Know What's Happening in Media
Know What's Happening in Media
Indian TV market braces for sales dip as production costs surge
Rising RAM prices, higher plastic and ocean‑freight costs linked to the West Asia crisis, and a weakening rupee have pushed entry‑level 32‑inch TV prices up about 20% to $133, up from $108 six months ago. Counterpoint Research expects shipments to fall 5‑6% as consumers down‑trade to smaller screens.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-Love seeks FCC approval to acquire radio station WFCC
Auditory FX has launched Sonic Survival Kits V2, a comprehensive radio imaging library featuring 309 tracks and more than 100 custom music beds, priced at $89.99. The new edition expands on the 2019 V1 release, delivering a complete, subscription‑free package for imaging producers. Developed by Steve Stone Voiceovers with music beds crafted by former KIIS‑FM imaging director Miles Hlivko, the kit blends effects and music for modern radio branding. The offering aims to provide high‑quality, affordable tools without additional licensing fees.
BBC chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva announced she will leave the broadcaster in September, marking the third board‑level exit within four months. Tavaziva, who joined the BBC in 2021, oversaw its multi‑billion‑pound budget, production pipelines, and digital transformation. Her departure...
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) unveiled the America 250 campaign, a year‑long initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The program rolls out new public‑service radio spots and a customizable “Our American Story, Local Edition” toolkit to...
A new 2025 Auto Aftermarket Brand Tracker shows that heavy AM/FM radio listeners spend 26% more on auto parts than the average shopper, reaching $790 annually. Ultra‑heavy shoppers who make ten or more store trips spend $832 and drive 171...
Images remain a potent advertising tool, yet marketers often struggle to find pure archetypal visuals that avoid nuance. Sue Unerman argues that stark symbols like cockroaches and rats can cut through clutter, delivering immediate, visceral impact. By stripping away complexity,...
FirstPartyCapital unveiled a corporate innovation model aimed at brands, agencies, publishers and ad‑tech leaders, offering a hybrid of outsourced R&D, market intelligence and equity investment. The model tackles the high cost and opacity of building proprietary ad technology by providing...
German event series ‘The Widow Killer’ has secured multiple European distribution deals ahead of its German debut on ARD. Canal+ acquired rights for the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, while Sweden’s SVT purchased the series for its...
No self-respecting journalist should attend a Correspondents' Association Dinner with Trump there. Nothing about any of this is a laughing matter.
Mumsnet has turned its 25‑year‑old forum into an AI‑powered insights engine, leveraging 1.5 million new words daily and a 6.5 billion‑word archive. Within six months of ChatGPT’s launch the company built MumsGPT, a chatbot that extracts real‑time sentiment on brands, politicians and...
Global music revenues are projected to hit $200 billion by 2035, yet lyrics— the core narrative element of songs—account for just 1 % of publishing income. Rio Caraeff argues that this disparity limits the industry’s growth potential, especially as lyrics drive superfans who...
UK health insurer Bupa has selected the creative agency Ace of Hearts to lead its new advertising and strategic initiatives. The agency was chosen after a competitive pitch process coordinated by Ingenuity+, a specialist agency network. The partnership is expected...
The One Centre Group has rebranded its 2019 investment Zephyr Social as Zephyr One, joining its constellation of specialist branding firms. The 12‑person agency now offers commercial strategy, performance media, and creative services through its proprietary System One model. Founders...
Omnicom’s BBDO has created a global chief experience officer role to overhaul how it serves clients amid a wave of holding‑company mergers, AI hype, and industry distractions. The new chief, Daale Carter, is replacing traditional account management with a "business...
Marketing agencies are confronting the economics of generative‑AI tokens as they embed large‑language‑model tools into campaigns. Tokens, which meter compute, can add up quickly—Coca‑Cola’s recent ad required millions of them—prompting agencies to devise new pricing structures. Some firms, like Merge...
Meta has embedded an AI agent suite called Manus into its Ads Manager, following a $2 billion acquisition of the Singapore‑based startup Butterfly Effect. The tool promises automated competitor analysis, audience research, campaign measurement and reporting across Facebook and Instagram. Early...
OpenAI has launched a trial ad platform inside ChatGPT, enlisting The Knot Worldwide as one of its first brand partners. The wedding‑planning service is testing ad performance, brand‑safety protocols, and data insights while also debuting its own app within the...
In this Digiday episode, hosts Kamiko McCoy and Tim Peterson discuss OpenAI's recent moves, including a controversial Pentagon partnership and the launch of its first ad‑tech deal with Criteo, signaling the start of ads on ChatGPT's free tier. They interview...
The fourth Children’s & Family Emmy Awards honored a slate of winners across preschool, teen and animated categories, with Sesame Street taking Outstanding Preschool Series and Disney+ sweeping multiple teen and animated honors. Heartstopper’s Joe Locke captured Lead Performer, while...
A veteran photojournalist reflects on the hidden hierarchy of the industry, where stories are treated as property and editorial dependence fuels competition. He recounts personal experiences of access denial, financial arrangements that blur ethical lines, and double standards that protect...
Scott Jennings peddled an absurd Trump talking point on Iran to the masses over the weekend. Then the actual journalists at CNN did reporting that undercut the claim. The episode has led to some drama behind the scenes, @get_status has...
Fun fact: Paramount will now own 25% of the CW Network. CBS and Warner each held 12.5% stakes so...25%.
Apple TV+ has cancelled the Emmy‑nominated period dramedy Palm Royale after two seasons. The series, led by Kristen Wiig, concluded its second‑season finale on January 14, 2026, but will not return for a third. Despite critical praise, the show failed...
This is the problem with all legacy media streaming services - will be fascinating to see if David Ellison & team can change this narrative at $PSKY
In 2012 Fox launched *The Finder* as a backdoor spin‑off of the hit series *Bones*. Despite a promising premise and a strong lead, the show debuted with a 1.7 rating and only 5.5 million viewers, far below its parent’s numbers. Ratings...
Todd Meadows, a 25‑year‑old deckhand on Discovery’s *Deadliest Catch*, died on February 25 while the series was filming Season 22 aboard the Aleutian Lady. The cause of death has not been disclosed, and production wrapped shortly after the tragedy. The incident adds...
Channel 4 Sales is relaunching its B Corp competition, offering £600,000 of free TV advertising to five certified UK B Corporations. Partnering with B Lab UK, the initiative follows a successful first year that boosted brand perception and sales for winners like Seep and Ticket Tailor....
Australian broadcasters ABC and Nine launched competing true‑crime documentaries on Jeffrey Epstein, drawing 780,000 and 766,000 viewers respectively. The strong ratings demonstrate significant audience appetite for investigative content, even as they trailed flagship reality shows like Married at First Sight....
Genuine q as I’m no economist: seems like plenty more media/tech layoffs incoming — Paramount/WBD, big tech w/AI, decline of trad media, etc — so an abundance of well paid people fighting for no jobs in markets that don’t want...
Ars Technica terminated senior AI reporter Benj Edwards after a story he co‑authored was retracted for containing fabricated quotations generated by an AI tool. The February 13 article misattributed quotes to engineer Scott Shambaugh, prompting an editor’s note that labeled...
Matt Stone and Trey Parker first pitched an animated series centered on the crude character Mr. Hankey, but Fox executive Brian Graden rejected it, saying he wouldn’t put "poo" on his network. The creators re‑engineered the concept into a town‑based...
Friday: RedBird helps Paramount pry Warner Bros. away from Netflix. Monday: RedBird helps Artists Equity ink major streaming deal with Netflix.
Black Sails, the gritty pirate drama that aired from 2014 to 2017, is now streaming for free on ITVX in the UK. The four‑season series, starring Toby Stephens as Captain Flint, blends historical figures with a pre‑quel to Treasure Island....
I’m sorry, I was cryptic with the tweet below at a time when y’all may need a laugh. As I read this, Meta is arguing in a court of law that its use of BitTorrent to transfer pirated works was...
Stage veteran Kip Williams is re‑imagining Jean Genet’s 1947 play *The Maids* for a digital‑age audience, featuring streaming‑era stars Yerin Ha of *Bridgerton* and Phia Saban of *House of the Dragon* alongside Olivier‑nominated Lydia Wilson. The production will run at Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse...
Tony Terraciano, who plays Jack Reagan on *Blue Bloods*, stepped back from regular filming to pursue higher education. After graduating high school, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University and later at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, making full‑time school incompatible with...
Who are the best Iranian journalists and content creators covering the conflict who are not just stanning the monarchy?
On @Whatnot, the live shopping platform, beauty sales grew almost 800% in 2025, now representing one of its fastest-growing verticals. Buyers are purchasing nearly 4,000 beauty items per hour. More in the Live Shopping Update, presented by Whatnot: https://t.co/s9HQHL6Je5 https://t.co/VKyyHOKjyK
The New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger aired his first-ever advertisement, urging listeners to support any news organization that produces original reporting, not just the Times. The spot debuted on the Times’ podcasts and frames the appeal as a response...
Stan has teamed up with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation to launch "Whale Shark Jack," a family‑focused feature set on Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. The film stars Abbie Cornish, Michael Dorman and newcomer Alyla Browne, and follows a marine‑biologist family and their rescued...
Meet the longest-serving news anchor team in the world — Delightful read from @katie_robertson https://t.co/L2xancAgbj
Paramount Australia has promoted Helen Elliott to Queensland Ad Sales Director, taking over the portfolio after the untimely death of former leader Kat Droulers. Elliott joins the role having spent eight years as Head of TV Sales for Southern Cross...
Yapper ads, the Most Evil Gay Guy, pop culture OpenClaw, Gucci runway texts, Jim Carry conspiracies, #sendBaron, Zuck's $170M mansion, Opensource Palantir, how the AIs kill, and MORE in today's newsletter. https://t.co/cJl7zQOUi6
Hulu has green‑lit the football‑centric drama “The Land,” pairing Chris Meloni as an NFL head coach with former “Blue Bloods” star Bridget Moynahan, who will play his ex‑wife and serve as a series regular. The series is created by Dan Fogelman, the mind...
This week’s cord‑cutter roundup highlights five cost‑saving offers across streaming, audio, power and TV accessories. Philo’s Core plan drops to $25 for new users, delivering HBO Max and Discovery+ at no extra charge. Bose’s QuietComfort headphones are discounted to $229, while...
On Air Fest in Brooklyn highlighted a seismic shift in podcasting from craft‑focused journalism to creator‑driven, celebrity‑centric formats. Panelists admitted the economics of audio remain murky, with only a handful of shows turning a profit. The rise of “chat‑casts” and...
Donna Hay returns to Disney+ with the four‑part Australian original *Coastal Celebrations*, debuting globally on 1 April. The series showcases relaxed summer entertaining, featuring achievable menus and simple styling against Sydney Harbour’s scenic backdrop. Hay serves as host and producer, while...
The four‑episode reboot "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair" will debut on April 10 on Disney+ and Hulu, reuniting most of the original cast for a family reunion tied to Hal and Lois' 40th wedding anniversary. A newly released...
By my count, AP is the third major news publsher to partner with Kalshi (CNN and CNBC also have deals with Kalshi). Polymarket has deals with WSJ and Barron's parent cmpany Dow Jones as well as Yahoo Finance. https://t.co/BN62xOIVjq
Tale of Two Slide: Can Paramount Suceeed where Warner Bros Discovery Failed? Today: (Top) — $PSKY + $WBD 2021: (Bottom) — WarnerMedia+Discovery https://t.co/qQblRU5byq https://t.co/nR1QFgHVJU
Disney+ and Hulu rolled out a busy week of new episodes and premieres, including the Hulu Original series *In Your Radiant Season* and the season finale of *Battle of Fates*. Disney+ added the family‑friendly film *BeddyByes* and the crossover premiere...
