As we enter the age of AI and its unwavering impact on content creation, search and discovery, Kiara Ferreira and Venelize de Lange from media update explore an economic problem posing as a technical controversy.

I keep hearing the same question from clients and creators. "Should my podcast be video now?" My honest answer in 2026 is irritatingly unhelpful. Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Sometimes you should run away from video like it is a WhatsApp group with 300 unread messages, says Hendrik Baird, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Baird Media.

The global Art Directors Club has announced an exclusive partnership with Dreamina AI, part of ByteDance, for the inaugural free ADC AI Visual Design-Dreamina AI category dedicated to honouring the frontier of generative craft in this year's ADC 105^th Annual Awards. 

WARC's latest 2026 forecast has shown that global advertising spend is forecast to grow 9.1% in 2026 to USD$1.30-trillion, doubling in size since the pandemic and equivalent to USD$150 spent on every person.

In saturated and highly competitive categories, many brands have a similar problem: audiences may remember an advert, but not the brand behind it. 

The global Art Directors Club, part of The One Club for Creativity, has announced the diverse group of 28 talented young individuals and four creative teams based in eight countries who are the winners in the prestigious ADC Young Guns 23 competition, celebrating global creative professionals age 30 or younger.

Africa.com has announced a new partnership with Global South World (GSW), a broadscasting platform aimed at reporting and elevating voices from rising nations across the globe.

Viu, one of PCCW's video streaming services, has announced an expansion of its content offering with the launch of Viu Shorts, a new vertical video section available on the Viu mobile app.

How can South African creators turn creativity into sustainable careers? media update's Venelize de Lange continues the conversation with Bianca Sibiya, unpacking where income, influence and new creative opportunities are emerging.

'Red Bull Zero Excuses' — 'Ampli5d' by 5FM — has announced that it is launching in South Africa, inviting participants to choose any fitness activity and turn it into a lasting habit over 21 days.