the HOT List

TV viewership in the November interval was impacted primarily by sports, the presidential election and live streaming, all of which drove peak shares of TV for viewing categories each in separate weeks this month.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, believes taxpayer funding of "partisan government broadcasting" networks should be put to a stop. That's why he has introduced the "No Propaganda Act." But, is it more symbolic than a true threat to NPR, given the "Lame Duck" Congressional session that will conclude in one month?

It was the talk of the global ad world across Sunday and Monday, thanks to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Ahead of the Opening Bell for U.S. financial markets, official word came from the two companies that are giants in the marketing and creative space. A stock-for-stock transaction will make the deal happen.

How good was this year for U.S. media, inclusive of digital and social outlets? The non-cyclical growth rate was the best seen since 1999 when one excludes the post-pandemic rebound of 2021.

Madison and Wall media advertising expert Brian Wieser has great things to share about the remainder of 2024. "[Y]et again the industry produced a dramatic outperformance versus our (and, frankly, anyone else’s reasonable) expectations," he concludes. But, the end of the rainbow that was the past 12 months will be followed by gloomy skies for ad dollars, Wieser shares.

Forthcoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared Friday morning on "Squawk On The Street," a feature on CNBC that saw the successor-in-waiting to Jessica Rosenworcel discuss "some of his deregulatory plans, bias in tech and the media and how it could be addressed from the FCC."

The company helmed by CEO Bob Pittman and COO/CFO Rich Bressler seeks more time to repay its lenders by proposing to push out its repayment dates by at least three years — and by doing so at a noticeably higher interest rate. Now, iHeartMedia has announced a small extension of its exchange offers and consent solicitations for outstanding debt.

The nation's dominant audience measurement services provider is teaming up with TikTok "to unlock a cross-media view of ad campaign performance" inclusive of the app's stateside activity. The partnership comes amid ongoing national security concerns tied to TikTok, a Chinese operation.

While much optimism exists for 2025 — fueled by increased ad spend and emerging technologies — challenges abound. Kantar Media's just-released Media Trends & Predictions report seeks to illuminate the opportunities and challenges confronting the media and entertainment ecosystem in the coming year, and beyond.

A French technology company that has established itself as a digital television testing and video decoder compliance product provider is cheering the availability of the industry's first test suite for what will become Brazil's 'TV 3.0' digital terrestrial television broadcast system.

Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson participated on Tuesday morning at the BofA Securities’ Leveraged Finance Conference at the Boca Raton Resort and pulled no punches when it comes to broadcast radio's ongoing core revenue woes. As he shared with attendees, the broadcast business is in a slow, secular decline, with National never coming back. 

The world's top producer of Spanish-language media content is moving ahead with the implementation of what CEO Daniel Alegre calls "significant and necessary changes" — "all aimed at strengthening our position for 2025 and beyond." The changes are triggered, in part, by the decision of Jesus Lara to leave.

The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and the Broadcasters Foundation of America are blending holiday generosity with the chance to win extraordinary opportunities with a special silent auction that concludes on Giving Tuesday, which is December 3. Proceeds support both vital organizations with the Fantasy Gifts and Experiences for Good Auction.

According to a new analysis based on latest advertising spend data from 100 markets worldwide, plus projections of advertising investment patterns based on more than 2 million data points, some 22.1% of dollars spent on ads outside of China is paid to Google.

It presents itself as a faith-based network dedicated to spreading the word of Christ in an omnichannel way across the globe. Founded by Marcus Lamb in 1993, Daystar TV is now dealing with an ugly family feud of sorts — one that involves allegations of abuse from the founder's son, who has been ousted from the organization as a result of his claims.