(Podcast) The Rebound 597: Jeeves As A Butler
The Rebound episode 597, titled “Jeeves As A Butler,” drops on Six Colors and moves from a sluggish opening into sharp, humor‑laden rants about modern advertising, the state of artificial intelligence, and the outsized influence of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. The hosts dissect how AI is reshaping ad tech, critique prevailing marketing models, and riff on Andreessen’s recent commentary. The episode is sponsored by ZenStand’s award‑winning MagSafe charger, tying the tech‑focused conversation to a tangible product. Listeners get a blend of industry analysis and cultural satire.
How I Engineer Substack Titles that Pull 84+ Subscribers (in Under 20 Minutes)
The post reveals that Substack writers lose growth because they craft titles after the article, a practice the author calls writing titles backwards. By engineering headlines first—using a 20‑minute systematic process—writers can boost subscriber acquisition, with examples showing 84+ new...
Disney+ Finds Monsters Under the Bed in Latest VCCP Spot
Disney+ continues to lean on nostalgia as a growth engine, and its latest VCCP‑produced spot epitomizes that tactic. The two‑minute film stitches together iconic moments—from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. to the eerie tone of The Sixth Sense and the gritty world...
Social Media Bans: Boom or Bust?
Australia’s new law banning under‑16s from social media took effect in December 2025. Early compliance data shows roughly 70% of children still use the biggest platforms, with little change in app‑store rankings. Enforcement is hampered by unreliable age‑verification tech, privacy concerns,...
5 Reasons a Strong Book Proposal Matters
Nonfiction publishing hinges on the book proposal, which acts as the primary sales tool for agents, editors, and marketers. A well‑crafted proposal proves market insight, author credibility, and writing skill, while also serving as a long‑term roadmap for the manuscript...
Submitting Your Novel? Make Sure Your Sample Pages Are Irresistible
The Forever Workshop blog post breaks down what literary agents look for in novel sample pages, featuring insights from publishing experts Jane Friedman, Karin Gillespie, and agent Erin C. Niumata. It explains why dramatic openings can backfire, introduces a line‑level...
BREAKING: Big Changes Are Coming to Lev Remembers — And the Old Media Game Ends Today
Lev Remembers founder Lev Parnas announced a major platform overhaul, introducing new subscriber features, live breakdowns, and additional shows starting tomorrow. The rollout emphasizes source‑based reporting drawn from Parnas' personal experience in Trump’s inner circle and foreign oligarch networks. He...
Greece Greenlights €750 Million “Greece On Screen” Strategy to Transform Its Audiovisual Sector - Industry / Market - Greece
The Greek government has approved a five‑year "Greece On Screen" strategy, earmarking €750 million (about $818 million) for 2026‑2030 to boost the country's audiovisual sector. The plan expands incentives beyond film and TV to animation, digital games and music‑related projects, and funds...
Polanski Is Painted as a Monster While Farage Escapes Proper Scrutiny
The Times published a cartoon that employed classic antisemitic imagery to depict Green Party leader Zack Polanski, sparking complaints from the party and highlighting a surge in antisemitic incidents targeting him. Polanski’s background and recent statements were heavily scrutinized in...
Court Ruling Shuts Out Pirate Streaming Channel livetv.sx in Germany
A German court ordered ISPs to block livetv.sx, a long‑standing illegal sports streaming platform that has operated for more than 13 years across the DACH region. The ruling was secured after the DFL and DAZN supplied extensive data and technical...
Claim of the Day: All Finns Watch Classical Concerts
Finnish Radio extended British conductor Nicholas Collon's contract and reported that 4.3 million viewers tuned in to Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra concerts in 2025. With Finland’s total population at roughly 5.7 million, the outlet suggested that almost every Finn watches classical concerts....
Man on Fire's Yahya Abdul-Mateen Can’t Match Denzel Washington’s Cool / The Bear Prequel Is a Reminder of when the...
Netflix’s new series "Man on Fire" starring Yahya Abdul‑Mateen II attempts to revive the 2004 Denzel Washington film, but critics say the lead lacks the original’s effortless cool. The review appears alongside commentary on the "The Bear" prequel, which many...
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins: Season Two Renewal Set for NBC Comedy Series
NBC has officially renewed the sports‑centric sitcom *The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins* for a second ten‑episode season, extending the story of disgraced football star Reggie Dinkins into the 2026‑27 broadcast year. The first season, created by Robert Carlock...
Wednesday Briefing: Serie A Consider Media Company for International TV Rights Sale
Serie A is evaluating the creation of a stand‑alone media company to sell its international television rights, potentially bringing in financial investors while keeping governance separate from the league. The proposal is in an early exploratory phase and follows earlier...
When IP Travels, Where Does Value Go?
The column argues that intellectual property (IP) is evolving from static formats into an operating system that circulates across broadcast, streaming, FAST, YouTube and social channels. As IP travels, value can be extractive, transitional or compounding, with each movement either...
Saturday TV Ratings 5/2/26: Saturday Night Live Ratings to Come, NBA Playoffs Hit 27-Year High for First Round Game, Kentucky...
Saturday night television on May 2, 2026 delivered a standout performance for NBC as the NBA playoff matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics drew 8.86 million viewers, registering a 2.16 rating and a 30 share in the coveted 18‑49...
Saturday TV Ratings: 48 Hours, The Go-Gos, NHL Hockey, NBA Playoffs, MLB Baseball
Saturday, May 2, 2026 TV ratings show CBS’s true‑crime series 48 Hours maintained steady viewership amid a busy sports lineup that featured MLB, the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs and NBA playoffs. The Go‑Go’s special attracted a modest audience, while reruns...
Trump Defamation Theories & Newsom’s Weak Case
California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a defamation suit against Fox News, aiming to expose President Donald Trump’s alleged legal inconsistencies. The complaint argues that if Trump is immune from liability for statements made while in office, he should not be...
NBC Renews The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins for Season 2
NBC has renewed the sports‑mockumentary comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" for a second season, announced roughly a month after its debut. The series stars Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe, mixing scripted humor with documentary‑style sports storytelling. Strong...
Netflix Announces ‘The American Experiment’ Doc, Featuring Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence, & More
Netflix is debuting a five‑part documentary, *The American Experiment*, on June 24, 2026 to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary. The series, directed by Brian Knappenberger, revisits the nation’s founding, the Revolutionary War, and the Constitution, weaving interviews with more than 60 historians,...
Are Agents Now The Real Publishers? And Are Publishers Making Themselves Redundant?
The article argues that literary agents at the Big Five houses now perform the bulk of manuscript editing, leaving publishers to handle production, marketing, and sales. This shift makes many imprints functionally interchangeable, as they receive already‑polished, generic books. The...
‘Swapped’ Hits For Netflix and Skydance Animation With 15.5M Views In Opening Weekend
Netflix and Skydance Animation’s new film Swapped opened to 15.5 M views and 26.4 M hours watched in its first three days, landing at #2 on the platform’s global weekly top‑10 chart. The debut is the second‑best Friday opening for a Netflix animated...
Goodell Praises Streamers, Suggests Netflix “Bigger” Than some Nets
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised streaming platforms as potentially more fan‑friendly than traditional cable, highlighting Netflix’s reach as larger than several regional broadcast affiliates. The league is actively exploring a new five‑game streaming rights package and has been meeting with...
Inside Netflix: How to Sell a Show There Right Now
The post breaks down how creators can successfully pitch shows to Netflix, outlining the streamer’s current content appetite and spending outlook. It highlights that under content chief Bela Bajaria, Netflix continues to chase female‑driven thrillers, action series, YA dramas, and...
The $100 Billion Problem Lurking Inside Digital Video Ads
The digital video ad market has morphed from a transparent, relationship‑driven TV model into a sprawling programmatic ecosystem riddled with hidden fees and fraud. Industry estimates suggest tens of billions—potentially up to $100 billion—are siphoned each year, with some insiders claiming...
TikTok Partners with Vistar Media to Expand Out of Phone Ad Campaigns to over 1M Digital Out-of-Home Placements
TikTok has teamed with programmatic out‑of‑home platform Vistar Media to extend its Out of Phone ad product to more than 1.1 million digital OOH placements, including high‑visibility sites such as Times Square. The partnership builds on the October 2023 launch that originally...
Identifying Agency Red Flags and Characteristics of Effective Partnerships
Choosing the right digital‑marketing agency is essential for sustainable growth. Effective partnerships are strategy‑led, collaborative, communicative and results‑driven, ensuring every dollar spent ties to measurable goals. The article outlines red flags such as overpromising, generic cut‑and‑paste tactics, slow response times,...
Why Is Skip Bayless Coming Back to ‘First Take’ Now?
Skip Bayless is returning to ESPN's "First Take" for a one‑off episode, a move framed as a friendly reunion but driven by Stephen A. Smith’s newfound control over the show. "First Take" currently dominates sports‑debate television, holding the top TV...
"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" Renewed for Season Two
NBC has renewed the freshman comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" for a second season after its debut episode drew over 14 million viewers, making it the #1 comedy telecast of the 2025‑26 season across broadcast networks. The show...
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
NBC and its streaming arm Peacock delivered a record‑breaking 11.0 million total audience for the 76ers‑Celtics Game 7, the most‑watched first‑round matchup in NBA history. The broadcast also logged a 9.2 million TV‑only average and a 1.8 million average‑minute audience on Peacock, underscoring the...
‘One Piece’ Whole Cake Island Arc Part 6 Is Coming to Netflix in June 2026
Netflix will add Part 6 of One Piece’s Whole Cake Island arc on June 1 2026, raising the total streamed episodes to at least 863. The release follows a steady rollout that began in 2020 and includes the Marineford, Fishman Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa...
They Always Come for the Witness First
The post catalogues a wave of lethal and punitive attacks on journalists worldwide, citing 262 deaths attributed to Israel since October 2023, 48 reporters held in Russian prisons—including one returned without organs—and more than 700 press‑freedom violations recorded in the United...
NHL Digital Ad Infiltrates Man’s Skull on ESPN Broadcast
During the third period of the Flyers‑Hurricanes playoff game, ESPN’s digital ad overlay malfunctioned, projecting a rotating board advertisement onto a fan’s head as his shadow blocked the camera. The glitch placed the ad directly over the fan’s skull, creating...
Son of a Critch: Season Four — Has the CW TV Series Been Cancelled or Renewed?
Son of a Critch, a coming‑of‑age comedy based on Mark Critch’s memoir, airs on The CW and CBC. Season three delivered a 0.05 rating in the 18‑49 demo with 304,000 live‑plus‑same‑day viewers, a modest rise in demo but an 8%...
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
FOX Saturday Baseball attracted 2.13 million viewers on May 2, highlighted by the Cardinals’ 3‑2 win over the Dodgers. That figure represents a 9% increase over last year’s full‑season average of 1.96 million. Across the season to date, the broadcast averages 2.16 million viewers,...
Watson: Creator of Cancelled CBS Series Discusses What Would Have Happened in Season Three
CBS drama "Watson" concluded after its second season, and creator Craig Sweeny disclosed the planned storyline for a potential third season. The unproduced arc would have brought Sherlock Holmes into the real world as Watson's physician, while expanding on the...
MGM+ Releases First Look at "American Hostage" Starring Emmy Award Winner Jon Hamm
MGM+ unveiled a first‑look trailer for "American Hostage," an eight‑part psychological thriller starring Emmy winner Jon Hamm. The series adapts the acclaimed true‑crime scripted podcast about 1970s Indianapolis reporter Fred Heckman and hostage‑taker Tony Kiritsis. Co‑created by Shawn Ryan and...
The Four Seasons: Season Two Trailer and Poster Released for Netflix Comedy Series
Netflix has released the trailer and poster for season two of its comedy series The Four Seasons, which premieres on May 28. The eight‑episode season brings back the ensemble cast—including Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney‑Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen,...
The Night Agent: Season Four Will End Netflix Spy Series
Netflix confirmed that The Night Agent will conclude with a fourth season, with production already underway in Los Angeles. Creator Shawn Ryan emphasized his commitment to delivering a definitive, thrilling ending for protagonist Peter Sutherland. The ensemble cast, featuring Gabriel...
Subscriptions Only $5/Month. Ends Today.
State of the Day is offering a limited‑time promotion that reduces the first month’s subscription fee from $10 to $5, ending at midnight on Cinco de Mayo. The discounted plan grants full access to more than 15 posts per week,...
The Approach That Pays You to Attract a Lucrative Audience
The post argues that the once‑free audience‑first model now requires paid advertising to acquire a minimum viable audience, especially for high‑ticket service providers. It shows how rising Facebook and Google ad costs have eroded self‑liquidating offers, making direct client acquisition...
‘The One Piece’ Is Coming to Netflix in February 2027
Netflix announced that its live‑action remake of the blockbuster manga *One Piece* will debut in February 2027. The first release consists of seven episodes covering roughly 50 chapters, ending with the Baratie Arc, and will be available for binge‑watching in a...
Pulitzer Notes: A Message to Trump and Bezos; Julie K. Brown’s Overdue Win; and Honors for Jill Lepore
The Pulitzer Board awarded the Washington Post its Public Service Prize for reporting on Elon Musk’s DOGE‑driven federal chaos, a move seen as a signal to owner Jeff Bezos and former President Donald Trump. The Post’s coverage came amid a...
Clipping Is the Next Click Farm. Sports Can Do It Right.
Clipping—shortening long‑form video into TikTok, Reels, and Shorts clips—is emerging as the next click‑farm model, with platforms like Vyro paying creators roughly $3 per 1,000 views. Unlike AI‑generated slop, these clip farms rely on real people, making detection difficult and...
AI Search Is Transforming Discovery and Media Economics
Publishers are losing click‑through traffic as AI‑driven search results deliver answers directly on the page. FT Strategies’ “Future of Discovery” report maps this shift into four strategic models—niche specialist, intelligence provider, voice‑led brand, and mass‑reach publisher—each balancing owned versus platform...
AI Is Giving Us Brain Damage
A recent Baillie Gifford paper argues that generative AI is rewiring human cognition, trading deep, effortful reasoning for skills like delegation, verification, and interface management. Studies show AI‑assisted learning boosts short‑term performance but harms long‑term retention, widening the gap between...
Principal Media and F.A.S.T: Agencies Are Rewriting the Economics of Advertising
The Myers Report argues that advertising agencies are abandoning the traditional media‑buying role and becoming principals that own, package, and monetize Free‑Advertising‑Supported Streaming Television (FAST) assets. This shift turns agencies into balance‑sheet businesses that generate profit through financial arbitrage rather...
The Limits of Digital-First When Your Audience Is on the Farm
Farmers Guardian, the UK’s oldest ag‑media brand, is juggling a steep print decline—circulation fell 9% YoY and print now accounts for about 75% of revenue—with a rapid digital push. 2025 revenue was £7.6 million (≈$9.7 M) and EBITDA £2.1 million (≈$2.7 M), a 6.4%...
Brands Need to Pump Up the Volume With Creators. But There's a Catch.
At the Possible conference Gary Vaynerchuk urged brands to increase creator‑generated content, warning many are still under‑investing. CreativeX analyzed 1.4 million ads from 176 brands in 105 countries and found creator‑produced ads that omit core brand cues perform worse on recall...
Communiqué 116: The Product Thinking Creator
On April 28, 2024, Nigerian YouTube star Korty EO staged Dreamland, a live show in Lagos that translated her popular online formats into a ticketed experience, even raffling $500. The event highlighted the untapped potential of product thinking in Africa’s...