YouTube creators are becoming media companies in their own right, argues Nic Paul, co-founder and president of Spotter. In an interview, Paul said top creators now operate like TV networks—producing serialized, appointment-style content that builds audience loyalty and predictable viewership. Spotter’s own data shows 78% of creator watch time now happens on connected TVs, blurring the line between streaming and social. For advertisers, that means treating creator content as premium media, not influencer collateral. “The click is gone,” Paul said. “It’s about engagement, completion, and fandom.” Brands that adapt fastest will win the next era of audience attention.
Linear TV and streaming have mastered how to present ad products alongside their top talent to win marketing dollars, and more audio players are following suit. On Monday, SiriusXM hosted “Built with Audio,” an upfront-style showcase scheduled around Advertising Week New York that packaged talent interviews and performances with executive presentations tailored to an audience of marketers.
Linear TV ad spending grew in Q3 despite total TV ad impressions declining, per iSpot data. Ad spend increased 4% YoY, reaching $8.77 billion—but total impressions fell 2.7% to 1.67 trillion. Total ad minutes rose 2.4% YoY to 5.3 million, driven by the rise of sports inventory. Marketers must understand that a successful ad strategy requires a balance— investing in linear to drive outcomes while slowly shifting toward CTV for better targeting and to align with audience viewing habits.
Novo Nordisk lost its federal appeals court challenge of the prescription drug price negotiation program in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) prescription drug price negotiation program, which could open the door for even more price checks. We see a path where the current administration revamps, or simply rebrands, IRA price negotiations as CMS negotiations to save taxpayer money and help consumers. Brands under pressure to drop prices through the IRA and executive orders should continue those good–faith efforts but also encourage the administration to put the same pressure on insurance companies and pharmaceutical benefit managers to lower healthcare costs.
Entertainment brands are partnering with influencers to drive engagement with Hollywood properties, according to an Advertising Week New York panel of film and TV industry leaders and creators. While partnering with creators for Hollywood productions is especially important amid volatile box office revenues struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, the panel’s insights stretch to all marketers working with influencers.
This sponsored article by Nielsen explores how advertising intelligence helps marketers close measurement gaps.
The number of video streaming services that users subscribe to is rebounding after a weak 2024, per TiVo’s Q2 2025 Video Trends, marking the sector’s resilience. A primary catalyst for that growth? Bundles. Consumers in the US and Canada paid for an average of seven video streaming services in Q2 2025, up from just five in Q2 2024. The fragmented network of streaming services means brands need to prioritize content type and context, not specific streamers, to best reach audiences. Collecting metadata on content’s genre, tone, and mood could help marketers best align placements with audience intent and emotion.
At Advertising Week New York 2025, Paramount announced Streaming Fixed Units, an update to its ad offerings for Paramount+ that gives brands premium, fixed ad placements for the debut week of episodes for Paramount series. Brands can leverage Paramount’s newest offering to take advantage of cultural moments, increasing the chances that streaming ads will connect at the right time—but should consider that other platforms with bigger audiences could also tap into this shift more effectively.
Connected TV (CTV) ad spending is a key focus for most marketers, but a substantial confidence gap persists. Over half (52%) of US technology, financial services, retail, and healthcare brands have shifted at least one-quarter of their paid media budgets to CTV in the past three years, per Gracenote. Despite that change, 32% of US brand and agency executives say their CTV advertising is not very effective. By boosting focus on channel-level contextual targeting and integrating metadata, marketers can ensure ads appear alongside relevant programming—like sports events, entertainment genres, or family-friendly shows—improving resonance and reach.
Paramount is betting on creator credibility to rebuild trust in mainstream news. The company’s $150 million acquisition of The Free Press brings its founder, Bari Weiss, to CBS News as editor-in-chief—an unprecedented crossover between creator-led media and legacy broadcasting. Weiss’s Substack-born outlet, with 1.5 million subscribers, will remain independent while lending its audience trust to Paramount’s broader news portfolio. The move reflects a growing convergence between individual-led journalism and traditional networks struggling to regain public confidence. Success will hinge on whether CBS and The Free Press can balance editorial independence with corporate oversight while preserving the authenticity audiences value most.
ICEBlock, an app that allowed users to flag US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, was taken down from Apple’s App Store after the Trump administration pressed for its removal, per The New York Times. This push for compliance is exemplified by the TikTok ban threat in the US. Even though the ban didn’t materialize, it showed how government pressure can reshape platform access overnight. And if a company takes a stance that appears to favor one political side, the fallout can be far-reaching, not just for the platform but for every brand inside its walls.
Trust in news media is at a record low in the US, with just 28% of Americans across age groups and party affiliations showing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in television, radio, and newspapers to report news fully, fairly, and accurately, per Gallup. Creating content that aligns with core audience values will be critical to sustain advertising success as consumer trust in media declines.
Xbox plans to add a free ad-supported tier to its Xbox gaming subscriptions, per The Verge. Employees currently have access to testing ahead of a public beta. Test features include two minutes of pre-roll ads before gamers gain access to Xbox Cloud Gaming and a one-hour time limit per session. Nearly half (46%) of gamers often make purchases based on in-game ads. Marketers should focus on influencer-led campaigns that play up gaming and personalization. If ads feel more like a buddy joining them in the living room rather than an interruption, gamers are less likely to be irritated.
At Advertising Week New York, creators are no longer side players—they’re center stage. Global president Ruth Mortimer told EMARKETER that influencers now operate as media channels in their own right, shaping programming with four dedicated tracks, a creator lounge, and even an Adobe-backed live pitch where creators can secure $25,000 contracts on stage. As creators revive entertainment formats and build their own businesses, brands should view them as long-term partners driving cultural relevance—not just campaign amplifiers.
The subscription economy is on track to surge 67% over the next five years, reaching $1.2 trillion globally by 2030, according to Juniper Research. Digital video subscriptions lead the way and account for more than a third of all spending. The subscription model is scaling, but trust is fragile. With large shares of consumers across markets feeling they pay too much, retention will define the next growth phase. Retention must be part of the design from the start—transparent pricing and policies, simple cancellation or tier-change processes, and clear, distinct benefits—so subscriptions become habits, not burdens.
YouTube TV is in a dicey position after it lost access to Univision networks and reached a temporary extension with NBCUniversal as a total blackout looms. Brands should prepare for fragmentation and adapt accordingly. Looking to CTV and OTT platforms with more stable sports offerings—like Prime Video and its 11-year deal with the NBA and WNBA—will provide a cushion amid uncertainty.
Apple is scrapping plans for a next-gen Vision Pro in favor of developing its own smart glasses to compete with Ray-Ban Meta and others. The glasses will “rely heavily” on voice interaction and AI, per Bloomberg—two areas where Apple has been slow to innovate. With Meta already pushing smart glasses, brands that delay adapting risk falling behind in this emerging medium. As input shifts from screen tapping or gestures to voice, marketers need to ensure their brands sound natural in conversational AI environments and that website data is optimized for voice SEO and consistent brand tone.
The majority (70%) of US adults do not trust health information coming from President Donald Trump, according to June 2025 data from Ipsos and Axios.
The news: The latest actress generating buzz across Hollywood isn’t real. “Tilly Norwood,” an AI-generated persona created by Particle6, drew sharp critiques from Hollywood personalities and unions. Our take: Consumers still report a deep distrust of AI influencers. For now, partnering with corporeal influencers is the safer path for most brands.
Spotify announced updates to its advertising offerings on Wednesday, expanding access to its inventory and enhancing its addressability capabilities for programmatic buyers through several new partnerships via Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX). Spotify’s new features are showing the company’s dedication to improvement, warranting experimentation for brands who are hesitant to leverage evolving resources.