Eastern Europe, will take place from June 8‑11 2026 in Dubrovnik. The four‑day event features panel room sessions with industry experts, case studies, special presentations, and exclusive screenings. Three market areas – Sunset,...
Sporticast 530: How ESPN Unlimited Impacts You, Existing Subscribers
ESPN launched ESPN Unlimited in 2025, bundling its traditional TV networks with ESPN+ and the newer ESPN Select service into a single direct‑to‑consumer offering. The tiered structure has confused many users, especially as some content that was previously free on...
Future Boosts Creator Content, Personal Buying Advice and Registrations
Future plc unveiled three new initiatives—Signal, Collab, and Future+—to revamp affiliate e‑commerce, creator content, and membership registration. Signal shifts buying advice to personal “collections” that drive up to three‑fold social and email traffic, while Collab lets vetted creators publish directly...
Advertisers Must Seize Initiative to Make Most of Once‑in‑a‑generation Change
The International Society of Brand Advertisers (ISBA) has announced that brands must act collectively to capitalize on a once‑in‑a‑generation market shift driven by digital transformation, AI, and evolving consumer expectations. In his first 100 days, the new ISBA chief highlighted...
Free Country, Big Money: Maryland Radiothon Scores for St. Jude
Maryland’s 99.9 Free Country (WFRE) held its 2026 “Free Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon,” raising a record $640,320 in two days. The haul pushes the station’s cumulative contributions past the $10 million milestone after two decades of annual fundraisers. Station leaders...
Building On A Successful Career and Becoming a Brand
Mike McVay addressed the Intercollegiate Broadcast System conference, urging broadcasters and media professionals to treat their careers as evolving brands. He emphasized continuous education, self‑assessment, and a clear vision to stay relevant across expanding platforms. The talk highlighted that personal...
‘Keep Hope Alive’ Enters New Chapter After Jesse Jackson’s Death
Following Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death, Premiere Networks announced that his nationally syndicated Sunday program Keep Hope Alive will continue under the leadership of his eldest daughter, Santita Jackson. Santita, a Howard University graduate with a career in radio hosting and...
![[Guest Post] Are Gaming Publishers Maximising Revenue From Programmatic Advertising?](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/PHOTO-2026-01-13-15-01-58.jpg)
[Guest Post] Are Gaming Publishers Maximising Revenue From Programmatic Advertising?
Gaming publishers have upgraded to modern programmatic stacks—rewarded video, mediation, and in‑app bidding—but many still see flat or declining revenue. The article argues that the bottleneck is not demand scarcity but a lack of systematic monetisation governance, leading to static...
Ofcom to Regulate Major UK VoD Services
The UK government is moving to bring the most popular video‑on‑demand services under Ofcom’s regulatory umbrella through secondary legislation to the Media Act 2024. Platforms with more than 500,000 UK users—including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4—will be classified...
Streaming, AI, and Affluence: The New Case for Sports Radio
Sports radio is experiencing a resurgence, with AM/FM sports stations growing 14% and adding over 100 outlets in the past decade. Revenue share climbed from 9.3% in 2016 to 12.8% in 2025, a 38% increase, while streaming dominance places sports...