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:
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ Reveals About LGBTQ+ Media And Marketing
The HBO Max series “Heated Rivalry,” created by openly gay talent, demonstrated how authentic queer storytelling can captivate LGBTQ audiences. Despite the show’s buzz, advertisers largely shied away, offering only generic public‑service spots and a single auto ad. The panel at POSSIBLE 2026 highlighted that 9% of U.S. adults now identify as LGBTQ—a jump from 3.5% in 2012—yet many brands still rely on seasonal rainbow‑washing. Marketers risk leaving significant revenue on the table unless they engage the community with genuine, year‑round initiatives.
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ Reveals About LGBTQ+ Media And Marketing
The HBO Max series “Heated Rivalry,” created by an openly gay director, resonated with LGBTQ+ viewers because it offers genuine representation, unlike many mainstream shows that rely on rainbow‑washing. Despite the show’s buzz, advertisers were scarce, highlighting lingering brand hesitancy...
BLJ Worldwide, Aligator Technology Partner to Advance Media Intelligence in Qatar
BLJ Worldwide and Aligator Technology have signed an MoU to co‑develop Aligator’s OLLI media intelligence suite for the Qatari market. OLLI offers sentiment analysis, competitive benchmarking and AI‑generated insights in both English and Arabic, including dialect‑specific processing. BLJ will apply...
Inside the Stream – YouTube’s Record Q1, Roku’s Howdy Hits 1M Subs
Alphabet’s YouTube posted near‑$10 billion in Q1 ad revenue, up 11 % year‑over‑year, while subscription revenue accelerated, led by Premium and a surge in news‑channel subscriptions. English‑language news channels grew 16 % in the past 15 months, with the BBC emerging as the...
Threads Needs a “Remind Me Later” Button
Since the @threads UX team love to goof around with features, they should just go ahead and add a “remind me to come back to this” button. I’m loving all the threads lore and messiness but I can’t be camped...
DISNEY+ ANZ Boss Sally O’Donoghue Steps Down After Seven Years
Sally O’Donoghue, who launched Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand in 2019, announced she is stepping down after seven years at the helm. During her tenure she guided the service through its rollout, rapid subscriber growth and a series of strategic...
Meta’s AI Ad Engine Delivers 33% Revenue Growth
Meta reported Q1 2026 revenue of $56.3 billion, a 33% year‑over‑year jump driven almost entirely by AI‑enhanced ad ranking models. The upgrades—doubling user‑sequence length, accelerating same‑day post indexing, and richer content embeddings—lifted ad impressions 19% and raised average CPM 12%, adding roughly...
USA Today Co.’s AI Licensing Deals Drive ‘Notable’ Revenue in Q1, Despite Pressure on Traffic and Programmatic
USA Today Co. reported that AI licensing agreements propelled a 125.6% year‑over‑year surge in its "other" digital revenue to $33.75 million in Q1, offsetting broader traffic and programmatic pressures. Total digital revenue grew 5.2% YoY to $261.9 million, while unique visitors slipped...
Marketers Question Expensive AI Visibility Tools as Inconsistent Results Fuel Skepticism
Marketers are grappling with pricey AI‑visibility platforms that claim to track brand mentions in large‑language‑model answers, yet results vary widely. Tools such as Profound, Ahrefs Brand Radar and Adobe‑acquired Semrush platform charge from $99 to over $1,000 per month, while...
AI Assistants That Sell You Things On The Side | Behind the Numbers
In this episode of "Behind the Numbers," hosts Marcus, Grace Harmon, and Nate Elliott dissect OpenAI's ambitious plan to generate $100 billion in ad revenue from ChatGPT by 2030. They critique the feasibility of scaling from a $100 million pilot to billions...
Cliodynamica Substack: A Year in Review
Peter Turchin’s Cliodynamica Substack celebrated its first anniversary, having published 87 articles at an average of 1.4 posts per week. The most lucrative paid‑subscriber posts focus on structural‑demographic analysis of America, Japan, and European geopolitics, while the free‑subscriber record belongs...
Social Overtakes Search As Advertising Market Down In March — SMI Figures
In March 2026 the Australian advertising market contracted, with agency bookings falling more than 5% year‑over‑year after the election‑driven spike of 2025. Social media ad spend overtook search for the first time, moving to the top of the digital hierarchy,...
60 Minutes Journalist Decries ‘Spread of Corporate Meddling and Editorial Fear’ at CBS News
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi warned that corporate meddling and editorial fear are eroding CBS News’ independence after a segment on El Salvador’s Cecot prison was delayed and altered at the request of CBS editor Bari Weiss. Alfonsi, who received a Ridenhour...
Out with the Tapes, in with the Cloud: Nine’s TV News Transformation
Nine Network is overhauling its TV news operation, moving to cloud‑based, story‑centric production and cutting 120 legacy systems to three bespoke platforms. The restructure reduces role types from 100 to nine, requiring staff to multi‑skill, and includes about 20 voluntary...
TV Ratings (30/4/2026): Women’s State Of Origin Edges AFL In Thursday Night Code Clash
Thursday night’s television clash saw the inaugural Women’s State of Origin game claim the top spot with a national reach of 2.045 million and an average audience of 980,000, edging out the AFL broadcast. The NSW Blues defeated the Queensland Maroons...
Kellanova Moves Media From Bastion Back to Zenith
Kellanova, the former Kellogg’s, has moved its global media buying from Bastion back to Publicis’s Zenith as part of the Mars‑Publicis agency ecosystem. The shift follows Mars’s $1.7 billion migration of its media account from WPP to Publicis last year. Bastion...
Your TV Can Sound a Lot Better: 7 Easy but Unexpected Ways to Improve Audio Quality
Most TV audio problems stem from room acoustics rather than the speakers themselves, and simple, low‑cost tweaks can dramatically improve sound quality. Soft furnishings, acoustic curtains, and inexpensive foam panels absorb reflections and block external noise, creating a cleaner listening...
SiriusXM Churn at Record Low in Q1
SiriusXM posted Q1 2026 revenue of $2.09 billion, a modest 1% year‑over‑year increase, while net income surged 20% to $245 million. The company’s churn rate fell to a record‑low 1.5%, reflecting strong subscriber retention across its 33 million paid users and the broader...
Vitasoy Relaunches ‘Stand by Me’ with Dentsu GBA to Celebrate Human Connection
Vitasoy has teamed with dentsu GBA to relaunch its iconic “Stand by Me” campaign, emphasizing everyday human connections. The rollout spans TV, digital video, social platforms and out‑of‑home placements, including a dominant presence in Hong Kong MTR stations. Three short films...
Love Story Would Like Emmy Consideration, Please
The limited‑series drama "Love Story," which dramatizes the Kennedy family saga, has become a cultural talking point and is being tipped for Emmy nominations. The author praises Constance Zimmer’s performance while finding Paul Anthony Kelly’s work flat and Sarah Pidgeon’s...
EXIT Signs Performance Director Olivia Altavilla
EXIT Films announced the addition of director Olivia Altavilla, known for her emotionally authentic commercial storytelling rooted in her Italian‑Venezuelan heritage. Altavilla emphasizes real‑life details, nuanced casting, and purposeful camera work to create memorable, human‑focused narratives. The agency’s managing partner...
White House Correspondents' Dinner Do-Over Still Possible, Delayed
Scoop: A do-over White House Correspondents' Dinner is still *very much* on the table. WHCA board has been privately meeting this week and weighing its options. A do-over is not likely to happen within 30 days as Trump initially wanted. Window...
‘Friends’ Cast’s Multi-Million Dollar Yearly Residuals Revealed
Lisa Kudrow disclosed that the six Friends actors collectively collect about AUD 27 million (≈US$18 million) in residuals each year, more than two decades after the sitcom ended. The cast negotiated equal salaries early on, rising from roughly AUD 32,000 (≈US$21,000) per episode in season 1 to AUD 1.3 million (≈US$860,000)...
Celebrity Power Drives Publishing Shift at LA Times Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books featured a surge of celebrity authors, underscoring a market where personal brand often outweighs literary merit. Emerging writers say the trend narrows opportunities, while some authors embrace the new branding model.
King Bach Teams with Creator TV to Turn TikTok Clips Into Sketch Show Series
Creator TV has signed King Bach, whose 28.4 million‑follower TikTok audience will be repackaged into a half‑hour sketch series called “The King Bach Show.” The shows will stream on free ad‑supported TV (FAST) partners such as Plex, Sling Freestream and LiveTVx,...
Creators Lead the Future of Entertainment, YouTube Summit Highlights
Creators are, and always will be, at the core of everything we do. They are the new stars and studios, redefining entertainment and building next-generation media companies. At last week’s @YouTube Creator Summit in Ojai, we brought our creator community together...
Real‑time Delivery Is the New Competitive Edge
I’ve seen how quickly content loses value if it doesn’t move in real time. In live sports, the moment isn’t just captured—it has to be delivered instantly. If the network can’t keep up, the story’s already gone. That’s where performance becomes a competitive...
CNN Reveals Mallory McMorrow Deleted 6,000 Tweets, Stoking Michigan Senate Primary Firestorm
CNN reported that Democratic Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow wiped about 6,000 tweets from her X account, including all posts before 2020. The purge, triggered by a 2025 Post exposé, has drawn fire from opponents and raised doubts among voters about...
Dharma & Greg Finale Unites Opposite Parents in Harmony
📺 April 30, 2002: Dharma (Jenna Elfman) and Greg (Thomas Gibson) tried to make peace between their polar opposite parents on the series finale of "Dharma and Greg" on ABC. The sitcom, created by Dottie Dartland and Chuck Lorre and...
Ideas Flow From X to LinkedIn via Social Media
Ideas spread in this order: X -> YouTube -> IG -> TikTok -> FB ——————> LinkedIn
ABLEnow Teams with Wounded Warriors Podcast to Boost Veteran ABLE Account Awareness
ABLEnow, the nation’s largest independent ABLE savings program, has partnered with the Wounded Warriors in Action Podcast to inform veterans and families about expanded ABLE account eligibility beginning in 2026. The collaboration aims to protect benefits like SSI and Medicaid...
Amazon's Super Bowl Streaming Falls Far Short of TV Reach
Re: @BrendanCarrFCC and the NFL, Amazon and Super Bowl. It is irrelevant, as Amazon couldn't deliver it to 55M+ households in the U.S. Peak streaming viewership, measured in AMA, was 15.5M in 2025. Even years from now, streaming will still...
Rebundling Is Key to Recovering Pay‑TV Losses
Consolidation and rebundling are the only way I gain some fraction of what lost via the attrition of Pay TV over the past 15 years…Big questions is just how much can be stabilized and regained? Just getting started...
Reddit Q1 Revenue Climbs to A$921 Million
Reddit reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of A$921 million (about $607 million), a 69% year‑on‑year increase, driven primarily by a 74% jump in ad revenue to A$869 million ($574 million). Net income surged to A$284 million ($188 million) and adjusted EBITDA hit A$370 million ($244 million) with a 40%...
Seeking Effective Prompt for GPT Image 2 Thumbnails
Anyone figure out how to generate great YouTube thumbnails with GPT Image 2 yet? Have a good prompt?
NHL/NBA Lag Far Behind MLB's Streaming Revenue
Those numbers are lower than what MLB teams are getting right now with PayTV and DTC streaming. I’m confused why the NHL and NBA wouldn’t just copy what MLB has done…Also, no one, and I mean no one, is doing...
Tuesday TV Ratings: RJ Decker, Farmer Wants a Wife, NCIS: Sydney, NBA Playoffs, WWE NXT
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, TV ratings were released using Fast Affiliate Numbers, covering new episodes of RJ Decker, Farmer Wants a Wife, Bear Grylls is Running Wild, and three NCIS spinoffs. The sports lineup featured live broadcasts of the 2026 NBA Playoffs and...
‘The Pitt’ May Shake Emmys, Janney, Nicholson Remain Strong
Emmys: Supporting Actress (Drama) — ‘The Pitt’ Could Stack the Field, but Allison Janney and Julianne Nicholson Are Viable Contenders https://t.co/AoDtMtjtt5 via @variety https://t.co/rtpyyE7pq1
Amazon's Q1 2026 Ads Revenue Jumps 22% to $17.2B as E‑commerce Spend Shifts to Marketplace
Amazon posted $181.5 billion in total revenue for Q1 2026 and saw its advertising business climb 22% YoY to $17.2 billion. The surge reflects a broader shift of ad dollars toward marketplace platforms, underscoring the growing importance of Amazon’s ad stack for...
The Distrusted MSM
A Statista Consumer Insights survey of 31 countries reveals that 31% of French respondents distrust their mainstream media, the highest level globally. Japan and the United States follow closely, with roughly three‑in‑ten respondents expressing skepticism. The United Kingdom and Germany...
Taiwan Falls Four Places in RSF’s World Press Freedom Ranking
Taiwan slipped four places in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, falling to 28th out of 180 with a score of 75.44, down from 24th and 77.04 last year. Despite the drop, the island’s media environment remains one of...
DAZN’s U.S. Pursuit Gaining Steam
DAZN announced the acquisition of ViewLift, a streaming‑technology provider that already powers direct‑to‑consumer services for several major U.S. sports teams. ViewLift’s portfolio includes partnerships with the NHL’s Panthers, MLB’s Mariners, 15 teams and five regional sports networks. The deal gives...
Comcast-NFL Network Dispute Kicks Off
Comcast’s carriage agreement with Disney/ESPN for NFL Network and NFL RedZone expired at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, prompting the removal of both channels from Xfinity, Comcast Business, Xfinity Stream, and On Demand. The dispute marks the first high‑profile carriage fight for...
Press Freedom Across Central Asia and Caucasus Eroding at Alarming Rate – Watchdog
Reporters Without Borders’ 25th World Press Freedom Index shows a global slide, with more than half of the 180 surveyed nations now classified as “difficult” or “very serious” for media freedom. In the Central Asian and Caucasus region, Georgia experienced...
Programming
Amazon has held preliminary internal talks about reviving “The Apprentice” for Prime Video, with a possible host in Donald Trump Jr., following its acquisition of MGM. The streaming giant confirmed no development is underway, though the idea reflects a strategic...
The Cryptkeeper Now Streaming
AMC Global Media has resolved a long‑standing rights tangle to bring the cult horror anthology "Tales from the Crypt" to streaming for the first time. Season 1 launches today on Shudder and AMC+, with a new season released each Friday until...
The ABC Dominates SPA Awards
The Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards saw the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) sweep six of the nine television categories, cementing its dominance in local content. Hard Quiz captured Light Entertainment Production of the Year, while Austin, The Newsreader, Grand Designs...
Report: ABC Set to Part Ways with Jimmy Kimmel as Contract Expiry Looms
ABC is expected to let Jimmy Kimmel go when his contract expires in May 2027, according to gossip columnist Rob Shuter. While the network has publicly defended the host, the FCC’s early broadcast‑license review—triggered by Trump family criticism of a recent...
Prime Video Reveals ‘Obsession Is in Session’ Initiative for Young Adults
Prime Video unveiled "Obsession is in Session," a year‑long initiative to cement its position as the go‑to streaming home for young adult (YA) audiences. The program kicks off with a teaser trailer showcasing 12 new YA titles slated for 2026...
Toby Morris Joins Growing COUSIN Stable
COUSIN, an Australian production company, has signed director Toby Morris to its roster. Morris, a prolific freelancer with 85 million video views and work featured at TIFF, St Kilda, and commercial campaigns for the Singapore Navy, The Iconic, Kia and Instagram, joins...