Caleb Wins AUSTRALIAN SURVIVOR 2026, Malaysia Locked as Next Location
Caleb Beeby, a Victorian truck driver, was crowned Sole Survivor of Australian Survivor: Redemption, claiming the $500,000 AUD prize (approximately $330,000 USD). After 45 days in Samoa, he won a grueling four‑hour final Immunity Challenge and voted out his closest ally to secure the win. Host David Genat announced that the next season will be filmed in Malaysia, featuring a world‑first theme. Network 10 also confirmed it has abandoned a planned back‑to‑back shoot, opting for a single‑season production schedule.
Trust in News Rises After Years of Decline in NZ. What’s Behind the Shift?
Public trust in New Zealand news climbed to 37% this year, up from 32% a year earlier, marking the first rise since the 2020 baseline. Trust in the specific outlets individuals consume also improved, reaching 50% versus 45% in the prior...
Respondology Launches Respond to Turn Comments Into Competitive Advantage
Respondology introduced Respond, an AI‑powered platform that automatically engages with social‑media comments across X, TikTok and Instagram. The company says 97% of comments go unanswered, yet 68% of shoppers read them before buying, making comment response a competitive advantage. Respond’s...
Why Brands Are Turning to Video Games for Creative Inspiration
Brands are increasingly borrowing retro video‑game aesthetics to make ads more emotionally resonant. Coinbase’s Oscar‑season spot uses early PlayStation graphics to illustrate financial freedom, while Met‑Rx, Skittles and Jack in the Box have launched Nintendo‑style videos and even a playable game. With over...
Cumulus Media Nearing Bankruptcy Exit
Cumulus Media’s creditors have approved a prepackaged Chapter 11 plan that would wipe out roughly $592 million of the company’s $697 million pre‑petition debt. The restructuring converts most of that debt into equity, issues $50 million of exit convertible notes and secures a $100 million...
X Cuts Clickbait Payouts and Exposes a Creator Program Problem
X announced it will cut payouts for accounts that post clickbait, keeping the content live but reducing creator earnings. The move follows a similar penalty for undisclosed AI‑generated conflict footage, showing X prefers monetization sanctions over content removal. The Creator...
The First AI-Era War Is a "Slopaganda" Battle to Control Memes
AI‑driven "slopaganda"—low‑cost, viral content such as LEGO war videos and Trump memes—is proliferating amid the Iran conflict, experts say. Generative models enable rapid, cheap production of persuasive imagery that spreads faster than traditional propaganda. Iran leverages pop‑culture aesthetics while the...
Survey: 81% of Creators Rely on Brand Deals as Primary Income Amid Life Milestones
Creator marketplace #paid’s "Creator Signals 2026" report shows 81% of creators rely on brand deals as their primary income, while 63% identify as full‑time creators. Earnings are spread across brackets, with 24% making $50K‑$100K annually and 6.6% exceeding $200K. Travel‑vlog...
NAFB Invests $15,000 in Next-Gen Ag Broadcasting Talent
The National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) has awarded $15,000 in internship grants to five member stations—Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network, Rural Radio Network, Brownfield Ag News, Red River Farm Network, and Radio Oklahoma Ag Network. Each station will select an agriculture communications student for...
JB&A Spotlights Exhibitors Ahead of Pre-NAB 2026 Technology Event
JB&A is previewing its Pre‑NAB 2026 Technology Event, scheduled for April 17‑18 at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. The showcase will feature Barco’s SwiftAgent‑driven workflow as the headline demo, while exhibitors highlight control‑system, live‑production, LED‑wall and PTZ solutions. Attendees will...
Vinten To Showcase New Versine 240 Fluid Head, PTZ Control At 2026 NAB Show
Vinten will debut its Versine 240 fluid head and the VEGA Lite PTZ control suite at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 18‑22. The Versine 240 supports payloads up to 55 lb (25 kg), targeting live production, outside broadcast and ENG applications. VEGA Lite adds...
Crave Comedy ‘Sisters’ Returning for Second Season on April 22
Crave announced that the six‑episode second season of its original dark comedy *Sisters* will drop on April 22. The Irish‑Canadian co‑production, created by stars Sarah Goldberg and Susan Stanley, continues the story of the estranged sisters navigating fertility news, a wedding,...
Ayra Starr’s Roc Nation Deal Tests Afrobeats’ Global Reach
Ayra Starr’s nine‑month Roc Nation management partnership has kept her streaming engine humming, with 3.48 billion Spotify streams and roughly 17.5 million monthly listeners. However, new releases in Nigeria now hover around the 90‑range on daily charts, a noticeable dip from her pre‑deal...
Super Channel Greenlights New Docuseries Offering Rare Inside Look at RCMP Investigations
Super Channel and Winnipeg‑based Farpoint Films have green‑lit *RCMP Files*, a 20‑episode documentary series that follows Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators through historic Canadian cases. The series, produced in Winnipeg, will feature interviews with current Commissioner Mike Duheme and former...
Haivision Launches Falkon X4 5G Transmitters
Haivision introduced the Falkon X4, a 5G‑enabled mobile video transmitter designed for live‑sports and news remote productions. The unit features a four‑modem, 2×2 MIMO architecture with eight cellular antennas and can bond 5G, 4G, Wi‑Fi, Ethernet and LEO satellite links for resilient,...
Introducing CFX – A Note From Our Editor
Cablefax announced a rebrand to CFX, positioning itself as a business journal for convergent media. The new name drops the legacy "cable" reference and embraces a broader focus on connectivity, streaming, AI‑driven ad tech, sports rights, and distribution economics. The...
Gen Z Grows Up, Keeps Scrolling, Still Doesn't Trust You
Morning Consult’s "The State of Gen Z" report finds that as the cohort reaches adulthood, their purchasing power and family responsibilities have grown, yet their wariness of brands remains entrenched. TikTok leads as the preferred platform for 32.8% of Gen Z, followed by...
YouTube Livestreams Will Now Hold Back Ads During Peak Engagement to Protect the Vibe
Google’s YouTube announced it will automatically hold back ads on livestreams when chat engagement spikes, aiming to preserve the “vibe” of high‑energy streams. The ad pause applies to all viewers, while Super Chat, Super Stickers, or gift purchases still trigger an immediate,...
A Mid-Florida ‘Outlaw’ Finally Gets An Owner Shift
A Class B AM station serving the agricultural corridor between Sebring and Sarasota, Florida, along with its 250‑watt FM translator, is slated for an ownership change. The buyer is the station’s own “Outlaw” programming brand, effectively purchasing the facilities it already...
The Surprising Trick Corporate Natalie Used to Kickstart Her Career as a Content Creator
Content creator Natalie Marshall, known as Corporate Natalie, pretended to have an assistant by creating an email alias, making brands think she ran a larger operation. The tactic helped her secure deals with Dell, Paycom, SoFi and a Dunkin’ commercial,...
New Video Frontiers 2026: What to Expect
VideoWeek’s New Video Frontiers 2026 conference kicks off tomorrow in London, gathering broadcasters, agencies, platforms and brands for two days of CTV, AI and ad‑tech discussions. Day 1 features a fireside on brand‑marketer pressures, Omdia’s CTV forecasts, AI‑powered ad‑trading infrastructure, and...
Evergent Introduces Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform
Evergent unveiled its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform, a suite of AI‑driven tools designed for subscription businesses in streaming, pay‑TV, telecom and gaming. The platform introduces three agents—Retention, Operations and Customer Support—that predict churn, streamline product creation via natural language, and...
Social Media Platforms Need To Stop Never-Ending Scrolling, UK's Starmer Says
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged social‑media firms to strip away infinite‑scroll features for users under 16, as Britain widens its child‑online‑safety consultation. The government is weighing bans, curfews and app‑time limits to curb addictive usage, and more than 45,000...
Audiences Increasingly Turning to Prime Video, Roku for Aggregation
A Hub Research survey reveals that 54% of U.S. viewers now subscribe to at least one additional streaming service through Prime Video’s digital subscriptions hub, up from 50% in 2025. Roku serves as an aggregation point for 26% of respondents,...
A ‘PQ’ Proposition For Tackling Hispanic Radio’s Ad Dollar Disconnect
The U.S. Hispanic population has risen 19% since 2016, now comprising roughly one‑fifth of the nation. Yet advertising spend in Hispanic media remains a small fraction of that audience’s size and listening power. Patrick Quinn, founder and CEO of PQ...
BMW Digital Founder Urges Brands to Trade Moments for Commitments
NeAndre Broussard, chief executive of BMW Digital and founder of the Black Menswear movement, told ADWEEK’s Social Media Week that brands should abandon fleeting viral moments in favor of lasting community commitments. Drawing on six years of building a culturally resonant Black‑men’s fashion...
A Golden State Deal That Returns ‘Rocking M’ Name
A six‑member Montgomery family, together with a station employee, has formed Rocking M Media Group to acquire an AM/FM combo and three additional FM stations in California. The deal is unrelated to the well‑known Monte or Doris Miller, despite the...
Fans Are Split on Netflix's 'Little House on the Prairie' Reboot
Netflix has released the official teaser for its upcoming reboot of the classic series Little House on the Prairie, slated to debut on July 9, 2024. The original show aired on NBC from 1974 to 1983, spanning nine seasons and becoming...
Virginia Governor Signs Law Banning Sales Of Location Data
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Senate Bill 338, a privacy law that bans the sale of precise location data within a 1,750‑foot radius. The measure, effective July, replaces the 2021 consent‑based framework and joins Maryland and Oregon in prohibiting such...
Social Media Powers Online’s Ad Market Dominance, and Meta Eats 70 Percent of That Pie
Online advertising is set to surpass $1.6 trillion by 2030, with social media driving the bulk of growth. Omdia projects online ad spend will reach $1.5 trillion, up from $935 billion in 2025, and grow 13% in 2026 alone. Social ads are forecast...
Broadcast Radio Launches Split Voice Tracking
Broadcast Radio has added Split Voice Tracking to its Myriad Playout & Automation platform, letting stations that use split transmissions record separate voice tracks for each region or platform. The new tools include log placeholders, navigation shortcuts, and length‑consistency checks...
Nielsen: Move Along, Nothing To See Here (*)
Nielsen released its February "Gauge" report, but the data still relies on an outdated methodology that fails to capture true cross‑platform TV consumption. The report shows streaming outpacing broadcast and cable, a result the author argues is more a measurement...
Mr Loverman's Tamara Lawrance Among New Cast Confirmed for Gangs of London in Season 4 Update
Sky’s action‑thriller Gangs of London is set to return for a fourth season, introducing several new characters. Tamara Lawrance, known for Mr Loverman, joins as Jo Malik alongside newcomers Luna Fujimoto, Eugene Nomura and Melika Foroutan. Veteran actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù returns...
A Beasley ‘Coyote’ Talent Ready For A Wider Orbit
Beasley Media Group is teaming with WideOrbit to showcase a live, on‑site broadcast at the 2026 NAB Show. Program Director Shawn Stevens will host his regular KCYE‑FM "102.7 Coyote Country" shift from the WideOrbit booth, using the Aurora Web Studio...
Fake Campaigns Are Being Used to Boost Bands, Why Not Stocks Too?
Wired exposed Chaotic Good Projects' "trend simulation" campaign that manufactured viral buzz for Brooklyn rock band Geese by deploying thousands of TikTok and YouTube accounts. The firm’s playbook—seeding content to trigger platform algorithms—could be duplicated on financial social media to...
Roblox Is Turning Its Product Roadmap Into Advertising Inventory
Roblox introduced a new Makeup feature on March 31, letting creators sell avatar cosmetics that overlay players' faces. The launch was partnered with e.l.f. Beauty, which worked with Roblox’s Kestrel studio to create five branded looks and offered them in the...
WTVision to Unveil R³ Engine Running Natively on macOS at 2026 NAB Show
wTVision will debut its R³ Engine, the first real‑time broadcast graphics renderer built natively for macOS, at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The engine uses Apple’s Metal framework and pairs with Macnica’s MEP100 SmartNIC to provide SMPTE ST 2110‑compatible IP...
Skyview Formally Unveils A Cloud-Based Distribution Platform
Skyview Networks has officially launched Cirocast, a cloud‑native, broadcast‑grade audio distribution platform, ahead of the 2026 NAB Show. The service moves mixed, market‑specific audio feeds into the cloud, enabling low‑latency IP delivery, ad targeting, copy‑split and content personalization. Cirocast is...
Social Traffic Kinda Stinks for News Publishers Now, in 3 Charts
Chartbeat data shows global news publishers have lost 70% of Twitter referral traffic since Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition, while Facebook referrals have also fallen sharply. In addition, users who arrive via these social platforms now spend less time on publisher...
Cumulus Speeding Toward Chapter 11 Exit
Cumulus Media filed a Modified Joint Prepackaged Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization in Houston on April 13, seeking court approval. The plan would wipe out roughly $592 million of debt and transfer control to secured creditors. A new board of directors...
Locala Unveils Planning Agents That Push Agentic Advertising Beyond Automation
Locala launched Planning Agents, an evolution of its Omni Planner platform that links advanced market insights directly to activation-ready strategies. The new agents combine proprietary signals, strategic reasoning, and activation readiness in a single workflow, enabling brands to execute granular,...
Patrón Takes Shot at Sponsoring Prime Video’s NBA Nightcap Through the Playoffs
Amazon Prime Video is elevating its NBA playoff coverage by naming Patrón Tequila the presenting sponsor of the post‑game show, NBA Nightcap. The partnership will run throughout the postseason, delivering brand integrations across every playoff broadcast and custom content pieces....
Local TV Webcasts Get AI Boost From AccuWeather
AccuWeather unveiled ImmersiCast, an AI‑powered augmented‑reality weather system, at the 2026 NAB Show. Built on Unreal Engine, the platform projects real‑time 3D forecasts—rain, snow, lightning—over cityscapes, letting viewers watch storms unfold minute by minute. The company also introduced StoryTeller NewsPro,...
Could AI Write This Column? In a World of Slop-Inion, I’m Certifying Myself Human | Peter Lewis
Peter Lewis, executive director of Essential, announced he is the first columnist to earn the Proudly Human certification, a de minimis‑based process that verifies human authorship. He cites recent industry data showing 80‑90% of submissions to outlets like Capital Brief are AI‑generated, prompting...
Publicis Addresses Trade Desk Spat, Calls Sora Shutdown ‘Symbolic’
Publicis Groupe posted a 4.5% year‑over‑year rise in organic net revenue for Q1, marking its 20th consecutive quarter of growth, and reaffirmed full‑year guidance of 4%‑5% growth despite the Middle East conflict. CEO Arthur Sadoun said advertisers are maintaining spend...
Netflix Earnings Preview - Price Hikes & Subscriber Growth
Netflix is set to report Q1 2026 results on April 16, with analysts forecasting $0.76 earnings per share on $12.16 billion of revenue, a 15% year‑over‑year increase. The company’s ad‑supported tier is projected to double to $3 billion, positioning advertising as the...
A Year Later: Examining Google Media CDN’s Evolution in Scale, Monitoring, and Architecture
Google’s Media CDN has dramatically expanded over the past year, tripling delivery capacity by leveraging both its own infrastructure and YouTube’s network. New features such as Flexible Shielding provide regional caching in South Africa, the Middle East, and the U.S.,...
WWO: Marketers Underestimate Value of Creative
Westwood One’s Audio Active Group released a new Advertiser Perceptions study analyzing 450 ad campaigns. Marketers and agencies ranked creative as the third‑most important driver of sales, behind targeting and brand, but the data shows creative actually delivers the greatest...
How AI Transcriptions Have Transformed Audio Content for PRISA Media
PRISA Media, the world’s largest Spanish‑language media group, has deployed AI‑driven transcription across its 1,200‑plus journalists and extensive audio archives. The technology converts live and recorded broadcasts into searchable text, subtitles and short‑form video assets, while a separate AI tool...
Longterm Status of Dark KKAM, Lubbock Unknown
Townsquare Media filed a request with the FCC on April 1 to shut down the transmitter of its news/talk station KKAM‑AM (1340 kHz) in Lubbock, citing weak market economics. The filing seeks special temporary authority (STA) to keep the station silent...