S&P: Local TV to Earn $4 Billion in Political Ad Spending in 2026
Local television broadcasters are set to capture more than $4 billion in political advertising in 2026, representing 16.3% of total broadcast revenue – a record for a non‑presidential election year. The surge is driven by a crowded slate of gubernatorial, Senate and congressional races, especially in battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. While connected TV is growing fastest, linear TV will still command roughly half of the political ad spend. Sinclair, Nexstar and Gray dominate the swing‑state station landscape, positioning them to reap the bulk of the revenue.
NAB Show 2026 In Review: Our Complete Collection of Video Interviews with Industry Thought Leaders
The Sports Video Group recapped NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, delivering exclusive one‑on‑one interviews with more than two dozen industry leaders. Executives from Aggreko, Appear, AT&T, AWS, Blackmagic Design and others revealed new power‑management solutions, 5G broadcast kits, AI‑driven...
MrBeast Sues Canadian Company for $5M over Beast Games Production
Jimmy Donaldson’s MrBeast brand has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Toronto‑based MHQ, alleging the production company mishandled a pre‑payment for season one of the Amazon Prime Video series Beast Games. MHQ has responded with a countersuit, insisting it incurred costs and...
Webb To Program Two Big Cumulus California AMs
Cumulus Media announced Art Webb as the new Program Director for its two flagship California AM stations, KABC‑790 in Los Angeles and KSFO‑810 in San Francisco. Webb, who has served as Assistant Program Director and Executive Producer for the stations...
CBC, BBC Northern Ireland Greenlight New Romantic Comedy Series ‘Committed’
CBC and BBC Northern Ireland have greenlit "Committed," a 10‑episode half‑hour romantic comedy co‑produced by Cameron Pictures and Fabel Productions. The series stars Dustin Milligan and Diona Doherty and follows a newly divorced Canadian accountant who travels to a rural...
Nielsen Adds Podcast Planning Data Through Triton Digital
Nielsen announced a partnership with Triton Digital to embed Triton’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ into its Nielsen Media Impact (NMI) cross‑media planning tool. The integration streams Triton’s download‑level podcast data across every show, network and subnetwork, giving advertisers a unified view...
NZ Herald Premium Subscription Special Offer: Get the Best Journalism From Here and Abroad for 99 Cents a Week
The New Zealand Herald celebrates the seventh anniversary of its Premium digital subscription by launching a limited‑time offer of 99 c per week (about $0.60 USD) for six months, or an introductory annual price of $79 (≈ $47 USD) for the first year followed by...
AI Is Driving Customer Acquisition Costs Through the Roof. Here’s How to Get Around It.
AI-powered search overviews are intercepting traffic, causing customer acquisition costs (CAC) to climb sharply. Advertisers now see fewer direct clicks from PPC spend because users are routed through AI summaries that often feature competitors. Companies like Roof Maxx are countering...
Spot TV Kings: Pharma Brands and an Accident Attorney
The latest Spot Ten TV report from Media Monitors shows Morgan & Morgan continues to lead spot television advertising, outpacing Progressive and Liberty Mutual. Pharma brands Caplyta, Rinvoq and Skyrizi also feature prominently, underscoring the category’s strength on TV. Spot...
Friendster Rises From the Grave to Make Social Media Great Again
Mike Carson, a Philadelphia‑based programmer, acquired the Friendster.com domain for under $8,000 and launched a stripped‑down iOS app called Neo‑Friendster. The new service rejects ads, algorithms, and data sales, requiring users to tap phones together to add friends, encouraging in‑person...
Star Trek: Lower Decks' Showrunner Wanted A Bigger Budget For A Joke You Probably Missed
In the "Crisis Point" episode of *Star Trek: Lower Decks*, creator Mike McMahan asked the studio for extra funding to extend a holodeck fly‑by that parodies the iconic sequence from *Star Trek: The Motion Picture*. The animated homage runs about one...
Outlaw Ocean Project Teases New Aquaculture Investigation During Congressional Hearing
The Outlaw Ocean Project testified before the Congressional‑Executive Commission on China, previewing its upcoming "Food for Feed" report that examines forced‑labor and environmental abuses across the global aquaculture supply chain. The investigation mapped roughly 1,400 fishmeal plants, traced feed shipments...
Personalization Boosts Retail Media as Trust Gap Remains
Dunnhumby’s new study finds that 91% of U.S. and U.K. grocery shoppers are willing to share transaction data if it yields more relevant retail media, and personalized ads generate twice the trust of generic messages. The research shows 59% of...
Behind The Mic: Kenny Beecham to Launch NBA Radio Show on SiriusXM; Mike Tomlin to Join NBC Pregame Show
SiriusXM NBA Radio launches "The Kenny Beecham Hour," a weekly postseason show featuring the Forbes 30‑under‑30 star. Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is set to join NBC’s Sunday Night Football pre‑game panel, adding a sideline perspective. Telemundo announced a roster...
Paramount in Canada and Blue Ant’s Media Pulse Expand Partnership
Paramount Canada has expanded its relationship with Blue Ant’s Media Pulse, appointing the firm as the exclusive direct sales and programmatic partner for both Paramount+ and Pluto TV inventory. The agreement gives Canadian advertisers streamlined access to premium CTV ad...
Elon Musk’s XChat App Is More Like Facebook’s Messenger Than Signal
Elon Musk launched XChat, a standalone encrypted messaging app that requires an X account, linking chats to users' social profiles. Critics highlight that encryption keys are stored on X’s servers rather than on‑device, raising security concerns. The rollout was chaotic,...
Beyond Caching: Content Delivery Networks
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) distribute proxy and cache servers across global points of presence to serve web assets from locations nearest to end users. By routing requests through edge servers, CDNs cut round‑trip time, offload traffic from origin servers, and...
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The 24 Best TV Shows Based on a True Story
The article curates a list of 24 standout TV series that draw from real‑world events, ranging from historical epics like *Band of Brothers* to contemporary true‑crime dramas such as *The People v. O.J. Simpson*. It highlights each show’s source material,...
NAB 2026: Encompass Focuses on Live Sport and Cloud Workflows to Drive Growth
Encompass Digital Media is positioning live sport and cloud‑native master‑control workflows as its primary growth engines as traditional linear broadcast services become commoditised. At NAB 2026 the company announced an expanded Riga master‑control room that now processes over 1,500 hours of live‑sport...
Take 5: Social Media … IRL?
Kellogg researchers dissect five ways social media shapes real‑world behavior. They find that most users see little political content on their phones, that outrage fuels the spread of misinformation, and that influencers who flaunt indulgence lose followers—a phenomenon dubbed the...
TBL Team Boxing League and MSG Networks Announce Broadcast Partnership
The Team Boxing League (TBL) has secured a broadcast partnership with MSG Networks to air all remaining Season 4 fights live across MSG’s television, streaming, and FAST channels. The coverage kicks off on Friday, April 24 with the NYC Attitude vs. Boston...
Study Finds A Third of New Websites Are AI-Generated
Researchers analyzing Internet Archive data found that roughly 35% of websites launched between August 2022 and May 2025 were AI‑generated or AI‑assisted, up from virtually none before ChatGPT’s debut. Using the Pangram v3 detection tool, the team examined semantic diversity,...
PayPal Ads ID Launches To Match Online Users With Likely Sales
PayPal announced PayPal Ads ID, a new advertising service that matches online users with likely purchasers using verified commerce relationships from PayPal and Venmo. The platform leverages data from more than 25 billion transactions across 400 million users to create a commerce‑grade...
Cumulus Media Renews John Phillips Show
Cumulus Media announced a multi‑year renewal of "The John Phillips Show," keeping the program on 790 KABC‑AM in Los Angeles and 810 KSFO‑AM in San Francisco. The show, co‑hosted by veteran broadcaster John Phillips and Randy Wang, airs weekdays from...
Monday Memo: The 2026 Win-Win Audio Alliance
Radio stations are losing a key revenue stream as Baby Boomer owners retire and shift advertising dollars to digital channels. Edison Research reports that in 2026 podcast listening time surpassed spoken‑word radio, signaling a mainstream shift. Yet many broadcasters still...
The White Lotus Gets Big Season 4 Update as British Star Exits Mid-Filming with Role "Rewritten"
HBO confirmed that Helena Bonham Carter has left season 4 of The White Lotus as filming began in France. The character created for her is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. Season 4 will be set during the...
I'm a Celeb's Sinitta Issues Statement About "Hectic" Final and Speaks Out on Why She Walked Off
Sinitta walked off the live finale of ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity… South Africa” after a chaotic showdown between contestants Adam Thomas, David Haye and Jimmy Bullard. She told Good Morning Britain the set felt “hectic” and that shouting and perceived...
SRN Reacts Quickly to WHCD Shooting
Salem Radio Network (SRN) reacted within minutes to the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, launching special reports four minutes after the first shots. VP Tom Tradup highlighted the newsroom’s rapid coordination, while TOWNHALL.com host Larry O’Connor went live...
Beasley Partners with Tampa Bay Rowdies
Beasley Media Group has struck a partnership with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, designating its WJBR‑AM station, branded as Florida Alumni Radio 1100 AM, as the exclusive radio home for every Rowdies match in 2026. The agreement covers all USL Championship regular‑season...
New on Apple TV in May 2026: 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,' A 'For All Mankind' Spinoff and More
Apple TV’s May lineup introduces several original titles, including the darkly comedic thriller “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” starring Tatiana Maslany, the space‑drama spinoff “Star City” from the creators of “For All Mankind,” and John Travolta’s directorial debut “Propeller One‑Way Night Coach.” The...
Audion Raises $15m for US Expansion & Global Scaling of AI-Based ‘Performance Audio’ Tool
Audion announced a $15 million Series B round led by Elevation Capital, Founders Future and Bpifrance to fund its U.S. launch and accelerate its Audion AI platform. The AI‑driven tool automates audience targeting, creative generation and continuous optimisation for audio ads, positioning audio...
Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (April 25-26)
TALKERS identified five stories that dominated news/talk radio conversations over the weekend of April 25‑26: the WHCD shooting, escalating U.S.–Israel–Iran war and peace‑talk dynamics, King Charles’ visit to the United States, the contentious confirmation process for FCC chairwoman Jessica Warsh, and the...
Rich Shertenlieb Returning to Boston Sports Radio
Audacy’s WEEI has hired veteran sportscaster Rich Shertenlieb as co‑host of a new weekday afternoon show with Ken Laird and former Patriots star Ted Johnson. The move follows Shertenlieb’s dismissal from iHeartMedia’s 100.7 WZLX, where his program was cancelled amid company‑wide...
Viral Comedian Matt Buechele Launching Podcast ‘That Sounds Like a Lot,’ About Culture, Politics and the ‘Increasingly Strange Rhythms of...
Comedian Matt Buechele is debuting a weekly video podcast, “That Sounds Like a Lot,” on May 1, produced by Vox Media and AND Media. The show opens with Buechele’s walk‑and‑talk monologue before moving into a comedic yet thoughtful interview with guests...
Lionsgate Opens With $97M 'Michael' Thriller
PepsiCo leveraged Walmart Connect’s shopper data to reshape the launch of its new prebiotic cola, originally tested during a Black Friday rollout that sold out in under 24 hours. Real‑time insights prompted on‑the‑fly creative adjustments, emphasizing taste over functional benefits,...
Before The Pitt, Irene Choi Had A Hilarious Recurring Role On Community
Irene Choi, now seen as Joy Kwon in HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt Season 2, previously portrayed Annie Kim on NBC’s sitcom Community. She debuted in the Season 3 episode “Geography of Global Conflict” and returned for two more episodes, concluding...
Advertisers Are Flying Blind on ChatGPT Ads — Adthena Wants to Change That
Adthena unveiled ChatGPT AdBridge, a tool that transforms existing Google Ads accounts into ready‑to‑run ChatGPT advertising campaigns. The platform automatically generates keyword and negative lists and surfaces competitive brand data, while its AI assistant Arlo enables side‑by‑side performance comparisons. Early...
Pinterest Is Ready For Its CTV Debut
Pinterest closed its acquisition of tvScientific in February and has begun feeding its CTV platform with Pinterest’s audience data, enabling advertisers to target Pinterest users on connected‑TV devices. This integration marks the first time the visual‑search platform’s high‑intent audience can...
Predictive Analysis And Performance Go Hand In Hand
At the POSSIBLE conference, Nielsen introduced Predictive Sales Lift, an outcomes‑based tool that forecasts sales lift and incremental revenue for video ad campaigns on its Nielsen One Ads platform. The solution, initially available in the U.S. next month for connected...
Webtoon Partners with Genies to Expand Fandom with Digital Avatars
Webtoon Entertainment announced a strategic partnership with AI avatar maker Genies to embed digital avatars into its storytelling platform. The collaboration will let readers create personalized, character‑driven avatars and interact through chat‑based experiences. Webtoon, founded in South Korea in 2005...
DriftNote Launches AI Podcast Tool Helping Listeners Discover Insights and Creators Produce Episode
DriftNote unveiled an AI‑powered platform that transforms long‑form podcast episodes into searchable transcripts, concise summaries, and reusable content assets. The tool automatically extracts key takeaways, quotes, and generates episode notes, enabling creators to repurpose material for blogs, newsletters, and social...
Pink Parrot Media to Distribute Rafa Nadal Animated Feature, Winner
Pink Parrot Media (PPM) has taken on worldwide sales—excluding Spain and India—for the upcoming 3D animated comedy‑adventure *Winner*, produced by Paratha Entertainment with the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The film follows 12‑year‑old Uma’s quest to become a top tennis player, reflecting...
PAVE Studios Launches Rewind to Focus on the Stories that History Forgot to Finish
PAVE Studios announced Rewind, a new creator‑led brand dedicated to untold and unfinished history stories. The launch leverages the company’s fast‑growing creator network, which now reaches over 350 million followers across platforms, and follows the success of Crime House and OpenMind....
Metricool’s Free Social Media School Bets That Strategy Beats Trial and Error
Metricool has relaunched its free Social Media School, a six‑module, self‑paced curriculum that has already attracted more than 10,000 learners. The redesign embeds all instructions within the course, eliminating disruptive external links, and culminates in a downloadable strategy template. Modules...
Netflix to Roll Out Vertical Video Feed, AI Recommendations in Mobile Redesign
Netflix announced a mobile redesign that will introduce a vertical video discovery feed by the end of April, expanding its catalog to include video podcasts. The overhaul also incorporates new generative AI models to sharpen content recommendations and enable advanced...
POSSIBLE 2026 Debuts Creator Economy Academy as Issa Rae, Kinigra Deon, and CreatorIQ Join Speaker Lineup
The POSSIBLE 2026 conference kicked off in Miami Beach, adding a Creator Economy Academy and a dedicated programming track. High‑profile creators Issa Rae, Kinigra Deon, and CreatorIQ’s Caden Cox will headline sessions on brand‑driven entertainment and the future of influence. Attendance is projected...
TikTok Tests Hotel Metasearch Cards That Redirect Users to Expedia, Booking.com
TikTok is beta‑testing hotel metasearch cards that appear in users' For You feeds and link directly to major online travel agencies such as Expedia, Booking.com and Trip.com. The cards display a property photo, name and real‑time rate options, with a...
YouTube Adds Side-by-Side Ads for Live Streams on Mobile, Muting Stream Audio During Breaks
YouTube is rolling out a new side‑by‑side ad format for mobile livestreams, placing ads next to the video feed instead of replacing it. During the ad break the video stays visible but the stream’s audio is muted in favor of...
Bauer Media Launches Two New Podcasts as Platform Tops 10M Monthly Listeners
Bauer Media announced at Radiocentre’s Tuning In North conference that it is adding two original podcasts to its roster. "re:working," hosted by Tim Campbell MBE, launches May 11 and focuses on careers, business and personal development. "The Prenup," hosted by...
IAS LAUNCHES IAS TOTAL TV SOLUTIONS GIVING MARKETERS ‘LINEAR-LIKE’ TRANSPARENCY FOR CONNECTED TV
Integral Ad Science (IAS) unveiled IAS Total TV, a suite that brings linear‑TV‑style transparency to the fragmented Connected TV (CTV) ecosystem. The platform delivers real‑time, show‑level insights across major streaming services such as Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Prime Video, while...