Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions top 2.2 bn, revenue eclipses pay‑TV
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, overtaking pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit in 2026 as operators shift focus from acquiring new users to monetising existing ones.
New SLAPP Guidance and Advice Hub for Journalists Facing Legal Intimidation
The University of Sheffield’s Centre for Freedom of the Media has launched SLAPPstraining.org, a dedicated website that equips journalists with tools to fight Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). The hub provides practical advice, case studies—including insights from Bellingcat’s Eliot Higgins and Guardian reporter Sirin Kale—legal letter templates, and a tracker of evolving SLAPP legislation in England and Wales. Its launch coincides with the United Kingdom slipping two spots in the World Press Freedom Index, highlighting growing legal threats to investigative reporting. The platform plans to expand its resources internationally to protect journalists worldwide.
Does Your Station Deserve a Marconi?
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has opened nominations for the 2026 Marconi Radio Awards, with a submission deadline of May 31. Winners will be announced at an October dinner in the Edison Ballroom, the night before the NAB Show in...
PQ Sees Growth For Media, Related Tech Consumer Spending
PQ Media’s latest research shows global consumer spending on media and related technology rose 2.8% to $2.44 trillion in 2025, a slowdown from the 4.4% gain in 2024. Digital media outperformed traditional, growing 4% to $1.85 trillion while traditional media fell 0.7%...
Spotify Launches Verified Artist Badges to Flag Human Musicians Over AI
Spotify has begun rolling out a new “Verified by Spotify” badge that will appear on more than 99% of the artists listeners actively search for. The green‑check signal is meant to assure users that the profile belongs to a real...
Action Films Slip to 35% of Top‑100 Box Office, Prompting Summer Genre Shift
Action titles fell to 35% of ticket sales among the top 100 U.S. and Canadian releases in 2025, the weakest share since 2010. Disney swapped its delayed "Avengers: Doomsday" for the comedy "The Devil Wears Prada 2," underscoring a broader...
Analysts: ‘Hollywood’s Vertical Video Strategy Is Dead Wrong’
Analysts at LightShed Partners criticize Hollywood’s rush to vertical video, saying most platforms are merely repurposing existing content rather than creating original portrait‑native programming. Netflix, Disney+, ESPN, Peacock, Paramount+ and CNN have added vertical feeds to their mobile apps, citing...
ABC Locks in ‘Scrubs’ Revival and ‘Shifting Gears’ for 2026‑27 Season
ABC has ordered a second season of the Scrubs revival and a third season of Shifting Gears for its 2026‑27 lineup. The moves follow solid linear ratings—5.4 million viewers for Shifting Gears and 9 million for Scrubs in the first week—and strong...
Quiz: Did Trump Really Post That on Truth Social?
NewsGuard has launched an interactive quiz that asks users to spot fabricated Trump posts on the former president’s Truth Social platform. The quiz records response time, rewarding the fastest correct answer with a NewsGuard‑branded cap. The post also highlights a...
USA TODAY Media Posts 4% Revenue Dip but Digital Earnings Surge in Q1 2026
USA TODAY Media announced first‑quarter 2026 results on April 30, showing total revenue fell 4% to $548.5 million but digital revenue climbed 5.2% to $261.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA surged 44.7% to $73.1 million, driven by cost cuts and AI licensing deals.
Embrace Awkwardness: Fun Collaboration with Teachable & Jayde
This was such a fun project to shoot with @teachable and @jaydeipowell (Also if you’ve ever worried you’re too awkward to be on camera, literally just watch me 🤪 zero chill)
New LPB Travel Show Aims to Showcase All of Louisiana
Award‑winning travel journalist Karen LeBlanc has launched LA64, a Louisiana Public Broadcasting series that will visit each of the state’s 64 parishes over a five‑year span. The first season premiered on Feb. 2, delivering 12 episodes that stream on PBS, LPB’s...
Atlanta Journal‑Constitution Launches Inaugural Subscriber Week to Boost Engagement
The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution announced its first Subscriber Week, running May 10‑16, featuring a slate of exclusive events, giveaways and behind‑the‑scenes tours. Chief marketing officer Amie Green says the program is designed to meet subscribers where they are and reinforce the paper’s...
NAB’s Marconi Call for Entries Opens
The National Association of Broadcasters has opened nominations for its 2026 Marconi Radio Awards, with the entry window running through May. More than 20 categories span stations, on‑air personalities, formats and podcasts, allowing both large‑market and community outlets to compete....
X (Formerly Twitter) Rolls Out Rebuilt AI‑powered Ad Platform to Win Back Advertisers
Elon Musk’s X began a phased rollout of a rebuilt, AI‑powered advertising platform on Thursday, promising more precise targeting and continuous feature upgrades. The move targets a rebound to $2.46 bn in ad revenue by 2026, according to eMarketer, as the...
Talking to Camera Stays Uniquely Human
Talking to camera is the one content format AI cannot replicate... Before you come at me with "what about AI avatars" we can still see that those aren't real. We can sniff that bullshit from a mile away. There is something...
Viral Robot Videos Dominate April: From Ping‑Pong Bots to NFT‑Pooping Dogheads
PC Gamer’s April roundup spotlights five robot videos that captured public imagination – Sony’s table‑tennis ace, Beeple’s billionaire‑head dog bots that “poop” NFTs, a self‑packing robot, a marathon‑crashing humanoid, and a chaotic field mishap. The mix of humor, failure and...
EXCLUSIVE: ‘BACHELOR’ AND ‘BACHELORETTE’ RETURN WITH MUCH TOUGHER BACKGROUND CHECKS
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchises are overhauling contestant vetting after a series of high‑profile scandals. Producers will now require extensive psychological evaluations, deep‑dive social‑media investigations, and thorough legal background checks. The latest overhaul follows a scrapped Bachelorette season that...
You're About to See Less Slop on Instagram
Instagram is tightening its algorithm to curb "unoriginal" posts, limiting the reach of reposted single photos and carousel collections. The platform now requires creators to make meaningful transformations—such as added humor, commentary, or unique edits—to qualify as original content. Low‑effort...
AI Is Bringing Retail Media Closer to the Sale
Retail media is becoming more complex as brands juggle multiple channels and an explosion of shopper signals. At an ADWEEK House Possible panel, CVS Media Exchange (CMX) and Kenvue highlighted how artificial intelligence is being used to personalize offers, streamline...
Instagram Reassures Meme Creators, Cracks Down on Content Thieves
Instagram isn't trying to get rid of memes — they actually had a call to reassure meme creators on Thursday They're trying to get rid of aggregators that rip off other people's content
Why Audio Is a Trusted Anchor in a Digital World
During an ADWEEK House Possible panel, executives from iHeartMedia, GroundTruth and ADWEEK discussed how audio is re‑emerging as a trust‑centric medium in a world saturated with AI‑generated content. They highlighted that 93% of consumers want news from a human and...
How Generative AI Will Impact Marketers and Consumers
InMobi exec Singhal predicts that by 2026 generative AI will power interactive ad formats that act like personal shopping agents, letting consumers outsource research while retaining final purchase decisions. He highlighted Glance, InMobi’s agentic commerce platform, which creates AI‑generated visual...
Doctor Who Star Among Big Names Confirmed to Host Final Two Episodes of Saturday Night Live UK
Saturday Night Live UK announced its final two episodes for season one. Hannah Waddingham, the Olivier‑winning star of Ted Lasso, will host the May 9 show, while Doctor Who and Barbie lead Ncuti Gatwa will helm the May 16 season finale. Musical guests Myles Smith and...
Indie Author Hits $19K KDP Revenue with Minimal Ads
Indie Author Transparency - April 2026 👀 Words written- 20k Books read- 3 New newsletter subs- 579 New Fb- 240 New Insta- 296 New TT- 20 New Threads - 788 -Income- KU page reads- 3,774,660 Ebooks sold- 1582 Free ebooks- 1697 PB sold- 53 Est. KDP income- $18,863 Fb ads spend- $7,171 TT...
Chicagoland Station Rallies Volunteers for Fox River Flood Relief
Chicago’s 105.5 WZSR (Star 105.5) rallied volunteers to combat severe Fox River flooding after record‑breaking rain in mid‑April. Morning hosts Joe Cicero and Tina Bree used their live show to call listeners for sandbag assistance. Within a week, roughly 80,000 sandbags were...
‘My Adventures with Superman’ Sets Season 3 Adult Swim Return
Adult Swim announced that the third season of the animated series My Adventures with Superman will launch at midnight ET/PT on June 13, with a streaming debut on HBO Max the following day. The show follows a twenty‑something Clark Kent...
Alex Jones’ Infowars Officially Shuts Down After 27 Years
Infowars, Alex Jones' flagship conspiracy platform, officially ceased operations after 27 years, following bankruptcy tied to $1.4 billion in defamation judgments stemming from Sandy Hook claims. A court‑appointed receiver halted rent and service payments, prompting Jones to abandon his Austin studio...
Spotify Now Verifies Artists that Are Human, Not AI
Spotify announced a new “Verified by Spotify” badge that will appear next to human artists’ names, using a mix of automated filters and human reviewers to confirm authenticity. The badge rollout begins in the coming weeks and will be accompanied...
Possible’s Aggressive Sponsorship Push: $50K Minimums and 2027 Contracts Due Today
Possible, the marketing and media summit owned by Hyve Group, wrapped up its fourth‑annual event in Miami Beach with 7,500 attendees, a 38 % increase over last year. The conference featured 292 commercial partners, up from 175, including headline sponsors such...
Next On Disney+ – May 2026 Video Released
Disney released its May 2026 "Next On Disney+" video, previewing a slate that spans Marvel, Star Wars, and family fare across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN for bundled subscribers. Highlights include a new Marvel Television special, “The Punisher: One Last Kill,” and 20th Century...
OpenAI Starts Laying Foundations for ChatGPT Ads in EU
OpenAI is preparing to launch advertising on ChatGPT in the European Union by updating its conversion‑tracking pixel with a consent‑management system and a country field. The change aligns the product with GDPR’s opt‑in requirements, a step not needed for U.S....
The Trade Desk Is Selling Onsite Retail Media Ads for Dollar General
The Trade Desk has launched a new retail‑media offering that lets advertisers purchase onsite display ads on Dollar General’s website through the same demand‑side platform used for off‑site campaigns. The partnership, built with retail‑tech provider Kevel, merges upper‑funnel inventory such...
Mini LED Vs. OLED: I've Tested Dozens of TV with Both Display Types, and This One's Better
ZDNet’s Adam Breeden compares Mini LED and OLED TVs, highlighting price, brightness, and burn‑in differences. Mini LED panels, built on backlit LCDs with thousands of tiny LEDs, deliver up to 5,000 nits and cost roughly half of comparable OLEDs. OLEDs, with self‑emissive pixels, provide...
Broadcaster Draper Media Names Bill Vernon President
Bill Vernon has been appointed president of Draper Media, effective May 1, after serving as vice president since December 2024. Vernon joined the company in 2020, first as general manager of the Delmarva Sports Network, then as station manager, before taking...
The First Amendment
The White House Correspondents’ Association held its annual dinner despite a petition from 500 journalists urging it not to host President Trump, who attended with his cabinet. Within days, the administration forced Disney to file early license renewals for all...
A ‘Bachelorette’ Season Hangs in the Balance as Abuse Claims Are Aired
ABC has placed the upcoming season of *The Bachelorette* on hold after domestic‑violence allegations surfaced against its lead, Taylor Frankie Paul. Prosecutors announced they will not file criminal charges, but Paul remains embroiled in a contentious Utah custody battle with...
Go Figure: 3 Big Marketing Numbers From April
CEO confidence in the CMO role slipped to 43% for 2026, signaling growing skepticism among senior leaders. At the same time, Modelo is committing a seven‑figure investment to sponsor every pre‑match broadcast of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Telemundo,...
Half of Gen Z Want to Live in 2016
2016 nostalgia isn’t fading: A new report says nearly half of Gen Z would choose to live in the past if they could Vine and Friendster are making a comeback And I talked to @alenayuann who’s crushing it across social — she...
IStories App Bypasses Russian Censorship to Deliver News
Important Stories launched the IStories mobile app in February to make sure information would reach Russians despite widespread internet censorship and VPN restrictions. https://t.co/dovF6gH7Fc
What’s New To Streaming: April 30, 2026
This weekend’s streaming roundup highlights a surge of mystery and thriller offerings across major platforms. Apple TV debuts "Hijack" Season 2 with Idris Elba, while Tubi revives the 1980s classic "Miami Vice." Prime Video adds the haunting Holocaust drama "The Zone of...
Build Your Channel by Reverse‑engineering a Clear Vision
What does your dream channel look like in 3 years? 👀 Get specific. Write it down. Then work backwards. The best channels aren't built by accident. They're reverse engineered from a vision. 🎯 https://t.co/KfQpOfbVQn
NFL Network Clashes with Comcast over Carriage After Disney Takeover
NFL Network is in a carriage dispute with Comcast, the first one since it went under the Disney/ESPN umbrella https://t.co/q0XPV8A9hS
Shifting Gears: Season Two Ratings + Viewer Votes
ABC’s multi‑camera sitcom *Shifting Gears* returns for a second season after becoming the network’s highest‑rated comedy in its debut year. Season 1 posted a 0.39 rating in the 18‑49 demo and attracted 4.32 million live + same‑day viewers, setting a benchmark for season 2. Early...
CNN NewsNight Risks Distraction Amid Jennings‑Mockler Clash
Will CNN's 'NewsNight' get sidetracked by news fight between Scott Jennings and Adam Mockler? https://t.co/r26nbzu9HT
Celebrating Shayndi’s Hit Stories and Editorial Leadership
Now that my friend and, sadly, former colleague @shayndi is on her way to CBS to work for @bariweiss, it’s a good time to share all her hit stories—those she authored but also spearheaded as an editor (and not what...
Americans' Trust in Mass Media Hits 20% Historic Low
Only 20% of Americans trust mass media... the lowest in 50 years measured by Gallup. Down from 68% in 1972. Down 40% in just the last 5 years. Legacy media has lost its monopoly.
YouTube's AI Inspiration Feature Misses the Mark
This YouTube inspiration feature is pretty bad. They need to put an actual YouTube creator in charge of this because they'll immediately tell you that these titles and thumbnails just won't work. Right now this just looks like AI slop. https://t.co/uGLtgwI7En
Paying for Verification Fuels Anonymous Troll Blue Checks
Twitter is pretty weird. But the weirdest part of Twitter, by far, is that anonymous trolls spend $8/month to get a blue checkmark on their accounts. You're paying actual $$$ to be verified unverifiably. It's the internet version of buying knockoff designer bags...
Court Reporters Warn Daily Mail's Unverified Salacious Story
Any journalist who regularly covers courts can easily spot complaints that are so outrageous that you have to do plenty of digging before a story is ready for publication. @Daily_MailUS seemingly just ran with a salacious story without doing the...
Well‑Funded Groups Manufacture Doomer Narrative Online
Doomerism *is* inorganic though. That’s why massively well funded groups are spending millions pushing doomer messaging on social media. Here’s a WaPo piece on some of this https://t.co/ImB0mFy7yk