Know What's Happening in Media
Know What's Happening in Media
Media Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Chinese box office loses king‑maker status as Hollywood faces tighter limits
The Chinese box office has slipped from its former role as a Hollywood gateway after the 2012 U.S.–China film agreement expired in 2017 and censorship tightened. Beijing now prioritises domestic productions, and in the past five years only ten U.S. movies have earned over $100 million in China.
Also developing:
By the numbers: K-Love seeks FCC approval for acquisition of WFCC
RTÉ 2FM announced that veteran presenter Tracy Clifford will leave her afternoon slot after a decade on air, making way for a refreshed daytime schedule that launches on May 5. The new lineup expands the breakfast show to 10 a.m. and introduces a mix of established and emerging hosts, including Carl Mullan, Roz Purcell, Doireann Garrihy, Demi Isaac, Mikey O’Reilly, Katja Mia and Beta Da Silva. RTÉ says the changes are driven by extensive listener research aimed at delivering a more authentic, inclusive experience for young Irish audiences. The broadcaster frames the overhaul as a core element of its broader audio strategy.
The major broadcast networks ABC, FOX and NBC have released their spring 2025‑26 finale schedules, confirming dates for dozens of flagship series. ABC will air the American Idol season 24 finale on May 11, while NBC bundles the Chicago Med, Chicago Fire...
The RSL Collective, a non‑profit rights organization, unveiled a machine‑readable, open‑web standard that lets publishers specify AI usage rights and demand per‑use royalties. John Boyden highlighted that most publishers currently receive zero compensation from AI firms that scrape their content...
The BBC announced that broadcaster Tyler West will replace Scott Mills as host of the new *Race Across the World* spin‑off podcast, *The Detour*, which launches tonight alongside the TV series. Mills was dismissed after historic sexual‑offence allegations resurfaced, though police...
A TikTok video promotes the outdated "brain as receiver" dualism, claiming thoughts originate from outside the brain. The creator offers no sources, echoing a broader trend of pseudoscientific content that thrives on the platform’s engagement‑centric algorithm. Neuroscience experts counter the...
You can thank: Unregulated Google, Amazon, Apple, TikTok, YouTube, YouTube TV for siphoning viewers and ad revenue from regulated local TV stations. Blaming the federal government for layoffs at WRTV is like blaming the federal government for layoffs at RIM’s...
Sundial Media & Technology Group (SMTG) appointed marketing veteran Amanda Butler as its first chief marketing officer, a role she began in mid‑January. Butler will direct consumer marketing, communications, creative strategy, and insights across SMTG’s portfolio, which includes Essence, Refinery29,...
Apple Music flagged 2 billion fraudulent streams in 2025, costing roughly $17 million in lost royalties. In March 2026, Michael Smith was sentenced for a seven‑year AI‑driven scheme that generated up to 661,000 fake streams per day and siphoned more than $8 million. Apple...
I wrote about the new AI partnership that Harlequin announced as if it was an exciting thing. https://lithub.com/dear-harlequin-nobody-asked-for-your-weird-new-ai-video-microdramas/
Swivel and CTV platform Olyzon have partnered to create an agentic marketplace that uses the open‑source AdCP protocol for buy‑side and sell‑side communication. The system lets AI‑driven agents handle trafficking, yield optimization, and seller functions, allowing advertisers to access inventory...
Swivel and CTV platform Olyzon have teamed up to create an agentic marketplace that lets buy‑side and sell‑side AI agents negotiate ad placements through the open‑source AdCP protocol. The partnership enables advertisers like Pierre Fabre to run U.S. CTV campaigns...
LiveRamp and Unity have expanded their partnership, integrating LiveRamp’s RampID identifier into Unity Exchange, the company’s programmatic advertising marketplace. RampID is an interoperable, portable user ID that works across platforms, allowing advertisers to recognize and target the same users inside...
Are you using Reddit Pro? -> Reddit says publishers using its Pro Tools have seen post views grow by 46%, comments by 48%, and profile views nearly double since the tool's September launch Verification checkmarks added -> "In addition to...
Dubai Media, in partnership with Livewire, released a report showing the UAE’s gaming ecosystem now hosts about 7.5 million players, with women comprising over 30% and Emiratis only 12% of the audience. The study highlights that gamers in the region generate...
Ginger & Fed, the international sales division of Federation Studios, has finalized distribution agreements for the French feature film "Compostelle" across roughly twenty territories worldwide. The deal marks the film’s first major push into markets spanning Europe, Asia, and Latin...
French television is rapidly evolving as streaming giants and YouTube capture audience share previously dominated by free‑to‑air broadcasters. ARCOM’s new hybrid‑broadcast regulations require linear channels to integrate on‑demand libraries and monetize digital ad inventory, prompting networks like TF1 and France Televisions...
ITV announced that its streaming service ITVX logged over 1 billion streams in 2026, reaching the milestone eight days earlier than the previous year. The growth was driven by strong performance of flagship events such as the Rugby Six Nations and...
At a parliamentary inquiry hearing, heads of France’s leading private broadcasters—including TF1’s Rodolphe Belmer—presented a rare, unified defense of the nation’s public broadcaster, France Télévisions. They argued that public service media remains essential for cultural cohesion, journalistic independence, and market...
Algorithms now shape what users see, leveraging psychological biases such as default bias, variable rewards, and confirmation bias to capture attention. Studies show 81% of U.S. YouTube users watch recommended videos they wouldn’t otherwise seek, while algorithmic bias accelerates fake‑news...
Coming up on @thestreetpro Another Failure of Journalism * Yesterday's obsequious Squawk Box interview with Cathie Wood underscored the failure of FinTV journalism * Good god, man (host) - do your homework and stop bootlicking the egos of "talking heads" that have not...
TV Talk: #HandmaidsTale sequel series #TheTestaments offers insiders’ POV on Gilead in YA story + Epstein limited series shopped + latest @netflix price hikes, via @TribLIVE - https://t.co/bvFDQXYzo5 https://t.co/q9QZ8pVHBa
Complex announced a multiyear partnership with Fanatics to launch Complex Bets, an editorial vertical that will embed Fanatics Sportsbook and Fanatics Markets data into its content. The new offering will have a dedicated home on the Complex website, social channels, and...
Cheap fun department. I asked the WaPo's AI system if Bezos influenced its editorial policy. https://t.co/Sqkppejzx8
Disney+ and Disney Channel will launch the final four‑part event of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” this summer, marking the series’ last spell. Selena Gomez makes her directorial debut with the premiere while reprising Alex Russo across episodes. The revival follows...
Click fraud can masquerade as normal performance issues, making it difficult for paid‑media managers to identify true waste. The article outlines a three‑step approach: audit placement and targeting settings, understand platform‑level fraud protections, and deploy mitigation tools when invalid clicks...
Hypermedia, the UAE‑based digital out‑of‑home and retail media network, has launched an Integrated Digital Revenue Function that merges its DOOH assets with the programmatic expertise of DXTA Technology, its ad‑tech arm. Led by Head of Digital Sales Hicham Dergham and...
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, ruling it constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment. The order, which sought to withdraw taxpayer support because...
Deutsche Telekom has expanded its FAST (Free Ad‑Supported Streaming Television) offering on the MagentaTV platform by adding six new channels, including romance‑focused Fabella, classic‑film hub MovieDome, and genre‑specific feeds for RTL’s Alarm für Cobra 11, Balko, Bauer sucht Frau, as well...
ABC and Disney+ aired the first simultaneous broadcast of “American Idol” on March 30, 2026, pulling 4.86 million total viewers and a 0.42 rating among adults 18‑49. The episode posted double‑digit gains versus the same night last year (+11%) and versus the prior...
FWIW - It's not the speed of the narrative change that is different today. That is always immediate. What is different today is the speed and breadth of the transmission of narratives. Thanks to social media it moves instantly...
In late 2025 Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT would soon offer a verified‑adult erotica mode, promising to treat adults like adults. The rollout has been postponed twice, with OpenAI citing a focus on intelligence, personality and a more proactive chatbot....
Artificial intelligence is reshaping every stage of the advertising value chain, from concept creation to media execution, according to new research by Madison & Wall. The study, presented by CEO Brian Wieser, Managing Director Luke Stillman, and Adobe’s Principal AI...
ABC World News Tonight solidified its dominance in Q1 2026, pulling 8.73 million total viewers and a 1.09 million Adults 25‑54 audience, marking an 11% quarterly increase. NBC Nightly News posted the strongest growth, up 12% in total viewers and 23% in the key...
The UK regulator Ofcom reports that while 89% of British adults use at least one social‑media platform, only 49% actively post, share or comment—a drop from 61% in 2024. Meanwhile, a coalition led by Fairplay has accused YouTube and Google...
The #BrokenTimes loves to profile extremists, giving them what they crave: attention. The Women Who Believe Women Should Lose the Right to Vote https://t.co/aN0UVSJKMd
The International Publishers Association (IPA) unveiled the shortlist for its 2026 Innovation in Publishing Award, highlighting six nominees that span AI-driven platforms, inclusive literacy tools, and novel marketing solutions. The award, launched in 2022 and presented biennially, seeks projects that...
Ofcom’s latest research, released after a landmark trial examining the harms of Meta and YouTube, shows a marked increase in public concern about online risks. The study finds that 68% of respondents now view digital platforms as more dangerous than...
New research from the European Audiovisual Observatory shows that U.S. titles dominate video‑on‑demand (VOD) catalogues across Europe despite a sizable European output. European works account for 46% of individual titles but only 32% of catalogue "presences," while U.S. titles represent...
ABC’s Thursday night lineup delivered record‑breaking ratings for its emergency‑services dramas “9‑1‑1” and the freshman “9‑1‑1: Nashville.” “9‑1‑1: Nashville” attracted 6.23 million total viewers across three days, a 55 % jump from its live‑plus‑same‑day high. “9‑1‑5” pulled in 7.33 million viewers, up 53 %...
Hulu announced that the critically acclaimed comedy series “Deli Boys” returns for a second season on May 28, 2026. The new season adds Andrew Rannells and Kumail Nanjiani as recurring guest stars alongside regulars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Poorna Jagannathan...
TikTok influencer Brenay Montague was sued by her former friend Akira Montague for alienation of affection after a public affair with Akira's husband, Tim. The NC jury found Brenay liable and ordered her to pay $1.75 million in damages. The case...
Fact‑checking has traditionally measured success by article volume and citations, but the rise of private, fast‑moving channels like WhatsApp and community chats has upended that model. The commentary argues that fact‑checking must evolve from a standalone editorial product into civic...
Loveholidays has entered television advertising by securing a sponsorship deal with ITV, marking its first major broadcast campaign. The partnership features a series of short idents that riff on classic film titles, blending travel messaging with pop‑culture humor. Launched ahead...
Prediction‑market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi have signed partnership deals with major news outlets such as CNN, CNBC, Dow Jones and Yahoo Finance, embedding real‑time betting data into editorial content. The agreements are opaque, with no disclosed financial terms, while the...
A federal judge nullified the Pentagon’s October credential restrictions, ordering the reinstatement of seven *Times* reporters’ passes and restoring access for all journalists who had left. Instead of complying, the Pentagon redirected reporters to an annex, required escorts, and introduced...
Rebecca Keating, a veteran BBC journalist with nearly 20 years of experience, has been appointed editor of Radio 4's flagship *Today* programme, succeeding Owenna Griffiths. Keating previously served as assistant editor across several Radio 4 news shows and held senior roles on...
ESPN announced that Malika Andrews will host the WNBA Expansion Draft on Friday, April 3, from 3:30‑4 p.m. ET, broadcasting live from its Los Angeles studio. The draft will determine the inaugural rosters for the league’s two newest franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo,...
Globo has completed a migration of its primary linear pay‑TV distribution to a fully IP‑based architecture using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) over a managed backbone across Brazil. The transition leverages Synamedia’s Quortex PowerVu suite and virtualised Digital Content Manager, with...
In September 2025, NepalFactCheck.org rapidly debunked a viral video falsely claiming a crowd was trying to burn the Pashupatinath Temple, helping to calm public panic during deadly Gen Z protests. Over the next two days the outlet cleared five high‑risk misinformation pieces...
All five Daniel Craig James Bond films—Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die—have been added to Amazon Prime Video in the UK, making them instantly available for an Easter‑long binge. Non‑subscribers can activate a 30‑day free trial to access the catalogue. At the same time,...
