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:
Convergence Is Now ‘Established Reality,’ Says NAB 2026 Report
Futuresource Consulting’s post‑NAB 2026 report declares that the convergence of professional AV and broadcast has moved from a buzzword to an established reality. Enterprise buyers now demand broadcast‑quality output while staying within pro‑AV budgets, a shift reflected in record‑high NAB attendance and the debut of an Enterprise Video Strategies track. The report highlights IP networking—particularly SMPTE 2110 and IPMX—as the technical backbone enabling seamless workflows. Vendor moves such as Shure’s eight‑channel DCA 901 microphone and Sony’s virtual‑production showcase illustrate how manufacturers are targeting broadcast applications.
Fewer Stories, More Views: Quality Beats Quantity
Output down, page views up. Good lesson here -> Axios' total Q1 content output was down 22% YoY, but page views rose 30% and page views per visitor rose 22%, as the outlet shifts away from chasing traffic “Write...
Magnite Says It’s Not Afraid Of The Agentic Era – Or Of Google
Magnite reported first‑quarter revenue of $164.4 million, up 6% year‑over‑year, driven primarily by CTV and an 80% surge in March Madness ad spend. Its DV+ exchange posted a 5% decline, though mobile and app revenue grew 8%. The company is embedding AI...
Band Battles Surge of AI‑generated Bootleg Remixes
The deluge of AI-generated music on streaming platforms continues. Took a look at one band's efforts to curb bootleg AI remixes of its work: https://t.co/ems6ELKMwU
Kargo Announces Integration with ChatGPT, Unlocking Access to Emerging AI-Native Advertising Opportunities
Kargo has become an OpenAI technology partner, integrating its adtech platform with ChatGPT to deliver AI‑native advertising formats. The move lets brands place adaptive, localized creative directly within conversational AI experiences, extending Kargo’s Creative Science® engine to this emerging surface....
Kismet Media, Wheelhouse Reach Partnership Deal
Kismet Media has partnered with Wheelhouse to launch the reality series Calabasas Confidential, blending production expertise with investment and branding capabilities. A Media Matters analysis shows US broadcast networks delivered only eight hours of climate coverage in 2025, a 35%...
Don't Kill Campaigns, Fix High CPA, Low ROAS
Sooooooo you wanna turn off ads because the CPA is too high or ROAS is too low? Welp...
Crushed by the Algorithm
The essay argues that X (formerly Twitter) has evolved from a human‑curated social town square into an algorithm‑driven reaction engine. While Twitter let users choose who to follow and rewarded depth, X’s machine learning predicts engagement and decides what appears...
Oprah Winfrey Picks Douglas Stuart’s ‘John of John’ for Her Book Club
Oprah Winfrey has chosen Douglas Stuart’s latest novel, “John of John,” for her influential book club. The endorsement follows Stuart’s Booker‑prize‑winning debut and is expected to generate a surge in sales and cultural discussion around the novel’s themes of identity...
Defendant Pleads Guilty in $48 Million Nationwide Book Publishing Scam Targeting Hundreds of Seniors
Michael Cris Traya Sordilla, a 34‑year‑old Filipino, pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a nationwide book‑publishing fraud that siphoned more than $48 million from over 800 victims, most of them senior authors. He founded Innocentrix Philippines and used shell companies—PageTurner...
Amazon, LinkedIn Help Advertisers Reach Professionals via CTV Ads
Amazon Ads and LinkedIn have launched a collaboration that integrates LinkedIn’s first‑party audience data into Amazon’s demand‑side platform for connected‑TV inventory. Through Microsoft’s Monetize SSP, advertisers on Amazon DSP can now target LinkedIn’s 1 billion‑plus members by job title, industry and...
Most Travel Influencers Failing to Disclose Paid-For Posts
An Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigation of 531 Instagram and TikTok posts found that only 20% of travel influencer ads were properly disclosed, with 69% offering no indication they were paid content. The probe, prompted by the ASA’s 2024 Influencer...
Strike Persists as only One Guild Officer Hired
So much for the latest white-knight savior: 80 percent Post-Gazette staff on strike not hired; one of seven guild officers hired. The Venetoulis Institute goes to Pittsburgh. https://t.co/o2z4HWe3Rq
NYT Hits 13 Million Digital Subscribers, Adds 310,000 in Q1 as Video Push Gains Momentum
The New York Times announced it surpassed 13 million digital‑only subscribers in the first quarter, adding 310,000 new users. The milestone came with a 12% rise in revenue to $712.2 million and a 31.6% jump in digital ad sales, underscoring the paper’s shift toward...
Can Creators Drive the Next Wave of Media Subscriptions?
Legacy newsrooms are turning to social creators to broaden reach and spark subscriptions. The City partnered with TikTok‑and‑Instagram comedian Gerrie Lim, lifting average video views by 115% and exposing 83% of viewers to a new audience. Reuters Institute data shows...
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and US Soccer Extend Media Rights Agreement
NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Enterprises has extended its exclusive Spanish-language media rights with the U.S. Soccer Federation through 2030. The deal covers the men’s and women’s senior national teams, as well as youth squads, delivering more than 20 matches annually across Telemundo,...
Google Ads AI Max Adds Account‑level Content Exclusions
Google will be bringing content and titles related exclusions to the account level to Google Ads AI Max later this year says @adsliaison https://t.co/u8zCVVGJtv https://t.co/TmGatjzuZE
Ted Turner’s Impact on Media Still Shapes How We Get the News Today
Media mogul Ted Turner, founder of CNN and pioneer of 24‑hour news, died at 87, prompting tributes that underscore his lasting influence on global journalism. His network’s real‑time coverage of events like the Gulf War cemented the 24‑hour news model...
Music’s Next ‘Disco Sucks’ Moment Is Near
A new wave of music marketing called “trend simulation” pays influencers and bots to flood social‑media feeds with fabricated enthusiasm, tricking algorithms into treating songs as viral hits. The tactic was exposed by Chaotic Good Projects, whose founders bragged about...
Netflix Quietly Removes Underrated 2013 Action Movie
Netflix removed the 2013 action thriller *Homefront* from its U.S. library on May 1, 2026 as part of its regular licensed‑content purge. The film, starring Jason Statham and written by Sylvester Stallone, earned $48 million worldwide against a $22 million budget, making...
FlixLatino Launches Free AVOD Service
FlixLatino, a leading Spanish‑language streaming platform in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, launched a free ad‑supported (AVOD) service that does not overlap with its premium catalog. The new tier provides more than 10,000 hours of content, including over 250 movies...
🌊 How Ted Turner Made the News
Ted Turner transformed a struggling billboard empire into a media powerhouse by buying a failing Atlanta TV station in 1970 and leveraging satellite technology. His acquisition of the Atlanta Braves for $500,000 provided exclusive sports content that fueled the Turner...
In This Duke Journalism Class, Failure Was Part of the Assignment. It Led to Real AI Tools for Local News.
Duke University’s AI Journalism Lab taught 14 students to build AI tools for local newsrooms, emphasizing that failure is a legitimate outcome. The class partnered with a suburban news site, a TV reporter, a student news outlet, and an alternative...
A Bet Is Not a Poll
G. Elliott Morris, former FiveThirtyEight chief, warns that newsrooms’ reliance on betting markets like Polymarket and Kalshi distorts political forecasting. He argues that single‑number odds lack the transparency and error margins that traditional polls provide, encouraging readers to treat probabilities...
AI SEO Punishes Lazy Marketing Strategies by Brick Marketing
Brick Marketing warns that AI‑driven SEO is reshaping digital marketing by rewarding brands with a cohesive, cross‑channel presence. Traditional tactics that focus solely on website optimization are losing ground as AI pulls data from social media, directories, press releases, and...
AI: Lead the Prompt, Not Just the Team
AI usage among Saudi marketers is near-universal, but half conceal it due to fear of managerial judgment. While 84% of CEOs claim readiness to deploy AI responsibly, a Duke study shows managers still penalize AI‑using staff, creating a cultural divide....
KhoslaRaghu Call Out AI Slop on DSPs
Hindi pop duo KhoslaRaghu’s Sanchit Khosla went viral after exposing AI‑generated songs crowding Spotify and YouTube, citing a fake cover of Anuv Jain’s hit. He showed that “AI artists” like Neelima Prajith and groups such as Mausqui and Stone Boy Music have...
Google Set to Sponsor ITV’s World Cup Coverage
Google has agreed to sponsor ITV’s coverage of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, marking the broadcaster’s largest sponsorship deal to date. The partnership will see Google’s branding integrated across ITV’s television, digital and social platforms throughout the tournament. The deal...
The Truth About State Farm
State Farm spent $1.139 billion on advertising in 2025, including a Super Bowl spot that pits the insurer against a fictional rival. A California Department of Insurance (CDI) enforcement action this week found the company mishandled more than half of 220...
Snap Launches Promoted Places, Transforming the Snap Map Into Real-World Discovery
Snap Inc. introduced Promoted Places, a new ad product that embeds sponsored locations directly into the Snap Map. The feature debuted in Saudi Arabia, where brands like Almarai and Starbucks used it in Ramadan campaigns to drive in‑store visits. Promoted...
CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at 87, Leaving $7.3 Billion Media Legacy
Ted Turner, the brash media entrepreneur who launched CNN and built a global cable empire, died at 87 surrounded by family. His 1996 $7.3 billion sale to Time Warner, $1 billion United Nations donation and ownership of more than 2 million acres underscore...
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Loses Its Human Touch in Sprawling Second Season
Apple TV’s "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" returns for a sprawling second season that swaps the first season’s tight character focus for a larger‑scale monster showdown. The new arc pits the original Monarch agency against the tech‑driven rival Apex Cybernetics while...
'Dead Man's Wire' Quietly Joins Netflix After Box Office Flop
Gus Van Sant’s thriller *Dead Man’s Wire* will debut on Netflix on May 28, 2026 after a limited theatrical run that generated just $3.55 million against a $13 million budget. The film, starring Bill Skarsgård and Dacre Montgomery, earned strong critical praise, holding a 91% Rotten...
SNL UK Renewed for a 12-Episode Season 2, Will Return in the Fall
Sky has green‑lit a second season of Saturday Night Live UK, expanding the order to 12 episodes slated for a fall 2026 launch. The decision comes despite the show’s modest live ratings, which were offset by strong online engagement and...
How Paywall Plus Philanthropy Saved The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer, once bankrupt, turned a profit in 2025 after Jerry Lenfest transferred ownership to the nonprofit Lenfest Institute and introduced a hybrid for‑profit, nonprofit structure. A $7.8 million grant and aggressive digital‑subscription strategy pushed subscriber revenue to 70% of...
Sky Renews Saturday Night Live UK
Sky has commissioned a second series of Saturday Night Live UK, adding 12 new episodes slated for broadcast from September 2026 through early 2027 on Sky One. The renewal arrives before the first series concludes, which featured high‑profile hosts such as...
Performers Announced for "The 52nd American Music Awards" Live Monday, May 25
CBS and Dick Clark Productions have unveiled the first wave of performers for the 52nd American Music Awards, set for May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the show's largest venue to date. Host Queen Latifah...
Starz Sets June 12 Premiere Date for Visceral and Haunting Drama "The Listeners," Starring BAFTA and Golden Globe Nominee Rebecca...
Starz announced that the five‑part drama “The Listeners,” starring BAFTA‑nominee Rebecca Hall, will debut in the U.S. on June 12, 2026, with new episodes released weekly on Fridays via the Starz app and on‑demand platforms. The series, adapted from Jordan...
Disney Expands Streaming Profitability and AI-Powered Parks Strategy as CEO Bob Iger Pushes ESPN DTC Launch
Disney reported Q2 2026 revenue of $23.1 billion, a 4% rise driven by stronger Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) streaming and record Parks performance. The streaming segment posted a second straight quarter of operating profit, generating $85 million, while Disney+ core subscribers grew to 121.2 million....
The Science of Attention: Creating Short-Form Videos People Won't Skip
In this episode, Michael Stelzner talks with Hilary Billings, a psychology‑trained content strategist and founder of Attentioneers, about the science behind short‑form video that captures attention. Hilary shares how she moved from a failed PhD pursuit to viral video success...
Snap Shares Tumble After $400M AI Deal Collapse
.$SNAP stock is down 10% in pre-market on losing the @perplexity_ai arrangement. @Snapchat and Perplexity have "amicably ended" their planned $400 million partnership to integrate AI search into Snapchat. Initially announced in November 2025. https://t.co/PT30c53eE5
DAZN’s ViewLift Bet Is A Play To Control Local TV’s Post-RSN Future
DAZN has acquired streaming platform ViewLift for $100 million, turning the company into a full‑stack provider for local sports distribution. The deal equips DAZN with technology to build, bill and stream team‑specific services, offering a single‑vendor alternative to the fragmented post‑RSN...
Video: "Criminal Minds: Evolution" Season 19 Trailer & Key Art Announcement
Paramount+ announced the launch of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 19 on May 28, 2026. The ten‑episode run will debut with two episodes and then release weekly, concluding July 23. The storyline introduces a new adversary, The Fan, who targets profiler...
Video: HBO Releases New Teaser and Images for the Upcoming Original Series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," Featuring...
HBO unveiled a teaser for its upcoming limited sketch‑comedy series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," starring Larry David and executive‑produced by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama through their Higher Ground banner. The seven‑episode run premieres Friday,...
Semafor Launches Semafor Intelligence, a New AI-Enabled Editorial Insight Product Built on Its Global Convenings
Semafor unveiled Semafor Intelligence, an AI‑driven editorial insight service that converts the full on‑stage record of its global convenings into evidence‑backed analysis. The first edition, based on the World Economy 2026 summit in Washington, parsed 4,900 distinct claims from more...
Amazon Bets AI Can Rewrite the Upfront Playbook in a Fragmented TV Market
Amazon is revamping its upfront pitch by marrying premium streaming content with AI‑driven ad technology. The company’s DSP now reaches roughly 90% of U.S. households through an authenticated graph and has added LinkedIn’s CTV inventory, tapping over a billion first‑party...
Yahoo Uses Scout AI Campaign to Focus on Trust in AI Search
Yahoo launched its first ad campaign for Scout, the company’s AI‑powered search assistant, emphasizing source transparency to build trust. Scout, built on Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Grounding with Bing, taps Yahoo’s vast data assets—including 500 million user profiles and a billion‑entity...
Emerging Channels, Cleaner Pipes: Assembly’s Tom Cogan on Where MENA Programmatic Is Heading
Tom Cogan, programmatic associate director at Assembly Global, says MENA advertisers must broaden beyond Google and Meta by embracing emerging channels such as connected TV, digital audio, programmatic DOOH and AI‑driven search. He points out that less than 10% of...
Bull of the Day: Reddit Inc. (RDDT)
Reddit reported 126.8 million daily active uniques in Q1 2026, a 17% year‑over‑year rise, while revenue surged 69% to $663 million, outpacing forecasts. The strong user growth and monetization have lifted earnings estimates, with current‑year guidance up 6.5% and next‑year forecasts up 5.3%....
Warner Bros. Discovery Expands Max Globally as CEO David Zaslav Pushes AI-Driven Streaming Growth
Warner Bros. Discovery announced a 2026 "Max Global" rollout, targeting more than 30 European countries ahead of major sports events. The streaming unit grew to 104.8 million DTC subscribers, adding 2.1 million in Q1, while ad‑supported revenue surged 51 % to $185 million. AI‑driven...