Overlay Ads and the Streaming Ad Tech State of Play
IAB Tech Lab’s VP of Product Jill Wittkopp outlined the current state of streaming ad‑tech, focusing on overlay formats such as L‑bars, squeezebacks and corner overlays. The lab applied an 80/20 rule to distill eight ad experiences down to six, aiming for a common framework that lets advertisers reuse creative across publishers. A forthcoming set of signaling standards will define how each overlay type is identified and triggered, ensuring the right creative matches the right format. The initiative is moving toward public release after a comment period, promising faster, scalable spend for CTV campaigns.
Issa Rae Has a Trick for Pushing Diverse Projects in an Anti-DEI Industry. Her Advice Is Going Viral
Issa Rae warned that DEI has become a taboo term in Hollywood, with investors pulling back from diverse projects. She advises creators to reframe Black‑centered stories as universal themes such as class to make them marketable. Rae also unveiled Hoorae...
“Global Affiliate Programmes Are Becoming a Hot Topic”: PartnerBoost VP on China’s Affiliate Ecosystem
William Hamer‑Jones, VP of Partnerships at PartnerBoost, says global affiliate programmes are moving from siloed niches to a hot topic, especially in the APAC region. Agencies are overcoming resource gaps by establishing local offices in China, Japan and South Korea,...
Nielsen Appoints Roberto Ruiz as Head of Measurement Sciences
Nielsen has named Roberto Ruiz as Head of Measurement Science, tasking him with advancing the firm’s measurement capabilities and innovation roadmap. Ruiz will oversee the strategy and rollout of new products, technologies and AI‑driven solutions across the division. His mandate...
Sinclair and ONE Media Technologies Outline NextGen TV, Tech Plans for NAB Show
Sinclair Inc. and its subsidiary ONE Media Technologies will showcase ATSC 3.0, Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) and related innovations at the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas (April 18‑22). Executives and engineers will present demos, panels and technical papers highlighting the "Broadcast Once....
How Brands Should Respond to CTV Ad Fatigue Before Viewers Tune Them Out
Streaming platforms are rapidly expanding ad‑supported inventory, with Prime Video doubling its ad load, Netflix adding ad minutes, and Amazon rebranding its ad‑free tier. The U.S. CTV audience now exceeds 240 million, and projected ad spend is set to surpass $46 billion...
Dollar General Expands AI-Powered In-Store Audio Network
Dollar General is expanding its retail media footprint by launching an AI‑enabled in‑store audio network in roughly 6,000 stores, with a goal to reach 12,000 locations by Q2 2026. The system blends point‑of‑sale data, curated music and AI‑generated ads to deliver...
Jay Bilas to Fill Michael Malone’s Role on ESPN NBA Playoff Coverage
Jay Bilas will replace Michael Malone on ESPN’s NBA playoff broadcast team after Malone left for the University of North Carolina head‑coaching job, signing a six‑year, $50 million contract. Bilas, a longtime college basketball analyst who joined ESPN in 1995, will...
The End of MultiChoice as We Know It
Six months after Canal+ acquired MultiChoice, the South African pay‑TV giant is being reshaped under CEO David Mignot. A price freeze follows the loss of 2.8 million linear subscribers, and the underperforming Showmax service is being retired. The business now leans...
Epic Games Store Struggles with Retention as Steam Breaks User Records
Epic Games launched its store in 2018, using free games and exclusives to attract tens of millions of users, but retention remains weak as many revert to Steam after promotions end. Steam recently set a record with over 42 million concurrent...
Nothing’s Impossible in the Trailer for The Boroughs
Netflix announced the upcoming series *The Boroughs*, set to debut on May 21. The show follows a group of retirees in a seemingly idyllic community who confront a mysterious, possibly supernatural threat. It boasts a high‑profile cast including Geena Davis,...
The Real Reason Craig Melvin Is Missing From Today After Reports He’s Scared He’ll Be ‘Elbowed Out’ if Hoda Kotb...
Craig Melvin announced a short, pre‑planned break from NBC’s *Today* show beginning April 13, with a planned return on April 20. During his absence, Hoda Kotb is stepping in as a temporary co‑host, sparking speculation about a possible reshuffle of anchor duties. Industry...
Vince Richards Rocks Back Into PD Role With iHeart Dallas
iHeartMedia Dallas has appointed veteran programmer Vince Richards as Program Director for 97.1 The Eagle (KEGL) and Lone Star 92.5 (KZPS). Richards leaves Audacy after an eight‑year stint, bringing a 30‑year broadcast résumé that spans DFW, Sacramento, Kansas City, New Orleans and...
TV Ads Don’t Work Nearly as Well as Believed
Traditional TV ads still dominate ad spend, with $139 billion allocated versus $33 billion for streaming, yet new research from the University of Notre Dame shows they are only about half as effective as previously believed, overstating impact by roughly 55% for...
The Rookie Renewed For Season 9 At ABC
ABC has officially renewed the police procedural "The Rookie" for a ninth season, confirming the order while Season 8 is still on the air. The series, starring Nathan Fillion—who also serves as an executive producer—continues to follow LAPD rookie John Nolan...
Lee Rayburn Taking Over WPR Middays From Larry Meiller
Larry Meiller will step down after more than 13,000 broadcasts, ending his tenure on Wisconsin Public Radio’s midday call‑in show at the end of June. Lee Rayburn, a Madison native who joined WPR in 2019, will take over the multi‑topic...
Meta Set to Overtake Google as the World’s Number One Digital Advertiser
Emarketer forecasts Meta will generate $243.46 billion in ad revenue in 2026, narrowly surpassing Google’s $239.54 billion. The gap reflects Meta’s rapid climb from $196.17 billion in 2025, driven by AI‑enhanced tools like Advantage+ and strong performance on Facebook, Instagram and Reels. The...
Ticker: Fox News Media Partners With Kalshi
Fox News Media announced a sponsored integration with prediction‑market platform Kalshi, embedding Kalshi’s real‑time data forecasts into Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Weather and the Fox One streaming service. The partnership will feed live political, economic, weather and cultural insights...
Pakistan Television Channel Pulled up for Airing Asha Bhosle Tribute in ‘Wilful Defiance of Supreme Court Judgment’
Geo News aired a tribute to Indian legend Asha Bhosle on April 13, prompting Pakistan's media regulator PEMRA to issue a show‑cause notice for allegedly defying the Supreme Court’s ban on Indian content. The notice cites a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that...
New York Times Shakes Up Senior Exec Ranks as It Leans Into Product, Data and AI (Exclusive)
The New York Times announced a senior leadership overhaul as CTO Jason Sobel prepares to leave and a search for a New York‑based successor begins. Alex Hardiman and Hannah Yang were promoted to executive vice presidents, gaining shared oversight of engineering and data...
Pluto TV Will Add 4 New Early 2000s Series to Its Free Streaming Lineup
Pluto TV is adding four early‑2000s series—Hart of Dixie, Arrow, The 100 and Everwood—plus the sitcom My Wife & Kids to its free, on‑demand and linear channels in May and June. The move follows NRG research showing 72% of Gen Z prefer content from...
Judge Tosses Trump's Lawsuit Against WSJ over Epstein Letter
Federal Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed President Donald Trump’s $20 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. The judge found the complaint failed to meet the actual‑malice standard required for...
Sports Publisher On3 Tries AI Recommendations To Keep Engagement In Its Home Court
On3, a sports‑focused publisher with 15 million monthly visitors, has deployed Mula’s AI‑powered recommendation engine across about 20 of its sites to sustain engagement and revenue per session (RPS). The system leverages first‑party data to surface articles, vertical video and Fanatics‑linked...
Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports Streaming
Irish firm Stegawave launched a real‑time forensic watermarking platform for live sports streaming. The solution embeds invisible watermarks into live feeds, enabling detection of illegal IPTV redistribution within minutes and allowing content owners to block source accounts. In a pilot...
Greece Bans Social Media Under 15, UK Campaigners Debate Lower Age to Be Raised in House of Lords
Greece has enacted a law that will prohibit anyone under 15 from accessing social‑media platforms, with enforcement beginning in January 2027. The measure is framed as a public‑health response to sleep disruption, anxiety and other mental‑health risks linked to addictive design....
Four Ways to Level up Your YouTube Live Engagement
YouTube is expanding its Live platform with four new engagement tools. Viewers can now send gifts on both horizontal and vertical streams, and the feature is rolling out to creators in Canada, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Purchases of...
Sam Levinson and ‘Euphoria’ Cinematographer on How the Show’s Harrowing Opening Scene Was a Metaphor for Rue: ‘One False Move...
After a four‑year break, HBO’s "Euphoria" returns with a daring opening sequence that sees Rue attempting to drive a car over a makeshift border wall, a visual metaphor for her precarious drug‑smuggling life. Creator Sam Levinson rewrote the script after...
Dropbox Enlarges Big Spaceship's Scope As Social AOR
Dropbox has elevated Big Spaceship from project‑based work to its official social agency of record, expanding the scope to full‑funnel duties and IRL activation content for 2026. The partnership has already driven quarter‑over‑quarter engagement gains among Dropbox’s 700 million users, supported...
'Extreme' Reveal: TDA Boulder Unboxes Orijen Freshprey
TDA Boulder launched Orijen Freshprey with "The World’s Most Extreme Unboxing," filming at 12,000 feet in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. The campaign partners with outdoor creators Wander with Willow and showcases the product in a rugged, outdoor setting, diverging from...
NBA Playoffs Set to Leave Local TV Behind in Streaming-Heavy Shift
The NBA’s postseason will be shown exclusively on national networks and streaming platforms, ending local TV coverage for the first round. The Play‑In Tournament moves to Amazon Prime Video, while first‑round games split among NBC, Peacock, Amazon, ESPN and ABC...
The Purpose Of An Investigative Report
Investigative reports are the definitive record of an inquiry, translating findings into actionable outcomes such as disciplinary measures, training programs, or legal proceedings. They must be clear, comprehensive, and free of extraneous detail to protect the organization from liability. A...
Tucker Carlson Launches Book Imprint With Skyhorse
Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host and podcaster, has launched a new book imprint called Tucker Carlson Books in partnership with Skyhorse Publishing. Skyhorse, which has issued memoirs by Woody Allen and Melania Trump, will handle distribution and editorial support....
Archer Teams with ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ for First Entertainment Deal
Archer Meat Snacks announced its first entertainment partnership, teaming with the upcoming theatrical release *Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu*. The multi‑channel campaign includes three co‑branded snack packs, a 30‑second ad spot on Disney+ and sports playoffs, and a QR‑code reward that gives...
Student Journalists May Produce a Quarter Million Bylines a Year. Here’s What that Looks Like
Student journalists are set to generate roughly a quarter‑million bylines in 2026, based on an AI‑driven analysis of 870 RSS feeds that represent about 80% of U.S. college newspapers. The data shows a dramatic rise in output, with some campuses...
How Advertisers Can – And Cannot – Get In Front Of Chatbot Shoppers
Advertisers face a stark reality: there is no paid gateway to appear in most LLM‑driven shopping chats. Google’s AI Overview (AIO) ads are the sole open‑market option, automatically surfacing in search results without exclusion controls. ChatGPT’s ad pilot remains a...
Grass Valley Expands Studio Berlin Deal For Cinematic Live Workflows
Grass Valley is expanding its partnership with Studio Berlin by delivering a new batch of 24 LDX cameras—12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR units and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm systems, including two compact C180 models. The cameras will be integrated into Studio...
AIP, Castlabs To Demo Next-Gen Streaming Ad Formats
Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) and Castlabs will demo next‑generation streaming ad formats at the NAB Show in Las Vegas (April 18‑22). The showcase centers on AdBlendr, AIP’s server‑guided ad insertion engine, paired with Castlabs’ PRESTOplay player to deliver non‑intrusive formats such as...
Dan Stevens, Felix Kammerer and Agnes O’Casey Join ‘Legacy of Spies’ as BBC/MGM+ John Le Carré Series Starts Production
BBC and MGM+ have begun filming "Legacy of Spies," an eight‑part series that weaves John le Carré’s Cold War novels *The Spy Who Came in from the Cold* and *A Legacy of Spies* into a new thriller. Matthew Macfadyen returns as Michael Smiley, while...
BBC & MGM+’s ‘Legacy Of Spies’ Adaptation Finds Its Bill Haydon & Casts ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ Star...
BBC and MGM+ are launching an eight‑part adaptation titled “Legacy of Spies,” based on John le Carré’s Cold War novels and the 2017 prequel sequel. Dan Stevens leads the cast as the enigmatic double‑agent Bill Haydon, joined by Felix Kammerer as Stasi enforcer...
Visionular’s Auroravision Aims To Bring Tier-1 Live Production To Standard GPU Servers
Visionular has unveiled AuroraVision, an AI‑native production platform that delivers Tier‑1 live‑production features on standard GPU servers. The software provides real‑time slow‑motion replay, AI‑driven video reframing, 4K/8K up‑scaling and object tracking without specialized cameras or signal‑chain hardware. AuroraFlex extends the...
The Chatbot Closed the Sale. The Publisher Created the Demand. That’s a Problem.
Criteo has embedded sponsored product placements directly into ChatGPT answers, turning AI responses into a new ad inventory. The move sidesteps traditional attribution because the publisher content that shaped the recommendation never appears as a clickable URL, leaving creators without...
Neither Debt Nor Equity: How Copyright Capital Is Funding Creators Banks Won’t Touch
Copyright Capital, founded by former M&A banker Jack Ojalvo in 2022, offers a novel financing model for digital creators that sidesteps traditional debt and equity. The Geneva‑based firm evaluates creators primarily on actual revenue, not subscriber or view counts, and...
CURRENT ISSUE: April 13, 2026
Radio Ink’s April 13, 2026 issue spotlights MediaCo CRO Brian Fisher in its cover story, exploring his strategic vision for the company. The issue also publishes the annual Radio’s Top 20 Leaders 2026 list, ranking the most influential radio executives....
Do TV Shows or Movies Show More Streaming Ads?
Ampere Analysis reports that streaming movies carry about 40% fewer ads than TV series. On average, movies see roughly three minutes of ads per hour versus just over five minutes for shows, giving viewers 36 minutes of uninterrupted content between...
Monday Memo: The 2026 Case for Weekend Talk Radio
Consultant Holland Cooke argues that as podcast listening surpasses traditional spoken‑word radio, podcasters should leverage weekend talk radio to boost credibility and efficiency. Broadcast radio provides an established, trusted audience and makes it easier to attract guests. A live call‑in...
Nate Lundy Show Debuts on The Bet in Denver
Audacy’s Denver sports‑betting station KAMP‑AM, branded as The Bet 1430, has added the "Mile High Sports" show hosted by veteran broadcaster Nate Lundy to its weekday lineup. The program will air from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, positioning the station to capture...
EBay Taps Fashion Influencers to Stock NYC Pop-Up Market
eBay is launching a three‑day pop‑up called “The NYC Edit Market” in SoHo from April 17‑19, showcasing pre‑loved items curated by ten local fashion influencers. The event blends physical retail with eBay’s digital platform, allowing visitors to list items on‑site...
Creator Economy NYC Partners With Social Media Week to Host Creator Economy Exchange Session on April 16
Creator Economy NYC is teaming with Social Media Week to host a "Creator Economy Exchange" during ADWEEK’s New York conference on April 16. The half‑hour session will feature eight rotating stations covering topics such as long‑form content, AI workflows, partnership...
Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (April 11-12)
Talk radio’s weekly roundup highlighted five headline‑grabbing stories that dominated the airwaves from April 11‑12. Listeners heard intense debate over Iran’s nuclear talks and a potential U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside the Rep. Eric Swalwell scandal. The weekend...
CAA, YouTube, Meta, and Rivian Among Speakers at Brand Innovators’ Creator Economy Summit in LA
Brand Innovators will host its Creator Economy Summit on April 23, 2026, at Dhar Mann Studios in Burbank. The one‑day event gathers senior marketers from Fortune 500 firms and fast‑growing brands to explore brand‑creator collaboration, monetization, and full‑funnel content strategies. High‑profile...