MediaPost.com: MediaDailyNews

Roku Surpasses 100M Global Households

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:17:24 -0400

In the U.S, industry estimates for Roku streaming devices (set-top box and smart TV OS) are at a 55% market share with Amazon Fire TV, next best at 35%.

ANA Opens Search For Liodice Successor

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:23:17 -0400

"We are deeply grateful for his contributions and look forward to building on the strong foundation he has created," ANA Chair Dean Aragon said in a statement, announcing a "comprehensive search for his successor."

LIV Gold League Coverage Suffers Outage On Thursday

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:59:50 -0400

Coverage of LIV Golf League golf in Mexico City went black on the Fox Sports app and YouTube for more than 100 minutes on Thursday, Golf Digest reports. This followed false reports of the league’s demise. The blackout was accompanied by elevator music.

Nudify Apps Remain A Problem In App Stores

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:54:51 -0400

The App Store and Google Play Store “are helping users to find apps that create deepfake nude images of women,” according to The Tech Transparency Project, 9to5 Mac reports. Nearly 40% of the top 10 apps returned for searches such as “nudify,” “undress,” and “deepnude” could “render women nude or scantily clad,” the new report says.

Netflix Q1 Ad Buys +16%, Expected To Double This Year

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:51:21 -0400

Sixty percent of all Netflix's subscriber gains in Q1 came from its ad-supported option, now priced at $8.99 in the U.S.

Stagwell Expands 'Owned Media' Management Team

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:37:43 -0400

Stagwell, which has been expanding its portfolio of owned-media properties, named publishing vets David Olesnevich and Drew Schutte chief growth officer and chief revenue officer, respectively.

'NOTUS' To Rebrand As 'The Star' In June

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:25:46 -0400

NOTUS, a Washington political news website, will be relaunched as "The Star" during the first week of June, according to Tim Grieve, editor in chief, The New York Times reports. The site has plans to fill a voice caused by deep staff cuts at The Washington Post. NOTUS was launched in 2023 with a tie to the Allbritton Journalism Institute, a nonprofit that trains young political journalists.

Vox Media Is Likely To Sell Individual Units, Not The Whole Company

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:20:56 -0400

Vox Media is selling itself in pieces, Awful Announcing reports, sourcing Dylan Byers at Puck. Vox CEO Jim Bankoff is now expected to approve several deals, covering the Vox Media Podcast Network, New York Magazine and digital brands including The Verge, Eater and SB Nation. Last year, Vox explored options such as a sale of the podcast network and a full company sale.

Cartoon Cat Is a Real Butt-Head In Amazon's 'Kevin'

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

The health of a cat's rear end is a recurring theme of the new animated series "Kevin," created by Aubrey Plaza.

Apple TV: When Will Ad Revenue Be Part Of The Plan?

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Apple is moving to bring advertising to Apple Maps. The largest source of ad revenue now comes from app developers buying advertising on the App Store.

Conde Nast Shrinks: Publisher Is Closing 'Self' And Several 'Glamour' Editions

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:20:21 -0400

The affected markets comprise a little over 1% of total revenue.

Pinterest's Plea: 'Put Down Your Phones'

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:27:38 -0400

Campaign shows archival home videos and photos, narrated by a child asking "How did they live their lives without posting about it?"

Predictable Irrationality In TV And Streaming Ad-Buying

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:59:37 -0400

Not cool: spending the majority of a TV budget on streaming, certain that no one who matters anymore is watching linear TV.

Virginia AG Fights To Restore Mandatory Social Media Time Limits

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:43:01 -0400

Virginia's attorney general on Wednesday urged a federal appellate court to reverse a lower court ruling that blocked enforcement of a law requiring social platforms to verify users' ages, and prohibit minors under 16 from accessing social media for more than one hour a day without parental consent.

Why It's Best For Marketers To Reach Gen Z On The Go

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:29:51 -0400

Lyft released data from a study analyzing experiences and real-life moments of today's generation, which represents 24% of riders and 28% of rides and often head to restaurants, nights out and events.

Threads Expands Social Media Management Functionality

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:02:21 -0400

Threads is enhancing its API with additional social-media management tools designed to help brands and creators expand reach and scheduling functionality.

YouTube Lets Users Remove Shorts From Its Home Feed Via Timer Setting

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:56:32 -0400

YouTube now allows users to cut out its most popular media format - Shorts - from their app feed.

Authenticity Is Only KPI That Can't Be Automated, But Brands Will Try Anyway

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:20:40 -0400

Consumers reward brands that feel genuine, punish those that do not and expect AI to be both invisible and clearly labeled at the same time.

Google, Meta, Apple Petition To Throw Out Gambling Apps Suit

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:11:47 -0400

"Google's processing of virtual-content sales is the modern equivalent of booksellers' and newsstands' processing of printed-content sales," the company argues to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Albertsons Media Adds Incrementality Measurement

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:37:23 -0400

Albertsons has released incrementality metrics to help advertisers identify new customers and more across its retail network. S. Martinelli & Co. became one of the first testers.

What Barbie Learned From Her First Trip To Coachella

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:32:39 -0400

The brand hopes its festival marketing strategy can help the toy brand reignite Gen Z fandom.

IAB: Ad Revenue Reached $294.6B In 2025

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:23:14 -0400

The 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report conducted by PwC released Thursday shows despite concerns about economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the industry drove record revenue, reaching $294.6 billion in 2025, up 13.9% YoY.

Snap To Cut 1,000 Jobs, Embrace AI Efficiency During 'Crucible Moment'

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:50:06 -0400

Snapchat plans to lay off approximately 16% of its global full-time employees - about 1,000 jobs - as the social media company embraces advancements in AI to cut overhead costs during its "crucible moment."

Cannes Unveils Lions Juries, Dentsu's Swayne Joins Media Roster

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:42:24 -0400

The Cannes Lions this morning unveiled the complete jury rosters for its upcoming awards, including members of the media jury chaired by WPP Media's Sindhuja Rai.

Paramount-WBD Merger? Theater Owners Expect Even Tougher Times

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:31:42 -0400

One persistent issue for movie theater owners since the dawn of the premium streaming age is movies moving too quickly from theaters to streaming.

Crossover Media Group Appoints John Murphy To New Position

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:06:12 -0400

Crossover Media Group has hired media veteran John Murphy as vice president of strategic partnerships, a new role, Inside Radio reports. He will be tasked with securing new content for the company. Murphy has worked with the Crossover Media Group team as both a partner and a client.

Nielsen Provides Inaccurate Metrics, NBCUniversal Exec Charges

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:52:21 -0400

Nielsen overestimates streaming viewership at the expense of traditional TV, says Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships at Nielsen client NBCUniversal, The Wall Street Journal reports. “Every media company is valued on a multiple of something, right?” Marshall comments. “The baseline for all of these is revenue, and if that revenue is understated due to incorrect measurement, then absolutely, the valuations of these media companies are being impacted. That is why a change needs to happen.”

Nielsen Top-Rated 2025-26 Programs: Netflix, CBS Score Big

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:44:27 -0400

Netflix has five of the top ten shows and CBS has two of the top ten and six of the top 20 shows. Disney's ABC/Hulu has four of the top 20 programs.

Court Green-Lights Cumulus Media Restructuring

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:44:00 -0400

Radio firm Cumulus Media is headed for a swift emergency from Chapter 11 bankruptcy following the posting of a 181-page restructuring agreement by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, according to Radio+ Television Business Report. The court’s approval of the plan, which occurs less than six weeks after the filing for Chapter 11 protection, will restructure roughly $660 million in debt.

Snooki Waves Good-Bye As 'Jersey Shore' Has Final Season

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

The news that "Jersey Shore" is about to have its final farewell season raised a question: Wait a minute - "Jersey Shore" is still around?

Reddit Launches HubSpot Beta Integration To 'Close A Loop'

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:50:17 -0400

The integration with HubSpot will give advertisers the ability to connect their campaign workflows directly to the customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

Amazon Sellers Boycott Ads

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:18:35 -0400

Several recent policy changes at Amazon have prompted large sellers to boycott the online retailer's ad business on Wednesday.

FTC Targets Brand Safety Under Guise Of Fighting 'Censorship'

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:25:22 -0400

The FTC calls brand safety initiatives censorship, but judges say the First Amendment only prohibits the government, not private companies, from suppressing speech.

Maine Rejects Broad Privacy Bill

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:25:52 -0400

Maine lawmakers this week failed to pass a broad privacy bill that was opposed by ad industry groups.

Brands Blur Lines Between Ads, Entertainment

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:02:29 -0400

Peloton has tapped "Heated Rivalry" actor Hudson Williams for a campaign that "Glamour " says borders on NSFW, due to his "very short shorts."

Meta Lowers Technical Barriers To Win New Advertisers

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:51:45 -0400

Meta's ad-measurement updates - an AI-assisted Meta Pixel upgrade and a one-click setup path for Conversions API - are intended to reduce technical complexities that separate advertisers with resources from those without.

No Attention, No Outcomes

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:38:50 -0400

I'm writing this for those not fortunate enough to attend the Advertising Research Foundation's recent Audience X Science conference in New York City. You will want to pay attention, because one session in particular -- the ARF's Tracy Adams' and Paul Donato's review of Phase 3 of its attention measurement validation initiative -- is all about it.

You can read my previous commentaries on Phase 1 and Phase 2, but this year's session, dubbed "Attention As Signal, Or Beyond," demonstrated how many in the industry are now using attention metrics to judge relative media audience delivery, quality and ad campaign effectiveness via the many research vendors available. However, these vendors use different approaches, definitions and techniques.

So, what are best practices and the most meaningful application of these resulting attention data indicators across media that advance media planning and possibly buying well beyond commonly used “viewable impressions, sometimes referred to as “raw impressions”?

Of strategic note to advertisers is that the Media Rating Council's and the Interactive Advertising Bureau's so-called "viewable impressions" are solely device-based measures and therefor represent no real opportunity-to-see. Moreover, they are often self-reported by digital platforms, unaudited and with ad creative and placement rarely independently verified.

Brand campaign case studies have proven use of attention metrics consistently delivers more cost-effective outcomes for campaigns for any given media budget.

Phase 3 of the initiative used a complex neutral design examining media channels, platforms and placement. It involved eight research vendor attention measurement methods and resulting metrics evaluated against campaign brand lift results across four different campaigns using three different media platforms.

From a big picture perspective the ARF's Donato highlighted, “At the channel-level, the clearest point of agreement across research vendors was that television -- including CTV, linear TV, and YouTube/online video -- consistently drew more attention than social media. This is likely because most measurement methods employ -- directly or indirectly -- some measure of time.”

In the platform-level analysis -- Facebook vs. TikTok -- there was consistent attention within a measurement methodology, but not necessarily across methods.

In the placement-level analysis – feed, reels and stories -- there also was consistency within a measurement methodology but not necessarily across methods. Prime-time and late night tend to earn the highest attention scores.

As would be anticipated, the research found attention alone does not predict brand lift, and media weight plays an important role. Amost certainly along with many other media and campaign execution variables.

The top line implications for advertisers and their agencies are naturally broad but underline the significant value and the complexities of paying special attention to "attention" and its pragmatic application in media planning, brand campaign by brand campaign.

Based on the limitations of the research design, Donato and Adams offered evidence-based guidance on attention’s role in media planning, together with how to use attention metrics alongside outcomes measures.

Understand what is actually being measured (definitions and derivations)
Use attention to evaluate media channels
Compare to company norms.
Stick with the same measurement company over time.
Consider the interaction of attention, media weight and outcomes

As Adams emphasized, “The more important distinction may be between attention and inattention. Advertising can work across a range of attention levels, so long as the content is not ignored.”

To which context of the medium and its editorial environment might be added to ensure brand safety protection whatever the lift especially on social media.

While the ARF must be highly commended for the scope and depth of its three-phased evaluation, perhaps the best prologue in the use of attention metrics comes from Havas Media Network's Jonathan Waite, which should surely be embraced by all CMOs and brand managers:

“If you are still counting raw impressions today, you aren’t a media planner. You are a passenger in a machine that doesn’t care about your brand’s health.”

Are We Witnessing The Death Of The Media Plan?

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:05:12 -0400

The media plan was a tool, and like every tool in this industry, it will be replaced by a better one.

Social Platforms Keep Teens Hooked, Parents Keep Losing The Argument

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:54:13 -0400

Most teens say social media neither helps nor hurts their mental health, while a quarter of parents say social media is harmful.

Viant DSP Buys TVision For $40M

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:07:16 -0400

Viant will incorporate TVision technology into its AI demand-side platform, where it says it will produce a "first of its kind attention-adjusted CPM [cost per thousand viewers] measure."