Universal Media, Inc.

09/04/2026

A federal judge ruled that Google will not have to divest its AdX advertising exchange despite finding the company illegally monopolized parts of the ad tech market. Instead, the court ordered a series of behavioral remedies designed to increase competition, rejecting the DOJ's request for a structural breakup.

Read more from The Current: https://bit.ly/4xE2I1F

The remedies decision in the Google ad tech monopoly case is here, and Google does not have to sell AdX.

09/03/2026

Major League Soccer is seeing strong post-World Cup momentum, with ticket sales up 62% and viewership increasing more than 40% after the tournament. Rather than treating the World Cup as a one-time spike, MLS says its strategy is to turn that excitement into lasting fan habits through a new international-style season calendar and more.

Read more from The Current: https://bit.ly/4gI8GHD

Major League Soccer viewership and ticket sales are on the rise after the World Cup. Now the league is working to appeal to both old and new fans.

08/19/2026

New research finds women's sports fans are highly engaged across television, streaming, and social media, making them an increasingly valuable audience for advertisers. The study highlights strong brand affinity, higher purchase influence, and growing connected TV consumption among fans.

The Current has more: https://bit.ly/4g71Ts7

New research reveals where and how the fastest-growing audience in sports engages content.

08/14/2026

Disney has already sold out its advertising inventory for Super Bowl LXI, more than six months before ESPN and ABC air the game in February 2027. The company secured commitments from 58 brands across 34 categories, including nine first-time Super Bowl advertisers, at rates reportedly approaching a record $10 million for some 30-second spots.

Read more from Sportico: https://bit.ly/4cvu6X7

In the lead-up to ABC's first Super Bowl since 2016 (and ESPN's first Super Bowl, period), marketers have snapped up all available in-game ad units.

08/12/2026

Large-screen devices accounted for 57% of U.S. open-programmatic connected TV ad spending in June, compared with 43% served on mobile phones, tablets, and other smaller screens, according to Pixalate. Amazon Fire TV led large-screen open-programmatic spending with a 30% share, followed by Roku at 18%, while reality programming and news attracted the largest portions of open-auction spending.

MediaPost has more: https://bit.ly/3TNqwBp

Open programmatic streaming ad buys are roughly 18% to 19% ($6 billion to $7.5 billion) of overall CTV ad spend - around $33.1 billion to $40.4 billion, according to industry estimates.

08/10/2026

Nielsen’s midyear streaming rankings show “Stranger Things” led all titles with 23.26 billion viewing minutes, followed by “Bluey” and “The Pitt.” Five titles surpassed 20 billion minutes during the first half of 2026, while streaming originals occupied three of the overall top 10 spots, up from just one a year earlier.

Read more from Nielsen: https://bit.ly/4qgR6in

‘Stranger Things’ Leads All Streaming Titles with 23.3 Billion Minutes in First Half of 2026 as Top 5...

08/04/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Grit & Gravitas podcast co-hosts Anne Carnathan (CEO of Universal Media, Inc.) and Anne Deeter-Gallaher (CEO of Deeter-Gallaher Group) on being named to the 2026 Central Penn Business Journal CPBJ 300.

This recognition honors influential leaders who are shaping the future of Central Pennsylvania through innovation, leadership, and service.

Congratulations to two outstanding leaders on this well-deserved honor!

08/03/2026

Congratulations to our CEO, Anne Carnathan, on being recognized in the 2026 CPBJ 300 by the Central Penn Business Journal!

The CPBJ 300 honors 300 of the most influential business leaders shaping Central Pennsylvania across 29 industries. Anne’s inclusion in the Communications category is a well-deserved recognition of her leadership, vision, and lasting impact on our clients, our team, and the communities we serve.

Please join us in congratulating Anne on this outstanding honor!

07/23/2026

Congratulations to our partners at Food City on the grand opening of their newest store in Athens, Alabama! UMI CEO Anne Carnathan was on location to join in the celebration.

This exciting milestone marks Food City’s 141st store overall and its 11th location in the great state of Alabama. It’s always inspiring to see a partner continue to grow while investing in new communities and creating exceptional experiences for shoppers.

We’re grateful to be part of Food City’s journey and look forward to celebrating many more successes together!

07/22/2026

The FCC is preparing to vote on replacing the decades-old national broadcast ownership cap with a new framework that could allow greater consolidation among television station owners. Supporters argue the changes would help broadcasters compete with digital platforms, while critics warn they could reduce local media diversity.

TVTechnology has more: https://bit.ly/4fA76au

Proposed new rules would adopt a case-by-case review that only authorizes deals that satisfy agency’s public interest review standard