Data: Online Video Subscriptions Reached 2.2bn in 2025
Omdia reports global online video subscriptions hit 2.24 billion at the end of 2025, a 17.6% year‑on‑year increase. The sector’s revenue rose 13.5% to $176 billion, overtaking pay‑TV for the first time as pay‑TV revenue fell to $170 billion. Growth is expected to decelerate to single‑digit levels in 2026, with operators shifting focus from subscriber acquisition to monetizing existing users through premium pricing. Lower‑cost ad‑supported tiers were the primary catalyst for the 2025 subscriber surge.
KSI Leaving The Sidemen After 13 Years
British YouTube star KSI announced his departure from the Sidemen collective after 13 years, posting a personal video to his 18.4 million subscribers. The remaining members confirmed the news, expressing sadness but assuring fans of upcoming projects. KSI, who has expanded...
Sony Takes Stake in 32 Flavors
Sony Pictures Television has taken a majority stake in 32 Flavors, the reality‑TV production company founded by Alex Baskin. The acquisition brings Emmy‑nominated series such as “Vanderpump Rules,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and “The Valley” under Sony’s umbrella....
‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ & ‘The Bachelor’ Set For Little Dot Studios Channels Through WBITVP Deal
Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has expanded its multi‑year deal with All3Media‑owned Little Dot Studios, licensing over 4,000 hours of reality, dating and factual‑entertainment titles—including “Who Do You Think You Are?,” “The Bachelor” and “First Dates”—to Little Dot’s network of YouTube FAST channels. The...
Electric to Launch Fan Licensing Initiative for The Librarians with MOD Fan Official
Electric Entertainment has teamed with MOD Fan Official to launch a fan‑licensing campaign for The Librarians franchise, inviting artists to submit original artwork inspired by the series. The initiative, kicking off in July 2026, will funnel selected pieces into a...
How Juice Brand Martinelli’s Gets To The Core Of Retail Media Incrementality
Martinelli’s, the apple‑juice brand, is moving beyond traditional return‑on‑ad‑spend (ROAS) to focus on incremental ROAS (iROAS) for its retail media campaigns. By using Albertsons’ match‑control methodology, the brand measured a 33% sales lift, 65% new‑to‑brand buyers, and $7.45 iROAS during...
X’s Advertiser Base Is Beginning to Resemble Its Pre-Musk Era
X’s advertising business is seeing a partial rebound to pre‑Musk levels as major brands such as Comcast, Amazon, and the NFL return to the platform. Sensor Tower data shows the top U.S. spend categories—media, shopping, software, financial services and gaming—each...
Dhar Mann Is Going to Tribeca X to Prove CTV Can Do TV’s Job — and that Creators Belong in the...
Creator entrepreneur Dhar Mann is headlining Tribeca X to demonstrate that creator‑run studios can match traditional TV’s reach, especially in connected TV (CTV). His studio, Dhar Mann Studios, boasts a production pipeline that turns long‑form concepts into episodes in as little as...
What's Coming to Tubi in June 2026
Tubi is expanding its free, ad‑supported catalog in June 2026 with a massive lineup of movies and series, including fan favorites like Stumptown, Swiss Army Man, Straight Outta Compton, and a 90s film marathon featuring Space Jam and Happy Gilmore....
McDonald’s, Hyundai & More Sponsor SBS FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast
Hyundai, McDonald’s, Commonwealth Bank, Rexona, Hisense, bet365 and Youi Insurance have become official sponsors of SBS’s 2026 FIFA World Cup broadcast. SBS will air all 104 matches free on television and via its On Demand streaming service, delivering more than...
Mindshare Wins Asahi Media Pitch
Asahi Beverages has selected Mindshare as its new national media partner, effective July, after a competitive pitch that saw Omnicom’s PHD step aside. Mindshare will handle strategy, planning and buying for flagship brands such as Carlton, Victoria Bitter, Great Northern, Hard Rated...
Samsung TV Plus Australia Rolls Out Content Partnerships With BBC Studios & NBCUniversal
Samsung TV Plus has expanded its free streaming service in Australia with four new content partnerships—BBC Studios, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Television, and Amazon MGM Studios—bringing the total to 200 channels. The rollout includes the launch of GRIT TV, Samsung’s sixth owned‑and‑operated channel focused...
‘AI Can’t Liquor Up a Source’: Breaker Media’s Lachlan Cartwright to Headline Publish 2026
Australian journalist Lachlan Cartwright, founder of Breaker Media, will deliver the opening keynote at Mumbrella Publish 2026 in Sydney, presenting “The Human Moat” on the importance of personal authority in the AI‑driven “Agentic Age.” The conference’s core theme, “Elevating Human...
Gaming Is Not a Channel. In SEA, It’s the Entire Playing Field
Ampverse’s Southeast Asian gaming report argues that gaming is not a media channel but a cultural substrate shaping identity, trust and consumption for the region’s youth. It estimates 290 million active gamers in 2025, rising to over 330 million by 2028, across...
Nine Simplifies Digital Platforms Under nine.com.au Banner
Nine has merged its news, sport, lifestyle and entertainment sites into a single digital destination at nine.com.au, retiring 9news.com.au, Nine Honey and the standalone Wide World of Sport site. The consolidation brings over 150 sub‑brands under six pillars—News, Sport, Lifestyle,...
China Moves to Rein in Livestream Ads with New Draft Rules
China's State Administration for Market Regulation has released draft rules to tighten oversight of health‑related advertising on livestream commerce platforms. The measures target pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health foods and foods for special medical purposes, requiring platforms to review ads, issue...
Scripps’ 54 Local Stations Go Dark On DirecTV Amid Retransmission Dispute
Scripps Local Media pulled its 54 broadcast stations in 36 Nielsen markets from DirecTV after the two sides failed to agree on retransmission fees. DirecTV alleges Scripps is demanding the highest carriage rates it has ever faced, while Scripps says...
Pharma TV Spending Rises By 53% Over The Prior Year
Prescription drug brands accelerated multiscreen TV advertising, spending $4.95 billion from Oct 2025‑Mar 2026—a 53% jump from the prior year, driven by an FDA crackdown on deceptive ads. In Kentucky, Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok agreed to a combined $27 million settlement over alleged...
Twitch Streamer Walks 340 Miles to TwitchCon only to Be Denied Entry
Twitch IRL streamer KumaMonster completed a 550 km (340‑mile) walk to Rotterdam for TwitchCon Europe 2026, livestreaming the trek as part of his "Road to TwitchCon" series. Hours before the event, he received an email indicating his ticket had been refunded,...
Week 22 in TV Ratings
The State of Origin series dominated Australian TV ratings last week, averaging 4.00 million viewers and becoming the year’s biggest audience, surpassing the Australian Open men’s final. Nine Network capitalised on the sports surge and led overall with strong news and...
Mark Duplass Calls ‘Backrooms,’ ‘Obsession’ Success a ‘Glimmer of Hope’ for ‘Democratized’ Filmmakers | Video
Mark Duplass praised the surprise box‑office strength of the low‑budget horror titles “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” calling them a glimmer of hope for democratized filmmaking. “Backrooms” opened with $118 million, and 27‑year‑old Kane Parsons became the youngest director to top the domestic...
Sylvester Stallone’s $1.2B Movies & More Netflix Releases This Week
Netflix’s June 1‑7 release calendar spotlights Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky and Creed franchises, adding all six Rocky films and the three Creed sequels to its streaming library. The combined box‑office earnings of the two series approach $1.2 billion, underscoring their enduring commercial appeal....
Overlooked Bruce Willis Action Movie & More HBO Max Releases This Week
Streaming service HBO Max announced its weekly slate for June 1‑7, 2026, featuring more than 70 titles ranging from classic film noir to contemporary originals. Among the new arrivals is the low‑budget Bruce Willis action film “Acts of Violence,” a thriller about...
Another Cable TV Channel Is Shutting Down, Comcast Starts to Sell YouTube TV & More – The Top Cord Cutting...
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will close its Documentary Channel on August 31 and replace it with a free ad‑supported FAST channel on CBC Gem, backed by a $7 million (≈ $5.2 million USD) investment in new documentary content. Fox Corporation is shutting down its...
President Lula Launches Tela Brasil, a Free-of-Charge Streaming Service Offering Brazilian Productions
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva unveiled Tela Brasil, a free public streaming service that aggregates Brazilian film and TV productions. The platform, reachable via a Gov.br account, debuts with 555 titles—including 139 feature films, 267 short films and 64...
Sky Deutschland Extends ATP Rights Deal Until 2033
Sky Deutschland has extended its exclusive ATP Tour broadcasting agreement through the end of 2033, covering Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. The deal grants Sky Sport live rights to all Masters 1000 events, the ATP Finals, most ATP 500...
"Incredibly Watchable" Procedural Crime Series with Tim Roth Lands New UK Streaming Home
The procedural drama *Lie to Me*, starring Tim Roth as deception expert Dr. Cal Lightman, has found a new UK streaming home. Season 1, comprising 13 episodes, is now available for free on ITVX, while the complete three‑season run requires a...
Polymarket Plugs Into OneFootball's 645M-Fan Network Two Weeks Before the World Cup
Polymarket announced an exclusive partnership with OneFootball, embedding its prediction‑market exchange inside the football app that serves over 200 million monthly active users and a broader 645 million‑fan ecosystem. The deal, timed two weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marks Polymarket’s...
Twitch Announces AI Stream Summaries for Viewers Who Join Streams Mid-Way
Twitch unveiled an AI‑powered Mid‑Stream Summary at TwitchCon Europe 2026, delivering a brief synopsis of live content for viewers who join a broadcast late. The feature joins a suite of upgrades, including 2K streaming for Partners and Affiliates, vertical video...
Dwayne Johnson & Michael Bay’s Overlooked Comedy To Stream on Peacock
Peacock will add Michael Bay’s 2013 black‑comedy "Pain & Gain" to its streaming lineup on June 1, 2026. The film, loosely based on a true‑story Miami body‑building scheme, stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie and Rebel Wilson. It grossed...
India Bans Betting Ads, but Offshore Operators Keep Cashing In…
India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) bans online money games, yet offshore betting ads have surged. The Advertising Standards Council of India reported that betting‑related promotions accounted for 72.14% of all advertising violations in FY26, with monthly...
Meta Has Struggled at Selling Anything Other than Ads. Will AI Be Different?
Meta announced paid tiers for its AI chat app, pricing the service at $7.99 and $19.99 per month and rolling it out in Singapore, Guatemala and Bolivia. The move coincides with premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and signals...
Disney+ Adds A Free Live Feed Of The Disney Channel in Some Parts of the World
Disney+ has introduced a live‑TV feed of the Disney Channel for German subscribers, delivering the channel’s full linear schedule directly within the streaming app. The feed mirrors the traditional broadcast, complete with original commercial breaks, and showcases a mix of...
Ahead of the IPL Final, YouTube Print Ad Claims Better Sports ROI than OTT & TV
On the eve of the IPL 2026 final, YouTube ran a full‑page print ad in The Economic Times asserting that 67% of Indian viewers watch sports on its platform, compared with 48% on OTT services. The ad claims YouTube delivers...
Casting News: Sarah Snook Leads The Birds Remake, More Baywatch Alums Join Fox's Reboot, And More
Sarah Snook will star as magistrate Myra Massey in a limited‑series remake of Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, set in modern Alaska with a murder‑mystery twist. The project, written by Tom Spezialy, is being pitched to networks and streaming platforms for a...
What’s Getting Nominated (and What Should Be Nominated) for Animated Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards
The piece predicts the 2026 Emmy nominees for Best Animated Series, noting that legacy shows like The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers will likely return, while South Park is the odds‑on favorite after a buzz‑worthy Trump‑satire season. It highlights under‑the‑radar contenders Long Story Short...
‘The Birds’ Limited Series Starring Sarah Snook Hits TV Marketplace; New Take On Hitchcock’s Classic Comes From Tom Spezialy, David...
Universal International Studios and Heyday Television are marketing a limited‑series remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic *The Birds*. Emmy‑winner Sarah Snook stars as Myra Massey, a magistrate thrust into a murder‑mystery in modern‑day Alaska where avian attacks erupt. Writer‑producer Tom Spezialy says the show...
FCC Issues Violation Notices to Two Co-Owned Illinois Stations
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued violation notices to two Stratemeyer Media stations in southern Illinois over antenna tower compliance failures. WIBV (102.1 FM) operated without the required white obstruction lighting for 21 months, while WKRO (1490 AM) had severely faded paint, no lighting,...
Seven Adds Triple M’s SATURDAY RUB to 7plus Sport
The Seven Network has added Triple M’s long‑running AFL talk show, The Saturday Rub, to its 7plus Sport streaming service for the remainder of the 2026 season. The program will be available on‑demand from 3:00 pm AEST starting with Round 12, complementing...
Vermont Passes Opt-Out Privacy Bill
Vermont lawmakers have approved the Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act, granting residents the right to opt out of cross‑site behavioral advertising. The bill defines targeted ads, excludes search‑based and site‑specific ads, and requires companies to honor opt‑out signals sent...
Amazon Is Making an AI-Animated ‘Good Advice Cupcake’ TV Show. Its Original Creator Is Furious
Amazon is turning Loryn Brantz’s BuzzFeed‑licensed character *The Good Advice Cupcake* into an AI‑animated series for its streaming service, launching without the creator’s consent. The move showcases Amazon’s push to use generative AI for rapid, low‑cost content production. Brantz has...
LPFM Advocate Calls for a Power Boost
The Low Power FM Advocacy Group (LPFM‑AG) submitted comments urging the FCC to lift the 100‑watt ceiling that limits community‑based FM stations. The group argues that translators can broadcast at up to 250 watts, giving them a technical advantage that...
Age Assurance Landscape Diverging Between US, Everywhere Else
The United States is seeing a patchwork of state‑level age‑assurance bills, while the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia move toward unified regulations. Minnesota recently enacted a law requiring parental consent for users under 16 and banning addictive features, prompting NetChoice...
New Radio Show Looks to Restore Civility to Constitutional Debate
A new limited‑run radio program, “America @ 250: Due Diligence,” will debut in early June to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary. Hosted by Steven Herman, executive director of the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation, and talk‑show producer...
Cord Cutting Today: A Leaked Memo Signals the End of Hulu, DIRECTV Price Hikes Higher Than Expected & More
Disney’s internal memo reveals plans to discontinue the standalone Hulu app, moving all existing Hulu subscribers onto Disney+. Roku reported that hardware sales now account for less than 10% of its total revenue, underscoring a pivot to its platform and...
Google Appears to Be Testing New Branded Search Controls in AI Max Campaigns
Google is testing a new "Branded Searches" control within its AI Max campaign type, giving advertisers the ability to dictate how brand‑related queries are handled. The setting offers three modes: serve ads on all relevant searches, manage branded traffic with...
DAZN Brings The Canadian Football League’s Saturday Night Football to the Masses in New Media Rights Deal
Starting in 2027, DAZN will become the exclusive home of the Canadian Football League’s Saturday Night Football, delivering 21 straight weeks of regular‑season action plus two playoff games each year. The streaming platform will also serve as the global home...
Omdia: Brazil and Mexico Drive Latin America’s Microdrama Growth
Omdia’s latest research presented at Conecta Fiction shows Brazil and Mexico dominate Latin America’s microdrama market, with 24 million and 20 million monthly active users respectively in 2025. Together they account for 44 million MAUs, outpacing most European markets and positioning the region...
Week of May 18 Evening News Ratings: CBS News Has Double-Digit Gains in Demo
The May 18 Nielsen week showed all three major network evening newscasts holding steady or growing, with CBS Evening News delivering the strongest performance. CBS added 6% in total viewers and a double‑digit 21% jump in the coveted Adults 25‑54 demo, pushing...
FAST Content Isn’t Always ‘Premium,’ But That’s Where TV Ad Innovation Is Happening
The FAST (Free‑Ad‑Supported Television) ecosystem is emerging as a low‑cost, high‑volume testing ground for new CTV ad formats. Anoki and Amagi have introduced scene‑level contextual targeting that overlays ads in real time within specific movie or TV moments. Early results...