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:
Radio Mercury Awards 2026 Finalists Unveiled By RAB
The Radio Mercury Awards, produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau, has announced its 2026 finalists, marking the competition’s 35th year. A panel of top creatives, led by chief judge Danny Gonzalez of Bandits & Friends, selected entries spanning broadcast radio, streaming, podcasts, and multi‑platform campaigns. Winners will be honored on June 3 at Sony Hall in New York, with iHeartRadio host Angela Yee serving as emcee. The awards continue a three‑decade legacy of recognizing audio’s power to engage audiences and build brands.
Joe Swanberg’s ‘The Sun Never Sets’ Secures U.S. Distribution After SXSW Premiere
Joe Swanberg’s romantic drama ‘The Sun Never Sets,’ starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith, has signed a U.S. theatrical and digital distribution deal with Independent Film Company and Sapan Studio following its SXSW debut. The partnership marks...
9 Tough Publishing Truths Every Aspiring Author Must Know
I've interviewed nearly 100 successfully published authors and literary agents over the past four years. Here's what I always ask them: what's one thing you wish every aspiring author knew sooner? Here are 9 tough truths about the publishing process that most...
Consumers Want Everything Everywhere All At Once, Expect Brands To Pay For It
Dentsu’s latest Consumer Navigator shows U.S. adults are juggling live concerts, streaming shows, podcasts, sports, and social video simultaneously, demanding a truly omnichannel experience. The report finds 68% of consumers expect brands to be present across every touchpoint, and 55%...
Hulu Sets 'King of the Hill' Season 15 Premiere
Season 15 of Hulu’s King of the Hill premieres on July 20, with all ten episodes released simultaneously on Hulu and Disney+ for bundle subscribers. The revival follows a retired Hank and Peggy Hill in Arlen and 21‑year‑old Bobby, now a chef in...
CBS’s 60 Minutes Faces Backlash over White‑nationalist Disaster‑relief Segment
CBS’s flagship news program 60 Minutes aired a report on a little‑known white supremacist network that has been providing disaster‑relief assistance after recent tornadoes. The piece has ignited a wave of criticism from conservative commentators who argue the segment normalizes...
MFM Forum To Address Deal ‘Do’s and Don’ts’
The FEI & MFM Financial Leaders Forum, freshly rebranded, is spotlighting a new panel on deal strategy for broadcast assets. Scheduled for May 19 in San Antonio, the session—titled “Let’s Make a Deal…or Not!”—will examine transaction values, FCC outlook, and potential...
The Boroughs Trailer Shows Us a Little More of Its “Special Town Just for Grownups”
Netflix is set to launch "The Boroughs," a horror‑drama series centered on a retirement community, on May 21, 2026. The show features an all‑star senior cast—including Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, and Bill Pullman—under the...
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison Pushes 30‑Film Slate as Box‑Office Revenue Slips
Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison announced a plan to release 30 movies a year after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, even as quarterly theatrical revenue lagged. The strategy hinges on a $1.5 bn incremental content budget, $3 bn run‑rate savings and a...
Identifying Agency Red Flags and Characteristics of Effective Partnerships
Choosing the right digital‑marketing agency is essential for sustainable growth. Effective partnerships are strategy‑led, collaborative, communicative and results‑driven, ensuring every dollar spent ties to measurable goals. The article outlines red flags such as overpromising, generic cut‑and‑paste tactics, slow response times,...
First $400 Client Taught Me Priceless Lessons
my museum of failure as a content strategist... I charged my first client $400/month to manage all of their social media. I made absolutely no money in the beginning.
M2THAK’s Real‑World Streams Elevate BC.Game to iGaming’s Front‑Row
M2THAK has turned BC.Game into a cultural touchstone by broadcasting live casino action from yachts, Formula 1 venues and other high‑profile locations. The streamer’s mobile, production‑heavy format draws millions of viewers and is being hailed by analysts as the next wave...
‘Radio News Network’ Parent Goes With ARC Software
Live Channel USA, the company behind the Radio News Network (RNN), has chosen ARC Software’s CRM, affiliate research and contract management platform to power its national rollout. ARC will serve as a centralized hub for station mapping, operational workflow, and...
Why Is Skip Bayless Coming Back to ‘First Take’ Now?
Skip Bayless is returning to ESPN's "First Take" for a one‑off episode, a move framed as a friendly reunion but driven by Stephen A. Smith’s newfound control over the show. "First Take" currently dominates sports‑debate television, holding the top TV...
"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" Renewed for Season Two
NBC has renewed the freshman comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" for a second season after its debut episode drew over 14 million viewers, making it the #1 comedy telecast of the 2025‑26 season across broadcast networks. The show...
Will New York Magazine Be Once Again Owned By a Murdoch?
James Murdoch, fresh from a $1.1 billion settlement that freed him from the family News Corp and Fox holdings, is reportedly negotiating with Vox Media to purchase New York magazine and its podcast division. The deal, cited by the Wall Street Journal,...
A New Look for ProPublica
ProPublica unveiled a redesign of its website and visual identity, updating its logo, typefaces, homepage layout, and article presentation. The new design groups investigations with supporting material—methodology, visual explainers, translations—and highlights visual journalism. It also extends the refreshed look to...
Just The FACs, Ma'am: ANA Unveils Its Own New Ad Tax
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) unveiled a new "Fractional Advertising Contribution" (FAC) fee tied to its Aquila cross‑media measurement platform. The fee is set at 0.075% of media‑buy spend with a hard cap of $750,000, effectively limiting the charge...
Popular Cosy-Crime Series That's 'BBC Three's Highest-Rating Drama' Unveils Trailer Ahead of Return
The BBC has released a new trailer for season 2 of the cosy‑crime hit *A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder*, set to premiere on 27 May across BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Three. Adapted from Holly Jackson’s bestseller, the series follows teen...
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
NBC and its streaming arm Peacock delivered a record‑breaking 11.0 million total audience for the 76ers‑Celtics Game 7, the most‑watched first‑round matchup in NBA history. The broadcast also logged a 9.2 million TV‑only average and a 1.8 million average‑minute audience on Peacock, underscoring the...
FTC Drops Probe, Cites Free‑Speech Violation Over Musk X Report
FTC Settles With Media Matters After Watchdog Group Claimed Agency Retaliation For Article On Elon Musk’s X The probe followed a 2023 report linking ads to antisemitic posts on Elon Musk’s X. The judge ruled US Government retaliation “should alarm all Americans”...
Magellan AI: Podcast Advertisers Are Buying Blind In 2026
Magellan AI’s new guide, produced with True Native Media, reveals that most podcast advertisers are still planning campaigns without reliable audience data or attribution. Analysis of over 60,000 podcasts shows that 86.5% of podcast households are unique to the platform,...
Publishers Sue Meta for Pirated Books Used in AI Training
Major publishers sued Meta for pirating millions of books to train its AI Five major publishers are suing Meta for training its AI on pirated books. The lawsuit alleges Zuckerberg “personally authorized” massive copyright infringement. It claims Meta’s Llama AI model was trained...
Peter Schmeichel Joins Fox Sports World Cup Coverage
Glass Break: Danish soccer legend Peter Schmeichel is joining Fox Sports's World Cup coverage https://t.co/4P9y2Wdvio
This Streaming Deal Gets You an Entire Year of AMC+ for Less than $30
AMC+ is offering a limited‑time annual subscription for $29.99, a more than 70% discount off its regular $109.99 price, effectively reducing the monthly cost to $2.50. The deal runs through May 25 and is open to new, returning, and upgraded Premium...
Newsletter as Personal Discipline, Not Just Audience Reach
I have a confession. My daily newsletter of links and commentary (https://t.co/okv3uDONrs) is mostly for me. Oh, I love that plenty of people read it. But my main goal is forcing a reading and publishing discipline. @allen_hutchison is doing it too...
Full Trailer Drops for Supernatural Mystery ‘The Boroughs’
Full Trailer for Mystery Series 'The Boroughs' with Molina & Pullman https://t.co/WqkMI0xiHF #supernatural #TheBoroughs #GeenaDavis #AlfredMolina #AlfreWoodard #BillPullman #Netflix https://t.co/qCHmJLu62p
CIMM, TVB Release Local TV Currency Measurement Guidelines
The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have issued new “Guidelines for Local TV/Video Currency Measurement” along with a Buyer’s Guide to standardize evaluation of local TV and video measurement solutions. The framework centers on three principles—Inclusive, Transactable,...
Three Proven Fixes for a Weak Newsletter
Top 3 fixes for an underperforming newsletter from Sean Devlin. Search "Nathan Barry Show" to watch the full episode. https://t.co/AAv1uciBHv
Today's Must-Read Marketing AI News Highlights
Top #Marketing #AI News Stories today: https://t.co/u9ydkMkv8q Top stories from @FastCompany @diginomica @MarketingBrew @AdobeForBiz @martechismktg @databricks @vismktg @SlackHQ @MyTotalRetail @EYnews and more. https://t.co/xheJz5XeKV
‘One Piece’ Whole Cake Island Arc Part 6 Is Coming to Netflix in June 2026
Netflix will add Part 6 of One Piece’s Whole Cake Island arc on June 1 2026, raising the total streamed episodes to at least 863. The release follows a steady rollout that began in 2020 and includes the Marineford, Fishman Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa...
Widow's Bay on Apple TV Is Absolutely Awesome
I am here to report that Widow's Bay on Apple TV is [checks notes] fucking awesome https://t.co/7nX61QxZSS
Meta Sued Again for Training AI with Pirated Content
Another copyright lawsuit filed against Meta for allegedly using pirated works to train its AI model. I say allegedly but there is a massive trove of evidence at this point in Kadrey v Meta and Entrepreneur v Meta. Including knowingly...
Jacksfilms Exposes Fake YouTube Live Streamers “Scamming” Roblox Fans
Popular YouTuber Jacksfilms has exposed a network of at least 12 YouTube channels that broadcast pre‑recorded, looped footage as live streams promising free Roblox “Robux.” The streams solicit paid YouTube gifts—typically $5 “laughing disco” emojis—in exchange for supposed giveaways, but...
Pulitzer Wins, NBA Still Silent on Clippers Investigation
One note on @PabloTorre and his team winning a Pulitzer for the Clippers story — the NBA still hasn’t done anything about this. An investigation is still pending. Obviously the Pulitzer committee was convinced by the reporting — and no...
A Bill in France Would Force AI Firms to Prove They Didn’t Use Copyrighted Content to Train Their Tech. The...
A coalition of 81 French cultural and media organisations is urging the National Assembly to debate the Darcos bill, which creates a rebuttable presumption that AI providers have used copyrighted works unless they can prove otherwise. The French Senate passed...
Publishers Sue Meta Platforms over Alleged AI Training Copyright Infringement
Publishers Elsevier, Cengage, Hachette, Macmillan and McGraw Hill, along with author Scott Turow, have filed a class‑action lawsuit in Manhattan federal court accusing Meta Platforms of illegally using millions of books, journal articles and novels to train its Llama large‑language model. The...
Creator Economy Job Radar – May 5, 2026 – Nintendo, 2K Games, and Kraken Lead Hiring as Gaming, Crypto, and...
The Creator Economy hiring boom is spreading across gaming, crypto, beauty and live‑commerce firms, with Nintendo of America, 2K Games, Kraken, Apollo.io and SharkNinja posting senior influencer and brand partnership roles. Salaries range from $60,000 for entry‑level creator coordinators to...
New Children’s Book “Voices in the Box” Empowers Young People to Find Their Voice Through Podcasting
Podcast educator Derek Oxley released "Voices in the Box," a children’s book that introduces podcasting as a tool for self‑expression and skill development. The book blends storytelling, media literacy, and confidence‑building exercises, targeting educators, parents, and youth programs. Oxley draws...
WNBA Announces Historic Canadian Media Rights Agreement with Bell Media
The WNBA has signed a historic multiyear media rights deal with Bell Media, making TSN the primary broadcaster of league games in Canada starting with the 2026 season. The agreement designates TSN as the official media partner of the Toronto...
WNBA’s Indiana Fever Debuts Radio Network With WOWO Start
Fort Wayne’s 92.3 WOWO has signed a broadcast agreement to become the first regional affiliate of the Indiana Fever Radio Network, delivering all 44 regular‑season games and postseason coverage to Northeast Indiana. The Fever’s flagship remains Urban One’s 93.5/107.5 The Fan (WIBC‑HD2) in...
10 Best TV Shows Like For All Mankind
Apple TV’s ambitious series *For All Mankind* reimagines the 1969 moon landing, sparking a sprawling alternate‑history saga that blends politics, space exploration, and character drama. A new article curates ten television shows that echo its themes, ranging from hard‑science epics like...
They Always Come for the Witness First
The post catalogues a wave of lethal and punitive attacks on journalists worldwide, citing 262 deaths attributed to Israel since October 2023, 48 reporters held in Russian prisons—including one returned without organs—and more than 700 press‑freedom violations recorded in the United...
James Murdoch Seeks to Buy New York Magazine
Rupert once owned New York magazine, now estranged son James Murdoch is in talks to buy it, according to @Jtoonkel https://t.co/6IopKH2Akp via @WSJ
Townsquare Ignite Lights Up Broadway With Latest Digital Pact
Townsquare Media’s Ignite division has signed a digital‑advertising partnership with Broadway Media, a Salt Lake City operator of seven radio stations and an outdoor network. The deal adds Broadway to Ignite’s Media Partnerships white‑label service, which already includes recent agreements...
NHL Digital Ad Infiltrates Man’s Skull on ESPN Broadcast
During the third period of the Flyers‑Hurricanes playoff game, ESPN’s digital ad overlay malfunctioned, projecting a rotating board advertisement onto a fan’s head as his shadow blocked the camera. The glitch placed the ad directly over the fan’s skull, creating...
Lay’s World Cup Marketing Strategy Focuses on ‘Scaled Intimacy’ with Fans
Lay’s has entered the FIFA World Cup arena as a global sponsor, launching the second phase of its “No Lay’s, No Game” platform. The campaign pairs star‑studded ads—featuring David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Steve Carell and others—with a real‑world watch‑party stunt in...
Son of a Critch: Season Four — Has the CW TV Series Been Cancelled or Renewed?
Son of a Critch, a coming‑of‑age comedy based on Mark Critch’s memoir, airs on The CW and CBC. Season three delivered a 0.05 rating in the 18‑49 demo with 304,000 live‑plus‑same‑day viewers, a modest rise in demo but an 8%...
Lemonada Selects Flightpath to Power Forecasting, Sales Optimization, and Scalable Growth
Flightpath, a predictive analytics platform for on‑demand media, has partnered with Lemonada Media, one of the U.S.’s top independent podcast publishers. The deal gives Lemonada’s revenue team centralized traffic management, inventory forecasting and real‑time performance insights. By consolidating inventory across...
'KPop Demon Hunters' Passes 1 Billion Viewing Hours
Netflix’s original film “KPop Demon Hunters” has crossed the 1 billion viewing‑hour threshold, making it the platform’s most‑watched title over any six‑month span. The movie reached peak weekly viewership 11 weeks after launch, defying the typical early‑peak pattern of Netflix releases....