Microdrama audience growth in China is slowing, but the industry’s biggest opportunity is just beginning. AI, premium storytelling, and branded content are transforming the format into a serious media and marketing platform.

Microdramas have moved from a Chinese app phenomenon to a mainstream US media habit. This FAQ covers what microdramas are, how big the market is, and where the advertising opportunities sit in 2026.

Facebook tries to close its creator gap: AI Creator Studio tackles weak creator tools as its US influencer spending share keeps slipping.

For years, AliExpress has competed in the US largely on one promise: low prices. But its recent Summer Sale suggested the company is looking to broaden that proposition.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss the most interesting conversations we expect to hear at Cannes this year: how brands can stay true to their values while operating at a global scale, why marketers should stop advertising and start entertaining, and why you should (perhaps) stop listening to the customer in order to build a brand that lasts forever. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analysts Nate Elliott and Max Willens. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

CTV has sizable and growing media time in Canada, but ad spending still lags. As viewing habits shift across digital channels, marketers face growing pressure to realign budgets before attention moves further ahead of investment.

Sports has long been the go-to for high-intent connected TV (CTV) audiences, but that strategy is starting to plateau. Lifestyle content is emerging as a more consistent driver of engagement, attention, and purchase behavior.

The systems measuring behavior record steady progression, but people don’t always move in straight lines. As customer activity becomes more fragmented, the gap between measured growth and reality is getting harder to ignore.

OpenX pipes TVision panel data into bids, favoring verified engagement over cheap reach.

57% of ad buyers will prioritize creator ads in 2026—but success will be driven by repeat partnerships with genuine brand advocates.

Creator partnerships are increasingly a necessity for driving strong marketing results, according to a TikTok report on influencer-led campaigns. Even as influencer marketing proves its value, consumers are becoming more inundated with influencer ads. This makes it paramount that advertisers tailor their strategies for the best results as the influencer marketing space becomes highly saturated.

CMOs are confronting AI fatigue by refocusing on human creativity and trust. As automation accelerates, leaders are rebalancing efficiency with authenticity to restore credibility and performance.

The advertising industry is moving from “opportunity to see” to “proof of impact.” The new IAB and MRC Attention Measurement Guidelines formalize a shift long visible in audience behavior in which people respond to what they feel, not what they scroll past, per MarTech. Attention standards raise the bar so it’s no longer enough for an ad to be seen—it needs to elicit an emotional response. Brands targeting specific demographics should design creative around their emotional triggers, measure attention as a quality metric, and build media plans that prioritize resonance over reach.

Connected TV (CTV) engagement is growing steadily, with engagement per impression reaching 1.94% in Q2 2025, up from 1% in Q2 2024, per our industry KPI data provided by BrightLine. Consistent growth in audience engagement with interactive CTV ads means advertisers who haven’t jumped on the interactivity bandwagon risk losing an opportunity to make positive impressions on vast CTV audiences.

Premium media delivers measurable value: Ads that integrate smoothly into trusted environments boost purchase intent by 40% and trust by 85%.

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.

GumGum’s CMO Kerel Cooper says contextual advertising has shifted from an education hurdle to a growth engine. In an EMARKETER interview at Advertising Week New York, he described how AI now interprets full-page or frame-by-frame context, allowing brands to reach audiences based on meaning rather than identity. As cookies fade, contextual ads offer privacy-safe precision and brand safety at scale. Cooper calls this “mindset marketing”—targeting users in the right headspace, not just the right demo. With the open web regaining advertiser trust and AI powering deeper relevance, contextual targeting is emerging as the foundation of a healthier ad ecosystem.

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.