Fox is acquiring streaming platform Roku for $22 billion, creating what analysts call the third-largest player in US streaming by share of viewing. The deal gives Fox direct access to Roku's 100 million households worldwide and positions the combined entity to dominate the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) market. "For Fox it really jumpstarts their digital ad revenues," said our analyst Ross Benes on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers." "Fox is still mostly a legacy company, and what they do have for streaming has largely been acquired, such as Tubi."

38.3% of US digital shoppers have never used virtual or augmented reality to shop and aren't interested in trying it, making outright rejection the single most common response, according to a February survey from Bizrate Insights and EMARKETER.

Kroger is betting that organizational alignment and retail intelligence will transform how brands approach growth strategies, moving beyond siloed advertising campaigns to create sustainable, category-expanding partnerships. "It's more than most publishers or most in kind of a media-focused world are gonna be focused on, you know, the next impression," said Christine Foster, group vice president of commercial strategy and operations at Kroger Precision Marketing, in a conversation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. "For us, it really is about that next sale."