Ahead of Constitutional Referendum Social Media Companies Restrict Journalist Accounts in Kazakhstan
Ahead of Kazakhstan’s March 15 constitutional referendum, social‑media platforms have systematically restricted journalists and independent media. A Meta account posing as a luxury brand flagged posts, leading Instagram to delete content from reporters like Murat Daniyar and Assem Zhapisheva, while YouTube blocked channels after coordinated flagging. Authorities also detained activists and fined journalists for online surveys, prompting users to adopt coded language to discuss the reforms. Although most deletions were reversed within days, the pattern reveals how platform tools can be leveraged to silence dissent during critical political moments.
Lemonada Media Partners with Charles Barkley’s Round Mound Media and Justin Hartley’s ChangeUp Productions to Launch New Podcast
Lemonada Media has teamed with Charles Barkley’s Round Mound Media and Justin Hartley’s ChangeUp Productions to launch the original audio‑video podcast “So U Think U Can Sports?”. Hosted by comedian Eliot Glazer, the ten‑episode series will feature interviews with legendary...
How Realtor.com Is Using AI Creative To Expand Its Ad Footprint
Realtor.com has partnered with AI‑powered startup BrandComms.AI to automate ad creative generation, enabling faster campaign rollout across multiple channels. The platform draws on 30 years of proprietary data to predict which imagery and messaging will perform best. This capability lets...
How Molson Coors Keeps Creative Effectiveness On Tap
Molson Coors has shifted its creative strategy from chasing awards to driving sales and brand health, led by North America CMO Sofia Colucci. The company introduced an internal framework called MUSCLE—magnetic, unexpected, crafted brilliantly, long‑term platform, essence of brand—to align...
Bill Kurtis To Retire From NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”
Veteran journalist Bill Kurtis announced his retirement from NPR’s weekly news‑quiz program “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” after a 12‑year tenure as judge and scorekeeper. His final episode is scheduled for May 23, 2026, concluding a broadcasting career that stretches over seven decades,...
Open CTV Buying? Context Is Key, Not Just High 'Completion' Rates
Peer39’s latest research reveals that roughly 60% of open‑market CTV programmatic bid requests contain no program‑level metadata, while about one‑quarter are classified as fake content, primarily originating from concealed mobile‑app inventory. The remaining bids often feature shallow or inaccurate genre...
YES Selects Synamedia Iris for Advanced Advertising Rollout
Israeli pay‑TV operator YES, part of the Bezeq Group, has chosen Synamedia Iris to power advanced advertising across its linear TV and streaming services. The Iris platform will enable addressable, server‑side ad insertion that unifies delivery on set‑top boxes and...
Media Wins Fight to Name Suspected Syrian War Criminal Charged with Murder
Media fought to name suspected Syrian war criminal Salem Al‑Salem, charged with murder and torture, after the Crown Prosecution Service and police sought anonymity. Westminster Magistrates’ Court judge rejected the defence’s reporting restriction, allowing his name to be published. The...
TAM Sports Expands Ad Monitoring Across Broadcast and Streaming Platforms
TAM Sports, the sports intelligence arm of TAM Media Research, has expanded its monitoring suite to track advertising on linear live broadcast as well as live streaming via Connected TV and mobile devices. The move broadens its cross‑platform analytics, which...
Media Maneuvers: WaPo Vet Stockwell Takes USAT Post
USA TODAY appointed former Washington Post deputy managing editor Jamie Stockwell as vice president of news, aiming to modernize its newsroom and drive sustainable growth. YouTube launched a pilot likeness‑detection tool for government officials, journalists and political candidates to combat...
Seedtag Launches Liz Agent, the Agentic AI Platform for Faster, Smarter Media Strategy
Seedtag unveiled Liz Agent, an agentic AI platform that fuses its proprietary Neuro‑Contextual intelligence with large language models to automate media planning and campaign activation. The conversational interface lets brands move from brief to execution in a single dialogue, delivering...
New Data Confirms Radio’s Strong Grip on American Audio Habits
New research from FMR Associates and Eastlan shows radio’s weekly reach among adults 25‑64 held steady at 84% in 2026, slipping only two points since 2024. Traditional AM/FM still delivers roughly two‑thirds of primary listening, while streaming and app‑based radio...
Freedom Means Choice
The FCC recently encouraged radio stations to broadcast patriotic programming in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, suggesting content such as the national anthem, Sousa music, and pro‑America PSAs. The op‑ed argues that even well‑intentioned suggestions constitute compelled speech,...
If You Were Running for Office, Would You Buy Your Station?
The article argues that political ad buying still depends on a radio station’s community relevance, not just ratings. Candidates favor stations that demonstrate genuine local presence, active social‑media engagement, and visible community involvement. Generic, corporate‑style stations lose political ad dollars,...
NuVoodoo To Decipher The Songs Driving Country Radio at CRS
NuVoodoo will unveil a nationwide country‑music research study at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville on March 20, 2026. The study evaluated more than 400 titles spanning the 1990s to today with a panel of 600 country fans aged 18‑49. Findings...
The Non-Profit Publisher Making Local News Pay in London
Social Spider CIC, a nonprofit publisher of four free monthly London newspapers, posted a pre‑tax profit of £30,495 for the year to July 2025, reversing a loss from the previous year. The enterprise distributes about 52,500 print copies across Waltham...
The Bigger Picture Behind Apple HLS
Apple Podcasts is rolling out HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) support, enabling creators to publish identical video and audio versions of episodes that can be switched seamlessly on iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro and the web. HLS will handle video‑enabled podcasts while RSS...
An Indiana Public Records Fight Went to Court. The Journalists (and the Public) Won.
Indiana journalists from the Indiana Capital Chronicle sued the state Department of Correction to obtain records on the cost of lethal‑injection drugs. After a year‑long legal battle, a Marion County Superior Court judge ordered the agency to release the data,...
Eight Cultural Shifts Shaping the GCC’s New Trust Economy
The M+C Saatchi Group Cultural Power Report 2026 maps eight deep‑seated cultural shifts reshaping the GCC’s emerging trust economy. Influencer growth has exploded to over 263,000 creators, yet trust in influencers has fallen to the region’s lowest‑rated profession, prompting a...
Digest: Anthropic Sues US Defence Department; Meta’s Deepfake Moderation Falling Short; Barb Adds Pre-Campaign Functionality
Anthropic has filed two lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Defense after being labeled a “supply chain risk,” alleging the designation infringes its First Amendment rights. The company maintains its willingness to work with the government on national‑security AI projects...
Bestads Best TV of the Week: Telstra’s ‘Wherever We Go 2’ via Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with +61
Bestadsontv.com named Telstra’s “Wherever we go 2” the Best TV of the Week. The ad, created by Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with +61, continues the whistling duet narrative introduced in the original campaign. Guest judge Adam Bodfish of McCann Birmingham highlighted...
Research: Over Half of 45–54 Year Olds Watch Mobile While TV Viewing
Primary research from Omdia shows that 52% of U.S. adults aged 45‑54 watched video clips on their mobile phones while viewing television in November 2025, up from 39% in 2022. The trend also accelerated among 55‑64‑year‑olds, rising to 35% from...
Kyle and Jackie O ‘Back in Contact’ as Days Count Down to His $100m Ouster
Australian radio giant ARN is on the brink of terminating Kyle Sandilands' $200 million Kyle & Jackie O contract after a belittling tirade that left Jackie “O” Henderson unable to work with him. Sandilands has six days to remedy the alleged...
Full Set and Fuller Partnership to Publish Journalism in Book Format
Full Set, an independent book publisher, has teamed with Fuller, a global newsroom focused on women and gender‑diverse voices, to release a series of long‑form journalism essays in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats. The pilot launches in Spring 2026 with three...
Stonegate Group Appoints Fifty as Strategic Media Partner Ahead of World Cup
UK’s largest pub operator, Stonegate Group, has appointed Fifty as its strategic media partner to manage media strategy and buying across its 4,500‑venue portfolio. The partnership, chosen for Fifty’s AI‑enabled audience‑intelligence platform, will cover more than 15 addressable channels, including...
Exclusive: Playboy Names Phillip Picardi Chief Brand Officer and Editor in Chief
Playboy announced Phillip Picardi as its new chief brand officer and editor‑in‑chief, marking a high‑profile editorial overhaul. Picardi, who reshaped Teen Vogue and founded the queer‑focused publication them, previously served as chief brand officer at Weight Watchers and consulted for...
Stephen Colbert’s Monologue Interrupted by Fan Shocked Over Pete Hegseth Joke: ‘Was That You?’ | Video
Stephen Colbert’s monologue on The Late Show was briefly interrupted when an audience member shouted “What?!” after the host mocked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s alleged $6 billion in luxury Pentagon purchases. Colbert listed items such as $5.3 million in iPads, $60,000...
Sky, Canal+ Sign Scripted Production Partnership
Sky and Canal+ have entered a three‑year co‑commissioning partnership to develop English‑language scripted series, committing to at least two new projects each year. The deal pools StudioCanal’s resources with independent producers, allowing both companies to co‑finance green‑lit titles. By targeting...
NOVA Entertainment Partners With Retail Media Arm Of Westfield’s Scentre Group
Australian radio and podcast leader NOVA Entertainment has partnered with BrandSpace, the retail media division of Westfield owner Scentre Group, to create a unified advertising platform across 42 Westfield shopping centres and NOVA’s audio network. The collaboration offers agencies a...
Two Broke Chicks Join Nova Podcasts
Two Broke Chicks, a female‑led Australian podcast hosted by Sally McMullen and Alexandra Hourigan, is joining Nova Podcasts. The show, which offers practical advice on money, career, identity and relationships, reaches over 1.1 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Nova’s...
PacificAus TV Screens in Timor-Leste
Free TV Australia launched PacificAus TV in Timor‑Leste, delivering free Australian programming to RTTL as part of the Indo‑Pacific Broadcasting Strategy. The service arrives alongside the broadcast of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, highlighting women’s football across the region. Officials...
More Screens, More Stakes: India’s Content Boom Needs an India-First Media-Tech Backbone
India now has 313 million digital‑only viewers, with rural adoption outpacing metros, fueling a surge in multi‑screen content consumption. The explosion of hours, languages, and formats is stressing a media‑tech stack that remains fragmented and largely dependent on foreign infrastructure. Sunil...
A Forgotten Doctor Who Spin-Off Introduced A Major Recurring Character
The 1995 direct‑to‑video film *Downtime* introduced Kate Lethbridge‑Stewart, the Brigadier’s daughter, marking one of the earliest Doctor Who spin‑offs. The character re‑appeared in the revived series in 2012, later recast with Jemma Redgrave and promoted to commander‑in‑chief of UNIT. After a decade...
Nutrition Startup Zoe ‘Stunned’ as ASA Upholds Ad Ban over ‘Misleading’ Claims
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld its ban on a Facebook ad for Zoe’s Daily30+ supplement, rejecting the company’s appeal. The ad claimed the product contained no ultra‑processed foods, a statement the ASA judged likely to mislead consumers...
Early Readings From the FCC’s Sports Broadcasting Docket
The FCC’s Media Bureau has opened a docket to examine the fragmented sports‑broadcasting ecosystem, inviting comments through March 27. Early filers include One Ministries, which urges the commission to extend must‑carry rules to virtual MVPDs so independent stations like KQSL...
Snapchat Drives TV Viewership, Promotions
Snapchat released a study with Omnicom Media and Ipsos showing social platforms heavily influence TV viewership. Two‑thirds of viewers say ads on social make them more likely to watch, while 65% are driven to watch trailers after online discussions. The...
Casting News: Doc Adds Blair Underwood, Kate Walsh's CBS Comedy Pilot, And More
Veteran actor Blair Underwood is set to guest‑star in the Season 2 finale of Fox’s medical drama Doc before becoming a series regular for Season 3, which the network has already renewed. Underwood will portray Dr. Ben Grant, a charismatic trauma and...
Why Bruce Willis' '80s Series Moonlighting Was Canceled
Moonlighting, the 1980s ABC series starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd, was cancelled after its fifth season despite early critical acclaim. Ratings plummeted to 70th place on Nielsen charts, driven by production disruptions when Willis filmed Die Hard and Shepherd...
10 Best Cartoon Network Shows Of The 2010s, Ranked
Cartoon Network’s 2010s lineup is celebrated in a new ranking of its ten best shows, from “Adventure Time” to “Over the Garden Wall.” The list highlights how the network’s experimental storytelling, diverse representation, and genre‑bending animation set a new benchmark...
NAB Show: Broadpeak to Showcase Live Streaming, Advanced Monetization and Anti-Piracy Solutions
Broadpeak will unveil a suite of live‑streaming and monetisation tools at NAB Show 2026, highlighting premium‑performance delivery, advanced ad insertion, and anti‑piracy safeguards. New offerings include Multiview for simultaneous event viewing, Media over QUIC (MoQ) for lower latency, and AI‑powered...
WUSF Public Media Names Three Senior Managing Directors
WUSF Public Media announced the promotion of three long‑time employees to Senior Managing Director, reshaping its leadership across content, operations, and membership. Mary Shedden will steer journalism and cultural programming, Christopher Sampson will oversee technical infrastructure, and Danielle Wright‑Landry will...
UK’s First Live Broadcast Using New N40 Private 5G Spectrum
Neutral Wireless, Haivision and ITN delivered the United Kingdom’s first live broadcast using the newly‑available n40 private 5G spectrum (2320‑2340 MHz) for the London New Year’s Eve Fireworks 2025/26. A portable pop‑up 5G Pro system created a single cell covering the...
MediaCo’s Sigma Audio Adds Female-Forward Bilingual Network
MediaCo’s Sigma Audio Networks has unveiled Alpha Woman, a bilingual English‑Spanish radio and streaming network aimed at multicultural U.S. women. The service combines contemporary music with lifestyle programming and will be distributed through national terrestrial affiliates, digital platforms, and branded...
Globo and Telefuturo Renew Partnership in Paraguay
Globo and Paraguay’s leading free‑to‑air channel Telefuturo have signed a new five‑year agreement (2026‑2030) to broadcast Globo’s flagship drama slate, beginning with the telenovela “Anything Goes,” which amassed over 150 million viewers and is Globo’s highest‑grossing prime‑time production. The renewal builds...
Why The Summer I Turned Pretty's Season 3 Poster Was Changed Weeks After The Finale
The Summer I Turned Pretty’s third‑season poster was swapped weeks after the finale, replacing Jeremiah’s kiss with Conrad’s. Showrunner Jenny Han confirmed the change was intentional, referencing the classic 1954 film Sabrina. The alternate image was pre‑shot and released later...
8 Streaming Services Celebrating Women’s History Month with Shows & Movies You Can Watch Today
Streaming services are rolling out dedicated Women’s History Month collections, spotlighting female creators, leaders, and stories. Platforms range from free FAST services like Pluto TV and ThisIsItTV to premium hubs such as Paramount+ and Peacock, each offering curated movies, series,...
Tech Life
Tech Life's latest episode reveals a hidden layer of digital labor behind popular adult platforms, where individuals in the Philippines impersonate OnlyFans models to chat with paying subscribers. The segment also highlights scientists leveraging artificial intelligence to speed up research...
Eccentric Cosy Crime Series From Death in Paradise Boss Will Be Back with More "Twists and Turns"
British streaming service U will premiere the third season of The Marlow Murder Club on March 18. The cosy crime series, created by Death in Paradise veteran Robert Thorogood, returns with Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan as the three amateur sleuths....
Amanda St. Hilaire Upped To WITI VP-News Director
Amanda St. Hilaire has been promoted to vice president and news director of Fox Television Stations’ WITI Milwaukee (Fox 6). Effective immediately, she will oversee editorial, business, administration and streaming functions, reporting to senior vice president Mim Davey. Hilaire joined WITI...
Global News Announces Moves for Ben O’Hara-Byrne, Rob Fai
Corus Radio announced that veteran broadcaster Ben O’Hara-Byrne will leave its national weekend morning show to become Global News BC’s legislative anchor and reporter in Victoria, starting March 16. O’Hara-Byrne returns to Global after a career spanning Global News Ottawa...