CNMC Backs RTVE in Ad Dispute with Private TV
Spain’s competition regulator CNMC has ruled in favour of public broadcaster RTVE, confirming that its programme "La Revuelta" meets the legal definition of a cultural programme and can carry sponsorship. The watchdog dismissed a formal complaint from private‑broadcaster coalition UTECA, which alleged illegal commercial content. CNMC also found the sponsorship and advertising segments to be contractually separated, deeming them compliant with RTVE’s financing law. The decision reinforces earlier rulings and validates cultural‑sponsorship models on public television.
Daily Newsletter Is Telegraph’s ‘Biggest Source of Subscribers’ One Year After Launch
One year after its April 2025 launch, the Telegraph’s flagship daily newsletter “From the Editor” has become the publication’s largest source of new paying subscribers. The email reaches over 850,000 readers each morning and boasts a total audience of more...
Instagram Expands Teen Accounts Inspired by 13+ Content Ratings
Meta announced the worldwide expansion of Instagram's age‑appropriate 13+ content rating for teen accounts, following earlier rollouts in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. All users under 18 will be placed automatically in the 13+ setting, and they can only...
Nautel Brings Two Low-Power AM Transmitters To Life
Nautel has expanded its NX Series AM transmitter line with two low‑power models, the 1 kW NX1 and the 2,500‑watt NX2.5 use a newly engineered 250 W RF power module to deliver the same ultra‑linear modulation, digital precorrection and redundancy found in...
Accra's Oroko Radio Announces Indefinite Hiatus
Accra‑based online radio Oroko Radio announced an indefinite hiatus, citing unsustainable finances and staff burnout. The nonprofit, launched in 2022 to spotlight Ghanaian and diaspora talent, has relied mainly on grants, collaborations, and volunteer work. Its last major event was...
Kyle Sandilands Claims He ‘Suffered Humiliation’ After He Was Sacked by Kiis FM over On-Air Spat with Jackie O
Australian shock‑jock Kyle Sandilands says he was humiliated after Kiis FM terminated his $100 million AUD (≈$66 million USD) 10‑year contract following a 20‑minute on‑air spat with co‑host Jackie O. The broadcaster cited a serious‑misconduct clause, but Sandilands’ claim argues the incident does...
Inside RTL’s Plan To Aggregate Europe’s Fragmented TV And Video Supply
RTL AdAlliance, the sales arm of Luxembourg‑based RTL Group, is consolidating Europe’s fragmented TV and video inventory into a single "total video" offering. By partnering with national broadcasters, streamers and online publishers, it aggregates over 400 million monthly viewers across linear,...
‘Beef’ Creator Lee Sung Jin ‘Honored’ to Be Working on ‘X-Men’ Reboot Script: ‘No Matter How Much You Got Going...
Lee Sung Jin, creator of Netflix’s hit series “Beef,” has been tapped to co‑write the script for Marvel Studios’ upcoming X‑Men reboot. He joined fellow “Beef” co‑showrunner Joanna Calo and director Jake Schreier, reuniting the team that previously collaborated on...
The Policy Target Is Not Screen Time Alone but Design
A recent BMJ letter argues that policy should focus on social‑media design rather than total screen time. It cites mixed evidence on adolescent mental health, noting that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and opaque recommendation algorithms can drive compulsive...
Discovery Documentary on Global One Debuts 10 April in Southeast Asia
Discovery’s new documentary "Building Icons: The Global One" will debut in Southeast Asia on April 10, 2026, on the Discovery Channel, with a follow‑up airing on Discovery Asia on April 12. The film chronicles the construction of Taiwan’s Global One...
Rare Perth Brings Media Capability Fully In-House as the Final Step in Integrated Agency Model
Perth’s largest independent creative communications firm Rare has fully brought its media capability in‑house, ending its licensing agreement with Hearts & Science. The integration folds planning, buying and partnership functions into Rare’s Client Solutions unit, completing a three‑year restructuring that...
The Washington Post’s Arc XP Adds TollBit to Help Publishers Make Money From AI Bot Traffic
The Washington Post’s Arc XP platform is integrating TollBit to let publishers block and charge AI bots that scrape their content. AI‑bot traffic has surged, with a 300% year‑over‑year rise and a ratio of one bot for every 31 human visits...
Ford, Nissan and State Farm Are Embedding Their Brands in Sports as They Chase Fandoms
Ford, Nissan and State Farm are moving beyond traditional sports sponsorships by creating original, brand‑centric content that lives within streaming and digital platforms. Ford’s "Bronco Off Course" pairs its SUV with a desert‑golf challenge, while Nissan’s "CarJitsu" stages jiu‑jitsu inside...
Building the Public Infrastructure for Local News
Local News Day highlighted a crisis in U.S. journalism as major TV conglomerates move toward another merger and newsroom jobs continue to vanish. Federal funding for public media has been cut to zero, leaving local stations without a safety net....
Netflix Animation Studios Opens in Vancouver
Netflix has opened a new animation studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, bringing together 450 employees in a 110,600‑square‑foot facility. The C$50 million (≈$37 million USD) construction investment contributed to the province’s GDP, and the studio’s ongoing operations are expected to generate about...
‘The Testaments’ Release Schedule Lists Episode Dates For Dystopian Drama
Hulu launched the sequel series *The Testaments* on April 8 with a three‑episode debut, kicking off a ten‑episode run that will conclude on May 27. The drama, based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel and set four years after *The Handmaid’s Tale*, follows...
Coca-Cola’s New Campaign Challenges Japan to Separate the Fizz From the Sizz
Coca‑Cola Japan launched the “Fizz or Sizz” campaign, a sound‑based guessing game that asks consumers to tell whether they hear the fizz of a Coke or the sizzle of karaage. The activation runs for a week across radio, digital out‑of‑home,...
Evrideo Launches Outpost
Evrideo has launched Outpost, a cloud‑native IP video command centre that consolidates monitoring, routing, recording and stream transformation on standard COTS servers. The solution is offered both as a fully managed SaaS and a self‑hosted licensed deployment, giving broadcasters flexibility...
KitKat’s Little Breaks Campaign Rewards Those Who Look Twice
KitKat’s new “Little Breaks” campaign, created by VML UK, transforms the iconic logo into a canvas of hand‑drawn scenes that reward viewers who take a second look. The OOH placements, including a high‑profile spot at London’s O2 Arena during an...
The Valley Recap: Ball Gags
The Valley season 3 episode 2 revisits a contentious moment where Kristen flatly rejects her therapist’s advice to devote 15 minutes a day to sex after giving birth. The scene underscores the clash between post‑partum intimacy expectations and personal reluctance, sparking debate...
Bestads Best TV / Film of the Week: Griffin’s ‘Life Needs A Biscuit’ via Motion Sickness
Griffin’s new brand platform, *Life Needs A Biscuit*, rolls out a 24‑film micro‑documentary series that captures ordinary moments across a day in New Zealand. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Florian Habicht, the series debuted on lifeneedsabiscuit.com and was selected as Bestadsontv’s Best...
Why Anime Fans Are Mad At Netflix For The Release Of Steel Ball Run: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Netflix debuted the first episode of *Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure* in mid‑March 2026, but the second episode has not arrived weeks later, sparking a wave of fan backlash. The streamer later clarified that the series will be split...
‘Scrubs’: John C. McGinley Talks Dr. Cox Shocker, Teases Jordan’s Return In Season 1 Finale & Hints At Stronger Presence...
John C. McGinley revealed that Dr. Cox returns in the Scrubs revival episode “My Odds” as a patient diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis, delivering a rare‑disease storyline. The episode shows Cox reconciling with Elliot and J.D., while McGinley teases Christa Miller’s...
Paramount Launches Book Division as President Steps Down
Paramount Global announced the creation of Paramount Global Publishing, a new division that will turn its extensive portfolio of franchises—such as Star Trek, Transformers, and SpongeBob—into print, digital, and audio books. The unit will sit within the products and experiences group,...
SharkNinja Powers Sales Surge Through Retail Media Campaign via Zitcha and Market Media
SharkNinja partnered with Zitcha and Market Media to run an always‑on retail media campaign across Noel Leeming’s in‑store screens, on‑site displays, EDMs and off‑site social ads. The full‑funnel effort generated more than 830,000 impressions, 6,400 clicks and delivered a return...
#BurningPaper: The SA Advertising Landscape — a Dialogue with Claude
South Africa’s advertising market is projected to expand at a modest 3.5% CAGR through 2029, lagging behind peers like Nigeria and Kenya. A structural mismatch sees 62% of the country’s entertainment and media spend devoted to basic connectivity, leaving far...
Programming
HBO has renewed the comedy series “Rooster” for a second season after its debut attracted an average of 5.8 million U.S. viewers, the strongest launch for an HBO comedy in over a decade. Former WNBA star Sue Bird will serve as...
End of the Billable Hour — How AI's Reshaping the Value Model of Ad Agencies
The advertising industry is moving away from the traditional billable‑hour model as generative AI lowers production costs and forces agencies to prove value through outcomes. A World Federation of Advertising study shows 80 % of brands are uneasy about agencies’ AI...
Sports Deals
TNT Sports has teamed with DAZN to launch a monthly boxing series called “The Fight,” with events airing on TNT Sports’ channels and streaming worldwide on DAZN, while truTV will provide supplemental programming such as weigh‑ins and press conferences. The...
#ThisWeek on MarkLives MEDIA: Nick Grubb on Kagiso Connect • #NextWeek: WhatsApp in the Media Mix
Kagiso Connect CEO Nick Grubb announced the company’s strategic move beyond its radio roots into insurance, lifestyle services, and data analytics. The shift reflects broader ad‑spend migration toward diversified, performance‑driven channels. Grubb highlighted that these new verticals will leverage the firm’s...
Fubo Updates Mobile App
Fubo has refreshed its iOS and Android apps, embedding proprietary AI to generate bite‑sized, personalized video playlists. The home‑screen carousel now streams live video instead of static images, speeding content discovery. Team Channels gain additional league filters and a portrait‑mode...
FreshChoice Turns City2Surf Fun Run Into a World-First Virtual Shopping Spree with ‘Add to Cart’ Launch via Dentsu Creative Aotearoa
FreshChoice partnered with dentsu Creative to turn Christchurch’s City2Surf fun run into a world‑first virtual shopping experience. RFID tags in runners’ bibs added free grocery items to a digital ‘cart’ when participants passed under prize arches. The activation culminated in...
Liquorland Teams up with Aussie Stars for a Campaign that Is ‘Legendary’ via Bashful
Liquorland has rolled out a new "Legendary" campaign with creative agency Bashful, starring Australian icons Andy Allen, Adam Gilchrist, Bailey Smith and Charlie Curnow. The TV commercial showcases low‑carb lager travla and low‑calorie mixed‑drink brand Barry in everyday party scenarios....
IAB Hunts Down Speakers For MeasureUP 2026
IAB Australia has opened speaker submissions for MeasureUp 2026, its 10th‑year media measurement conference scheduled for 2 September 2026 in Sydney. The event will showcase the first wave of findings from the Future of Measurement project and feature ten curated sessions plus new...
Neurodivergent App Spoony Shuts Down as Investors Prefer AI
Spoony, an Australian social app for disabled and neurodivergent users, raised roughly US$660,000 and built a community of over 65,000 members. The startup’s planned 2025 funding round collapsed as venture capital shifted toward artificial‑intelligence ventures, prompting a shutdown slated for...
Taboola’s DeeperDive AI Hits 7 Million Monthly Users in 8 Months
Taboola’s generative AI answer engine DeeperDive has amassed nearly 7 million monthly active users just eight months after launch. The tool is live on major publisher sites such as USA Today Network, India Today and BuzzFeed Asia, with up to 17%...
Gavin & Stacey Legend Teases "Soul-Destroying" Taskmaster Blunder Ahead of New Season
Joanna Page, best known as Stacey from *Gavin & Stacey*, recounted a "soul‑destroying" hand‑stand fall while filming the upcoming season of Channel 4’s *Taskmaster*. She discussed the mishap on *The One Show* while promoting her new BBC series *Shift the Thrift*....
Belong Turns Reddit Hacks Into National Media Campaign via OMD and Pembleton
Belong, an Australian telecom brand, launched the “Simple Solutions” national campaign with OMD and Pembleton, converting Reddit conversations into a media‑led showcase of its “Just BE” platform. The activation curates authentic community‑sourced advice and amplifies it across Reddit, out‑of‑home billboards...
Great American Media Partners with Minivela to Develop and Distribute Micro-Drama Slate
Great American Media’s Pure Flix division has partnered with Minivela to create Pure Flix Familia, a Spanish‑language and bilingual micro‑drama streaming destination launching later 2026. The deal leverages Minivela’s mobile‑first, vertical‑short production model and its deep ties to U.S. Hispanic and Latin American...
Episode 4 of 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Just Broke Major MCU Record
Marvel Studios’ *Daredevil: Born Again* Season 2 has hit a historic milestone as Episode 4 earned a 9.6/10 rating on IMDb, the highest ever for a Marvel TV episode. The series, which returned the original cast after a three‑year production delay, continues...
JCDecaux Lands At Western Sydney Airport
JCDecaux has won a ten‑year advertising contract for the new Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport, taking charge of 27 fully digitised out‑of‑home assets across the terminal and surrounding roadways. The airport, designed by Zaha Hadid and partners, is slated to open...
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‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Is Back After 20 Years—And It Feels Like No Time Has Passed
The four‑part revival of "Malcolm in the Middle" launches on Hulu and Disney+ on April 10, 2026, reuniting most of the original cast. Creator Linwood Boomer returns as writer‑executive producer, while Malcolm is now a single dad running a charity...
Coachella 2026 Livestream to Features All Seven Stages, 4K Resolution
Coachella 2026 is livestreaming all seven stages on YouTube, with the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre and Sahara presented in 4K resolution and the Quasar stage offering both horizontal and vertical formats. Viewers can watch up to four performances at once...
Multiple Regional Leaders Out At iHeartMedia In Latest Layoffs
iHeartMedia is executing a $100 million cost‑reduction program that includes a second $50 million savings wave starting in Q2. The latest round has removed at least four regional leaders – Metro Division President Nick Gnau, Area President Jason Wilson, Denver Region President...
American Horror Story 13 Is Really AHS: Coven, Part 3
FX announced that American Horror Story season 13 will return to New Orleans and revive the Coven storyline, rebuilding the iconic Robichaux Academy. The season will feature the return of Jessica Lange, likely as Supreme Fiona Goode, alongside series veterans...
Stars and Producers of The Testaments Feel the Show's Message Is Relevant 'because of Margaret's Vision'
Disney+ debuted the first three episodes of The Testaments, Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, featuring Chase Infiniti as Agnes and Lucy Halliday as Daisy. The cast and creators emphasized the series’ focus on a renewed Gilead regime and...
Netflix Ending Popular Historical Series After Three Seasons
Netflix announced that the German‑language historical drama "The Empress" will end after three seasons, with a six‑part finale slated for fall/winter 2026. The series logged 106.6 million streaming hours in its debut week, ranking #2 among all Netflix titles at launch....
Netflix’s Virtual Game Controller App Just Topped the iOS U.S. App Chart
Netflix’s virtual Game Controller app, which turns iPhones and iPads into controllers for its streamed multiplayer games, surged to the top of the U.S. free iOS chart, hitting #1 on April 5 after entering the top 25 a few days earlier. The...
The Boys Recap: An Age of Wonder
The Boys season‑5 episode “Teenage Kix” reintroduces Soldier Boy, resurrecting the character after a three‑season hiatus. Homelander uses the cryogenic revival to fill a deep emotional void, seeking a paternal figure following A‑Train’s death. The move also highlights Homelander’s frustration...
YouTube Tests 90-Second Unskippable Ads on CTV
YouTube is piloting 90‑second unskippable ads for content streamed on connected‑TV (CTV) devices. The test follows earlier experiments with hour‑long ad blocks that only appear when ad‑blockers are detected. YouTube’s CTV audience now exceeds a billion hours per day, putting...