"Why is there an audience that's 90% accurate at source when I get it from my data provider or I get it from my first-party sources, and then by the time it hits glass, it's 25 percent?" - Truthset Founder and CEO Scott McKinley
AI and Outcomes: Why AI Needs Governance Before It Needs Scale: Omnicom’s Ben Hovaness
YouTube Measurement Follies, Theater Chains Now Pro Paramount-Warner - Alan Wolk
What The Charter/Cox Merger Means For Local TV - Tim Hanlon
NEW PODCAST: AI Won't Replace Local Expertise—It Will Make It More Powerful
Tube Trends: Media Cuts Out Middle Man On Creator-Like Content - John Cassillo
Big Brains w/ Evan Shapiro and Truthset's Scott McKinley
Four Political Streaming Strategies Shaping The Record-Breaking 2026 Midterms - Patrick Charland
Sports Programming Growing Rapidly on FAST Channels, Gracenote Finds - Jon Lafayette
SAGE Says: Capital One’s Celebrity Formula Works — But Clarity Matters - Eleanor Semeraro
WNBA's Biggest Advertisers This Summer - John Cassillo
WEBINAR: Watching Smarter: A Deep Dive Into TiVo’s New Video Trends Report
The Most Powerful Screen In The Room - Alan Wolk
Walmart Boosts Full-Year Guidance Following 38% Ads Growth [Adweek]
TL;DR: Walmart's global ad revenue grew 38% in Q2, with Walmart Connect up 43% in the U.S. excluding VIZIO, helping drive total revenue to $187.9 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.81, beating estimates.
NBCU's Peacock tests SVOD membership rewards program [StreamTV Insider]
TL;DR: Peacock launched a beta membership program for a random group of Premium and Premium Plus subscribers, offering four reward categories including NBCU/Bravo shop discounts and a free Instacart Plus membership.
'We Can't Sell It Fast Enough': Amazon Gets Creative Amid Growing Women's Sports Demand [Adweek]
TL;DR: With demand for sports ad inventory so hot that some brands are getting iced out, Amazon Ads is getting creative with its women's sports offerings, backed by an 11-year Prime Video deal with the WNBA and multi-year NWSL rights.
Nielsen Makes New Bid to Capture ‘Co-Viewing’ as TV Season Approaches [Variety]
TL;DR: Nielsen will roll out wearable, smartwatch-like devices to its panelists to more passively and accurately capture "co-viewing" becoming part of official measurement currency as soon as September's new TV season.
ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC [Variety]
TL;DR: Disney's ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC, arguing the agency's early license-renewal review of its eight owned stations amounts to retaliation for editorial decisions, including coverage tied to Jimmy Kimmel and "The View."
Hot Links
- Study: 174 Billion Illegal Streams During FIFA World Cup 2026 [TVTech]
- VAB: Ads run during TV news influence purchasing decisions [The Desk]
- Why Nielsen Keeps Publishing 'The Gouge' [MediaPost]
- MS NOW will launch direct-to-consumer streaming service on Sept. 9 [Los Angeles Times]
- Paramount Requests $1.88 Billion Bond to Pay for Ticking Fees, Other Costs in WB Legal Battle [TheWrap]
- Nielsen unveils 'Local NFL Fandom Index' ranking fan avidity in each NFL market [Awful Announcing]
- Netflix leans into young adult dramas as YouTube threat grows [LA Times]
- Who could get the NBA’s streaming hub -- and how much it may cost [Sports Business Journal]
- Nielsen Executive Issues Caution Of Year-Over-Year Sports Viewership Gains To Come [Barrett Media]
- World Cup, NBA Finals Lift Broadcast Viewership to 19.8% in June [The Wrap]
- Publicis Groupe, 3 Arts Sports, Travis Kelce Launch Venture to Help Advertisers Strike Deals With College Athletes [Variety]
- Peacock Raises Prices Across All Plans, NBCU’s Fourth Increase in Four Years [Variety]
- What will TV look like in three years? Media insiders share their predictions [CNBC]
Hanlon’s Local Links
- Disney-owned ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC - Lillian Rizzo [CNBC]
- ABC Says Intimidation By Trump's FCC Forced Programming Changes - Dawn Chmielewski and David Shepardson [Reuters]
- Nexstar Begins Replacing TEGNA Board After Judge Says Structure Violated Injunction - Matthew Keys [TheDesk]
- Local TV’s Unique Window Of M&A Opportunity - Janet Stilson [TVNewsCheck]
- In Scripps’ ‘Refounding,’ A Paradigm Shift To Consumer Centricity - Tom Sly [TVNewsCheck]
- ARF DASH: Nearly A Third Of U.S. Homes Get TV Only Via Streaming - Wayne Friedman [MediaPost/Television News Daily]
- Axios Wants to Save Local News with AI - Issie Lapowsky [Columbia Journalism Review]
