Robinhood Launches Social Platform For Trading, Markets Discussion
Robinhood has begun beta‑testing Robinhood Social, a social‑media platform for traders that lets users post trades in stocks, single‑leg options, crypto and prediction markets. The initial rollout reaches 1,000 carefully selected customers, with a plan to add 10,000 more in the coming weeks. Each participant is verified through Robinhood’s KYC framework, ensuring compliance while fostering real‑time market discussion. The launch arrives as X and Meta experiment with financial features, positioning Robinhood as a dedicated brokerage‑focused social hub.
A Lot Of A Little Is Still Not Enough
Bain’s 2026 analysis shows insurgent FMCG brands, representing less than 2% of the market, contributed 36% of the sector’s 2% aggregate growth in 2025. However, half of that growth stems from household and population increases, not genuine brand‑driven expansion. Established...
From Greenwashing To Gaslighting: Clean Creatives Documents Big Oil Marketing Shift
Clean Creatives released the “Toxic Accounts” study, analyzing 1,859 ads, press releases and social‑media campaigns from 2020‑2024. It finds BP, Chevron, Shell and Exxon have abandoned climate‑friendly narratives, instead portraying fossil‑fuel use as essential for economic stability and national security....
The Trade Desk's OpenRow Debate Could Mean Churn In Programmatic Ecosystem
The Trade Desk’s OpenPath platform is facing pushback from major agency networks, with WPP and Dentsu withdrawing over concerns about cost transparency. While the service is free for advertisers and agencies, publishers are charged a 5 % fee tied to advertiser...
Microsoft Heads Toward AI Superintelligence, Reorganizes Copilot Teams
Microsoft announced a major reorganization of its Copilot teams, merging the consumer and enterprise product lines under a single architecture. Jacob Andreou will lead the unified Copilot effort, while AI chief Mustafa Suleyman will focus on advancing core AI models...
Court Temporarily Lifts Order Banning Perplexity From Amazon
An emergency petition by Perplexity succeeded, and a two‑judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary order lifting the district court injunction that barred its AI shopping agent, Comet, from accessing Amazon.com. The stay is...
Now Voyager, Nonprofit Title On Foreign Affairs, Debuts
Now Voyager, a nonprofit spin‑off of Foreign Affairs, debuted a $29 art‑object edition that will publish six times annually, featuring long‑form investigations such as a 22,000‑word piece on a cartel kidnapping. Meanwhile, microdramas—one‑minute narrative videos popular on platforms like TikTok’s...
HBO Docuseries Bowls A Strike With Heart To Spare
“Born to Bowl,” a five‑part HBO docuseries premiering March 16, offers an intimate look at the Professional Bowlers Association and its current stars. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the series follows five pros—EJ Tackett, Kyle Troup, Anthony Simonsen, Jason Belmonte and rookie Cameron Crowe—highlighting...
Trump Backs Carr's Threat To Pull Broadcast Licenses Over Iran Coverage
President Donald Trump publicly backed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning that broadcasters could lose their licenses for perceived negative coverage of the Iran war, intensifying political pressure on U.S. media regulation. At the same time, the short‑form entertainment format known...
Musk, Rumble And Others Battle California AG Over Deep Fake Law
Elon Musk's X Corp, conservative platform Rumble, the Babylon Bee and other plaintiffs have asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to keep a lower‑court injunction that blocks California’s Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act (AB 2655). The law, enacted...
U.S. Ad Composite Rises On Bullish Update From Madison & Wall
Madison & Wall revised its 2026 U.S. advertising outlook, lifting total ad growth to 10.2% and ex‑political growth to 8.1%, up from its December 2025 benchmarks of 8.9% and 6.6% respectively. The upgrade incorporates Winterberry Group’s forecast, nudging MediaPost’s composite...
IAB Sweden Expels Meta: Warns Advertisers About Fraud, Brand Safety
IAB Sweden’s board voted to expel Meta from its membership, citing the platform’s inadequate measures against fraudulent advertising. The decision follows a procedural correction after an earlier March 10 vote was invalidated. Meta has until the April 15 annual general...
TikTok Radio Set To Premiere Live At SXSW
TikTok is launching TikTok Radio live from SXSW on March 13, leveraging its partnership with iHeartMedia. The service will stream on the iHeartRadio app and 28 iHeart broadcast stations, delivering TikTok‑driven music hits, creator storytelling, and weekly countdowns. Simultaneously, TikTok...
Court Partly Upholds Block On California Kids Safety Code
The 9th Circuit Court partially upheld a block on California’s 2022 Age‑Appropriate Design Code, keeping in place restrictions that prevent platforms from collecting or sharing minors’ data without a compelling reason. It lifted the block on the law’s age‑estimation requirement, sending...
Microsoft Reshuffles Executives, Rajesh Jha To Retire
Microsoft announced a leadership reshuffle in its Experience + Devices division, with Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha set to retire mid‑year. Jeff Teper will be promoted to EVP, while Sumit Chauhan and Kirk Koenigsbauer are elevated to presidents. The reorganization...
Nielsen Deep Sixes Sigma Radio, Ad Monitor Terminates Soon
Nielsen announced the termination of its long‑standing SIGMA Radio service, effective March 31, 2026, with the final daily and weekly reports slated for April 1 and April 6. The service has been a cornerstone for broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies to verify radio ad...
Judge Supports Washington Legislature In Not Granting Press Passes To Conservatives
A federal judge ruled that Washington legislators were within their rights to deny press badges to three conservative media figures, rejecting a request for a restraining order. In a separate dispute, DISH Network lost its retransmission agreement with Gray Media,...
Google Releases 'Merchant Center' For All Agencies In U.S., Canada
Google has made its Merchant Center for Agencies generally available across the United States and Canada, delivering a unified command‑center interface for managing multiple client product feeds. The redesign, shaped by agency feedback, replaces the legacy Multi‑Client Account system with...
New York Bill Would Force Social Media Companies To Limit Online Fraud
New York lawmakers have introduced the SAFE Platforms Act, which would require social‑media companies to strengthen fraud‑reporting tools, disclose advertisers' legal identities and implement a know‑your‑customer (KYC) verification for advertisers and payment methods. The bill aims to curb online scams...
West Virginia Bill Would Limit State Use Of Ad Agencies That Utilize Trust Rating Services
West Virginia is poised to pass the First Amendment Preservation Act, which would bar state contracts with advertising agencies that rely on media trust‑rating services such as NewsGuard. The measure cleared the House Judiciary Committee and now moves to the...
March Madness Sponsors Are Already Off The Bench
As the NCAA tournament approaches, major sponsors are already rolling out fresh creative. State Farm debuted a commercial featuring Duke twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer on Selection Sunday, while Unilever’s Degree deodorant enlisted NBA star Chet Holmgren and WNBA legend...
Open CTV Buying? Context Is Key, Not Just High 'Completion' Rates
Peer39’s latest research reveals that roughly 60% of open‑market CTV programmatic bid requests contain no program‑level metadata, while about one‑quarter are classified as fake content, primarily originating from concealed mobile‑app inventory. The remaining bids often feature shallow or inaccurate genre...
Subaru Customers Redeem Social Impact Gifts
Subaru of America reported that 141,184 “Gifts for Good” were redeemed by customers during its first year, each supporting a nonprofit or social enterprise. The initiative, part of the Love‑Encore post‑delivery program, let buyers choose mission‑aligned products or direct donations...
ChatGPT More Likely To Criticize Brands Near Purchase
BrightEdge research finds Google’s AI Overviews generate 44% more overall negative brand sentiment than OpenAI’s ChatGPT, yet ChatGPT concentrates criticism 13 times more heavily when shoppers are near purchase. Negative mentions appear in roughly 2.3% of Google AI queries and...
Former Google Exec Brings AI Data Concepts To Agency Boathouse
Boathouse has appointed Sonia Chung, a former Google, YouTube and Salesforce executive, as its first chief strategy officer. Chung will steer a “collect, connect, and activate” framework to fuse offline and online data, enabling cross‑channel consumer insights. She advocates using...
War Isn't Real
A surge of AI‑generated videos, fabricated satellite images, and recycled war clips is distorting public perception of the Iran‑U.S.-Israel conflict. Investigators such as Bellingcat and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab have flagged dozens of viral pieces as synthetic,...
Federal Judge Rules that Kari Lake's Actions At Voice of America Are Null And Void
A federal judge declared Kari Lake's actions at the Voice of America illegal, nullifying layoffs that affected more than 1,000 journalists and staff. Former U.S. trade chief Robert Lighthizer stepped down from the board of Trump Media & Technology, raising...
HBO Comedy 'Rooster' Is Worth Crowing About
HBO’s new comedy “Rooster” debuts Sunday, March 8, starring Steve Carell as Greg Russo, an insecure thriller author navigating personal and professional turmoil. The series is created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, with Jonathan Krisel directing, and has been lauded...
Netflix Acquires Movie Production Firm Founded By Ben Affleck
Netflix announced the acquisition of InterPositive, Ben Affleck's AI‑focused filmmaking‑technology firm, to bolster its in‑house production capabilities. The deal underscores Netflix's commitment to integrating generative AI tools that enhance, rather than replace, creative talent. Meanwhile, German media conglomerate Axel Springer...
Gender Equality Attitudes Stuck In Neutral As Advertisers Face Split Audience
A new Ipsos global survey shows public attitudes toward gender equality have plateaued, with little movement over recent years. The study reveals modest generational shifts, as younger respondents are marginally more supportive of progressive norms while older groups retain traditional...
Google Non-Skip Ad Concerns Bleeding Into YouTube
Google has launched its Video Reach Campaign (VRC) Non‑Skip ads globally, targeting connected‑TV screens, while YouTube mobile users are encountering persistent overlay ads that cannot be dismissed. The ads stay visible despite repeated taps on “Dismiss,” prompting Reddit complaints and...
Promoting The Super Bowl: All Year Round?
Walt Disney is turning the Super Bowl from a single‑day spectacle into a year‑long media franchise called “The Year of the Super Bowl.” The move leverages the $800 million advertising haul from one game to launch continuous ESPN features such as...
Yahoo Sells Engadget To Static Media
Yahoo announced the sale of its tech‑news site Engadget to media‑focused operator Static Media, marking a strategic retreat from niche editorial properties. The transaction, reported by The Verge, also establishes a broader partnership between Yahoo and Static Media for future...
Agentic Flocks To Healthcare Industry
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...
Zoom Taps PMG As First Media AOR
Zoom Communications has appointed Dallas‑based PMG as its first global media agency of record, committing an estimated $25 million annual media spend. The partnership aligns with Zoom’s transition from a meeting platform to an AI‑first workplace, leveraging PMG’s Alli operating system...
Billable Hours Are Dead, AI Killed Them, Here's How To Survive
A new VoxComm report shows agency profit margins have collapsed from a historic 30% to roughly 10% as AI accelerates production and erodes the value of billable‑hour models. The authors argue that agencies must abandon effort‑based pricing and adopt solution‑based...
Profitero+ Chairman Hofstetter Shifting To Consultancy Role
Sarah Hofstetter, former president and chairwoman of Profitero+, is exiting the Publicis‑owned ecommerce analytics firm to launch her own consultancy. She describes the shift as moving to a portfolio model, helping multiple companies navigate volatility. Hofstetter will stay connected to...
Most CTV Advertisers Plan To Boost Spending
The 2026 CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey shows that nearly 70 % of connected‑TV advertisers plan to raise their spend, with an average increase of 17 %. About a quarter of the additional funding will come from overall ad‑budget growth, while the rest is...
'Scream 7' Earns Franchise-Best Opening
Paramount Skydance’s horror sequel “Scream 7” opened with $64.1 million in U.S. box‑office revenue and $97.2 million worldwide, marking the strongest debut in the franchise’s history. The film achieved this with a modest $11.8 million national TV advertising budget, anchored by a $10 million Super...
Virginia Bill Banning Sale Of Location Data Nears Final Passage
Virginia lawmakers have moved a bill that would prohibit businesses from selling precise geolocation data within a 1,750‑foot radius of a consumer. The House passed the measure unanimously, and the Senate, which already approved a near‑identical version, will consider it...
Advocates Seek To Prohibit Trump Admin From Censoring ICE Reporting Tools
A free‑speech advocacy group has filed a federal injunction request to stop the Trump administration from pressuring Apple and Meta to remove ICE‑reporting tools. The lawsuit centers on the Eyes Up app and the Facebook group “ICE Sightings — Chicagoland,” both taken down...
Amazon Joins $110B OpenAI Funding Round
OpenAI closed a record‑breaking $110 billion funding round, with Amazon contributing $50 billion—$15 billion now and $35 billion later. The deal also ties OpenAI to Amazon Web Services, committing $100 billion in cloud spend over eight years and integrating Amazon’s Trainium chips. A new Stateful...
Meta Sues To Block Ad Scams By Firms In 3 Countries
Meta has filed lawsuits in Brazil, China and Vietnam to stop firms running deceptive ad campaigns and has issued cease‑and‑desist orders to eight marketing consultants accused of helping advertisers evade its policies. At the same time, a coalition of leading...
X Invites Advertisers To Recycle Creative From Other Platforms
Elon Musk's X has launched a new ad feature that lets advertisers upload existing social‑media creatives and automatically apply expanded aspect ratios, including 4:5 and 2:3, without needing AI‑driven editing. The tool is available through Media Studio, Composer, and the...
Data Broker Kochava Reaches Privacy Deal With FTC Lawyers
Kochava, a mobile‑data broker, has reached a privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations it sold precise geolocation data linked to sensitive venues. The agreement, still pending approval by FTC commissioners, requires Kochava to implement a two‑year privacy...
COMvergence: 2025 Marcom M&A Volume Grew Slightly
Marcom M&A activity in 2025 edged higher to 55 deals, reflecting a modest rise from 2024 but still far below the 2016 peak. The sector’s focus has shifted from expansion‑driven roll‑ups to infrastructure‑led consolidation centered on AI, cloud, and data...
Google Opens 'Text Guidelines' To More Advertisers
Google is expanding its AI‑driven "text guidelines" feature to all AI Max and Performance Max advertisers in a global beta. The tool lets brands specify terms or concepts to include or exclude, ensuring AI‑generated headlines and descriptions stay on‑brand, tone‑appropriate,...
Last Year Was A Deadly One For Journalists: 129 Were Killed Reporting On Conflicts
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported a record 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, with roughly two‑thirds of those deaths attributed to Israeli actions. The deadliest single incident was a Houthi‑targeted strike in Yemen that claimed 31 lives,...
Viewers Continue To 'Struggle' With Sports Program Discovery
A recent Reviews.org survey reveals that nearly half of U.S. sports fans struggle to locate the right channel or streaming service for a specific game, and 53% have missed games because of subscription gaps. The study, based on 882 active...
New York Times, AP, Guardian And Others Urge Court To Block FTC Probe Of Media Matters
Major news organizations, including The New York Times and the Associated Press, have filed an amicus brief urging the D.C. Circuit Court to block the Federal Trade Commission from resuming its investigation of Media Matters for America. The FTC’s demand...
