'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 Bowl LX spot. Young audiences, especially millennials and Gen Z, drove ticket sales, while a 14‑million‑view YouTube trailer amplified buzz. The box‑office success arrives as Warner Bros. Discovery finalizes a $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance.
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...
Smartphone Users Battle Meta Over 'Brazen Plot' To Identify Web Surfers
Meta Platforms is accused of a covert scheme that exploited a localhost vulnerability in Google’s Android OS to de‑anonymize mobile web users and tie their browsing activity to Facebook and Instagram accounts. Plaintiffs, led by California resident Devin Rose, filed...
New York Bill Would 'Shackle' Media Firms, 'Washington Post' Editorial Board Argues
New York lawmakers are advancing a bill that would compel media companies to disclose any artificial‑intelligence tools used in their operations, a move the Washington Post editorial board warns could stifle innovation. At the same time, veteran CBS correspondent David...
David Begnaud Launches Media Company, But Will Continue At CBS News
CBS News contributor David Begnaud has founded an independent media company called Do Good Crew, which will produce a weekly newsletter, a podcast, and live events spotlighting everyday heroes. The venture’s inaugural podcast episode features an interview with Oprah Winfrey....
Podcast Advertising Fell In January From Holiday High
Podcast advertising spend plunged 21% in January, falling to $59.8 million for the top 15 advertisers from a December peak of $75.9 million. The decline follows a holiday‑driven surge and signals a market correction. Despite the overall drop, brands such as T‑Mobile...
Facebook Users Petition Court To Revive Antitrust Claims
Meta users have asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to revive antitrust claims that Facebook monopolized the personal social network services market. A district judge dismissed the lawsuit after ruling the plaintiffs lacked expert testimony proving harm. The plaintiffs argue...
Subscription Exodus: Consumers Are Fleeing 'Digital Overload'
Consumers are increasingly abandoning digital subscriptions, with email leading the exodus, according to Profit Engine’s analysis of the most Googled “how to unsubscribe” queries. The top ten services—ranging from Amazon Prime and Disney Plus to ChatGPT and HelloFresh—are cited for fee...
Roku Remains Top CTV Open Ad Platform With 32% Share
Roku retained its position as the leading connected‑TV (CTV) platform for open programmatic ads in Q4 2025, commanding a 32% share of impressions. Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV followed with 16% and 15% respectively, while LG surged 79% quarter‑over‑quarter to reach 10%...
The New Performance Metric: Curiosity
A study by Audio Visual Nation examined Google search activity for all 67 Super Bowl advertisers and found that curiosity‑driven ads generated the highest return on attention. AI search startup Genspark led the pack with a 5,852% search spike, far...
Marketers Starting To Identify First ChatGPT Ads
Expedia ads have been spotted as one of the first sets of sponsored ads on ChatGPT in the U.S.
Paramount In Real Life Options: Cable At The Table
Paramount Global is exploring strategic combinations, with NBCUniversal (or its Versant Media spinoff) and Disney emerging as leading candidates. Analysts note that a tie‑up with NBCU could leverage Versant’s ad‑tech assets, while a Disney partnership would create a content powerhouse....
Guess What: I Discovered Podcast Advertising Works!
The author confirms that podcast advertising delivers tangible results. Listeners typically consume podcasts while engaged in other activities, creating a captive audience. Skipping an ad interrupts this multitasking flow, making ads less likely to be dismissed. Consequently, brands are seeing...
Meta Renews Battle With FTC Over Teens' Data
Meta has filed a fresh legal brief asserting that the Federal Trade Commission lacks the authority to modify its 2020 settlement concerning the collection of teen data. The FTC’s recent motion seeks to impose additional limits on how Meta can...
AMC Plan: Make 'The Walking Dead' Run Again
AMC announced a strategic push to revive "The Walking Dead" franchise, aiming to recapture audience attention and advertising dollars. The move follows a double‑digit drop in key revenue streams, with U.S. ad revenue falling 10% to $124.8 million in Q4. Affiliate‑fee...
Super Bowl Ads That Actually Sold Stuff, Not Just Vibes
During this year’s Super Bowl, several brands turned their high‑profile ads into measurable sales drivers. Pringles saw the largest lift in purchase intent, outperforming rivals. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise and Ritz crackers also posted significant gains. The findings suggest that creative storytelling...
Pinterest Reduces Q1 Expectations
Pinterest warned that first‑quarter revenue will fall short of analyst forecasts, citing heightened competition from TikTok and Meta. The guidance prompted a sharp decline in the stock price. To counter the pressure, Pinterest is rolling out an AI‑powered Performance+ advertising...
CEO Switch At Dentsu, Sano Succeeds Igarashi
Japanese advertising giant Dentsu announced that Hiroshi Sano will succeed Junichi Igarashi as chief executive. The leadership change was disclosed alongside a projected goodwill impairment of roughly $2 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Dentsu plans to release its...
Roku Claims Strong Q4, Revenue +16%
Roku reported a robust fourth‑quarter performance, with platform revenue climbing 18% to $1.2 billion, driven largely by advertising. Advertising now represents 70‑80% of the platform’s revenue, boosting gross profit 15% to $646.7 million. Overall company revenue rose 16% year‑over‑year, highlighting the effectiveness...
TikTok Begins Targeting Film, Book Lovers Via New 'Fandom' Ads
TikTok has introduced a new "Fandom" ad suite aimed at European users who identify as fans of movies and streaming series, extending the Smart+ ad model it recently launched for streaming brands. The platform also added an in‑app list that...
Future Of TikTok U.S.: A Conversation With Keen's Bradley Keefer
TikTok’s U.S. platform, now under new ownership, suffered early outages and a 150% surge in uninstalls, yet ad spend remained steady. Sensor Tower data shows ad costs fell roughly 36% while ROI climbed 60% year‑over‑year, according to Keen Decision Systems’...
California Fines Disney For Alleged Privacy Violations
Disney agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle California Attorney General claims it breached the state’s privacy law by not honoring user opt‑out requests. The settlement requires Disney to create a consumer‑friendly, easy‑to‑execute opt‑out process and to cease cross‑context behavioral advertising...
Albertsons Companies Signs On To Test OpenAI ChatGPT Ads
Albertsons Companies has entered OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ads pilot, joining Target, Williams‑Sonoma and Omnicom in testing conversational advertising. The retailer will run Valentine’s Day‑focused ads that appear when users ask for gifts, recipes or party ideas. Ads will be clearly labeled...
Mediassociates Expands Senior Management Team
Mediassociates announced two senior‑level hires, naming Drew Corry vice president‑strategy and Abby Niziankiewicz vice president‑strategic media investment. Both roles are newly created at the independent media services firm based in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Corry arrives from his AI advisory practice...
PQ: Global Ad Spend Will Climb 8.8%, Composite Rises Three-Tenths Of A Point
PQ Media’s 2026 Global Advertising & Marketing Spending Forecast projects worldwide ad spend to climb 8.8% and total marketing spend to rise 9.8% this year. The new data have been incorporated into MediaPost’s composite forecast, lifting the average industry growth...
IAB Sends 'Direct Buy Addendum' To Public Comment
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released the Direct Buy Addendum v1.0 along with updated General and Special Terms for digital advertising agreements, opening a 45‑day public comment window that runs through March 31. The framework is designed to replace bespoke contracts with...
Ryan Media To Buy KBest Media's Radio Properties
Ryan Media, a subsidiary of OneRyan Global LLC, announced the acquisition of KBest Media's radio portfolio, including KBST‑FM, KBTS, KBST‑AM, and translator K280GW at 103.9 FM. The deal consolidates three full‑power stations and a translator under one owner, expanding Ryan Media's...
Is Decency The Next Competitive Moat?
The article argues that the internet’s long‑standing focus on outrage‑driven engagement is reaching its limits, as users hit a tolerance threshold. AI‑powered platforms now amplify cynicism, turning noise into a trust‑eroding force. In this new landscape, scarcity has shifted from...