FIFA rights draw bidders: Netflix, Disney, and YouTube weigh $1.5B+ World Cup bids as tougher US kickoff times cloud the investment.
Time spent on Netflix is crawling: Show viewership plummets during second seasons, and other video offerings aren’t driving attention.
Sky builds TV scale: An ITV deal creates a UK ad powerhouse as legacy TV seeks scale while streaming draws viewers and ad budgets.
Entertainment apps hold attention: App sessions hit a period high while music apps lost engagement, reflecting consumers' preference for active media.
UK review could alter the Paramount-WBD deal: Regulators may force asset sales, weakening the merger’s streaming and CTV ad advantages.
Media splits test marketers: Comcast and NBCU’s breakup could alter premium video buying, putting upfronts and bundles under scrutiny.
Disney’s AI ad tool: Disney opens AI-powered TV ad creation to smaller brands as disclosure emerges as a trust advantage.
One voice, global reach: McConaughey's cloned voice speaks six languages, turning a single ad into a World Cup-scale campaign.
Live sports keep delivering: But record audiences and billions of ad impressions are making premium rights harder to secure—and costlier.
Reddit's entertainment edge: Reddit turns fandom into measurable ROI, delivering results from discovery through retention.
Paramount-WBD deal is official: DOJ approval sets the stage for a mega-merger that will impact advertisers.
CBS upheaval clouds merger math: 60 Minutes exits and Colbert’s end add brand risk to Paramount-WBD talks.
In today’s podcast episode, we explore what happens when social media moves from our phones to our living room TV screens, what to make of Meta’s new “Instagram for TV” app, and which formats social media companies might develop beyond short-form video to capture TV audiences. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with analysts Marisa Jones and Emmy Liederman. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.
Podcast ad budgets tilt toward brand building: 63% of Q1 spend went toward brand awareness, as marketers trade quick conversions for long-term equity.
BuzzFeed plots YouTube rival: Incoming CEO and majority owner Byron Allen, bets free streaming can revive BuzzFeed, but scale favors YouTube.
Paramount-WBD merger tests regulators: DOJ appears receptive, yet state officials and 5,000 creatives warn of fewer jobs and pricier content.
James Murdoch will buy New York Magazine, half of Vox Media: The $300 million deal is spotlighting consolidation in digital media.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss three big questions surrounding Spotify right now: Why has the audio giant’s ad revenue stalled? What would a Spotify lifestyle app look like? Has Spotify solved the AI problem by adding “Verified” badges to distinguish human artists from AI-generated ones? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Editor of our Marketing and Advertising Briefing, Daniel Konstantinovic. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Gen Z ditches discs but won’t wed a streamer: Young viewers skip physical media, yet bounce between platforms for must-see titles.
WBD adds AI to calm merger jitters: Unified metrics and contextual creative tools promise relevance as deal questions linger.