Agency & Consulting
Antenna: NFL drove 60% jump in streamer signups this fall
TheWrap’s Loree Seitz reports that Antenna president Rameez Tase told TheGrill conference the 2025 NFL season drove a 60% rise in daily streaming signups over the offseason, pushing streamers to launch new shows during football’s run.
Hallmark taps iSpot for outcomes-based measurement ahead of holiday push
Adweek’s Bill Bradley reports that Hallmark Media and iSpot struck a partnership to validate delivery and link cross-platform ad exposure to outcomes like website visits, box-office sales and in-store purchases across Hallmark’s non-linear TV properties.
Agencies back away from owning agentic AI tools and client data
AdExchanger’s Anthony Vargas reports that agency executives at Programmatic IO NY, including S4’s Sir Martin Sorrell and Horizon’s Bob Lord, say clients should own the data and AI models agencies build for them.
Ellison names Kreiz co-CEO at Paramount, hands content control to Bloys
The Ankler reports that David Ellison is installing former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz as surprise co-CEO of the new Paramount, overseeing day-to-day management and integration as the Warner Bros. deal closes.
WME launches Creator Labs to turn talent into media businesses
The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston reports that WME is unveiling Creator Labs, an in-house digital operations unit that helps creators with channel management, content syndication and distribution on YouTube and beyond.
Sarandos admits Netflix growth is slower than he wants
The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio reports that Ted Sarandos conceded at Bloomberg’s Screentime event that Netflix viewership grew just 2 percent in the first half of 2026, while live programming draws about 1 percent of viewing despite 5 percent of its content budget.
Shapiro: Paramount-AG settlement details reveal shareholders footing the bill
Media War & Peace’s Evan Shapiro reports that this week’s Media Odyssey podcast breaks down what the Paramount-AG settlement deal actually includes and why California AG Rob Bonta backed off.
Netflix becomes No. 3 podcast platform in its first year, Sounds Profitable finds
Podnews reports that Sounds Profitable’s Podcast Landscape 2026 study found Netflix named by 21% of podcast consumers as a platform used in the past year, ranking third behind YouTube and Spotify, ahead of Apple Podcasts, even as overall reach held flat at 74%.
CTV’s identity guesswork wastes $7.4 billion a year, op-ed argues
TVREV’s Alok Band argues that CTV relies on IP-address inference instead of the consented household signal TV operating systems already create at setup, citing Truthset’s estimate that about 40% of open programmatic CTV spend, roughly $7.4 billion in 2026, is wasted on inaccurate identity data.
Dealmakers pivot from mega-mergers to creators and IP, Raine says
TheWrap’s A.J. Katz reports that at TheGrill conference, Raine partner Erik Hodge said dwindling mega-merger targets are pushing Hollywood dealmakers toward creators, IP and smaller companies that can scale, citing talent migrating to YouTube as a key opportunity.
Alan Wolk’s new book argues the media monoculture has collapsed into ‘Feudal Media’
TVREV’s Alan Wolk previews his new book arguing that a shared, commonly trusted media environment has splintered into disconnected bubbles he calls Feudal Media.
Amazon pushes a 12-month sales metric to capture credit it says it’s missing
Digiday’s Seb Joseph reports that Amazon found roughly a fifth of a brand’s sales value on its platform lands after the typical seven-to-30-day attribution window closes, based on studying over 2 million June campaigns.
Top media YouTube Shorts creators beat average views by 200x
TVREV’s John Cassillo reports that Chartbeat data shows U.S. media generated nearly 85 billion YouTube Shorts views this year, with average per-video views at 46,400 even as top performers exceed that by factors of nearly 200.
Sports ad costs soar as broadcasters seek returns on media rights
eMarketer’s Marisa Jones reports that broadcasters are pushing sports ad prices higher as they work to recoup soaring media rights fees.
Bloys set to head combined HBO Max-Paramount+ streaming after Holland exit
Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports Casey Bloys will likely lead the combined Paramount-WBD streaming operation once the merger closes October 6, after Paramount counterpart Cindy Holland exited this week.
Hallmark Media taps iSpot for outcomes-based measurement
Advanced Television reports that Hallmark Media has partnered with iSpot to measure its non-linear TV environments, linking cross-platform ad exposure to outcomes like site visits, box-office sales and in-store purchases.
Skydance names Kreiz co-CEO with $31.5M bonus amid layoffs
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports Skydance’s new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz lands a $31.5 million restricted stock signing bonus and a 5-year contract while overseeing “cost savings” layoffs across the newly merged studio.
Live Nation backs new creator-focused live events firm Creator Nation
Tubefilter’s James Hale reports that Live Nation is funding Creator Nation, a new venture led by Alexis and Scott Fisher that will connect digital creators with live events, brands, and management resources.
Jon Cook to exit VML and WPP Creative after 30 years
Adweek’s Christopher Cicchiello reports that Jon Cook is stepping down as global CEO of VML and WPP Creative after three decades, with Eric Campbell succeeding him while keeping his North America CEO title.
Netflix’s Sarandos can’t say how growth reaccelerates without WBD
nScreenMedia’s Colin Dixon reports that Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in a Bloomberg Screentime interview with Lucas Shaw, struggled to detail how Netflix reaccelerates growth after losing the Warner Bros. Discovery bid, and sounded cool on launching a free ad-supported tier.
Guy Raz buys ‘How I Built This’ from NPR, partners with Vox Media
Inside Radio reports that Guy Raz acquired full ownership of “How I Built This” from NPR and partnered with Vox Media to expand it with video episodes, double publishing volume in early 2027, and new live events.