Contextual targeting can help justify streaming spend when paired with post-bid performance data.

An Australian proposal could spread globally, raising the value of privacy-friendly contextual ads.

AI is reshaping contextual advertising across CTV, audio, retail media, and the open web. It’s advancing semantic understanding, agentic planning, and real-time targeting while exposing persistent measurement and infrastructure gaps.

Comscore adds episode-level podcast targeting: Finer metadata can help advertisers on podcasts gain precision and workflows similar to CTV and display.

Reddit gains ad dollars: Agencies are gradually shifting more social budgets to Reddit as its high-intent audiences and AI tools attract marketers.

Omnicom and NBCU refine CTV at Cannes: Partnership ties Acxiom data to show-level context, but must prove results beyond better targeting.

NBCU courts performance skeptics: An updated Performance Insights Hub and AI agents target cleaner TV metrics and tighter cross-channel tracking.

X rebuilds its ad core: A ground-up AI overhaul aims to fix targeting and ROI as revenues lag far behind pre-Musk levels.

This FAQ explores the evolving brand safety landscape, risks in creator partnerships and synthetic content, and the tools marketers need to protect their brands in 2026.

AI is reshaping brand safety by amplifying risks around placement, accuracy, and authenticity while offering new tools to control them. As automation scales, marketers face a growing tradeoff between performance gains and trust.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the redefining of “attention,” what neuro-contextual research actually measures, and how it could reshape media planning for brands that traditionally buy based on reach or demographics rather than emotional resonance. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman, and Brian Gleason, CEO of Seedtag. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Performance TV drives growth, but weak transparency undermines trust--meaning marketers should be selective about partners and prioritize contextual targeting.

This FAQ covers the fundamentals of programmatic advertising and the trends shaping the market in 2026.

NBCUniversal (NBCU) debuted AI-powered ad features ahead of the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in 2026, giving advertisers the opportunity to leverage AI for better results in live TV and video-on-demand properties. Campaigns running on NBCU properties now gain access to the massive benefits of utilizing AI for TV, CTV, and VOD advertising.

Two-thirds (65%) of marketing and advertising decision-makers worldwide worry about the suitability of their ad placements on social platforms, per DoubleVerify’s 2025 Global Insights report. Nearly half (46%) say their top challenge in social marketing is simply reaching target audiences. Brands should focus on specific consumer segments—such as hobby-based micro-communities or high-intent shoppers—and use AI to quickly adapt content for each group. To address brand safety, brands should use contextual targeting tools to place ads in suitable environments and track how changing algorithm controls on social media platforms affect visibility.

As retail media moves from side business to centerpiece, big brands are prioritizing measurement and efficiency to cement the channel as a mature budget item. Retail media will grow almost 20% this year (19.4%) to reach $58.79 billion, according to EMARKETER's September 2025 forecast. In recent earnings calls, tech leaders described a channel that is now about solid data, AI-driven relevance, and reshaping how advertisers reach shoppers.