ChatGPT cracks top 5 in Brand Keys’ 2026 loyalty ranking
MediaPost’s Sarah Mahoney reports that 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
Inside Radio reports that 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.
Charlamagne Tha God lands No. 10 on Forbes’ highest-paid podcasters list
Inside Radio reports that 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
Inside Radio reports that 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
Inside Radio reports that 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%.
Multiple takes on the same IP are proving additive, not cannibalistic
Overlapping true-crime and IP projects like podcast, doc and drama versions of “American Hostage” are multiplying across platforms. Data from Ampere and Showlabs shows this cross-format layering boosts total viewership rather than splitting audiences.
One top streamer packs 18% more ad minutes into 2026 hours
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that Ampere Analysis and Guggenheim Securities find the top nine premium streamers averaged 18% more ad minutes per hour in August 2026 versus January.
YouTube pays 30% more for a shrinking NFL Sunday Ticket
The Wall Street Journal’s Nat Ives, WSJ Leadership Institute reports that Sunday Ticket costs YouTube nearly $9 billion over its seven-year deal, up sharply from DirecTV’s roughly $1 billion final season, even as the NFL shifts more games into prime-time windows and leaves fewer for the package.
Genius Sports bets athlete-led shows can convert parasocial fans into league fans
Genius Sports is launching a venture with Chris Paul’s Ohh Dip!!! and Connor Schell’s Words + Pictures to build athlete-led programming powered by official sports data, starting with Paul before expanding to other athlete-creators.
Judge Judy reruns still pull $160 million in ad spend on CBS
TVREV’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that Judy Sheindlin is ending her on-camera career after Judy Justice wraps its current Amazon Prime Video season.
Walmart, Walgreens push digital ad screens into aisles and endcaps
Business Insider’s Dominick Reuter reports that Walmart is testing screens at aisle endcaps with live inventory and pricing, while Walgreens is outfitting 1,200 stores with Looma displays starting in October. Retailers see high-margin ad revenue beyond online.
Cable’s TV viewing share halved in five years, Nielsen data show
Inside Radio reports that cable networks drew 21.2% of U.S. television viewing in January 2026, down from 35.6% in January 2021, while streaming climbed to 47% from 28.9% over the same five-year span, Nielsen data show.
Amazon’s local ad unit is teaming with iHeart, Spectrum Reach on SMB deals
Amazon’s Local Ads division, led by former CBS Radio and Entercom exec Jennifer Mock Donohue, is partnering with broadcasters like iHeartMedia and Spectrum Reach to sell small and mid-sized advertisers into Amazon’s streaming, audio, and Twitch inventory.
Madison & Wall launches 50-market global ad forecast, sees 11% 2026 growth
Madison and Wall reports that Madison & Wall released its full 50-market global advertising data set, built bottoms-up from more than 600 media owners, with quarterly forecasts through 2030.
BIA cuts 2025 local ad forecast to $169 billion, citing tariffs
Inside Radio reports that BIA Advisory Services now projects $169 billion in 2025 U.S. local ad revenue, down 2.4% year-over-year and 1.5% below its earlier $171.4 billion estimate, citing tariffs, weak consumer sentiment and tight credit.
BBC Studios exec: YouTube views alone no longer prove brand value
uk.themedialeader.com’s Jasmine Dawson reports that BBC Studios’ SVP of digital argues that after YouTube’s public view metric changed, a view now only shows something started, not whether audiences stayed, subscribed, or bought in.
Ad-supported streaming tiers keep creeping toward old ad-free prices
Inside Radio’s The Verge. reports that Netflix, Peacock and the Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle have all raised ad-supported pricing in the past two years. Peacock’s ad tier jumped from $7.99 to $10.99 monthly, while the bundle rose from $16.99 to $20 since its 2024 debut.
Channel 4 to cut 28% of workforce in turnaround plan
VideoWeek’s Tim Cross-Kovoor reports that Channel 4 will cut around 340 roles, 28 percent of its workforce, by year end as part of a three-pronged transformation strategy.
Amazon MGM sets 2028 release for ‘Mandela Catalogue’ film
TheWrap’s Umberto Gonzalez reports that Amazon MGM Studios, United Artists and Amblin will release “The Mandela Catalogue” on June 9, 2028, following an 11-studio bidding war for the rights.