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NBCUniversal’s Peacock reduced losses to $217 million in Q3 compared with $436 million in 2024, but struggled to boost revenues and attract new subscribers—raising questions about the platform’s advertising value. Peacock shows potential for the future as it works to build its portfolio and partnerships beyond live sports—but stagnant subscriber growth for two quarters means brands should remain cautious.
Fraudulent streaming is siphoning royalties from human artists, complicating ad targeting for marketers, and leading consumers to listen to AI-generated music without their knowledge. Fraudulent genAI content can degrade users’ streaming experience and make it harder for advertisers to accurately plan campaigns since they may not know what user data is legitimate, Inna Vasilyeva said. With data quality and trust serving as major elements of campaign deployment and optimization, brands must demand transparency from streaming platforms and prioritize verified ad inventory.
Netflix is reportedly exploring an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)’s studio and streaming operations—its boldest move yet to consolidate the streaming market. The deal would include HBO, Warner Bros. Pictures, and HBO Max but exclude cable properties. For Netflix, the acquisition would supercharge its ad-supported tier with premium, long-tail content, expanding both viewership and inventory. The potential combination of HBO’s prestige programming and Netflix’s data-driven ad platform could redefine connected TV advertising, pressuring rivals like Disney+ and Peacock. If successful, the merger would mark streaming’s biggest consolidation since Amazon’s MGM purchase—and a new era for premium video.
Ad-supported and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) are surging in popularity—what started as low-cost, complementary streaming options are becoming primary destinations for discovery. Total US hours spent watching FAST services reached 1.8 billion in August, per Comscore’s 2025 State of Streaming report, up 43% YoY. Advertisers should view FAST and ad-supported streaming options as a crucial part of the CTV media mix, tapping into rising demand for budget viewing options and the services’ wealth of user engagement data for campaign optimization.
Sell-side company Magnite announced a private marketplace in collaboration with ITN on Thursday that will enable programmatic access to local linear TV, representing a new milestone in linear. The private marketplace represents a new opportunity in linear that helps reignite its relevance for brands. Automation helps modernize linear programmatic advertising, delivering the same efficiency capabilities that are standard in digital.
Most video game players treasure the end of the year, both to splurge on their favorite hobby and to spend more time in-game.
YouTube is reorganizing staff within its product teams, which won’t directly involve eliminating any roles, per Business Insider. Starting November 5, those teams will fall into three categories with distinct priorities. At the same time, the company implemented a “voluntary exit program” with severance offers for US employees. YouTube’s now-separate product segments could open up new pathways for TV ads and influencer marketing, and brands should watch for how these siloed divisions could change campaign development and ad placement, and whether outreach with YouTube will become more complicated.
Samsung Ads and AdGood have launched a partnership enabling nonprofits to advertise on connected TV for the first time at scale. Samsung will donate ad inventory from its free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, to AdGood’s nonprofit exchange, allowing mission-driven organizations to reach viewers across premium streaming environments. The initiative reflects a broader shift in the CTV ecosystem—where unused inventory and automation are being repurposed to advance social impact, equity, and accessibility in digital media.
Hulu + Live TV and Fubo have struck a deal that will see the streaming platforms merge into a live TV streaming business after initially announcing an acquisition in January. Brands will benefit from access to growing subscribers and vast sports audiences that increasingly embrace digital, as the platforms combine scale with innovative ad formats.
Streaming ad revenues continued a growth trajectory in Q3 while national linear TV spend shrunk, per a recent MoffetNathanson Research forecast. A successful advertising strategy will understand the increasing need to invest in cross-platform campaigns in the digital age.
Spotify is boosting its visual offerings for the big screen with a revamped Apple TV app. Users can now watch music videos and video podcasts on their TVs and get AI DJ recommendations, smarter queue management, a redesigned UX built for tvOS, and remote control via Spotify Connect, per 9to5Mac. As Spotify expands its CTV and broader media consumption offerings, it’s making a bid to claim more space on the biggest screen in the home. CMOs should start building CTV campaigns that merge Spotify’s audio precision with the reach and impact of video.
Paramount+ is entering a new stage—less about rapid subscriber growth and more about profitability. We forecast US monthly viewers will rise to 103.5 million by 2029, but subscription revenue growth will decelerate to 6.4% by 2026. Advertising, however, is on the upswing, with revenues expected to hit $611.5 million by 2027 as hybrid tiers gain traction. Yet the departure of Taylor Sheridan, the creative force behind Yellowstone and Tulsa King, leaves a gap in Paramount’s prestige pipeline.
Streaming music is gaining momentum as radio starts to lose share in the ad-supported audio listening market. Fifteen percent of audio listening time goes to ad-supported streaming audio, per Nielsen’s The Record report, up 36.4% YoY. Radio’s share dropped 5 percentage points YoY to 62%. Marketers should diversify audio spend by incrementally shifting dollars from radio to streaming to follow the ears as listening time shifts platforms. Test creative formats like interactive audio—including shoppable ads or tap-to-engage spots—to boost engagement and brand recall.
OpenAI will reportedly expand its portfolio to include genAI music tools, per The Information. The company is said to be collecting data, such as annotated music scores, from Juilliard School students to develop and refine upcoming music-generation tools. CMOs should assess their tech infrastructure to ensure that teams have the skills and systems to integrate new AI tools smoothly. Maintain agency relationships amid AI-generated audio experimentation to keep human creativity in the loop and retain oversight as AI adoption heats up.
YouTube TV could lose access to Disney networks October 30, including ESPN, Disney Channel, and ABC, as Google and Disney enter a deal-renewal standoff. YouTube TV will become an increasingly risky investment for advertisers if a deal is not reached by the deadline, especially as advertisers turn to sports as a key channel to reach vast audiences but struggle with sports rights fragmentation.
The connected TV (CTV) landscape is evolving rapidly from an exclusive channel to a democratized medium that drives action for brands of all sizes. In a conversation with EMARKETER, Mike Laband, group SVP of revenue at Magnite, shared his insights on democratization, how Magnite is investing in innovation, and where CTV ad formats are headed. Marketers who ride the wave of CTV innovation will be best positioned to succeed as the medium becomes heavily saturated with ads.
The oldest members of Gen Alpha are highly connected to technology and wield $28 billion in spending power, per Numerator. Half of US 15- and 16-year-olds own multiple devices, giving them access to the internet wherever they are, according to 1,000 Gen Alpha parents surveyed by Attest. The vast majority (92%) have a smartphone. To reach the next generation of shoppers, marketers should be just as internet-savvy as they are and focus on digital content. Build creator and influencer partnerships, and ensure gaming ads are contextually driven and don't interfere with gameplay.