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.
Amid a Worldwide Surge of Authoritarianism, the U.S. Falls Again in Press-Freedom Rankings
The 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders places the United States at 64th out of 180 nations, slipping behind Botswana and ahead of Panama. The decline is attributed to concentrated media ownership, a collapsing local‑news ecosystem, and aggressive attacks on journalists under Donald Trump’s renewed presidency. While traditional negative rights such as libel protections and government criticism remain intact, positive rights—public funding, source protection, and public trust—are eroding. The report also notes a worldwide downturn, with 100 countries seeing their scores worsen.
Viewers Are Satisfied with Streaming, but There’s Room to Improve the Ad Experience
FreeWheel’s "Voice of the Viewer" report shows roughly 80% of consumers are satisfied with their overall streaming experience, citing content choice, value for money and ad‑supported tiers as key strengths. However, the study also uncovers persistent frustrations around ad relevance,...
Grubhub Centers Value in Monthlong Loyalty Push with Anomaly
Grubhub launched a month‑long "Gold Digging Season" promotion, offering its premium Grubhub+ subscription for $0.99 instead of the usual $9.99. The deal provides exclusive discounts at major restaurants, $50 off $100 grocery orders via Instacart, and special Blue Apron meal‑kit...
Locality Adds Sales Leaders to Scale National Access to Local TV Advertising Through Collective Ahead of Upfronts
Locality announced the hiring of Steve Fish and Adam Quinn as vice presidents of sales to accelerate adoption of its Collective platform, a data‑driven solution that lets national advertisers plan and activate local TV inventory at scale. The appointments come...
Roblox, Social Media, and the Future of AI Integration
Social media giants are pouring billions into generative AI, from Meta’s satellite‑solar server project and Instagram video edits to Snap’s AI‑driven interactive ads and X’s Grok integration. While these add flashy layers, overreliance risks eroding feed authenticity and user trust....
Here’s What’s Worth Streaming in May 2026 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and More
The May 2026 streaming guide highlights a leaner slate of prestige shows as budget cuts and consolidation bite, prompting consumers to trim subscriptions and adopt “strategic churning” to stay under a $50 monthly budget. Apple TV earns a Play rating...
Sheriff Country: Grammy Winner Maren Morris Set To Guest-Star Ahead Of Finale — Get Exclusive First Look
Grammy‑winning country star Maren Morris will appear as Hazel in the penultimate Season 1 episode of Sheriff Country, slated for May 15 at 8/7c on CBS. The episode also features her original song “Parachute,” which she wrote for the series. The storyline...
Spotify's Verified Badge Distinguishes Humans, Not AI‑Free Music
To address the flood of AI-generated artists on the platform, Spotify is rolling out a “Verified by Spotify” badge to help listeners more easily identify authentic human artists. This will become increasingly commonplace across platforms. That said just because the artists...
L’Oréal Romania Taps SAMY to Manage Creator Marketing Across All 21 Group Brands
L’Oréal Romania announced a partnership with global social‑first agency SAMY to run influencer marketing for its entire portfolio of 21 brands, starting in June 2026. SAMY already handles L’Oréal’s creator relationships in Italy, Spain, the UK, the Nordics, Latin America...
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Taps LTK for Social Commerce Push
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has partnered with LTK to launch its first creator‑driven social commerce channel. An official LTK profile will let fans discover and purchase items featured in editorial content, talent spotlights, and live runway coverage. LTK will also enable...
POSSIBLE 2026: Can AI Help Agencies Finally Break Down Those Silos?
At POSSIBLE 2026, Horizon Media’s chief product and data officer Domenic Venuto explained how the agency is using artificial intelligence to fuse audience planning, targeting, measurement and strategy into a single platform. The AI‑driven hub eliminates the lag between client questions and...
POSSIBLE 2026: Can AI Help Agencies Finally Break Down Those Silos?
At POSSIBLE 2026, Horizon Media’s chief product and data officer Domenic Venuto explained how the agency is using artificial intelligence to centralize media‑buying functions—from audience planning to measurement—so teams can collaborate on a single platform. By eliminating the lag between...
Changing the Narrative for 3 May, World Press Freedom Day
On World Press Freedom Day, WAN‑IFRA highlighted its global advocacy, noting the tragic killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and calling for transparent investigations. The organization underscored a $8 million annual budget to protect independent media, reporting membership growth, AI‑focused accelerator...
7 Best PPC Agencies for 2026: My Top Picks
The article lists seven top PPC agencies for 2026, each matched to specific business needs such as full‑service management, multi‑channel integration, data‑driven revenue tracking, conversion optimization, creative‑focused accounts, white‑label fulfillment, and HubSpot‑aligned inbound strategies. It draws on G2’s Winter Grid®...
Personalized Feeds Raise Individual vs Collective Tradeoffs
This morning I listened to Meta’s Q1 earnings call. While Wall Street is focused on numbers, I'm focused on what they said about personalization. Your feed is getting more personal. Eventually, the content will be created specifically for you. It’s making...
How I Cracked 8M Views on a New Channel
Here’s the story of how I got 8,000,000 views on one video on a new channel: https://t.co/Qqr1ObErIM
Patreon Rolls Out Network Features to Drive Fan Discovery, Creator Membership Growth
Patreon announced its biggest product update yet, adding network features that surface creators to new fans and turn free followers into paying members. The rollout includes Quips, a short‑form post format in a refreshed Home feed, and Collaboration posts that...
Rajeev Khandelwal Will Play a Romantic Character only if It’s ‘Age Appropriate’: ‘TV Not Offering Anything Exciting’
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal is returning to Indian television after a decade, this time as the host of the new reality series Tum Ho Naa. He explained his long hiatus was due to a lack of exciting daily‑soap offers and a...
Talking Heads: TV9’s Chief Takes the Host’s Chair with Style — but Could Do with a Laugh
Barun Das, the chief executive of TV9 Network, has taken on the role of host for the interview series "Duologue," now in its fourth season on JioHotstar. The 45‑minute, cue‑card‑free conversations feature high‑profile guests such as Aamir Khan, Sourav Ganguly, Bianca Balti and...
FiveTwoNine’s Creator Fund Is Bringing Missing Creator Economy Voices to Advertising’s Grand Stage
FiveTwoNine launched the Creator Fund in 2025 to bring emerging, diverse creators into the Cannes Lions advertising festival. Applications surged from 100 to over 300, with 20 creators selected each cohort through a juried process that scores diversity, entrepreneurial spirit...
Calinos Entertainment Brings Gilded Lies to the International Market
Calinos Entertainment has secured worldwide distribution rights to the Turkish drama *Gilded Lies (Rüya Gibi)* and will present the series at the upcoming LA Screenings and NEM Dubrovnik markets. Produced by TMC Film and starring Seda Bakan, Uğur Güneş and...
X Upgrades Its Ad Platform in Long Overdue Overhaul
X announced the largest overhaul of its advertising tools, positioning the upgrade as AI‑powered and rolling it out globally. The revamp introduces contextual and semantic ad delivery, with full deployment expected later in 2026. X claims its top 100 advertisers...
What Winning Brands Do Differently on Social in 2026
Social ad spend is set to reach $277 billion in 2025 and $280 billion in 2026, while video dominates every major platform and audiences fragment across channels. At the same time, programmatic ad waste has surged 34%, exposing brands to higher risk....
CNN-News18 to Air Live Counting Day Coverage for Five State Election Results on May 4
CNN-News18 will air a dedicated live‑counting broadcast on May 4, covering election results from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The program, titled “Battle for the States: The Verdict,” starts at 7 a.m. and streams across linear TV, connected TV and...
WHCD, the Media, and Covering Trump (with Ben Smith)
Former BuzzFeed News editor Ben Smith joins Preet Bharara on the Stay Tuned podcast to dissect the media’s handling of President Trump, the tension between objectivity and narrative, and the rise of AI in news gathering. Smith argues that early...
Are Audiobooks the Future of Publishing?
Audiobook sales have outpaced digital e‑books since 2024 and are projected to become a $13 billion industry with over a billion users by 2030, according to the Audio Publishers Association. Print still commands roughly 70% of total book revenue, but the...
Roku's $3 Howdy Service Surpasses 1 Million Subscribers
Roku announced that its $2.99‑per‑month Howdy streaming service has crossed the 1 million subscriber mark, driven by rapid early sign‑ups and a 51% six‑month retention rate that outpaces premium and specialty SVOD platforms. The milestone underscores a shift toward affordable, ad‑free...
Influencers And Independent Creators Are A Major News Source, Study Shows
A Media Insight Project study finds that influencers and independent creators are now a primary news source for U.S. audiences, with 57% of Americans aged 13 and older turning to them for information. Among teenagers (13‑17), that figure jumps to...
Texas Appeals Court Halts The Onion’s Takeover of Infowars
A Texas appeals court issued a temporary stay on the turnover order that would have handed Infowars to The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron. The ruling stalls a high‑profile effort to convert the conspiracy‑laden site into a satirical platform and...
Zefr Builds A New Front Door For YouTube Buys
Zefr introduced Zain, an AI‑driven hub that lets advertisers launch YouTube campaigns using plain‑language commands. The platform leverages the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and an Advertising Context Protocol (AdCP) to translate natural‑language requests into API calls, pulling in first‑party, Zefr...
Zefr Builds A New Front Door For YouTube Buys
Zefr introduced Zain, an AI‑driven hub that lets advertisers create YouTube campaigns using plain English. The platform leverages the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Advertising Context Protocol (AdCP) to translate natural‑language requests into the API calls needed for campaign activation....
Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Puts Peacock’s Growth on Thin Ice
The Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger has sparked a strategic debate over Peacock’s ability to expand. NBCUniversal’s streamer, with 46 million paid subscribers and more than $10 billion in cumulative losses, now faces heightened pressure to improve profitability and differentiate its offering.
John Higgins v Shaun Murphy Live Stream, TV Channel – Where to Watch Semi Final on Tv Today
John Higgins and Shaun Murphy will meet in the World Snooker Championship semi‑final on April 30, 2026, with live coverage on BBC 1 and BBC iPlayer at 13:00 BST. Higgins reaches his 12th Crucible semi‑final after dramatic comebacks over Ronnie O’Sullivan and...
EcoMedia Solutions Unveils EcoMeter to Quantify Carbon Footprint of Ad Campaigns
EcoMedia Solutions introduced EcoMeter, a new platform that lets advertisers, agencies and event planners calculate the carbon emissions of campaigns with activity‑based data. Built on the company’s EMS platform, the tool promises more accurate reporting and greener media choices as...
Google Rolls Out New Tools to Automate Even More of the Marketing Process
Google announced a suite of new AI Max capabilities ahead of its Marketing Live event, including AI Brief, a natural‑language tool that lets advertisers set creative and targeting guardrails, and AI Max for Shopping, which automates ad copy, URL expansion...
AI Max Turns 1 with New Ways to Steer Performance and Expansion to More Advertisers
Google celebrates the one‑year anniversary of AI Max by extending the platform to Shopping and travel ad formats and adding new control tools. The AI Brief feature lets advertisers input brand‑specific messaging, audience, and matching guidelines to steer the Gemini‑powered engine. Final...
Meet Travelers in the Moments that Matter with Search Campaigns for Travel.
Google announced Search Campaigns for Travel, merging travel feeds and formats into its standard Search campaign interface. The update gives advertisers a single buying door, AI Max automation, real‑time feed‑driven text ads, and unified reporting across all travel ad types. By...
Google Unveils Brand 'Brief' Feature In AI Max
Google unveiled a suite of AI Max tools, highlighted by the new “AI Brief” feature powered by Gemini. AI Brief lets advertisers embed brand‑specific messaging guardrails, banned phrases, and tone guidelines directly into search, shopping and travel campaigns. Additional capabilities...
Preferred Sources Is Now Available in All Languages.
Google News has launched Preferred Sources in every supported language, letting users hand‑pick the outlets that appear most often in Top Stories. By tapping a star icon, readers can prioritize sites they trust, from local blogs to global desks. Early...
Local Public Sets Growth Goals as Stations Build Streaming Strategies
Local Public, the streaming platform launched by Cascade PBS, is targeting at least 30 public‑TV stations by the end of summer and hopes to reach 100 stations within three years. The service offers stations granular, real‑time viewership analytics and full...
'Time' Posts Roster Of 10 Most Influential Media/Communications Companies
Time magazine released its 2026 list of the ten most influential media and communications companies, naming Nielsen, T‑Mobile, AST Mobile, Publicis Groupe, Patreon, Discord, Letterboxd, TikTok, iHeartMedia and Telegram. The selection blends legacy data firms, telecom giants and fast‑growing social...
Trust Lives in Relationships: It Cannot Be Automated
Generative AI is reshaping journalism, acting as an intermediary that can dilute nuance, scrape content without consent, and blend fact with speculation. While the technology threatens trust and accountability, it also offers practical tools for resource‑poor newsrooms, such as rapid...
Sorry, AI Artists. Spotify’s Not Letting You Become ‘Verified’ on Its Platform.
Spotify announced a new “Verified by Spotify” badge that will appear on artist profiles and in search results, signaling that the artist is a real human creator rather than an AI‑generated persona. The badge is unavailable to AI‑only acts at...
Acast Expands Team and Upgrades Studio Production
Acast is rolling out video podcast distribution in Sweden through Apple Podcasts’ HLS integration, marking one of the first global partnerships for the format. To support the launch, the company hired Otto Jorméus as Content Director and Gustaf Angelin as...
Key Sports Media Moves: ESPN, CW Streaming, Fever, Derby Preview
This week's @SBJ Sports Media Pod: 🔲Disney’s decision to hold ESPN -- for now 🔲 @TheCW gets a streaming solution 🔲@IndianaFever games are national, but still local 🔲And a chat with @ChurchillDowns CEO Bill Carstanjen ahead of the @KentuckyDerby https://t.co/ZUvyMNWz2b
Measuring the Multimedia Readiness of Newsrooms
WAN-IFRA is launching a global survey of senior media executives to assess newsrooms’ multimedia readiness ahead of a summer report. The survey, supported by base Media Cloud, follows a World Press Trends finding that 80% of publishers plan to invest...
Get to Know Your New Theme Park Guide, Todd Martens
Los Angeles Times features columnist Todd Martens has debuted a weekly newsletter called *Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride*, dedicated to Southern California theme parks. The publication will deliver timely updates, ride reviews, and insider tips to enthusiasts. Martens, who joined the...
Paramount Is Trying To Blame Netflix For All The Negative Merger Press
Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery are pursuing a $111 billion merger that has sparked a backlash from more than 4,000 Hollywood insiders. The insiders signed a letter warning that the deal would deepen debt, trigger layoffs, and hurt consumers and...
Can AI Mode Ads Actually Drive Conversions, Or Is It Just Awareness? – Ask A PPC via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
AI Mode ads, Google’s AI‑driven placement layer, can generate real conversions but at higher cost per action than mature keyword campaigns. Early data shows a 7‑13% lift in conversion volume, yet CPA and ROAS are less predictable. The format captures...
McDonald’s UK Swaps Dexter Fletcher Voiceover for Stephen Graham
McDonald’s UK has replaced Dexter Fletcher’s voiceover with actor Stephen Graham for its national advertising campaign. The change is part of a strategic push to resonate more strongly with younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and early‑millennial audiences. Graham’s distinctive, gritty...