Netflix town hall follows layoffs and exec shakeup
Deadline’s Antonia Blyth highlights the outlet’s reporting that Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters held a staff town hall the day after cutting 1,000 jobs and replacing content chief Bela Bajaria with Peter Rice.
Midterm ad spend set to hit $12 billion as CTV lags broadcast
MediaPost’s Joe Mandese reports that political advertising forecasters now project the 2025-26 midterm cycle will total $12 billion, with linear local broadcast TV still accounting for 50% of the $11.038 billion spent cycle-to-date versus CTV’s 21% share.
Doug Shapiro: AI will flood media with content and flip where value sits
The Mediator’s Doug Shapiro argues that two things are highly predictable about GenAI’s effect on media: consumer attention is capped while content creation costs are collapsing.
Former 60 Minutes EP Bill Owens joins creator startup Newpress
TheWrap’s Benjamin Lindsay reports that former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens will join independent creator-led media company Newpress as executive producer starting March 1, 2027.
Skydance names unified ad leadership team post-Paramount-WBD merger
Business Insider’s Kelsey Vlamis and James Faris report that Skydance’s Jay Askinasi outlined a new “unified Skydance Advertising organization” in a staff memo after the $110 billion merger closed.
F1 and Consumable launch US audio ad network for racing fans
Advanced Television reports that Formula 1 and Consumable have launched the F1 Audio Network in the US, a sound-on ad product running across mobile apps and Consumable’s wider audio ecosystem, powered by its PODiQ identity technology.
The Verge: Google’s AI search broke publishing’s traffic bargain
The Verge’s Emma Roth reports that Google’s 2024 rollout of AI Overviews, paired with search-ranking changes, dismantled the reciprocal relationship where publishers fed Google’s index in exchange for click-through traffic.
Retailers eye in-store Wi-Fi as an untapped ad and data channel
eMarketer’s Christopher Wood reports that free in-store Wi-Fi, long offered as a basic amenity, is becoming a tool for retailers to capture shopper data and deliver targeted messages at the point of purchase.
NBC Nightly News gains in both viewers and demo for week of Oct. 12
Adweek’s Mark Mwachiro reports that NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas was the only evening newscast to grow in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo for the week of October 12.
C21Media: Wildscreen talk turns to YouTube, AI, vertical series and creators
C21Media reports that a Wildscreen panel featuring Jack Bootle addressed YouTube, AI, vertical series and creators eyeing TV companies, but the article itself is paywalled behind a C21 Subscription and C21Insight subscriber login, leaving only the headline topics visible.
Optix Network to launch next month with creator-pay streaming model
C21Media reports that The Optix Network will launch next month with original unscripted series House of Ink, built on a model that pays independent producers through licensing fees, royalties and potential profit-sharing.
Netflix’s international hits buoy execs amid Bajaria exit, layoffs
Deadline’s Jesse Whittock reports Netflix ousted global content chief Bela Bajaria and film boss Dan Lim, installing Peter Rice, after weak quarterly results and 1,000 layoffs.
Sweden: Bundled streaming subs churn at half the rate of standalone
Advanced Television’s Colin Mann reports that Mediavision found 14 per cent of bundled Swedish streaming subscriptions were cancelled over the past year, versus 25 per cent for standalone subscriptions.
Netflix’s India growth masks soft Q4 forecast
Sherwood.news reports Netflix’s Q3 shareholder letter mentioned India six times, double its US references, as the market posted record subscriber additions, 18% revenue growth, and 24% more view hours even while the stock fell on a weak Q4 outlook.
Madison and Wall roundup: siloed ad budgets, 3Q26 earnings, and F1’s media economics
Madison and Wall rounds up its week of analysis, covering how ad budgets are becoming more siloed rather than omnichannel, 3Q26 earnings from Meta, Netflix, Comcast and Omnicom, and a new piece on Formula 1’s business model.
The Ankler spotlights documentary filmmakers on art as resistance
The Ankler’s Thom Powers reports that at an L.A. Documentary Spotlight event, filmmakers behind “American Doctor,” “Rehearsals for a Revolution” and other films discussed making work on Gaza, Iran and climate change.
DoorDash pushes commerce media to build brands, not just performance
The Drum’s Jenni Baker reports that DoorDash, as it expands advertising tools across Wolt and Deliveroo, says commerce media needs more room for brand storytelling, not just lower-funnel performance metrics.
Netflix may be quietly cooling on video podcasts, Business Insider reports
Simon Owens highlights Business Insider’s report that Netflix has stopped discussing its video podcast push and may be reducing podcast visibility in its feed.