FCC pressure pushed Talarico’s interviews to YouTube — and boosted his views
Tubular Labs data shows Talarico’s Colbert and Kimmel interviews, bounced from broadcast under FCC pressure, drove 75 million of 354 million YouTube views about him this year, with most from media pages.
Alex Heath leaves independent media to join VC firm as partner
Veteran tech reporter Alex Heath, who built an independent Substack after leaving traditional media, has joined Sound Ventures as a partner. He says he will keep running his media business alongside the new investing role.
Nielsen: The Pitt tops Emmy-nominated dramas in total viewing hours
Nielsen’s third annual Emmy viewing report crowns HBO Max’s The Pitt as the most-watched nominated drama with nearly 400 million viewing hours, up from fourth place last year.
Advertisers press OpenAI for prompt-level data on ChatGPT ad placements
Amazon’s new OpenAI partnership brings advertisers into ChatGPT ads, but reporting stays shallow. Buyers want prompt-level detail and stronger placement insights before shifting real budget toward the format.
VIDAA CEO teases TV measurement overhaul ahead of London DisrupTV event
VIDAA CEO Guy Edri previews a DisrupTV Executive Summit set for November 11 in London. He argues TV needs new measurement built for the digital era, citing VIDAA’s reach in over 50 million households across more than 500 brands.
Samba: 13% of Netflix households watch podcasts, no correlation to audio rankings
Samba TV’s first Netflix Podcast Ranker finds 13% of U.S.
‘The Gentlemen’ Season 2 sheds 15% of UK premiere audience despite Markle buzz
Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ drew 3 million UK viewers in its first seven days, per Barb-sourced Overnights.tv data, down from 3.5 million for Season 1’s debut.
Nielsen appeals judge’s order to force new Cumulus ratings offer
Nielsen is appealing Judge Jeannette Vargas’s Sept. 9 order requiring a new standalone Nationwide ratings offer to Cumulus on court-set terms and a deadline, backed by daily penalties for noncompliance.
Kohl’s CMO Revelle exits amid buyout talks and weak earnings
Kohl’s CMO Greg Revelle and Chief Merchandising Officer Doug Howe are exiting, announced alongside a 5.2% net sales decline. Christie Raymond becomes interim CMO as the retailer fields buyout offers from Simon Property Group and Brookfield.
Evan Shapiro: Ellison’s Paramount-WBD bid could leave him $85 billion in the hole
A Media War & Peace breakdown pegs the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal at $111 billion, beating Netflix’s $84 billion bid. If Oracle’s debt gets downgraded to junk, Larry Ellison’s assets freeze, jeopardizing his $40 billion cash backstop.
BIG Money for a short story: Netflix buys Understudy short story for $1 million with Lord Miller, Yeun producing
Netflix has set up drama Understudy, based on Nicholas Binge’s short story, for development with Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Steven Yeun executive producing.
Disney pitches shared streaming and new ad tools at ANZ upfronts
Disney Australia and New Zealand used its 2026 Upfronts in Melbourne to position Disney+ as the centrepiece, arguing shared viewing moments like finales and premieres are prime advertising opportunities.
Twitch’s 2026 gaming report: cozy and horror titles surge past esports staples
Twitch’s State of Gaming 2026 report tallies 8.6 billion hours of gaming watch time from January through September.
Brands enlist creators to shape what AI chatbots say about them
Ad Age reports brands are working with creator marketing leaders at agencies to build strategies aimed at improving visibility in AI search results.
Burger King turns an organic GMM taste test into an official Google-backed campaign
Burger King spotted Rhett and Link’s unpaid Whopper taste-test segment on Good Mythical Morning and built a formal deal around it.
IBC 2026 preview: AI dubbing and FAST bloat top the fragmentation agenda
Ahead of IBC 2026, TVREV’s Alan Wolk argues Europe’s 42-language market makes fragmentation worse than in the US, pushing AI dubbing that preserves an actor’s original voice and accent to the top of the agenda.
Walgreens relaunches in-store screens via Looma after Cooler Screens debacle
Walgreens will add Looma digital screens and end caps to 1,200 stores starting in October, placing content beside products rather than blocking them, following its costly Cooler Screens fallout.
Advertising Week names Dhar Mann chief creator officer, targets $100m in deals
Advertising Week New York appointed Dhar Mann as its first chief creator officer to curate a four-day program built around a “$100 Million Creator Challenge.”
Creators move from talent to strategy in brand and agency deals
Ad Age’s Gillian Follett details how creators now take equity stakes, join agency creative teams, and sit on advisory boards shaping campaign strategy.