The share of time spent with streaming continues to eat away at time spent with linear, per Samba’s Q4 2025 State of Streaming report. 60.7% of time spent with TV in August was with streaming platforms. Omnichannel strategies that incorporate both traditional and digital media will offer the best results in a highly fragmented market.
Global sports rights costs across streaming and TV will increase 20% by 2030, per an Ampere Analysis estimate. That growth will send the total cost of sports media rights to over $78 billion. Marketing around live sports is paramount because sporting events deliver reliable audiences and high ad effectiveness, especially on streaming platforms. Advertisers with tighter budgets might struggle as costs increase—but there are still opportunities to advertise around live sports without breaking budgets.
Warner Bros. Discovery has entered a pivotal stage in its takeover fight, with Netflix, Comcast, and Paramount Skydance submitting second-round bids and political forces shaping the odds. Comcast is preparing an offer near $27–$28 per share for WBD’s studio and streaming divisions—topping Paramount’s $25-per-share bid—while WBD CEO David Zaslav reportedly wants something closer to $30. Netflix faces new White House antitrust concerns, Comcast faces political hostility, and Paramount Skydance holds the most favorable political backing. The stakes are massive: whichever buyer prevails will redefine the balance of power across premium streaming, theatrical franchises, and high-value CTV inventory.
Two-thirds (65%) of marketing and advertising decision-makers worldwide worry about the suitability of their ad placements on social platforms, per DoubleVerify’s 2025 Global Insights report. Nearly half (46%) say their top challenge in social marketing is simply reaching target audiences. Brands should focus on specific consumer segments—such as hobby-based micro-communities or high-intent shoppers—and use AI to quickly adapt content for each group. To address brand safety, brands should use contextual targeting tools to place ads in suitable environments and track how changing algorithm controls on social media platforms affect visibility.
Consumers are turning toward social media and AI tools to guide their holiday shopping journeys, pulling influence away from traditional search and retail sites. Fifty-seven percent of US consumers plan to use social media for holiday shopping research and 39% plan to use AI for that task. Discovery is happening before consumers know what they want—inside social feeds and AI chats. To capture social shoppers, brands should diversify spend away from saturated platforms like Instagram and experiment with others, and invest in content partnerships that are visible in platform algorithms and increase user trust.
AI is playing a notable role in holiday shopping this year as consumers express comfort with AI-supported gifting and receiving. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of US adults would consider using genAI for holiday shopping this year, up from 11% last year, per HUMAN Security’s SantaGPT report. With AI becoming a trusted partner for stressful gift-buying moments like the holidays, marketers have the opportunity to frame AI features—including smart gift finders or on-site AI-powered shopping guides—as stress-reducing tools to streamline the shopping journey.
The US public and AI experts have diverging perspectives on how AI will reshape the job market over the next 20 years. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of US adults expect fewer jobs, and just 5% forecast more jobs, per Pew Research. However, only 39% of AI experts predict fewer jobs, and 19% expect the number of jobs to grow. Despite those projections, jobs may not simply disappear. Instead, a new class of workers will emerge. As businesses across sectors accelerate enterprise AI adoption, the goal should be focused on streamlining workflows around collaboration.
Generative AI is rapidly transforming how travelers plan and book trips, with usage climbing from 8% in 2023 to 24% this year and projected to reach 65% by next year. As tools like Google’s AI Mode and OpenAI’s Instant Checkout streamline itinerary building and booking, they introduce new price pressures for major travel platforms while consumers increasingly book directly with airlines, hotels, and rental companies. With many travelers still forming habits around AI, we believe travel brands have a prime opportunity to strengthen loyalty by integrating with leading platforms and offering seamless rewards across both direct and AI-assisted bookings.
Black Friday 2025 sales outperformed expectations as consumers, motivated by steep discounts, drove 4.1% retail growth and a 10.4% jump in ecommerce despite ongoing inflation pressures. Shoppers responded strongly to major deals across toys, electronics, apparel, and TVs, even as overall enthusiasm for the day slipped and higher prices weighed on order volumes. Mobile dominated online activity, BNPL usage grew, and genAI-powered shopping surged, boosting conversion rates for retailers using the technology. The results suggest consumers are cautious yet still willing to spend selectively, signaling a steadier holiday season than anticipated.
Retailers aren’t waiting for Black Friday to kick off their holiday campaigns. Since October 1, linear TV holiday ad spend reached $475.1 million, up 13.2% YoY, according to iSpot. Weekly spending has also climbed steadily, indicating brands are frontloading their budgets to capture demand across all of Q4.
US Bank offered cardholders exclusive discounts during its “Bonus Days,” per press release. Rewards include double cash back, double rewards at certain retailers, 10% off gift card purchases, and select discounts on merchandise, all activated and available through US Bank’s shopping portals and app. Slowly shifting consumers’ attention into banking and payment apps can open major new revenue streams for issuers. However, as these initiatives are piloted, issuers can’t lose consumers’ trust with their data.
Sezzle partnered with David’s Bridal, per a press release. Shoppers will be able to select Sezzle’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) financing at checkout in-store, with ecommerce solutions rolling out in the following weeks. Strategic partnerships will be critical to helping an underdog BNPL competitor capture volume. While BNPL firms are embracing partnerships with mobile wallets and POS providers to fast-track their acceptance networks, striking individual partnerships in largely untapped industries like wedding wear can be critical to gaining market share—especially while the biggest players compete in more concentrated industries like travel.
31.2% of consumers have used a mobile wallet in-store as of September—nearly triple the rate three years earlier, per PYMNTS Intelligence report. Apple Pay’s dominance is likely to stick for now, but its lead will narrow as PayPal, Cash App, and Google Pay strategies draw in more users. As wallet competition ramps up, features that help users manage more of their financial—and even non-financial—lives will help providers create stickier wallets that attract more volume. That includes subscription management services, order tracking, and interactive airline and event tickets.
The Trump administration announced lower Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs via the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The new prices will take effect starting January 1, 2027. The biggest hit will fall on pharma companies with drugs selected in both rounds of Medicare negotiations. Revenue impacts will vary depending on each product’s time on the market and how far the negotiated price falls below prior net sales after rebates and discounts. For the government, savings on these drugs will be significant, but broader program savings won’t materialize until far more than 25 drugs see price cuts.
OpenAI has refuted legal claims that ChatGPT is at fault for a teenager’s recent suicide. Scrutiny of AI tools being used for emotional and therapeutic support will only intensify. Both general-purpose platforms and specialized healthcare AI tools should proactively take action to impose age restrictions, automatically end sessions at the first sign of emotional distress, and clearly direct users to mental health resources when appropriate.
Novo Nordisk has applied for approval of a higher-dose version of its weight loss drug Wegovy using a special FDA review pathway for a faster decision. Novo’s move to introduce a higher-dose Wegovy shifts competitive expectations in the weight loss category in terms of speed and effectiveness, with over 20% weight loss becoming the new benchmark for success.
Two-thirds (65%) of pharma marketers are wary of AI use for creating regulatory filings, according to a new Klick Health and Momentum Events survey. While AI-assisted review is likely to become a standard part of regulatory workflows for both industry submissions and agency evaluations, human oversight will remain important.
33% of US restaurant diners discover promotions via email/newsletters and 32% via social media, according to a September 2025 survey from YouGov.