Media News and Headlines
Media News and Headlines
ElevenLabs, a leader in generative AI for voice, speech, music and video, is gearing up for the 2026 NAB Show where it will demo its latest offerings. The company highlights breakthroughs in controllability and consistency that move AI from experimental to production‑ready. It emphasizes growing enterprise trust as AI shortens production cycles and expands accessibility. Future product roadmaps focus on hyper‑personalized audio, real‑time conversational media, and near‑universal language support.
Creative studio 3 Chillies has officially launched, appointing Nick Bell as co‑founder. The venture also secured former Dark Horses CEO Melissa Robertson as a non‑executive director. 3 Chillies aims to deliver end‑to‑end brand storytelling, blending creative production with data‑driven insights....
WPP Creative chief executive Jon Cook announced that the agency will redesign its operating model around how consumers actually experience a brand. He emphasized that customers no longer view media and creative as separate entities, prompting a unified, consumer‑first approach....
Zoom has appointed independent agency PMG as its global media agency of record. PMG will set up a cross‑functional team to handle Zoom’s media planning, buying, and analytics across markets. The partnership is intended to strengthen Zoom’s brand positioning as...
Elliot Millard, chief strategy officer at Thinkbox, warned that the advertising industry’s reliance on a maze of acronyms—CTV, OTT, AVOD and the like—obscures a clear view of television consumption. He advocated replacing this "acronym soup" with a single, unified metric...
Swiss media group CH Media will embed German streaming service RTL+ into its oneplus platform on 23 March 2026, creating a bundled offering that also includes Paramount+ and a slate of Swiss originals. The integration delivers selected RTL+ titles—reality, drama and family...
FreeWheel’s Voice of the Viewer study shows that 85% of European streaming users watch ad‑supported tiers, with 83% satisfied overall. Content choice drives satisfaction, cited by 73% of respondents, while 47% exclusively use ad‑supported plans and 49% deliberately chose them....
A new report by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity reveals that UK television newsrooms’ diversity schemes are falling short of delivering real change. While 63% of surveyed journalists say they have faced racism and 70% cite limited...
Officer Brian Elliott of Beech Grove was fatally shot on Feb. 16 while responding to a domestic disturbance, prompting a wave of local media coverage. Within a week, television stations, the IndyStar and other outlets produced over 20 stories each, focusing...
The Handball-Bundesliga has appointed Dyn Media to take over the technical development of its international streaming service, HBL TV, starting summer 2026. The league’s OTT platform, already available in over 80 countries, will expand to more than 100 markets where...
Meta Platforms is piloting an AI‑powered shopping assistant within its Meta AI chatbot, offering product recommendations with images, pricing and merchant links. The tool, currently limited to select U.S. users, tailors suggestions using location and inferred gender data but does not...
WPP Media announced the appointment of a former Publicis global client president, who will begin her role on 17 March. The executive brings extensive experience managing multinational advertising accounts and overseeing integrated media strategies. Her arrival bolsters WPP's leadership team...
University researchers warn that newsrooms partnering with prediction‑market and betting platforms risk eroding public trust. Recent deals let election, policy and geopolitical odds appear alongside reporting at outlets such as the AP, CNBC, CNN and Dow Jones. Similar financial ties...
IAB Europe released its 2026 State of Readiness – Sustainability in Digital Advertising report, the fourth edition covering both environmental and social dimensions. The study’s double‑materiality analysis finds social issues such as privacy and media plurality outweigh environmental impacts. AI...
Publicis and WPP have rolled out mandatory four‑day office weeks for their global agency networks, sparking debate across the advertising sector. Agency leaders say the shift hinges on cultivating trust, safeguarding mental wellbeing, and preserving client‑focused outcomes. The move reflects...
JioStar launched a massive anti‑piracy campaign during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, blocking 420 illicit sites and removing 36 illegal IPTV apps that had amassed over 26 million downloads. The Delhi High Court injunction enabled the suspension of 141 piracy...
AI video platforms are democratizing content creation, allowing solo creators to produce cinema‑grade shows and brands to generate hundreds of ad variants at scale. Experts say speed and output will increase tenfold, but success will hinge on owning strong intellectual...
At AIDC2026, a panel of SBS executives and producers debated the DNA of returnable documentary formats. They agreed that a bankable emotional hook is essential, while the narrative must stay unpredictable. A solid structural framework provides viewers with a familiar...
CFOs are moving upstream in the marketing process, joining planning discussions before budgets are set and demanding rigorous financial justification. Agencies such as VaynerMedia, Blue Chip, and Brave Bison report that finance teams now scrutinize contribution margin, LTV‑to‑CAC, payback periods,...
Creator talent agencies are abandoning the legacy deal‑brokering model in favor of multi‑platform operations that place creators at the core. Companies like Shorthand Studios and Night Media have demonstrated rapid audience growth and secured sizable funding, such as Night Media’s...
Chingari, the Indian short‑video app turned paid private‑live‑streaming platform, reported a 53% year‑on‑year drop in operating revenue for FY25. Revenue fell to Rs 44 crore, while the company’s loss narrowed to Rs 8.8 crore after cutting expenses by more than half. The pivot shifted...
Scott Wolf reprises his role as Dr. Richard Miller on the medical drama *Doc*, returning to Westside Hospital after rejecting a settlement and reclaiming his former position. His comeback is met with palpable skepticism, especially from colleague Amy, who threatens...
The horror film "The Mortuary Assistant" will stream exclusively on Shudder starting March 27, 2026. Adapted from the best‑selling video game, it follows newly certified mortician Rebecca Owens (Willa Holland) as she confronts demonic rituals and personal trauma during a...
Iantha Richardson pulled double duty on "Will Trent" Season 4, Episode 9, serving as both actor and director. She helmed the emotionally intense Ormewood death‑row storyline while also staging a whimsical silent‑disco sequence for the Will‑Ava subplot. Richardson credited her long‑term familiarity...
The documentary "Timestamp," chronicling a generation of Ukrainians growing up during the war, will be released on DVD on March 10 through MVD Entertainment Group and Kimstim. Directed by Kateryna Gornostai, the film was shot over several years, capturing life before...
LiveRamp announced the integration of Newton Research and SemantIQ agents into its data‑collaboration platform, allowing autonomous AI to handle audience creation, cross‑media measurement and spend optimization for health and life‑science marketers. Simultaneously, Doceree launched RepTwin and the Site LLM, a...
News Corp has inked a three‑year AI content licensing agreement with Meta, granting the social‑media giant access to the publisher’s U.S. and U.K. news assets for model training and user consumption. The deal could net Meta up to $50 million per...
Billboard Pro has introduced a new music industry events calendar, aggregating major national and international conferences, festivals, earnings calls, and networking mixers. The calendar lists over 200 events spanning March through December 2026, from SXSW and Coachella to regional summits...
USA Today Co., formerly Gannett, has expanded its newspaper holdings to more than 200 titles, including the recent purchase of The Detroit News, which joins the Detroit Free Press under a shared corporate umbrella. The acquisitions target financially distressed local...
A dispute over credential policies forced the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Thomson Reuters' Imagn to boycott a high‑profile Duke‑Michigan neutral‑site game organized by The Gazelle Group. The organizer required photographers to grant the company free, unrestricted use of any...
Broadcast morning shows have lost roughly half their audience over the past fifteen years, prompting a shift toward livestreaming. Creators like Malcolm Harris, Warner Bailey, and TBPN are launching niche‑focused shows for logistics, Hollywood, and tech professionals on platforms such...
Country Radio Seminar (CRS) announced its 2026 scholarship recipients and mentees ahead of the March 18 CRS Honors ceremony. The Rusty Walker Scholarship will fund three rising professionals from iHeartMedia and Cumulus stations, while the Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarship supports...
Environment and Climate Change Canada announced that its Weatheradio Canada VHF service will cease operations on March 16, ending a network of roughly 225 transmitters that have broadcast weather alerts since 1976. The shutdown coincides with the discontinuation of the...
Jeff Tucker, general manager of Idaho Public Television, was honored with the 2026 APTS Patrick Butler National Advocacy Award at the Public Media Summit. The award celebrates his success in securing federal and state support for IdahoPTV’s educational and community...
Helen George, a lead actress on BBC’s Call the Midwife, warned that the series will feel different when it returns for season 16 after a two‑year hiatus. The show concluded season 15 on 8 March and will pause until 2027, skipping the traditional Christmas...
Home and Away will film its first ever scenes in Western Australia, marking a historic production milestone. Stephen Peacocke and Bonnie Sveen reprise their roles as Brax and Ricky, returning to the series after their 2016 exit. The new arc...
Woodward Community Media’s 95.3/99.1 The Score in Appleton, WI, has overhauled its weekday midday programming, introducing "The Show with Tony G and Leo" hosted by Leo Kiper Jr. and sales executive Tony Giordano. The departure of longtime host Eric "Balky" Balkman paved...
Audacy’s new "State of Audio: Sports Fandom" report reveals that the most avid sports fans are younger, more diverse, and increasingly reachable through audio channels. The study shows a 40% lift in purchase and usage among the fandom cohort when...
JCDecaux has introduced Nurture for Country, a new Reconciliation Action Plan initiative that gives First Nations‑owned businesses access to its national Out‑of‑Home network with matched media spend and strategic support. The program builds on a 2025 pilot with the KARI...
ARN Media announced that Jacqueline Henderson, known as Jackie O, has given notice and will no longer co‑host the KIIS Breakfast show with Kyle Sandilands. The decision follows a February 20 on‑air incident where Sandilands sprayed Henderson, which ARN labeled serious misconduct. ARN...
JVC Broadcasting has launched Country Fresh Radio, a syndicated show that highlights brand‑new country releases from established stars and emerging artists. Hosted by veteran programmers Murph Dawg and Phathead, the program airs on JVC’s Florida and New York stations and...
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convened its annual State Leadership Conference at the Salamander in Washington, D.C., gathering 570 broadcast executives and policymakers. NAB President Curtis LeGeyt called for modernizing antiquated regulations that hinder local stations against global tech...
MGM+ and Paramount+ are launching a new Treasure Island series, a modern reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure. The all‑star cast includes David Oyelowo as Long John Silver, Hayley Atwell as Bess Hawkins, Jack Huston, Tomer Capone and Tom...
The Hollywood Professional Association concluded its 2026 Tech Retreat in Los Angeles, drawing over 800 industry leaders for more than 40 curated sessions. At the gathering HPA launched an expanded Innovation & Technology awards program, honoring winners across five categories—from...
Backyard Ventures becomes the exclusive brand‑partnerships representative for the "excellence, actually" podcast, marking the first time the three‑year ad‑free show opens its inventory to sponsors. The Austin‑based agency will manage premium sponsor integrations across audio and digital platforms. Hosted by...
ESPN’s 2026 Champ Week will stream more than 240 women’s college basketball conference tournament games from March 3‑15, primarily on the ESPN+ app and supplemented by ESPN2, ACCN, SECN, ESPNU and other linear channels. The rollout features marquee talent such as...
Syndicate of Sounds announced that its Deja Vu stereo‑to‑5.1 upmixer is now embedded in three Telos Alliance platforms – the ZipStream R/20, Linear Acoustic LA‑5300 and UpMax ISC. The integration aligns with the company’s OEM strategy, allowing broadcasters to automatically...
YouTube TV is adding Adult Swim as a standalone channel to its Entertainment package while moving Cartoon Network exclusively into the Family tier. The shift mirrors DIRECTV’s recent bundling changes, separating mature‑rated programming from child‑friendly content. By placing Adult Swim in the...
Prime Video announced that Season 4 of the adult‑animated series The Legend of Vox Machina will debut on June 3. The new season will roll out three episodes per week across more than 240 countries and territories. The show, a joint venture...
The Verge explains how leading newsrooms such as The New York Times, Bellingcat and Indicator combat deep‑fake misinformation after high‑profile conflicts. Reporters follow a four‑step workflow: meticulous visual inspection, vetting source reputation, tracing the digital footprint, and confirming date and location with...
