Expedia Courts Non-Travel Brands With New Adtech Deal
Expedia Group has partnered with ad‑tech platform Magnite to monetize its vast first‑party data set. The deal gives brands and agencies access to roughly 200 petabytes of traveler data for targeting across streaming TV, video, display and audio. Expedia’s travel media network, Expedia Group Advertising, now extends to off‑site open‑web inventory for the first time. The move helped the company generate $758 million in advertising revenue in 2025, a 19% year‑over‑year increase.
Measurement Biggest Barrier to DOOH Investment, Azerion Finds; It’s Partly a Perception Problem
Azerian’s February‑March 2026 study of 128 UK media planners reveals that while 68% have increased out‑of‑home (OOH) usage and 93% consider it vital to omnichannel strategies, 58% view measurement and attribution uncertainty as the primary barrier to further investment. The...
Hard Truths For Retail Media At The IAB Connected Commerce Summit
At the IAB’s 2026 Connected Commerce Summit, industry leaders warned that retail media is at a crossroads, noting the market cannot sustain hundreds of undifferentiated commerce media networks. The new IAB report stresses that future growth will come from tapping...
As RFPs Shrink, Multicultural Publishers Fight For Dollars With First-Party Data
Multicultural publishers are seeing RFP volumes shrink and referral traffic dry up, pressuring them to prove scale for advertisers. To counteract the reach gap, firms like Q Digital and AURN are adopting AdGrid’s Audience Accelerator, a first‑party data platform that...
Myer Teams with News Corp to Launch Glamour in Australia
News Corp Australia is set to launch Glamour Australia, a digital‑first lifestyle platform aimed at Gen Z and Millennial women, later this year. Myer has signed a multi‑year exclusive agreement to serve as the magazine’s beauty partner, integrating e‑commerce and insider...
Agencies Compete for SEO Talent as Client Demand for Zero-Click Expertise Surges
Ad agencies are racing to fill senior SEO positions as brands clamor for zero‑click and AI‑driven search expertise. Eight firms, from indie shops to large holding companies, posted roles with salaries ranging from $100,000 to $260,000. The hiring focus extends...
How College Athlete Carson Roney Went From TikTok Dances to Gatorade Commercials
Carson Roney, a college basketball and volleyball player, turned TikTok dance videos into a 5 million‑follower empire. By partnering with Wasserman manager Erin Convey, she expanded her content to fashion and beauty, securing long‑term deals with Gatorade, the NBA and other...
Ogilvy APAC and Quad China Launch Tuborg’s New Global Campaign “You Don’t Have To”
Ogilvy APAC and Quad China have launched Tuborg's new global campaign “You Don’t Have To,” aimed at young people overwhelmed by social‑media pressure and performance anxiety. The rollout features two global films directed by Cannes Lions Grand Prix‑winning director Terence Neale,...
Pinterest’s New Ad Asks: When Did Watching Life Online Become Enough?
Pinterest unveiled a 60‑second in‑house film titled “How did they do it?” that stitches together employee home movies to argue the best thing found online is a reason to go offline. The ad, part of a broader brand campaign against...
YouTube Finally Lets You Turn Off Shorts: Check Out Exact Settings to Clean up Your Feed
YouTube has introduced a new setting that lets users set the Shorts feed limit to zero, effectively removing Shorts from the app. The option expands on the Shorts feed limit feature launched in October 2023, which previously allowed a minimum...
Bestads Best TV of the Week: Unibet’s ‘Let Sport Win You Over’ via La Maison Créative Justement
Unibet’s new commercial “Let Sport Win You Over,” produced by Paris agency Justement, was crowned Bestads Best TV of the Week. The retro‑futuristic spot shows emotionless robots abandoning code to chase a ball, using sport as a universal connector. Executive...
Ryobi Explores the Addictive World of DIY in ‘Come Equipped’
Ryobi, owned by Techtronic Industries, unveiled the "Come Equipped" campaign to dramatize the addictive pull of DIY projects. The ad follows a househusband whose simple drill trigger ignites a cascade of increasingly elaborate wood constructions, symbolising how one tool can...
‘We Are Making History’: Meet Jordan Baker, New Editor of Australia’s Oldest Paper, the Sydney Morning Herald
Jordan Baker, the newly appointed editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, marked the paper’s 195th anniversary on April 18, highlighting its status as Australia’s oldest continuously published newspaper. Despite industry doubts, the Herald’s print edition still generates roughly $129 million USD in...
Media Job Apocalypse Continues: Thousands Cut at Disney, Snap and BBC
The BBC announced a 10% workforce reduction, cutting 1,800‑2,000 jobs to save roughly £500 million (about $635 million) over two years. Snap Inc will lay off around 1,000 employees – about 16% of its staff – aiming for $460 million in savings for...
UK Marketing Budgets Revised Upwards Despite Geopolitical Unrest
UK advertisers are lifting their marketing budgets despite ongoing geopolitical unrest, according to a new Campaign report. The upward revisions signal a strategic push to preserve competitive advantage as market challenges persist. While exact figures were not disclosed, analysts estimate...
#ThisWeek on MarkLives MEDIA: WhatsApp Open Rates Hard to Ignore • #NextWeek: OOH & SA Consumers
WhatsApp is emerging as a powerhouse marketing channel, delivering roughly 98% open rates and strong conversion metrics that eclipse traditional email campaigns. Experts caution that the platform’s effectiveness hinges on disciplined execution, including strict opt‑in practices and tailored messaging. Marketers...
Ratings
Euphoria’s Season 3 premiere attracted 8.5 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max in its first three days, a 44% jump from the second‑season debut and propelling the series to the No. 1 spot on HBO Max globally. Meanwhile, the Masters golf tournament delivered strong...
Scripps Sports Rides the Bull
Scripps Sports has secured a multiyear partnership with Professional Bull Riders to broadcast Premier Women’s Rodeo on its Ion and Grit networks, beginning with the 2026 PWR Championship on May 17. The agreement expands in 2027 to include the original...
How AI’s Rewiring Brand-Agency Relationships
Artificial intelligence is turning the agency‑client dynamic from a transactional grind into a strategic partnership. As AI automates routine revisions and production, the remaining value lies in human insight, brand positioning and measurable business impact. This shift is polarising the...
Roku Hits 100 Million Milestone
Roku announced that its platform reached 100 million active streaming households in April, marking a key milestone in its user base. The company said more than half of U.S. broadband households now use Roku devices, and its engagement outpaces Amazon Fire...
Google One Discount Takes 50% Off YouTube Premium for a Year
Google One is offering a limited‑time 50% discount on YouTube Premium for a year, cutting the $15.99‑per‑month price to $7.99 for eligible subscribers. The promotion applies only to Google One Premium members who pay $9.99 per month for 2 TB of storage or...
Amazon Sellers Boycott Ads
Amazon announced that, beginning April 15, 2026, advertising fees will be automatically deducted from sellers' retail proceeds, prompting a 24‑hour boycott by the Million Dollar Sellers community, which represents over 700 vendors and $14 billion in revenue. After strong pushback, Amazon...
Nine Snatches Netball TV Rights From Foxtel
Nine secured a five‑year partnership with Netball Australia, taking over broadcast and streaming rights for Suncorp Super Netball, Australian Diamonds matches, and the 2027 Netball World Cup from Foxtel. The agreement delivers free‑to‑air coverage on the Nine Network alongside streaming...
TFM Digital Launches ‘That F*cking Marketing (TFM) Podcast’
TFM Digital has launched the "That F*cking Marketing" podcast, a weekly audio series that cuts through generic Australian marketing advice. The inaugural season debuts three episodes featuring CEO Taylor Fielding, CCO Mathew Fielding, and guests such as Mamamia CEO Natalie...
David Zaslav and the Tyranny of Incentives
Paramount Global and Skydance are poised to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in a cash transaction that shareholders will vote on April 23. The deal, valued at a multi‑billion‑dollar cash offer, comes as Warner’s stock trades about 12 % below that price, underscoring the premium...
The Verdict on Social Media Addiction
Recent jury verdicts find Meta and YouTube liable for harms linked to their engineered platform designs, signaling a legal shift from viewing social media as a neutral tool to a product that can cause addiction. The rulings highlight how infinite...
Audacy/Boston Morning Co-Host Named A MIW Airblazer
Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) announced that Kennedy Elsey, co‑host of the Karson & Kennedy morning show on Boston’s MIX 104.1, will receive the 11th annual 2026 MIW Airblazer Award. The accolade, created through MIW’s 2015 partnership with Talentmasters Morning...
Social Media Has Positive Benefits for Teens
New Pew Research data from April 2026 surveyed 1,458 U.S. teens and a parent each, examining usage of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. The study finds teens turn to TikTok for entertainment and product information, while Snapchat is favored for private...
Is Marshals Returning for Season 2?
*Marshals* debuted on CBS to a strong start, pulling 30.6 million viewers in its first month, second only to Netflix’s *Stranger Things* season 5. While early episodes felt like a standard task‑force procedural, recent installments have deepened Kayce Dutton’s personal storyline, exploring...
Today in 1990, This Groundbreaking Comedy Series Made Its Debut
In Living Color debuted on April 15, 1990 on FOX, quickly becoming a cultural touchstone for sketch comedy and Black entertainment. Created by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the series ran five seasons, earned a 1990 Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or...
CBS CEO Says Late Night Deal with Byron Allen Is “Temporary”
Paramount’s CBS announced a one‑year paid‑programming deal with comedian Byron Allen, replacing Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” with Allen’s “Comics Unleashed” and “Funny You Should Ask.” CBS co‑CEO George Cheeks framed the arrangement as a temporary stopgap while the network re‑evaluates its...
NCIS Franchise Now up to Seven Total Spin-Offs Thanks to LL Cool J's NCIS: New York
CBS announced the production of NCIS: New York, its seventh spin‑off in the long‑running NCIS franchise. The series will star Scott Caan alongside LL Cool J, who returns as special agent Sean Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles. Veteran NCIS writer‑producer R. Scott Gemmill is penning...
CBS Greenlights 'NCIS' Spin-Off With Popular Character Returning to the Franchise
CBS has greenlit a seventh NCIS series, NCIS: New York, bringing back LL Cool J as Agent Sam Hanna. The spin‑off pairs Hanna with Scott Caan’s roguish agent for high‑stakes missions in New York City. It will debut this fall on CBS, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT,...
Meta Simplifies Ad Performance Elements
Meta introduced AI‑enhanced tools to simplify its Pixel and a one‑click setup for the Conversions API. The new Pixel feature automatically adds product names, availability and business details to event data, reducing manual coding. The Conversions API can now be...
When Dolly Parton Appeared on 'Reba'
Country music legends Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire teamed up in 2005 when Parton guest‑starred on the sitcom Reba. In the episode “Reba’s Rules of Real Estate,” aired April 15, she portrayed Dolly Majors, a cut‑throat real‑estate mogul. The pair...
Which Car Brands Dominate Quu’s In-Vehicle Visuals Report?
Quu’s newly released In‑Vehicle Visuals Report examines how radio metadata appears in the United States’ top 100 new‑car models. Toyota tops the list, representing 12% of those models, followed by Ford at 10% and Chevrolet, Honda and Nissan each holding...
A Swift Spin For Tom and Cheryl Hodgins
On March 14, 2025, Alexandra Communications, led by Tom and Cheryl Hodgins, finalized an agreement to acquire three FM radio stations in Eastern Oregon from Pacific Empire Radio Corp. Within weeks, the Hodgins‑owned firm announced it would divest one of...
Cumulus Media Bankruptcy Plan Approved
A federal judge in Texas has approved Cumulus Media's reorganization plan, erasing $592 million of debt and securing up to $100 million in lender financing to sustain operations. The plan keeps CEO Mary Berner and CFO Francisco Lopez‑Balboa at the helm through...
Northern California Public Media Debuts New Video Podcast Series A Fighting Chance on Major Platforms
Northern California Public Media has launched a new video and audio podcast series, “A Fighting Chance,” on major platforms including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. The series repurposes the Emmy‑winning “Climate California” documentary into a digital‑first format that blends investigative...
Oxford Road Shares The Secrets To True Crime Podcast Ad Effectiveness
Oxford Road released its ORBIT ranking of the top‑performing true‑crime podcasts, drawing on more than $1.6 billion in campaign data from over 500 advertisers. The analysis shows true‑crime is the second‑largest spend genre, ranking in the top 20 % for ad efficiency, yet...
'L'Abuso': Real Italian Magazine Cover of Israeli Settler Sparks Online Storm
L'Espresso released a cover titled "L'Abuso" featuring an armed Israeli settler pointing a smartphone at a distressed Palestinian woman, prompting the Israeli ambassador to denounce the image as manipulative and hateful. Photographer Pietro Masturzo asserted the photo is genuine, captured...
TikTok Challenger Triller Makes a Surprising Revenue Reveal: $0 From Its Media Businesses
Triller disclosed that it generated zero revenue from its social‑media and streaming operations in 2025, with the entire $22 million of revenue coming from a financial‑services business linked to its 2024 merger with a Hong Kong firm. The company incurred $22.7 million...
YouTube Tests Showing Creator Posts in Your Shorts Feed
YouTube is piloting a new format that places creator Posts—image carousels with up to ten pictures, text overlays, and royalty‑free music—directly inside the Shorts feed on its mobile app. The test, rolling out globally to a limited user group, aims...
New UNESCO-SembraMedia Guide for Women Journalism Entrepreneurs
UNESCO and SembraMedia have released "Media Startups and Viability: A Guide for Women Leaders," a practical handbook aimed at women journalism entrepreneurs. The guide tackles revenue diversification, audience development, team management, safety, and impact measurement to overcome structural barriers. It...
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Million Dollar Secret’ Season 2 On Netflix, Where Contestants Have To Figure Out Which Housemate...
Netflix’s reality competition Million Dollar Secret returns for a second season with fourteen contestants vying for a hidden $1 million prize inside the mansion dubbed The Stag. The format mirrors the first season: players must locate the money, gather clues, and...
CentralCast Deploys Harmonic to Deliver Improved Efficiencies for Public Media Stations
Harmonic announced that CentralCast, the master‑control hub for U.S. public‑media stations, has deployed Harmonic’s XOS Advanced Media Processor to serve more than 170 channels. The XOS platform consolidates media‑processing and distribution, delivering 176 transport streams while lowering per‑channel bitrate and...
APTN Expands Indigenous-Language Content with New Shows This Spring
APTN’s spring slate adds a wave of Indigenous‑language series, including Cree‑language comedy Rabbit Soup, Dakota‑language cooking show Grandma Sherry’s Kitchen, and Innu‑language documentary Guerriers de demain. The network also launches the English‑language reality dating show Rezervations for Two and expands...
FTC Pushes Ad Agencies Into Dropping Brand Safety Rules
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by eight states, has filed a proposed settlement that would bar major ad agencies—WPP, Publicis and Dentsu—from coordinating brand‑safety rules that exclude platforms based on political viewpoints. The order stems from an antitrust complaint alleging...
Kanal D Drama Premieres The Innocents in Latam, Spain and the US
Kanal D Drama will launch the Turkish psychological series Almas Heridas, also known as The Innocents, on its SVOD app on April 16 across Latin America, the United States and Spain. The show, starring Birkan Sokullu and Ezgi Mola, will...
Here Are The 2026 Giants of Broadcasting
The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation unveiled its 2026 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts class, headlined by actor Kelsey Grammer, famed for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane. The honorees include top radio executives, iconic sports broadcasters, and veteran...
