Thousands of layoffs could alter content investment, audience engagement, and advertising value.

Digital habits are converging across generations, but how consumers engage still varies by age. Video brings audiences together, while uneven AI adoption, shopping behaviors, and shifting priorities create new challenges for brands.

In today’s podcast episode, we explore the three biggest questions surrounding Netflix: Will a new content chief turn around its programming fortunes? Which type of content is most likely to help the company gain and retain subscribers? And how significant is its downward revision of 2026 ad revenue expectations? Plus, more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes, and Daniel Konstantinovic, Senior Editor of our Marketing and Advertising Briefing, for the discussion. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Media habits remain decidedly regional even as short video, connected TV (CTV), and AI gain ground worldwide. Global media plans need to account for local differences in how audiences watch, play, search, and spend their time.

In Q4 2026, we analyzed 3,210 ChatGPT and 3,210 Google Gemini recommendations across eight media and entertainment categories to compile the AI Visibility Index.

AI-generated recommendations are reshaping how consumers discover media and entertainment services. Brand visibility remains competitive, but frequent mentions don't always translate into top recommendations.

Lower engagement and a $300M ad revenue shortfall give marketers reason to hold budgets steady.

Digital video is a mainstream habit in the UK, but viewing is fragmented across an expanding range of services. As the lines between TV, streaming, and social video blur, marketers face a more complex battle for audience attention.

Premium programming may help, but marketers must weigh the costs of incremental reach.

The latest data reveals where US digital markets are headed as ad spending concentrates in a few platforms, genAI search and AI-driven commerce move into the mainstream, and CTV takes over TV budgets.

Live sports is becoming a bigger part of streaming advertising, but reaching fans is no longer enough. As sports rights migrate to streaming platforms and advertisers gain access to new formats, brands are under pressure to demonstrate that their investments are influencing consumers, not simply generating impressions. For Amazon, that means expanding its sports portfolio, attracting advertisers that traditionally haven't invested in sports, and developing ad experiences that complement the action rather than interrupt it.

YouTube is converging social media, streaming TV, digital audio, and product discovery in one platform. But how audiences use it depends on who is watching.​

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount finally settled their antitrust lawsuit in September 2026 and will become “WarnerMount.” What effects will the merger have on the entertainment industry?

Wider access could bring more clutter and ad fatigue, making creative rotation critical to performance. Read

Vertical video has moved from social-feed novelty to full-funnel engagement infrastructure for streaming services and social commerce platforms. Vertical video's expansion beyond social feeds into streaming apps and shoppable commerce has made it a standard format in the competition for attention. That opportunity also brings considerable challenges.

Asia-Pacific remains the world's largest subscription OTT market by viewers, but countries are divided into three camps: emerging markets, developed ones still building audiences, and mature ones focused on profitability and content quality.

Bite-sized news could attract younger audiences while creating fresh ad inventory, including local placements.

AI is gaining influence over what consumers discover and consider long before it commands a meaningful share of the digital economy. But existing advantages in reaching consumers, earning trust, and driving transactions still matter.

US households spent an average of 3.5 hours a day on Netflix in June 2026, up from 3.1 hours in March and ahead of every rival service, according to a June survey from Comscore.

Football is commanding more media budgets as premium ad inventory gets pricier and college sponsorship options expand. Now, brands face a widening trade-off between its unmatched reach and rising ad costs.