Netflix, Amazon, YouTube form streaming policy coalition
Netflix, Amazon and YouTube launched the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance on Monday, a new policy coalition led by trade group TechNet.
Media War & Peace debuts the Affinity 100 creator ranking
Evan Shapiro, with Shira Lazar, Whalar Group, and Foam, launched the Affinity 100, ranking creators by a new “Affinity Quotient” instead of follower count.
Comcast, Paramount weigh shutting down SkyShowtime
Comcast and Paramount Skydance are reviewing strategic options for European joint venture SkyShowtime, including a possible wind down. The board told CEO Monty Sarhan Monday that no decisions have been made yet.
Taboola’s Connexity quietly buys Howl’s creator affiliate business
Commerce platform Howl sold its creator division to Connexity, Taboola’s commerce arm, in August, a deal small enough that Taboola did not need to disclose it in earnings.
X and Samba launch outcomes measurement for entertainment marketers
X and Samba are partnering on an outcomes measurement offering that shows entertainment advertisers whether X campaigns drove actions like movie ticket purchases or streaming, with a reported 55% lift across six streaming initiatives.
Amazon closes Wondery deal as founder Lopez exits, Sargent named CEO
Amazon’s acquisition of podcast studio Wondery, announced in December, has officially closed. Founder Hernan Lopez has departed, and COO Jen Sargent now runs the business, which reportedly sought a $300 million price tag though terms were not disclosed.
Ex-Spotify exec raises $5.5M for music apps that skip AI generation
A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya raised a $5.5 million pre-seed round led by Mantis VC, with Spotify’s former ad chief Dawn Ostroff advising. Founder Máuhan Zonoozy builds interactive music toys instead of AI song generators, betting participation beats generation.
Omdia: 3 in 4 US TV viewers now dual-screen with phones
Omdia research presented at IBC 2026 finds three in four US TV viewers regularly use smartphones while watching television.
OpenAI sponsors CBS’s NFL sideline reports, hours before 60 Minutes AI warning
OpenAI is now presenting sponsor of NFL on CBS sideline report segments, its ChatGPT logo appearing during the Jets-Titans broadcast. Hours later, CBS’s 60 Minutes season premiere closed with a segment warning about AI escaping human control.
Six ad execs agree: CTV favors buyers, except for premium inventory
VideoWeek polled six buy- and sell-side leaders on whether CTV is a buyer’s or seller’s market. Consensus: growing inventory and programmatic access tilt power to buyers, but scarce premium content, live sport, and top platforms still command seller leverage.
ChatGPT cracks top 5 in Brand Keys’ 2026 loyalty ranking
Brand Keys’ 18th annual loyalty ranking places ChatGPT at No. 5, behind Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple, after adding a new AI-prerequisite benchmark that cut the list from 100 brands to just 42.
BIA raises 2026 local ad forecast to $184.5 billion on political, streaming gains
BIA Advisory Services now projects U.S. local ad revenue will hit $184.5 billion in 2026, up from its prior estimate of $181.7 billion, citing stronger mobile, social, video and streaming performance plus $8.4 billion in political spending.
GroupM: retail media now 11% of all ad spend, set to grow 60% by 2027
GroupM estimates global retail media ad revenue hit $88 billion in 2021 and will reach $101 billion this year, representing 18% of digital advertising and 11% of total ad spend.
Morbid podcast signs with Wondery/Amazon, plans new shows
Indie true-crime hit Morbid has struck a deal giving Wondery and Amazon Music a one-week exclusive window on new episodes starting June 1, with Amazon and Wondery also taking over distribution and ad sales for the show.
Charlamagne Tha God lands No. 10 on Forbes’ highest-paid podcasters list
Forbes estimates Charlamagne Tha God’s annual earnings at approximately $27 million, driven partly by a renewed iHeartMedia deal reportedly worth up to $200 million over five years.
ANA: quality, not cost control, now drives programmatic performance
Advertisers with disciplined quality governance converted 56.7% of Q4 programmatic spend into benchmark-qualified impressions, versus 37.5% for weaker performers.
Amazon now outspends Netflix and YouTube combined on sports rights
Bloomberg’s Screentime newsletter reports Amazon’s sports-rights spending now exceeds what Netflix and YouTube spend on sports combined. The comparison underscores how aggressively Amazon has built out live sports as a Prime Video pillar versus its streaming rivals.
CBS’s ChatGPT-sponsored sideline report draws fan backlash
During Sunday’s Jets-Titans broadcast, CBS introduced Aditi Kinkhabwala’s sideline report as “presented by ChatGPT,” and social media reaction was swift and largely negative.
YouTube overtakes Spotify as Canada’s top podcast platform
Triton Digital’s third annual Canadian Podcast Report finds 35% of Canadians now use YouTube most for podcasts, up from 28% two years ago, while Spotify slid from 31% to 28% and Apple Podcasts dipped to 15%.