Meet Vurt, the Mobile-First Streaming Platform for Indie Filmmakers Embracing Vertical Video
Vurt, a new mobile‑first streaming service, debuted on March 18, 2026, offering indie filmmakers a vertical‑video platform for micro‑series, full‑length films and TV shows. The launch includes over 100 episodes and a weekly slate of original titles, featuring talent such as Kevin Hart and Vivica A. Fox. Vurt differentiates itself with a direct‑to‑platform upload process that makes content available within 48‑72 hours and an AVOD model that splits ad revenue 50/50 with creators. The service enters a rapidly growing vertical‑video market projected to reach billions in consumer spending, competing with ReelShort, DramaBox and TikTok’s micro‑drama efforts.
English Club TV Channel Expands in Central Europe
English Club TV, a global educational channel, has launched on Yettel Hungary’s platform. Starting April 15, the channel will be included in Yettel’s TV Plus package for subscribers. The partnership aligns with English Club TV Group’s plan to broaden its...
Boat Rocker Studios Expands Creative Team with New Hires
Boat Rocker Studios announced two senior director appointments to bolster its creative teams. Vanessa Esteves joins as senior director of creative affairs for kids and family, bringing 19+ years and experience at Nelvana with brands like Thomas & Friends. Joey...
March Digital Editions Now Available
World Screen, TV Kids, and TV Listings released their March digital editions, featuring a streamlined, on‑the‑go design and direct links to the WorldScreenings.com video portal. The World Screen issue includes interviews with NHK’s Tatsuhiko Inoue and Inter Medya’s Can Okan...
Glenn Haygood to Retire From Hearst’s WLKY
Glenn Haygood, President and General Manager of Hearst’s WLKY-TV in Louisville, announced his retirement later this year, concluding a broadcast career spanning more than four decades. He has overseen WLKY’s editorial and business operations since 2008, guiding the CBS affiliate...
US Media Mogul Sees a Big Opportunity in the Cuts at the Washington Post
Billionaire media entrepreneur Robert Allbritton said the Washington Post's February newsroom cuts present a rare hiring opportunity. His digital outlet Notus announced the recruitment of high‑profile former Post journalists, including Dana Milbank, Paul Kane and Jeff Stein, and plans to double its staff...
Publicis Advises Clients to Avoid The Trade Desk, According to a Leaked Memo
Publicis has instructed its clients to stop recommending The Trade Desk after a third‑party audit uncovered improper fee applications and a lack of transparent cost invoicing. The audit, performed by FirmDecisions, concluded that The Trade Desk charged fees without clear...
Beverage Marketer Sees Cost Savings with Agentic Media-Buying Test
PubMatic and Butler/Till executed Geloso Beverage Group’s first fully autonomous, AI‑driven media campaign using the AgenticOS platform. The test cut buy‑side supply‑chain costs by 5.5× while delivering a 98% video‑completion rate and 40% more impressions than planned. Quality metrics were...
MarkApp Joins IAB MENA
MarkApp has joined IAB MENA, reinforcing its commitment to transparent, standards‑driven digital advertising in the Middle East and North Africa. IAB MENA is a leading industry body that shapes programmatic standards, best practices, and education across the region. MarkApp brings...
Opinion: Public Media Must Invest in Its Technical Future
Public media stations face a looming shortage of skilled engineers as seasoned staff retire and new talent pipelines lag behind. The article argues that hiring retired military communications specialists and establishing formal engineering apprenticeships can close the gap. It also...
Nielsen's The Gauge Report Delayed over Streamer Concerns
Nielsen has delayed the March edition of its flagship The Gauge report to March 24, citing the integration of new DASH data into its streaming measurement methodology. The delayed release follows streamer anxiety that the updated metrics will reveal a...
Report: Streaming the Most Engaging Entertainment Channel
Tubi’s new "Stream 2026" report shows streaming is the most engaging entertainment channel, with 90% of viewers reporting higher attention than live events or social media. The ad‑supported service leverages fandom‑driven identity, nostalgia, and creator‑led content to attract a younger, on‑demand...
Sprite Reclaims NBA Soft Drink Sponsorship in Blow to PepsiCo’s Starry
Coca‑Cola’s Sprite has reclaimed its role as the NBA’s official soft‑drink sponsor, ending a three‑year stint by PepsiCo’s Starry. The multiyear agreement activates immediately, giving Sprite presence at marquee NBA events, international games, and digital fan experiences. The partnership revives...
Shifts in Streaming: Competition, Collaboration, and Consolidation
Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros creates a streaming powerhouse that combines HBO Max, Paramount+, Discovery+ and legacy cable brands, targeting roughly 200 million global subscribers. The merger boosts negotiating leverage against rivals like Amazon and Netflix but saddles the new entity...
Future Is Training Its AI On Publisher First-Party Data
Future Media unveiled Helix, an AI‑powered audience platform that builds on its first‑party data assets. Helix replaces the legacy Aperture system in the U.S., adding predictive modeling and real‑time audience segmentation for outcome‑based campaigns. Early tests across 20 fashion, retail...
Trend Report
Nielsen’s latest trend report highlights that ad‑supported TV now accounts for 74% of total TV viewing time. The landscape is increasingly fragmented, with each platform—broadcast, streaming services, and FAST channels—offering distinct audience profiles. Nielsen positions the guide as a roadmap...
EXCLUSIVE: Shaq Will Headline Walmart and Vizio’s First Joint NewFront Event
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will headline Walmart and Vizio’s first joint NewFront presentation on March 23. The event, titled “Content to Commerce,” will feature top executives from Walmart Connect, Vizio, L’Oreal, NBCUniversal and Universal Studios. It will provide the first look...
Why Adland's Women Are the AI Explorers We Need Right Now
The advertising industry is witnessing a rapid surge in generative AI tools, yet women’s adoption lags sharply behind that of men. Charlotte Bunyan highlights this gender gap, noting that fewer women are experimenting with AI-driven creative workflows. The article argues...
Omnicom Media Newcastle's MD: “The Future of Media Is Multi-Regional”
Omnicom Media Newcastle managing director Pete Coates says the future of media lies in a multi‑regional approach that unites global scale with genuine local delivery. He argues that clients no longer have to choose between worldwide reach and nuanced, market‑specific...
Meet the Meteorologists Leaving Broadcast Behind
Matt Laubhan, former chief meteorologist at Mississippi’s WTVA, launched an independent, 24‑hour weather streaming platform after a layoff threat from the Allen Group. During the January 2026 ice storm his livestream drew 1.5 million viewers, facilitating real‑time generator donations that kept...
Sky Integrates Disney+ Into Sky TV Subscriptions
Sky has integrated Disney+ into its core TV subscription, offering the Standard with Ads tier (valued at £5.99 per month) at no extra charge to eligible customers. The service is now accessible via Sky Glass, Sky Stream, and Sky Q,...
Perion Is So Over The AI Hype Cycle
Perion CEO Tal Jacobson says the AI hype is merely a re‑branding of technologies the company has used for 15 years, and the firm is now building an AI media‑trading agent called Outmax. The platform allocates spend across CTV, DOOH,...
New 6-Month Programme From WAN-IFRA and OpenAI Supports AI-Native Product Development
WAN-IFRA and OpenAI have launched the AI Futures Lab, a six‑month accelerator for 24 news organizations across Asia‑Pacific and Latin America. Building on the earlier Newsroom AI Catalyst, the programme moves publishers from AI experimentation to fully‑scaled, AI‑native editorial and...
Limelight Inc Report Calls for “Efficiency Reset” In Ad Tech to Tackle Environmental Costs & Waste
Limelight Inc. released a whitepaper urging an “efficiency reset” across programmatic advertising, highlighting that operational waste now threatens economic performance, brand reputation, and the environment. The report details how practices such as circular trading, over‑intermediation, and bid duplication inflate costs...
Culture Secretary Backs Local News Across the UK
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy unveiled a Local Media Strategy that introduces a £12 million multi‑year fund to support local news outlets, community radio and digital innovation. The plan triples funding for community radio, launches a regional media forum, and funds...
Wired’s New Editor Doesn’t Care if the Tech Bros Are Mad
Katie Drummond, Wired’s top editor, has steered the magazine away from its original techno‑optimism toward hard‑hitting political and tech‑policy coverage. Under her leadership, Wired launched a politics team that broke stories on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and investigated...
“Demand Doesn’t Disappear. It Relocates”: Jessica Saunders, Eyeota
Jessica Saunders of Eyeota warns that AI‑driven search is compressing the traditional click economy, with daily AI search usage more than doubling and click‑through rates softening. Marketers are shifting spend from intent‑heavy search to discovery‑focused channels such as CTV and...
A Journalist Reported a Missile Strike. Then Came the Death Threats.
A Times of Israel reporter documented an Iranian missile strike intercepted by Israel’s air‑defense system, providing a factual account of the event. Hours later, the journalist received a death threat via WhatsApp demanding he alter the story within ninety minutes....
Digest: OpenAI Tests Ads Manager and Prepares Agentic Storefronts Feature; Meta Plans Layoffs While Publishers Back Its Expulsion From IAB...
OpenAI is expanding its commercial toolkit, testing an Ads Manager dashboard with a select partner group while preparing the Agentic Storefronts feature that will surface Shopify merchants’ products directly inside ChatGPT. In Sweden, major publishers have backed Meta’s expulsion from...
Spanglish Movies Launches FLOUtv with FAST Channels TV
Spanglish Movies has launched FLOUtv, a free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) platform delivering Spanish‑language films, series and cultural programming across the United States and Latin America. Powered by FAST Channels TV’s white‑label infrastructure, the service offers more than 80 linear...
FIFA, YouTube Sign World Cup 2026 Preferred Platform Deal
FIFA has named YouTube as a Preferred Platform for the 2026 World Cup, allowing media partners to stream the opening ten minutes of every match and select full games on their own channels. The deal also unlocks FIFA’s Digital Archive...
The Vital Role of Advertising in Times of Uncertainty
Terry Kane of The Trade Desk argues that advertising is a critical infrastructure that keeps the free internet, quality journalism, and economic activity alive during periods of uncertainty. Historical research shows brands that maintain or increase ad spend in downturns...
Mediaplus Expands Into Asia with Singapore Joint Venture
Mediaplus Group has entered the Asian market through a joint venture with Singapore‑based The Media Shop, launching Mediaplus Singapore on 1 March 2026. The new entity serves as a regional hub for Serviceplan Group’s clients, offering media strategy, planning, buying and AI‑powered...
Vietnamese Horror ‘Phi Phong: The Blood Demon’ Sells To Multiple Territories Through Mockingbird
Bluebells Studios’ horror feature *Phi Phong: The Blood Demon* has been sold to more than ten territories through Mockingbird Pictures, launching in Vietnam on April 24 to coincide with the Reunification Day holiday. The film, directed by Do Quoc Trung and...
Audience Guide
Nielsen released an audience guide focused on growth audiences, highlighting the significant role of Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) platforms. The guide reveals that FAST services account for one in three ad-supported streaming minutes among Black women aged 18 and...
CBS News 24/7 Staffers Set to Walk Off Job in Bari Weiss’ First Union Fight
CBS News 24/7’s 60‑person unionized staff will stage a 24‑hour walkout on Tuesday after contract talks with editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss broke down over raises, defined schedules and severance. The unit, which rebroadcasts flagship CBS programs and produces original digital shows,...
‘SupermodelMe’ Makes History as First Reality Franchise to Go Vertical With FlareFlow Microdrama Series (EXCLUSIVE)
Refinery Media and COL Group International have partnered to launch "SupermodelMe: Make It or Break It," the first reality franchise reimagined as a vertical‑format microdrama on the FlareFlow mobile platform. The series, announced at Hong Kong FilMart, will debut mid‑year...
Meta Switches up Its Ad Transparency Labels In-Stream
Meta is replacing the “Sponsored” label with a smaller “Ad” tag on Instagram, part of a broader UI refresh. The change is already live on Instagram and being piloted on Facebook in limited tests. By reducing label size, the disclosure...
China’s Hishow Seals Deals On Bosco Wong Series ‘My Dearest Stranger’; Launches ‘Mastermind’ Starring Louis Koo
China’s Hishow Entertainment sealed its first deals on the Bosco Wong‑led series My Dearest Stranger and launched sales for the Louis Koo action thriller Mastermind at Filmart. My Dearest Stranger, a 13‑part drama directed by Lin Yu‑Hsien, logged over 260 million...
‘Bachelor’ Alum Sydney Warner Questions the ‘Morals and Values’ of ‘The Bachelorette’ Amid Taylor Frankie Paul Allegations
Former “Bachelor” contestant Sydney Warner publicly criticized the casting of Taylor Frankie Paul as the lead of “The Bachelorette” Season 22, citing recent footage that shows Paul spending the night with ex‑partner Dakota Mortensen before filming began. Warner argued that...
Tina Fey, Riz Ahmed and Jamie Dornan Named Saturday Night Live UK Hosts
Tina Fey, Riz Ahmed and Jamie Dornan will host the inaugural episodes of Saturday Night Live UK, a six‑part live sketch series launching on Sky. Fey opens on 21 March with indie band Wet Leg, Dornan follows a week later with Wolf Alice,...
Source Code: The Spirit of Hacks/Hackers LDN Is Back with a New Name
The London‑based Hacks/Hackers LDN meetup, a long‑standing forum for journalists and technologists, is returning under the new name Source Code. The community, which once boasted over 4,000 members and events at venues like Google and Twitter, will reconvene on 31...
Donnie Wahlberg's Favorite Blue Bloods Episode Is Also The Show's Most Important
Donnie Wahlberg says the *Blue Bloods* pilot is his favorite episode, noting it still holds up after 14 seasons. The pilot established the Reagan family dynamics, the iconic Sunday dinner, and the procedural‑family hybrid formula. Wahlberg revealed the series almost...
What’s New This Week on Netflix for the Week of March 16, 2026
Netflix’s weekly slate for March 16‑21, 2026, introduces a blend of originals, legacy titles, and international hits. New releases include the original documentary *The Plastic Detox*, season continuations of *Furies* and *Eva Lasting*, and the anime‑styled *STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure*....
Tegan and Sara's Tegan Quin Is Writing a Story for Marvel Comics' Pride Special
Pop‑indie icon Tegan Quin, one half of Tegan and Sara, is debuting as a Marvel Comics writer with the pride‑themed one‑shot Wiccan & Hulking: Raid of Ultron #1, slated for May 27. Her story, illustrated by Luciano Vecchio, follows twins Wiccan and...
‘Arkansas TV’ Pivot Away From PBS Placed On Hold
Arkansas PBS’s board voted 6-2 to let its PBS contract lapse, planning to rebrand the statewide network as “Arkansas TV” on July 1, 2026. The move would have stripped all PBS programming from the AETN stations, sparking concern among viewers...
City AM’s Magazine Editor Steve Dinneen Wins Features Writer of the Year
City AM magazine editor Steve Dinneen was named Features Writer of the Year at the Regional Press Awards, outpacing competitors such as LondonCentric and the Manchester Evening News. The judges praised his lively, imaginative style, citing three diverse pieces on...
2026 NAB Show Offering Free Show Floor Passes to Creators
At the 2026 NAB Show, organizers are expanding the Creator Lab and offering free show‑floor passes to registered creators using code MP09. The event will feature additional sessions, workshops, and a community mixer aimed at the burgeoning creator economy, which...
Epstein Survivor Who Helped Bring Him Down Speaks to A CURRENT AFFAIR
Marina Lacerda, long‑known only as "Minor Victim One," sat for her first Australian television interview on Nine's A Current Affair. At 14, she was a key witness whose testimony helped prosecutors charge Jeffrey Epstein with sex‑trafficking of minors. In the...
Inovonics Introduces AARON 656
Inovonics unveiled the AARON 656, a dual‑tuner rebroadcast receiver designed for FM and HD Radio environments. The unit uses a Maximum‑Ratio Comparison system to monitor two antennas and a combined feed, automatically selecting the strongest signal. It offers a five‑band audio...