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:
More Eye-Popping Mergers Ahead: Comcast And Charter?
Comcast and Charter are exploring a merger that would unite roughly 26 million video subscribers, representing about 20 percent of U.S. households. The deal is driven by two forces: a 15‑year decline in traditional pay‑TV subscriptions and the need to bolster weakening broadband margins against fiber and 5G rivals. Analysts see the combination as a way to leverage scale for pricing power and network upgrades, while antitrust concerns loom given the potential market concentration. The move follows other industry‑shaping transactions such as Charter’s pending $34.5 billion Cox acquisition and the $111 billion Paramount‑Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Hisense Aggressively Cuts the Price of Its RGB LED TV on Release Day
Hisense slashed the launch price of its UR9 RGB LED TV by more than 40%, cutting $1,500‑$2,000 off each size. The 65‑inch model now sells for $1,999, the 75‑inch for $2,999, and the 85‑inch for $3,999, making it cheaper than Samsung’s...
Netflix Unveils Trailer for Dibu Martínez: The Kid Who Stops Time
Netflix has released the trailer for "Dibu Martínez: The Kid Who Stops Time," an animated‑documentary that chronicles Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez’s journey from a Mar del Plata child to World Cup hero. The feature, produced by PEGSA and directed by...
Barry McKay Named PD at Coastal Virginia’s 92.9 The Wave
Max Media of Coastal Virginia announced two internal promotions. Barry McKay, a longtime on‑air personality, has been elevated to Program Director and Brand Manager while also taking the afternoon host slot at 92.9 The Wave. Jerry Hoyt, a versatile veteran of the company, will...
Dollar General Launches Unified Retail Media Platform
Dollar General, together with Kevel and The Trade Desk, unveiled a unified retail media platform that merges its onsite ad inventory with offsite digital channels. The solution lets advertisers plan, execute and measure campaigns across the full purchase funnel from...
Blog: Wifi Killed the BBC Radio Car
The BBC has retired its iconic Radio Car, a £70,000 (≈ $86,000) on‑site broadcast vehicle, moving the service to on‑demand, Wi‑Fi‑enabled reporting. The newer Verv model, which replaced the original car with a satellite dish, is also being phased out as...
How to Navigate Burnout
Burnout is a pervasive, work‑related stress response affecting roughly 70% of journalists, with women and younger staff reporting higher rates. The American Press Institute argues that self‑care alone cannot solve the problem because burnout is rooted in organizational culture. News...
Mental Well-Being in the Newsroom
The American Press Institute launched a May Special Edition series on newsroom mental well‑being, timed with Mental Health Awareness Month. The program offers a trio of webinars and practical guides for news leaders to recognize burnout, trauma, and to build...
Reddit’s AI Translations Keep Booming One Year Later
Let's start this week off with a boom. An AI-translated boom. :) I wrote a two-part series last year about Reddit's AI translations and how they were booming. Well, I revisited their AI translation project to see how things were...
It’s Not Just Nostalgia: How Print Enhances Advertising and Visibility for Local-News Projects
A recent panel on community journalism highlighted a growing appreciation for print among young editors of nonprofit weeklies in Massachusetts. While digital‑only outlets dominate the local‑news landscape, publications like The Local News and H‑W News rely heavily on print advertising...
National Library Report Finds Book Readership to Be ‘Stable’ in Poland
Poland’s National Library reports that 41% of residents aged 15 and older read at least one book in 2025, matching the previous year’s figure and up from 37% in 2015. Young adults lead the market, with 45% of 15‑24‑year‑olds reading,...
Jessi Draper Only Has One Reality-TV Nemesis
Jessi Draper, formerly Jessi Ngatikaura, rose to prominence on Hulu’s *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* after an on‑camera affair with Marciano Brunette from *Vanderpump Villa* became a headline‑grabbing storyline. The scandal helped Hulu position its reality‑TV slate as a...
Andy Cohen Bent the World to His Reality
Andy Cohen has been the architect of Bravo’s reality‑TV empire, guiding shows from *Top Chef* to the *Real Housewives* franchise for over two decades. After stepping down from his executive role in 2013, he became the on‑camera face of the...
The Masterminds of Reality TV
Vulture unveiled its inaugural Reality TV Masterminds list, spotlighting the genre’s cultural dominance in 2026. The publication honored Andy Cohen with its sixth honorary degree and named Kathy Hilton the first Forever Icon. Reality shows such as *Survivor*, *Love Island* and *The...
UEFA Secures Global Media Rights Deals Approaching $6B Annually
UEFA is finalizing new broadcast agreements in 19 territories that will deliver roughly $5.9 billion in annual revenue from 2027 to 2031. The deals cover the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, but exclude the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany,...
Is Influencer Campaign ROI Really That Hard to Measure?
Influencer marketing’s promised 11x return on investment is largely a myth, according to the latest guide from Influencer Marketing Hub. The article outlines practical frameworks for measuring campaign impact, including multi‑touch attribution, UTM parameters, and benchmark data from a survey...
Service Journalism that Actually Pays Off – Lessons From Canada’s Village Media
Village Media, a Canadian digital‑media group, operates 27 hyperlocal news sites that rely on an ad‑supported, reach‑based model rather than subscriptions. About 70% of its revenue is generated from local advertisers, with a newsroom structure of one reporter per 15,000...
All William Hill SPFL Play-Offs to Be Streamed Live
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) will stream every play‑off match live for the first time through the Premier Sports Player platform. Matches not already on Sky Sports, BBC Scotland or BBC ALBA will be available on a pay‑per‑view basis at...
Creator Economy Event Calendar – May 4, 2026 – YouTube, Twitch, The Podcast Show: A Headline-Packed Month
May 2026’s creator‑economy calendar spans the U.S., Europe, Africa and Latin America, featuring flagship gatherings such as YouTube Brandcast in New York, Scalable Summit in Venice, and TwitchCon in Rotterdam. The schedule includes the inaugural African Social Media Influencers Summit...
Could a Unified, Independent Measurement System for CTV Be Close?
Industry leaders at an ADWEEK House Possible chat highlighted that Connected TV (CTV) has become a powerful ad channel but still suffers from fragmented, opaque measurement. Viant’s recent acquisition of TVision, which uses camera‑based eye‑tracking to count viewers and gauge...
How Marketers Can Get Clean Incrementality Measurements in a Messy World
Marketers are under mounting pressure to prove the incremental impact of their spend, yet only about 8% of brands have a formal incrementality program. Panelists highlighted that attribution is both technically hard and organizationally fragmented, making it difficult to isolate...
Roku’s New Home Screen Won’t Let You Go Back To The Old Version on Roku TVs & Roku Players, Over...
Roku announced a mandatory redesign of its home screen that will display larger, persistent ads and prioritize subscription apps, aiming to boost ad revenue and user engagement. The company also launched its first cloud DVR‑like features through a partnership with...
Scott Jennings Crossed a Line on CNN, but the Bigger Problem Is the Show Itself
CNN’s prime‑time debate program “NewsNight,” hosted by Abby Phillip, sparked controversy when conservative commentator Scott Jennings shouted an expletive at liberal panelist Adam Mockler during a live discussion on the Iran war. The incident highlighted the show’s confrontational format, which...
Prune Thin Content, Boost Traffic by 270%
I deleted 47 blog posts on a client's website. Traffic went UP 270%. Here's what I learned about content pruning: Low-quality posts don't just sit there harmlessly. They actively tank your domain authority. Google sees thin content and assumes your whole...
3D Digital Billboards Transform Downtown Cityscape
#WhatsNext? Say good bye to yesterday's plain old billboards and hello to these brand new #3D digital displays that will light up downtown city core in a whole new way. (Mashable) #Technology https://t.co/E4JAK9Q0n7
Zattoo Upgrades SRG Channels to Full HD
Zattoo is upgrading its Ultimate tier in Switzerland to stream all seven SRG SSR channels in Full HD, expanding its premium offering to 118 Full HD and 202 HD channels out of a total of 374. The enhancement arrives ahead...
From Big Budgets to Daily Posts: Reach Simplified
Twenty years ago, reaching 1000 people required: Advertising budget. PR agency. Media connections. Focus group testing. Hiring designers. Test launches. Contract workers. Meetings. Today it requires: Consistent posting for 6 months The world = your oyster
Couple Builds Passivhaus with Cow‑dung Interior
"Grand Designs NZ: Young couple’s ambitious build; they literally spray cow dung on the walls inside." Not mentioned, but it's also a certified Passivhaus 🌾 🏡 ✅️ #passivhaus #passivehouse https://t.co/cx9LYu8Lb1 https://t.co/UA0W8KA7RL
Upfronts Advertisers Say They Want Outcomes – And Amazon Licks Its Chops
Amazon Ads is pivoting to outcome‑based TV advertising as advertisers demand measurable sales impact. The company unveiled upgrades—including an expanded Prime Video Insights beta, a new long‑term sales metric, and longer measurement look‑back windows—leveraging its proprietary Authenticated Graph. This graph...
Spotify CEO Shares Broad Insights on AI, Entrepreneurship, Free Speech
One of the best ep of @HarryStebbings @twentyminutevc (& it's a high bar) feat @Spotify CEO @tobi who offered such great perspective on a remarkably wide range of topics, from AI to entrepreneurship to free speech; remarkably resonant. https://t.co/ZPCgIMd1G8 @zakkohane...
Limit Social Media Hours to Cure Brainrot and Loneliness
Hot take: Social media should work like a library. It should open at 8am and close at 8pm. That would fix brainrot, the loneliness epidemic, and the dating crisis.
Upfronts Advertisers Say They Want Outcomes – And Amazon Licks Its Chops
Amazon Ads is rolling out a suite of measurement upgrades aimed at TV and streaming advertisers who are demanding outcome‑based buying. The new Prime Video Insights beta lets brands match first‑party data to specific genres and shows, while a long‑term...
Rajeev Khandelwal Shares Early Acting Struggles on Tum Ho Naa
Rajeev Khandelwal opened up on Sony's "Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ki Superstar" about his early acting days, explaining how he learned by closely observing peers and mimicking their styles in private. He said the imitation exercise helped him gauge...
Get Ready for AI Agents Now, Before Buyer Agents Scale
AI‑driven buyer agents are already influencing how advertising inventory is evaluated, moving the decision‑making process into the current RFP and direct‑sales workflow. Publishers that make their data, audience segments, and inventory packaging machine‑readable can capture immediate ROI and avoid being...
Five Fixes That Turn Your About Page Into a Subscriber Magnet (In Only 17 Minutes)
The article argues that most About pages are written for the author, not the visitor, causing high bounce rates and missed subscriber opportunities. It identifies five critical decision moments where the copy often fails and offers concrete before‑and‑after examples to...
What We Know About the Next Drama Coming From Creator of Popular Hit Tell Me Lies
Creator Meaghan Oppenheimer is developing a new Hulu family drama titled "Bastards," which follows three adult siblings returning home after their famous parent’s scandal. The project is being fast‑tracked and is expected to debut no earlier than 2027. Oppenheimer’s latest...
Cohen Turns Simple Math Into “Advanced Calculus”
This @SquawkCNBC interview with Ryan Cohen is wild. @andrewrsorkin is asking him a 3rd grade math question and he keep pretending they’re asking him an advanced calculus equation.
Serving Low-Income Immigrants Was Supposed to Be Our Weakness. It Proved to Be the Key to Our Sustainability
El Tímpano, an Oakland newsroom serving low‑income Latino and Indigenous immigrants, proved that its focus on hard‑to‑reach audiences is a revenue advantage, not a liability. By leveraging multilingual trust, it secured a $5,000 county grant in 2020 and expanded civic‑partnership income...
Noah Kahan's 'The Great Divide' Tops Billboard 200 with Record 389,000 Units
Noah Kahan earned his first Billboard 200 No. 1 with 'The Great Divide,' moving 389,000 equivalent album units in its debut week. The tally includes a streaming record for 2026, the largest vinyl sales week for a rock album, and underscores...
A New Option for Readers Who Want More
Africa Private Equity News is launching a paid subscription tier while keeping its daily news coverage free. The premium offering includes bi‑weekly interviews with leading African private‑capital figures and full access to the monthly Dealmaker’s Log database of deals and...
Middle East Journalism Innovates Across Borders, Conflict and Constraint
The 2026 WAN‑IFRA Digital Media Awards highlighted Middle‑East journalism that thrives despite conflict, censorship and technical constraints. Winners leveraged audience participation, AI and data‑visualisation to turn citizen‑generated content into verified news products. Notable projects include the Saudi Gazette’s mobile‑first website...
HarperCollins’ Reading Report Sparks Backlash Over Parenting Blame
A recent op‑ed on The New Publishing Standard condemns HarperCollins for shifting responsibility for the decline in children’s reading for pleasure onto parents, after the publisher’s April 2025 report showed daily reading rates fell to 25%. The critique fuels a wider...
AI Cuts Chinese Micro‑Drama Costs to $30/Min, Fueling $3B Market Surge
Chinese entertainment firms are using AI video generators to produce micro‑dramas at roughly $30 per minute, a fraction of traditional costs. The surge saw 50,000 AI‑generated episodes uploaded to Douyin in March, pushing the AI micro‑drama market past $3 billion this...
Jeeves: A Forgotten Relic of the Early Web
Who knew that https://t.co/CNzA52YbyY even made it into this century? The Times waxes nostalgic about a site no one used. So Long Jeeves and https://t.co/CNzA52YbyY, Relics of Yesterday’s Internet https://t.co/V1GSZOOf4I
Apple TV and VPNs Unlock Miami Grand Prix 2026 for Global Fans
Apple TV now carries the 2026 Miami Grand Prix in the U.S., while Sky Sports, TSN, Foxtel and Kayo serve the U.K., Canada and Australia. Viewers abroad can use VPN services such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN to stream the race...
M2THAK’s Real‑World Streams Turbocharge BC.Game’s iGaming Reach
M2THAK has turned iGaming promotion into a mobile, high‑production spectacle, driving millions of live viewers to BC.Game and redefining how the sector markets to bettors. The streamer’s real‑world format blends casino action with lifestyle settings, giving BC.Game unprecedented cultural relevance.
Motorola’s India Lawsuit Could Make Platforms Police Speech Faster
Motorola’s Indian subsidiary has filed a civil defamation lawsuit against major platforms—including Google, Meta, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Threads—seeking removal of more than 360 posts it claims portray its devices as unsafe. The court granted a temporary injunction ordering...
Flipkart Taps Kodinhi’s Twin-Town Identity for Its ‘Double Deals’ Ad
Flipkart’s SASA LELE sale campaign uses Kerala’s twin‑town Kodinhi to showcase “double deals.” The ad features more than 20 twins, turning the village’s unique demographic into a visual metaphor for paired discounts. Produced by 22feet and directed by Godwin D’mello, the...
Dear Algo, What Is an Algorithm?
The piece traces the evolution of the word “algorithm” from a textbook recipe to the opaque, AI‑powered engines that now curate social feeds. It contrasts classic examples like binary search with modern machine‑learning models that recognize cats without explicit rules....
After 40 Years and for the First Time, WKRP Returns to Cincinnati
Veteran broadcasters Randy Michaels and Jeff Ziesmann have revived the iconic WKRP call letters, launching a real‑world station that serves Cincinnati, Dayton and Northern Kentucky. The call sign was purchased at an FCC auction from a low‑power FM in Raleigh,...