Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions hit 2.24 billion in 2025, overtaking pay‑TV revenue
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, surpassing pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit levels in 2026 as operators focus on monetising existing users.
Also developing:
Dentsu Creative Steps Aside as the Iconic Calls Pitch
Australian fashion retailer The Iconic announced a procurement‑led creative pitch, with incumbent agency Dentsu Creative opting not to defend its four‑year account. Dentsu said the decision reflects a natural evolution after launching the “Got You Looking” masterbrand platform that drove a 34% lift in unprompted brand awareness and a 5% rise in consideration. The Iconic’s CMO Joanna Robinson praised the agency roster for reviving the brand and emphasized treating partners as extensions of the business. Dentsu’s ANZ CEO Kirsty Muddle also exited the firm to lead Ogilvy Australia, underscoring broader leadership changes.
Rupert Murdoch’s High-Stakes Blitz Against the NFL
Rupert Murdoch warned President Trump that expanding streaming rights for the NFL could cripple traditional broadcast networks. Fox, the league’s smallest broadcast partner, faces the prospect of losing game packages to deep‑pocketed streamers like Amazon and YouTube. The NFL is...
Group Warns Against Blanket Ban on Social Media
Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines warned Philippine lawmakers that a blanket ban on minors’ social‑media use could backfire, exposing youths to riskier corners of the internet. The group highlighted that teens can easily bypass bans using VPNs, fake IDs, or...
NBC Locks $7.75B Olympic Deal Through 2032
🥇 📺 May 7, 2014: NBC signed a $7.75 billion extension to carry the Olympic Games through 2032. Just three years prior, they outbid ABC/ESPN and Fox for rights to carry the Olympics thru 2020. https://t.co/E5cPbMteh1 https://t.co/ZisiuQi9kr
Prime Video Integrates Amazon MX Player to Create India’s Largest Streaming Destination with Free and Paid Content
Prime Video has fully integrated Amazon’s MX Player into its Indian streaming platform, merging free, ad‑supported content with its paid, ad‑free library. The move follows Amazon’s 2022 acquisition of MX Player assets and the launch of Amazon miniTV. Existing MX...
Tuesday TV Ratings: Farmer Wants a Wife, NCIS, Will Trent, NBA Playoffs, WWE NXT
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 saw a mixed lineup of new episodes and sports, including fresh installments of Will Trent, NCIS, Farmer Wants a Wife, and Bear Grylls is Running Wild, alongside the 2026 NBA Playoffs and WWE NXT. Ratings were compiled using Fast Affiliate...
Sharp Roku TV QLED Launches in UK
Sharp Corporation and streaming platform Roku have introduced the first Sharp Roku TV QLED for the UK market. The 50‑inch model combines 4K UHD resolution with QLED quantum‑dot colour, Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio, and runs the Roku TV operating...
Edinburgh International Book Festival Announces 2026 Front List with Booker Winners
The Edinburgh International Book Festival has unveiled its 2026 Front List, spotlighting Booker Prize winners Douglas Stuart, Kiran Desai and others in a series of headline events at McEwan Hall from August 15‑30. The lineup blends fiction, journalism and cultural...
Amazon Prime Video Merges with MX Player to Create India's Largest Streaming Platform
Amazon announced that its Prime Video service will absorb MX Player in India, forming a single platform that blends subscription, ad‑supported and transactional video. The move brings together roughly 20 million paying Prime members and about 300 million monthly MX Player users,...
OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Ads to UK, Brazil, Japan and Five More Markets
OpenAI announced that its ChatGPT advertising pilot will begin testing in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and other regions, joining the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The move follows strong advertiser interest and a $109 million average...
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads Pilot to UK, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Mexico Just Two Days After Launching Self-Serve Ads
OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT ads pilot to the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico, following the launch of a self‑serve ad platform in the United States two days earlier. Users in the new regions will encounter sponsored...
Reports: Karl Stefanovic Forced to Withdraw From NRL 360 by Nine
Today host Karl Stefanovic was forced to withdraw from Fox League’s NRL 360 after Nine’s senior management intervened. The appearance, already promoted by Matty Johns, was replaced with a slot on Nine’s own rugby league show, Freddy and the Eighth, where...
KIIS FM Announces New Fill-In Breakfast Host
Australian Radio Network (ARN) announced that former producer Jaimee “Mayo” Blazquez will step in as the latest fill‑in co‑host on KIIS FM’s breakfast show. The move follows a series of guest hosts, including Georgie Tunny and Abbie Chatfield, as ARN continues to...
Disney by D’Amaro: Earnings, AI, Parks & 88% Streaming Boom
Disney reported a strong second‑quarter beat, with streaming profit soaring 88% to $873 million and the segment finally breaking a 10% operating‑margin threshold. Total revenue climbed 7% to $37.8 billion, propelled by resilient theme‑park attendance. New CEO Josh D’Amaro outlined a "One...
Paper Trail
In this episode of Paper Trail, host Jessica Luschnop recounts a powerful investigative journalism story about a man who was mistakenly never sent to prison after his conviction, only to be re‑arrested 13 years later. The piece illustrates how ProPublica’s...
Agencies Push Video Futures Collective to Simplify Buying and Unify Data
The Video Futures Collective (VFC), a coalition of eight streaming and ad platforms including Amazon Prime, Disney Advertising, Foxtel Media, Netflix, Samsung Ads, SBS, Vevo and YouTube, is under pressure from agencies to simplify the buying process and deliver consistent,...
The Trade Desk Has A Grand Vision, But Needs A New Breed Of CMO To Make It A Reality
The Trade Desk posted Q1 2026 revenue of $689 million, a 12% year‑over‑year increase, while net income slipped to $40 million and profit margin to 6%. Shares tumbled 15% in after‑hours trading as investors reacted to cautious macro‑economic outlooks. CEO Jeff Green outlined...
Nielsen: HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ Remained No. 1 Across Weekly U.S. Streaming Television Households Through April 12
Season two of HBO Max’s medical drama “The Pitt” stayed atop Nielsen’s weekly streaming chart through April 12, logging 1.13 billion minutes and marking its ninth straight week above the billion‑minute threshold. Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” held the No. 2 spot with 899 million...
Twitch Has New Penalties for Streamers Caught Viewbotting, CEO Says
Twitch announced a new enforcement mechanism aimed at streamers caught viewbotting, capping their concurrent view count (CCV) for a set period. The cap will be calibrated using each creator’s historical non‑bot traffic and will lengthen with repeated offenses. CEO Dan Clancy...
Zoë Kravitz Calls Hulu ‘Tacky’ for Instagram Post Linking Her ‘High Fidelity’ Character to Harry Styles
Zoë Kravitz publicly rebuked Hulu after the streamer posted an Instagram image that tied her "High Fidelity" character to Harry Styles, labeling the move "tacky." The deleted post referenced Styles’ new album to comment on Kravitz’s rumored engagement, sparking immediate...
The Kyle Kingsbury Podcast Podcast - Episode 1 - Alex Dripchak
Kyle Kingsbury, known for his guest appearances, has launched his own podcast series, debuting with Episode 1 featuring Alex Dripchak. Dripchak, a sales director and productivity expert, joins to discuss his new book *Maximize* and share time‑management habits. The episode blends casual...
Casting News: The Morning Show Adds Lizzy Caplan, Kelly Clarkson Returns To The Voice, And More
Apple TV+ announced that Oscar‑nominated actress Lizzy Caplan will join the cast of its hit drama The Morning Show for season five, playing Broadway director Gwen. The upcoming season also brings Jeff Daniels, Renee Rapp and Jesse Williams into the...
Threads Adds New Posting Options and Animated Mini Stickers
Meta’s Threads introduced two new tools aimed at boosting user posting frequency. The platform now automatically splits any pasted text longer than 500 characters into a series of linked updates, eliminating the need for manual trimming. In parallel, Threads is...
Dems Blast FCC Disney Probe As `Egregious Abuse of Power’
A coalition of senior Democratic senators sent a sharply worded letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, condemning the commission’s recent order that forces Disney’s eight ABC broadcast stations to file early license renewals. The senators labeled the action an “egregious...
‘SPARK’ Issue 3 Now Available for Free Download
Studio KÄ has released Issue 3 of its monthly magazine SPARK as a free PDF download. The 32‑page issue, edited by founder Adja Soro, spotlights the growing African animation ecosystem beyond production, covering schools, festivals, script‑consulting firms and distribution platforms. Highlights include Morocco’s...
Viewbot Crackdown Unlikely to Hurt Creators, Says Streamer
was streaming when the viewbotting update was announced - but have seen a lot of pessimism and concern that this will harm creators (by using viewbots as a weapon). But I don't see that being likely. This is how I...
Kevin James Reunites with Smokefish in Series Finale
📺 May 7, 2018: Kevin (Kevin James) reunited with the members of his old band Smokefish (guest stars Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Mike DelGiudice) in the series finale of “Kevin Can Wait” on CBS. The sitcom comeback vehicle for...
‘John Candy: I Like Me’ Composer Tyler Strickland On Using French Horn To Depict Comedy Icon “As A Soldier Going...
The documentary "John Candy: I Like Me" chronicles the life of comedy legend John Candy, directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds with participation from Candy’s children. Composer Tyler Strickland faced the challenge of scoring a film about...
NFL Rights Packages Reach Record-Breaking, Controversial Prices
News and notes on the latest machinations surrounding the NFL’s highly coveted, obscenely expensive rights packages. https://t.co/J76hRBQwrU
Telemundo Leverages World Cup, Live TV for Spanish Media Dominance
Telemundo Bets on the World Cup and Live TV to Deliver Spanish-Language Media Domination https://t.co/G6b8vmrhpd via @thr
New ITV Show Hosted by Graham Norton Gets Schedule Shake-Up Following Disappointing Ratings
ITV’s new reality series "The Neighbourhood," hosted by Graham Norton, is moving to later evening slots as its debut season nears its end. The show, which pits households against each other for a £250,000 (≈$310,000) prize, saw viewership dip below...
Matlock's Final Episode: Andy Griffith Chooses Case Over
📺 May 4, 1995: Ben (Andy Griffith) sidelined plans to attend his 40th class reunion to take on a homicide case in the original series finale of “Matlock.” The legal drama concluded on ABC after a nine-season and two-network (NBC...
Sama Jordan TV Joins Es’hailSat Video Neighborhood at 26° East
Qatar’s Es’hailSat has added Jordanian news channel Sama Jordan TV to its 26° East video neighborhood, broadcasting via the Es’hail‑2 satellite across the Middle East and North Africa. The direct‑to‑home service is uplinked from the Tier 4‑certified Al Ghuwayriyah Teleport in Doha. This...
ANZ NZ Appoints MBM as New Media Agency; Ends Long-Standing Partnership with PHD + Omnicom
ANZ New Zealand has appointed MBM, the Publicis Group’s media arm, as its new media agency, ending a 15‑year relationship with PHD and Omnicom. The decision followed a competitive RFP that evaluated five agencies on strategy, technology and marketing effectiveness. MBM...
Journalist Defies Criticism, Silently Votes with Conviction
The Washington Post said I can’t be taken seriously as a journalist if I keep saying, “I voted so hard for this.” So, I won’t say it today. But I am thinking it very loudly….
A True American Original: Ted Turner (1938-2026)
Ted Turner, the flamboyant media mogul who died on May 6, 2026 at 87, reshaped American television by turning a modest UHF station into the first super‑station and launching the world’s first 24‑hour news network, CNN. He later built a film empire...
Thursday Discussion Post
Slow Boring’s Thursday discussion post highlights a provocative tweet by Matthew Yglesias that links Betty Friedan’s 1963 classic The Feminine Mystique to a claimed rise in Korean War prisoner‑of‑war deaths, arguing that 1950s housewives raised softer sons who performed poorly...
Support Photographer Documenting Gaza Amid Life‑Threatening Risks
Sameh is using his photographic skills to record what is happening in Gaza. He is doing so in terrible conditions and at risk of his life. Please support him and his family so he can continue doing this vital work.
Every Piece of Content Is a Growth Engine
Everything is an ad. Creative from everywhere. It is THE UNIT of growth. Super smart play.
Dow Jones Revenue Higher as News Corp. Threatens ‘Baleful Bad-Boy Bots’ Stealing Content
Dow Jones posted $619 million in revenue for the latest quarter, an 8% year‑over‑year increase driven by strong growth in Risk & Compliance, Energy and digital advertising. Total subscriptions climbed 7% to over 6.5 million, with digital‑only WSJ subscriptions up 11% to...
‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ Harnesses the Power of Retro Color
Netflix’s new animated spin‑off “Stranger Things: Tales from ’85” debuted on the platform, revisiting the original characters in a winter‑y 1985 setting. Showrunner Eric Robles emphasizes a bold, neon‑rich color palette that coexists with serious, dramatic moments, echoing 80s visual...
Flavor Flav, Ashley Nicole Moss, and More Star in Lotto’s 2026 World Cup Soccer Campaign
Lotto unveiled its "Legends Begin with Lotto" global campaign ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring a star‑studded cast that includes Flavor Flav, Ashley Nicole Moss, and a mix of athletes, musicians, and fashion figures. The 90‑second cinematic film, directed...
One Of ER's Most Iconic Shots Was Completely Unplanned
In the pilot of *ER*, a rain‑soaked ambulance bay replaced a planned alley, creating an iconic visual of Dr. Mark Greene reflected in a puddle as he delivers a memorable monologue to med‑student John Carter. The unplanned shot was captured...
Fantasy Book Community Tome Shuts Down
Tome, a niche social platform for romantasy and related fantasy genres, announced it is shutting down after struggling to attract a sustainable user base. The service cited high operating costs and limited network effects as primary reasons for closure. Its...
NFL’s Next Media Move Could Put More Games on YouTube & Netflix
The NFL is set to allocate four of its streaming‑rights games between YouTube and Netflix, while adding a fifth game for a major global streamer. Netflix will air two Christmas Day games in the final year of its three‑year deal...
Semafor’s New AI Tool Helped Boil Down Its Entire Flagship Conference Into Nine Takeaways
Semafor introduced Semafor Intelligence, an AI‑assisted editorial product that condenses the five‑day World Economy conference into nine key themes. Journalists fed a custom‑built AI tool with transcripts from more than 250 sessions, using vector embeddings to cluster ideas and extract...
Rex Linn, Sasha Alexander & Missi Pyle Join Apple TV’s ‘Stick’ For Season 2
Apple TV+ renewed its feel‑good sports comedy *Stick* for a second season, adding veteran actors Rex Linn, Sasha Alexander and Missi Pyle to the recurring lineup. The show, created by Jason Keller and headlined by Owen Wilson as ex‑pro golfer Pryce “Stick” Cahill, will...
YouTube Tests Updated Feed Navigation
YouTube is piloting a redesigned mobile interface that repositions the Subscriptions feed to the top navigation bar and merges Home and Subscriptions into a swipeable tab. The experiment also places the Explore menu behind a pull‑to‑refresh gesture and may shift...
UK Thriller THE REVENGE CLUB Arrives on BritBox in Australia
BritBox has launched the six‑part UK thriller *The Revenge Club* for Australian subscribers. The series follows newly divorced strangers who turn therapy sessions into elaborate revenge schemes, blending dark comedy, suspense, and relationship drama. It features a star‑studded ensemble including...
Colbert Hosts Late‑Night Legends on May 11‑14
NITE OWL: Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers, Oliver to appear on Late Show w Stephen Colbert on 5/11 David Letterman to appear on Late on 5/14