Major agency networks like WPP and Dentsu stepped back from The Trade Desk’s OpenPath some weeks ago due to concerns about cost transparency, e4m reports. This is now seen as part of “a broader churn” within the programmatic industry. While free for advertisers and agencies, publishers usually pay a 5% fee for OpenPath tied to a share of advertiser spend, the report continues. An agency head alleged there were premiums "in certain cases, prompting a reassessment of spending levels.” But Rahul Kapoor, vice president of partnerships for The Trade Desk, denied there are any hidden costs.  

KC Global Media Distribution has acquired global rights to Eat With Xiami, a culinary travel series streaming on China’s Bilibili platform, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The series features 11 22-minute episodes on Chinese cuisine, and will be available in English and Mandarin. The agreement was announced on Tuesday at Filmart Asia’s content market in Hong Kong.

The Ellison family’s growing media empire is being publicly celebrated by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the administration reviews Paramount Skydance’s deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN, The Washington Post reports. “The Ellison family, two great people, great people,” Trump said on Monday. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Hegseth said when blasting CNN’s war coverage. 

Meta is accelerating its shift of in-stream advertising labels from “Sponsored to Ad,” Social Media Today reports. Instagram has already changed its labeling to “Ad.” However, “ad” is smaller and may be harder for users to note as they scroll through the feed. Meta states: ““We are replacing the ‘sponsored’ label with ‘ad’ on Instagram, maintaining our commitment to users for ad transparency while delivering a cleaner, simpler experience.”

Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson asserted that the $9.8 million net loss reported by the firm for 2025 tells the wrong story, Radio Ink reports. “By now, it should be very clear that Townsquare has transformed from a legacy broadcast company into a digital-first local media company,” Wilson said in a Monday morning earnings call. Last year, 55% of total net revenue came from digital, up from 52% in 2024, and digital businesses generated 56% of total segment profit, versus 50% in the prior year. However, the firm suffered a 45% drop in unique visitors as Google search referrals declined. 

The fastest-growing entertainment format in America is microdramas, one-minute stories that appear on  ReelShort, DramaBox, and TikTok’s new PineDrama, Quartz reports.  Microdramas, which originated in China, drove in-app revenue of nearly $3 billion last year -- a 115% increase YoY, according to Sensor Tower. Globally, they generated $11 billion, with the U.S. second only to China. 

Pope Leo called on media to focus on the suffering caused by war and to avoid being a “megaphone” for propaganda, Reuters reports. The pontiff, speaking with Italian broadcasters on Monday, urged reporters "to show the face of war and tell it through the eyes of the victims, so as not to turn it into a video game.”

A publication titled Now Voyager has debuted, offering for $29 “an art object version of Foreign Affairs,” The New York Times reported on Friday. The nonprofit publication will appear six times per year. The opening issue contains a 22,000-word story on a woman kidnapped by a drug cartel, a probe into the abduction of 60 Ukrainian orphans, and reports from a variety of world capitals. 

President Donald Trump issued a Truth Social post on Sunday, supporting FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s threat to revoke broadcast licenses over perceived negative news coverage of the Iran war, The Washington Post reports. “They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings," Trump wrote.  

Telegraph staffers said they were “optimistic,” “enthusiastic” and “cautiously pleased” after meeting their potential new owner, German publisher Axel Springer, earlier this week, The Guardian reports. This follows a three-year takeover battle. The staff feels that Axel Springer and its boss Mathias Döpfner are enthusiastic about news and that. this is “the best possible outcome.”