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:
Snap Says Advertising Revenue Buffeted by Effects of War in Iran
Snap Inc. forecasted Q2 ad revenue of $1.52‑$1.55 billion, essentially matching Wall Street expectations. The company disclosed that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have negatively impacted its advertising business, costing roughly $20‑$25 million in March. Snap attributed the shortfall to reduced ad spend in Iran and surrounding markets. Despite the hit, the guidance suggests the firm remains on track overall, relying on stronger performance in North America and Europe.
Only Child Season 2 Teases Messy Love Triangle as Richard's Life Unravels
Only Child returns for a second season on BBC One, opening with Richard forced back into his father Ken’s house after a promised TV job in Norway collapses. The episode introduces a love triangle as Emily, Richard’s longtime crush, begins...
Paramount Australia Merges Sales Teams as GRANT MADIGAN Starts New Role
Paramount Australia has merged its linear TV and digital advertising sales into a single commercial unit, creating a unified sales proposition for advertisers. The restructuring follows the exit of longtime sales chief Rod Prosser after 15 years and introduces Grant...
Warner Bros. Discovery Ups Q1 Streaming Operating Income 29%, Revenue Increases 9% to $2.9 Billion
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a 29% jump in streaming operating income to $438 million in Q1, while total streaming revenue rose 9% to nearly $2.9 billion. Distribution revenue led the growth, increasing 9% to $2.53 billion, and advertising revenue from HBO Max’s ad‑supported tier...
Paramount+ Gains 700,000 Subscribers in Q1, D2C Revenue Up 11%
Paramount Skydance Corp (PSKY) announced a net addition of 700,000 Paramount+ subscribers in the first quarter, lifting D2C revenue 11% to $2.4 bn. The growth came despite a loss of about one million bundled users, and it nudges the company closer...
Oscar Isaac Is Set to Lead Netflix’s Las Vegas Casino Drama / James Marsden to Star in Apple TV Thriller...
Oscar Isaac will headline Netflix’s upcoming Las Vegas casino drama, developed by the creators of “Billions” with Martin Scorsese attached as executive producer. Apple TV+ announced James Marsden as the lead of a new thriller series, adding to its push...
Google AI Max Spurs 15% Rise in Search Budgets, Pushes CPC Higher
A year after Google rolled out AI Max for Search, advertisers report a 7‑10% year‑on‑year lift in spend and a 10‑15% jump in cost‑per‑click. The AI‑driven bidding model is expanding query coverage but also inflating budgets, prompting marketers to rethink...
Free Ways to Stream Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid Semi‑Final Online
Arsenal and Atlético Madrid clash in the Champions League semi‑final second leg on May 5, and fans can watch the match without paying a cent by using free broadcasters or VPN‑unlocked streams. Options include Turkey’s TRT1, Belgium’s RTL Play and...
Samba TV Elevates Jaya Aswani to CTO, Adds Ramzi Nasr as VP of Engineering
Samba TV announced that Jaya Aswani, who joined in 2021, will become chief technology officer, while Ramzi Nasr, PhD, will serve as vice president of engineering. The moves aim to accelerate the company’s AI‑centric media intelligence platform as advertising shifts...
69 Years Ago Today, “I Love Lucy” Aired Its Final Episode
On May 6, 1957 CBS aired the final episode of *I Love Lucy*, ending a six‑season run that reshaped American sitcoms. The series, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, introduced three‑camera, live‑audience filming, a method that preserved episodes for decades of syndication. At its...
Kara Lawson Took Amazon Job to Scout WNBA Players for Team USA
Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson has taken a WNBA analyst role with Amazon Prime Video for the 2026 season. The streaming service will broadcast 31 games, ensuring every WNBA franchise appears at least once. Lawson says the job lets...
Submission Guidelines
Climbing.com has released detailed submission guidelines inviting writers and photographers to contribute across multiple verticals, including first ascents, safety analyses, long‑form features, news, culture, skills, weekend whippers, and photo essays. Pitches must be unpublished, focus on the story’s relevance, and...
Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans
Victory+ has secured a multi‑year partnership making it the first third‑party streaming home for Dallas Cowboys original programming. The free, ad‑supported platform will deliver live and on‑demand content, from draft coverage to weekly press conferences, to fans in North Texas...
Repeat Your Posts to Cut Through Algorithm Noise
Repeat yourself on social media. All the fucking time. Why? Algorithms are brutal. People's lives are busy. Between work, family, and endless scrolling, your meticulously created content is basically a whisper in a hurricane.
RAIN Notes: May 6
Podchaser 25, a monthly ranking of the 25 fastest‑growing podcasts launched in the past 90 days, released its April edition highlighting Goalhanger’s history‑culture show The Book Club at #1. True‑crime dominates five of the top ten spots, with society‑culture titles filling the...
Ted Turner Forever Changed the Way We Consume Sports
In 1976 Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves and, a year later, began broadcasting their games on his fledgling Turner Broadcasting System. By turning the team into a national “superstation” on TBS, he gave fans across the United States regular...
Google Highlights Links From Subscribed Publications in New AI Overviews Update
Google has added a “Subscribed” label to citations in AI Overviews and AI Mode, highlighting content from publications linked to a user’s Google account. Early testing shows the label significantly raises click‑through rates, offering a lifeline to publishers facing steep...
Why Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 Will Adapt “The Devil in Cell-Block D”
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 has been officially greenlit, is currently in production and is slated for a 2027 Disney+ release. The season will adapt the acclaimed 2006 comic arc “The Devil in Cell‑Block D,” sending Matt Murdock to prison and confronting...
Media Rights & Wrongs Under Trump | First Draft with Susan Demas & Media Critic Jennifer Schulze
The blog post argues that a free press is a cornerstone of democracy but faces mounting threats from corporate media consolidation and the Trump administration’s antagonistic stance toward journalists. It highlights how Trump’s frequent attacks on news outlets have eroded...
Obama Talks Trump, Mamdani, Aliens and More in Colbert Interview
Former President Barack Obama appeared on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, delivering a veiled critique of President Trump while urging Democrats to ditch academic jargon and speak in plain English. He praised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a model communicator and warned...
Linkless Posts Achieve Tenfold Reach Across Platforms
Great little example of ZCM: Post 1 - no link, 16k+ impressions Post 2 - same topic, but with a link, 1.9k impressions As usual, ~10X the reach with linkless content (this is LinkedIn, but we've seen the same pattern on Threads,...
Derek Fisher & Cody Decker Lead 97.1 The Fan’s LA Lineup
Audacy has launched 97.1 The Fan (KNX‑FM), a new all‑sports FM station in Los Angeles, with weekday programming debuting on May 18. The lineup features former NBA champion Derek Fisher and ex‑MLB power hitter Cody Decker in the morning, followed by ex‑NFL safety Brock Vereen...
TASKMASTER AUSTRALIA Returns Tonight with Fresh Chaos and Comedy
Taskmaster Australia returns tonight for its fifth season, with Tom Gleeson reprising his role as the Taskmaster and Tom Cashman back as his assistant. The new lineup features comedians Rove McManus, Celia Pacquola, Anisa Nandaula, Brett Blake and Joel Creasey. The series keeps its signature...
Civil Eats Nominated for a Record 5 James Beard Media Awards
Civil Eats has been nominated for a record five 2026 James Beard Foundation Media Awards, becoming a finalist in four categories: Health and Wellness, Columns and Newsletters, Profile, and Narrative Photography. Senior Staff Reporter Lisa Held earned two nominations for...
FOXTEL Rollout Brings 4K Sport to Mining Camps Nationwide
Foxtel Group has deepened its partnership with mining giant Fortescue, rolling out its Business iQ platform to more than 10,000 employees across 11 remote accommodation villages. Approximately 11,500 screens will be upgraded to deliver 4K Ultra HD sport and entertainment via...
Consultant Suggests Jefferson Public Radio ‘Spin Off’ From University Licensee
Southern Oregon University is facing a $20 million budget shortfall, with a $12.5 million deficit despite $15 million state emergency aid. Deloitte Consulting’s April 28 report recommends the university spin off its longtime partner, Jefferson Public Radio, to save roughly $300,000. JPR’s director disputes...
Ted Turner, Media Mogul, 1938-2026
Ted Turner, the pioneering media entrepreneur who launched CNN, TBS and Turner Broadcasting, died at 87 on April 26, 2026. His bold bets on 24‑hour news, satellite distribution and cable sports reshaped the television landscape. Turner also amassed a $1 billion...
Cord Cutting Today: Roku Adds 15 Free Channels as Paramount Pushes Forward With Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
Roku announced the addition of 15 free live channels to its TV and player ecosystem, expanding its ad‑supported offering with niche feeds such as live police dispatch and Alaska State Troopers. At the same time, Paramount reported significant progress in...
Inform, Educate, Entertain: Top TV Production Firms Join Content Climate Pledge
ITV Studios, Fremantle, and Banijay UK have become the first British television production companies to sign the Climate Content Pledge, an initiative spearheaded by BAFTA’s Albert programme. The pledge obliges signatories to embed sustainability into every stage of production, from...
Law Laggard (Copyright Research)
The Copyright Society released a 46‑page research paper by Bill Rosenblatt and Howie Singer examining how copyright law consistently trails technological advances. The study maps six media formats—from phonographs to user‑generated content—showing typical 20‑30‑year gaps before legal frameworks catch up....
What Will Top ABC CLASSIC 100 Greatest of All Time?
ABC Classic is marking its 50th anniversary in 2026 by launching the annual Classic 100 countdown, inviting listeners to vote for the greatest classical works of all time. The voting window runs until Thursday 28 May 2026, with the final rankings broadcast on...
CNN Has a New Suitor Who Wants to Buy It
Veteran media mogul Barry Diller told attendees at the WSJ Future of Everything Festival that he would purchase CNN "right now" if the chance arose. He highlighted the network’s strong brand but warned that its current trajectory risks losing relevance...
The Search Engine Is Becoming a Decision Engine. Here’s How to Survive the AI ‘Zero-Click’ Era.
Search engines are morphing into decision engines, delivering AI‑generated Overviews that answer queries directly on the results page. These Overviews have slashed organic click‑through rates by up to 61%, turning traffic into influence rather than clicks. To stay visible, brands...
A Phone Gizmo for the Post-POTS Era
Angry Audio has launched the Phone Gizmo, a hardware adapter that connects a Yealink SIP desk phone directly to a broadcast console via balanced analog audio, eliminating the need for software drivers. The device offers galvanic isolation for clean audio...
Peacock Says 152nd Kentucky Derby Most-Streamed Horse Race Ever
Peacock announced that the 152nd Kentucky Derby attracted an average minute audience of 1.9 million, a 28% rise from the previous year. The platform, together with NBC Sports, delivered a record total audience delivery (TAD) of 19.3 million, up 9% YoY. NBCUniversal...
What We’re Hearing About the New Homepage
The Verge announced a transparent review of user feedback on its newly launched homepage, categorizing comments into three buckets: fixes, investigatory ideas, and deferments. Immediate bugs such as the stray scrollbar and missing "Read More" links have been resolved, while...
Call for Submissions
What's in My NOW?, a reader‑supported Substack newsletter, announced a call for submissions on May 6, 2026. Contributors are asked to share six items—three physical, two digital, and one invisible—that are most significant to them. Submissions selected for the newsletter...
Harry Potter Series Renewed At HBO Ahead Of December Premiere
HBO announced a second season of its Harry Potter series ahead of the show's December debut, accelerating the original 2027 timeline. Production on Season 2, which will adapt the second book, is slated to begin this fall. The series added Jon...
Twitch Bans Off‑platform Bit Use, Tightens Enforcement
Twitch has updated the Bits Acceptable Use policy for the first time since 2018. Changes: - Bits can ONLY be used for things on Twitch. (A ban on anything off-platform or of monetary value.) - Much stricter enforcement, including a new "forfeiture clause". -...
Great Newsletters Blend Taste, Storytelling, Expertise, and Trust
From @denk_tweets: "Exceptional newsletters aren't built on pure info. They're built on: > Taste > Storytelling > Expertise and analysis > A voice that readers trust"
Paramount's WBD Takeover Stalls; Epic Not yet Unfolding
Warner Bros. Discovery's deal to be acquired by Paramount is supposed to create a behemoth of a company that includes everything from CBS to the "Lord of the Rings" franchise. But as Aragorn said in that massive epic, today is...
Patel's Leak Probe Validates Atlantic Story's Truth
Sorry, I was saying that Patel starting a leak investigation against Atlantic confirms that their story is true. It is impossible to leak things that are NOT true. That would just be a made up story, not a leak.
V: The Final Battle Scores 25.1 Rating Debut
📺 May 6, 1984: Miniseries “V: The Final Battle” premiered on NBC. The sequel to the hit 1983 "V" miniseries starred Marc Singer, Faye Grant and Michael Ironside. For its successful three night run, it averaged a 25.1 household rating....
Apple Faces Sanction Risk if App Fees Exceed 4%
Boom Apple has now exhausted all options AFAIK. IMHO, if they try to push the required revenue share on apps from current 0% to anything north of ~4%, it would seem to be sanctionable at this point. https://t.co/LC2RgB3aFr
Paying for Sports, but No 4K Champions League
seriously debating why I subscribe to TNT Sports when they can’t even show Champions League games in 4K. It was the same last week in the HBO Max app, and now the Bayern v. PSG game isn’t in 4K either....
Netflix Locks Oscar Isaac for Vegas Series and First‑look Deal
EXCLU: Following a big year with FRANKENSTEIN and BEEF, Netflix and Oscar Isaac are pushing all their chips in as the streamer taps him to star in new untitled Vegas series from Scorsese as well signing him to a first...
Jon Brown, Succession Alum, Co‑Showruns Harry Potter Season 2
Jon Brown has been named co-showrunner for Season 2 of the #HarryPotter TV series. He was a writer on Season 1 and like co-showrunner Francesca Gardiner, is a #Succession alum. #HBO #HBOMax #streaming $WBD
Guest Posts That Actually Expand Your Blogging Network
RT @RyanBiddulph Writing Guest Posts for Blogging that Actually Grow Your Network https://t.co/Fa7HOkHaR4 via @InspireToThrive
Invest in Reddit Now to Capture B2B Intent
The best time to invest in Reddit was last year. The second-best time is now. B2B buyers openly compare tools there every day. Install the Reddit Pixel. Retarget pricing-page visitors. Run always-on ads. Capture intent while competitors wait. https://t.co/OF7FNXFH4b
Netflix Signs Indie Duo Bentley, Kwedar to Scout Fresh Talent
Excl: TRAIN DREAMS filmmakers Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar sign an indie-centric first-look deal with Netflix. The duo will make their own movies but will also be scouring film festivals & film schools for new talent to help build their...