Media News and Headlines
Media News and Headlines
Instagram’s algorithm now prioritizes comment velocity over likes, saves or views when deciding which posts to amplify. Early‑hour comments act as a quality signal, prompting the platform to test the content with larger audiences. Creators can deliberately trigger this loop by removing friction, seeding initial comments, replying to deepen threads, posting during peak activity windows, and using keyword‑rich captions. Consistently applying these tactics turns viral reach from luck into a repeatable process.
America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) has launched direct and programmatic buying for its free ad‑supported FAST channels, allowing advertisers to purchase inventory as a standalone product rather than through genre bundles. The move follows a 30% year‑over‑year rise in streaming audiences...
Hachette Book Group withdrew the upcoming horror novel “Shy Girl” after The New York Times alleged the manuscript was largely AI‑generated. The Orbit imprint halted the U.S. spring release and removed the title from its UK catalog, where only 1,800 print copies...
Nord Anglia Education has named Omnicom Media Vietnam as its agency of record for media across 19 schools in Asia, shifting from school‑level to a centralized hub. The partnership covers integrated strategy, planning and buying for markets including Thailand, India,...
Seven Network’s AFL broadcast of the Sydney Swans versus Hawthorn Hawks captured the top spot in the March 19 overnight ratings, drawing more than two million viewers and a national average audience of 727,000. The Hawks secured a 17‑point victory, playing...
Accenture Song Media is expected to secure Australia Post's media account after a competitive pitch that also featured Wavemaker and Atomic212. The prospective contract expands beyond standard media planning, incorporating a business‑transformation component that aligns with Accenture Song's consultancy strengths....
On March 26, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing to evaluate the Telecommunications Act of 1996, marking its 30th anniversary. The session, chaired by Rep. Richard Hudson and attended by Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie,...
Christian radio, long dismissed as niche, is now one of the fastest‑growing formats in U.S. broadcasting. Nielsen data show a 34.5% increase in average quarter‑hour (AQH) share for Contemporary Christian music among adults 25‑54 from 2022 to 2025, while streaming...
Radio Ink partnered with Beasley Media Group, Big Machine Records, and Performance Racing Network to stage “Full Throttle: Acoustic Social,” a live acoustic showcase linking country music and motorsports during CRS Week in Nashville. The event at Big Machine Distillery...
Sporting organisations are reshaping fan experiences to create new advertising channels. The Sydney Swans introduced a Gen‑Z‑focused "Match Day Mingle" that combined social events with live AFL action, selling out both games and driving higher social media reach. Meanwhile, the...
iHeartRadio has launched Bob Kingsley’s Countdown Classics, a dedicated streaming station that streams original episodes of the late broadcaster’s Country Top 40 countdown. The channel, created in partnership with the Kingsley Estate and the Country Music Hall of Fame, serves...
Focus 360 has hired Becky Pettersen as its new Director of Sales Planning, succeeding her five‑year tenure as VP/Director at Katz Media Group. Her role will oversee the company’s expanded campaign‑management dashboard, built on Counterpoint’s planning system and the Focus...
Radio managers are moving away from hiding Nielsen ratings, yet the volatility of those numbers can distract talent. The article borrows coach John Wooden’s philosophy, urging broadcasters to focus on effort, fundamentals, and team chemistry rather than the scoreboard. By...
Persil has launched a new Smart Series advertisement that eliminates the robot characters that featured in previous spots. The social‑first campaign was produced by creative agency Lola Madrid. The ad pivots toward a more human‑centric narrative, aiming to resonate with...
President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Preserving America’s Game” that bars any college football contest from being scheduled against the annual Army‑Navy game. The order directs FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to work with...
Fred Rogers Productions has teamed with Little Dot Studios to launch an official Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood channel on YouTube. The channel will host full episodes from the classic PBS series alongside clips, shorts, and curated compilations. Little Dot, which runs...
AI and automation are driving down the cost of media execution, exposing a mismatch in traditional agency billing that bundles strategic thinking with operational work. The article argues for separating these functions: pricing execution on measurable outputs while charging a...
TikTok is extending its #BookTok bestseller rankings to six additional European markets, including Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. The new lists will combine TikTok’s engagement data with NielsenIQ BookData sales figures to produce monthly trend reports. The...
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) attributes its strong Survey 1 2026 ratings to a steady programming lineup and a laser focus on the 25‑54 demographic. Minimal changes from 2025 to 2026 allowed the network to double‑down on local breakfast shows and locally‑led...
smoothfm recorded a historic 13.5% share in Sydney, cementing its position as the city’s top FM station. Nova Entertainment saw audience lifts in both Sydney and Melbourne, with Nova 96.9 adding 141,000 listeners and its breakfast slot rising to 8.4%...
Veteran Australian sports commentator Jason Bennett has been ousted from Seven Network after a corporate rights reshuffle and is now leading the ABC’s new VFL broadcast. Bennett’s career spans two decades, three continents, and stints at Fox Footy, ESPN, and...
Avid announced that 87% of this year’s Oscar‑winning films were edited or mixed with its Media Composer and Pro Tools platforms, covering categories from Best Picture to Best Sound. The data also shows eight of the ten Best Picture nominees,...
Peacock is turning Elin Hilderbrand’s 2023 novel *The Five‑Star Weekend* into a limited series that premieres on July 16, 2026. The show stars Jennifer Garner, who also serves as executive producer, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Regina Hall, Gemma...
IAB Australia has announced its Future of Measurement (FoM) initiative, a 2026‑focused review of advertising metrics that will culminate at the MeasureUp conference in September. Apple Podcasts is set to roll out HLS video support with the iOS 26.4 update slated...
Canadian researchers evaluated four major AI models—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok—on 2,267 Canadian news stories. All models demonstrated extensive knowledge of domestic reporting but omitted source attribution in the vast majority of answers. ChatGPT performed the worst, naming the original...
Boss Up Taxes, a Houston‑based tax‑preparation outlet, has exploded on TikTok, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and generating a surge in client appointments ahead of the April 15 deadline. The firm’s bold, meme‑style videos contrast sharply with the traditionally...
SBS is turning Bondi Pavilion into a live multilingual hub for Harmony Week, broadcasting programming in ten languages including Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin, and English. The day‑long event features community leaders, first responders, and local hero Ahmed Al‑Ahmed, providing space for...
Magellan AI released its February rankings of podcast advertisers, highlighting both the highest spenders and the fastest spend growth. Quince and McDonald’s topped the list of total spend, while sports podcasts captured the majority of investment across the top fifteen....
Overnght has secured exclusive digital streaming rights to The CHANEL J12 Boat Race across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand through 2030. The service will deliver live and on‑demand coverage for a $105‑per‑year subscription. CEO Kevin McReynolds says the deal...
Miley Cyrus announced a Hannah Montana 20th‑anniversary special that will debut on Disney+ next week. She publicly promoted the idea before Disney approved it, citing advice from godmother Dolly Parton to “manifest” projects. Disney executives confirmed they began planning the special in...
Scott Wiggins has been appointed General Manager of Golden Isles Broadcasting, overseeing four stations in the Brunswick, Georgia market, including WRJY‑FM, WSSI‑FM, WXMK‑FM and WBQO‑FM. He joins the company after a stint as revenue‑strategy lead at Nexstar Media Group and...
Netflix hosted a star‑studded launch at The Alex in Alexandria for the third and final season of the revived teen drama Heartbreak High. Cast members including James Majoos, Chloe Hayden and Ayesha Madon, along with creator Hannah Carroll Chapman and...
ABC News issued a correction after its March 3 story overstated suppression order figures in New South Wales and mischaracterized Victoria’s share of national orders. The original numbers – 133 orders in NSW and 47 percent for Victoria – were based on...
Arcane producer Thomas Vu, through Initiate Entertainment, has teamed up with iwot Studios—owner of the Wheel of Time IP—to develop a suite of new adaptations, including a PC/mobile video game, an animated feature film, and an animated TV series. The...
Netflix is releasing a 25‑disc Stranger Things complete‑series box set on July 28, 2026, marking the first 4K UHD home‑video availability for seasons three, four and five, alongside extensive bonus material. At the same time, ABC has scrapped the upcoming...
ITV is launching the second series of "The Assembly," a chat show that places famous guests in front of a panel of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers. The lineup features Sir Stephen Fry, Sir Lenny Henry, Anna Maxwell Martin, former Scottish...
The PBS board has proposed a FY 2027 budget of $323.6 million, aiming to break even while lowering station dues. Dues are set at $197.7 million, a $29.2 million reduction that continues $25 million in dues relief and accounts for stations that left the network....
HBO has ordered a second season of the A24‑produced late‑night series “Neighbors,” which debuted on Feb. 13 and wraps its six‑episode first season on March 20. The show, directed by Dylan Redford and Harrison Fishman, documents real‑world residential disputes across the United...
CBS Sports and TNT Sports orchestrate a nine‑city live‑production operation for the first week of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, deploying full crews and identical technical blueprints at each venue. Each site runs roughly ten camera operators, robotic cameras, and...
Sweden’s recorded‑music market expanded 3% in 2025, reaching over SEK 2.3 billion, with paid‑subscription streaming shouldering most growth. Subscription‑based audio streaming generated SEK 1.95 billion, representing 85% of total music revenue and rising 2% year‑on‑year. Ad‑supported streaming increased 9% to SEK 124.3 million, while digital downloads...
Freelance writer Brendan O’Meara launched Pitch Club, a Substack series that publishes real story pitches with audio analysis. The project aims to demystify the pitching process by showing original submissions, rejection rates, and editorial expectations. Featuring pitches ranging from Outside...
Epic Games announced on March 19 that Fortnite creators now have access to a suite of Disney‑licensed Star Wars assets, including characters, force powers, sound effects, and vehicles such as droid battle tanks. Creators can begin building and testing experiences immediately, but...
Prime Video announced its largest‑ever Indian Originals slate, featuring close to 55 series and films across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The lineup introduces diverse formats, including India’s first homegrown Hindi superhero series and new seasons of hit franchises like Farzi...
PodcastOne (Nasdaq: PODC) announced the renewal of its exclusive sales and distribution agreement with A+E Networks for five flagship podcasts—Cold Case Files, I Survived, American Justice, City Confidential, and Ancient Aliens. The five shows have amassed more than 200 million combined...
WorldCast Systems released version 3.4.0 for its Ecresco AiO Series transmitters, adding native APTmpX V2 support and a suite of security upgrades. The update embeds MPX compression at 300‑600 kbps with RDS, integrates LDAP authentication for enterprise directory sync, and adds Syslog...
AMC announced that the next entry in its horror anthology, The Terror: Devil in Silver, will debut on May 7, 2026, on both AMC+ and Shudder. The series adapts Victor LaValle’s novel The Devil in Silver, with LaValle co‑writing and...
Janet Jackson has signed a long‑term global publishing administration agreement with Believe Music Publishing, transferring her entire songwriting catalog to the newly launched division. The deal, announced on March 19, 2026, adds a high‑profile legacy catalog to Believe’s portfolio, which...
Netflix and Arrow Films announced a four‑edition Stranger Things Complete Series box set, launching in late July to mark the show’s 10th anniversary. The collections will be available on 1080p Blu‑Ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu‑Ray, covering all 42 episodes across...
Campaign’s weekly Pitch Update spotlights new advertising pitches and wins across a diverse roster of brands, including Morrisons, Aviva, Taco Bell, Qatar Airways, Irn‑Bru, Branston, Ineos and KP Snacks. The roundup highlights agencies vying for creative contracts, recent campaign launches,...
Crumbl’s inaugural connected‑TV campaign, run with Samsung Ads, delivered more than 16,000 mobile‑app downloads—213% above its goal—over a seven‑week period. The CTV‑to‑Mobile solution used machine‑learning to place ads across Samsung TV Plus, mastheads and other screen‑first environments. In the first week...
