Hot List: 10 Exclusives And News Round Up
"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
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]
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]
