Weekly Roundup – January 13th, 2026
Roundup Links
CES 2026: Audio, innovation and a defining moment for radio in the car
"CES 2026 made one thing clear: innovation in audio and the in-car experience is accelerating fast. Across the show, advances in AI, user interfaces and voice point toward a car where audio is no longer peripheral, but central to the overall experience. Although it will have to fight for prominence with other entertainment sources such as video
As vehicles become more software-defined and AI-powered, audio has a big opportunity to deliver a quality user experience. With that comes high expectations: audio in the car must be instant, reliable and consistently high quality."
Our Take: This comes from Radioplayer, so they clearly have skin in the game, but it is still solid food for thought for broadcasters. CES 2026 is another reminder that in-car audio is evolving quickly, especially around voice and AI, and it is worth keeping an eye on how listeners may be discovering audio in new ways. At the same time, it is a good moment to remember radio’s real advantage in the car is not technology, but local content, live voices, and relevance that algorithms cannot replicate. The tech will keep changing, but radio’s value still comes from being connected to the community.
Nikki Glaser Podcast Intro at the Golden Globes (YouTube)
Our Take: Nikki Glaser’s pre-recorded introduction to the new Podcast Awards at the Golden Globes felt very on-point for podcast listeners, and refreshingly willing to poke fun at the medium itself. She touched on some of the industry’s real pain points: ad skipping, awkward ad placement, and conversations that can drift into the inane. While we genuinely love listening to and working with podcasts, it was nice to see a moment of self-effacing humor that acknowledged the flaws without taking itself too seriously.
CES 2026: Samsung panel examines FAST growth and impact on streaming ecosystem
"...Panelists discussed how shifting consumer preferences, increasing subscription fatigue and fragmented content platforms are creating demand for simplified viewing models. Brodsky said Samsung TV Plus aims to combine the familiarity of linear television with the benefits of digital distribution.
“Our goal with Samsung TV Plus is to simplify television again and combine the power of linear discovery with a modern, connected experience that feels effortless, curated and truly valuable,” Brodsky said.
Panelists said FAST complements, rather than replaces, traditional and subscription-based models.
They also emphasized its scalability for delivering proven content to wider audiences. Casino said NBCUniversal continues to see performance across distribution platforms when it brings its library content to FAST."
Our Take: Reading this FAST panel recap feels a bit like being told “don’t worry, we’re not replacing you” while everyone quietly rearranges the furniture. The panel frames FAST as a complement to linear TV, leaning hard on familiar ideas like scheduled viewing, lean-back discovery, and live programming which should sound very familiar to broadcast veterans. The subtext is that the industry is rediscovering why linear worked in the first place, just with different pipes and ad tech. Linear may not be the cool new thing at CES, but a lot of the FAST playbook looks suspiciously like broadcast TV in more comfortable clothes.
Why cookware brand HexClad is sitting out of the Super Bowl for a broader field
"Any advertisers who want in on this year’s Super Bowl better be ready to cough up $8 million — and that’s just for the 30-second unit on NBCU itself. As one of the last bastions of monocultural moments in the U.S., demand for the Big Game has skyrocketed and inventory sold out last September.
“It’s a bet — like, a large financial bet,” said Kerry McKibbin, president and partner at Mischief @ No Fixed Address, an independent creative advertising agency, adding, “So many CMOs’ budgets are strapped. It’s a calculated or strategic bet for them.”
Some advertisers like HexClad cookware brand, are sitting this Super Bowl out. Aside from sharing recipes and past imagery for a small retention and social campaign, HexClad won’t activate around the Big Game this year, said Matt Duckor, head of content at HexClad."
Our Take: From a sports rights perspective, this article quietly shows how consolidation and streaming distribution are changing who gets to play in sports marketing. HexClad is not rejecting sports. It is rejecting the Super Bowl in favor of a broader, more flexible set of sports buys that are now accessible to brands. The interesting shift is not just streaming, but the fact that college sports and other live properties are becoming viable alternatives to one massive broadcast bet.
Music Is Coming Back to MTV As Paramount is Hoping to Save MTV By Going Back To Its Roots
"In a bold move to resurrect a faded cultural icon, Paramount’s chief executive, David Ellison, is pushing forward with plans to revitalize MTV by steering it back toward its musical roots. Recent discussions with leading corporations and key players in the music sector suggest that strategic alliances, potentially involving financial investments in the brand, are on the table. These partnerships could unlock broader access to music catalogs and talent, breathing new life into a network that once defined youth culture through its innovative blend of visuals and sound, according to Bloomberg.
MTV burst onto the scene 45 years ago, kicking off with a prophetic music video that signaled a shift in how audiences consumed entertainment. The channel quickly established itself as the premier destination for music on television, pioneering the music video format and filling its schedule with related content that captivated generations. For years, it served as a launchpad for artists and a mirror to emerging trends, influencing everything from fashion to social norms.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape has dramatically changed. Music videos continue to thrive in popularity, but their primary platforms have migrated online to services like YouTube, with secondary homes on TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Meanwhile, MTV has evolved into a hub for reality programming, featuring long-running series centered on dramatic interpersonal dynamics and humorous mishaps."
Our Take: Paramount is talking about bringing music back to MTV and leaning into the network’s original identity as a music video and culture hub after years of reality-heavy programming and the shutdown of its music channels overseas. We think this could be a very neat idea. Gen Z loves millennial video content — they binge Friends and Gilmore Girls — and might go ga-ga for a refreshed music video network if it leans into a retro sensibility that still feels current. There is a real appetite for a centralized entertainment hub, something beyond the scattered feeds of socials, the web, and different streaming apps, especially for young music listeners who are tired of endless scrolling and want to be told what’s cool and what’s not. But MTV will have to be pretty damn nimble to pull this off in a way that honors legacy while feeling fresh.
Judge Details Why Nielsen’s Ratings Pricing Likely Crosses Antitrust Line.
"A federal judge is laying out in detail when she granted an early victory to Cumulus Media in its antitrust battle with Nielsen, blocking the ratings company from enforcing its disputed “Network Policy” and imposing a court-ordered pricing guardrail on Nielsen’s nationwide radio ratings while the case moves forward.
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A key theme in the opinion is coercion. Vargas says the record shows broadcasters were not meaningfully free to buy national ratings without also purchasing local ratings in every market where they operate. Under the challenged policy, she notes, failure to subscribe locally resulted in holes in the national dataset — rendering it commercially unusable.
Even Nielsen’s later offer to sell national ratings as a standalone product failed to resolve the problem, since the offered price was 10-times more than what Cumulus was paying for nationwide data under its 2025 contract.
“Pricing a standalone product at a level that makes separate purchase economically infeasible may itself constitute coercion,” the judge writes, concluding the offered rate effectively forced buyers back into the bundled purchase."
Our Take: What feels different this week is that this is no longer just a broadcaster issue. The judge’s reasoning puts real scrutiny on the measurement foundation agencies rely on, and that introduces risk on their side too. When the accepted currency itself is being questioned, everyone in the ecosystem has to pay attention. This may not change buying behavior overnight, but it absolutely creates space for broader conversations about proof, outcomes, and alternatives to a single ratings system.
