Agentic AI is becoming agencies' operating layer. CES 2026 showed holding companies reframing AI as the system that unifies workflows, accelerates execution, and boosts accountability.

Disney+ plans to adopt vertical video to drive daily habits; the format’s expansion aligns with marketer demand for mobile-native surfaces that blend awareness with measurable engagement.

Semafor’s rise shows publishers are supplementing inconsistent ad revenues with events and sponsorships.

Spotify outlines how AI, automation, and immersive experiences will reshape how brands connect with consumers in 2026.

Agentic AI is expanding across ad platforms; CES reveals acceleration in autonomous planning and optimization, even as many marketers hesitate to trust full automation.

Discord is preparing for its IPO; its youthful, highly engaged communities signal rising advertiser interest in participatory platforms as alternatives to feed-driven social media.

Roku and iSpot integration marks tighter CTV attribution loop: iSpot’s product aims to lessen intermediaries between ad spending and performance data.

AI will reshape premium video buying—and NBCUniversal’s proof-of-concept shows agentic systems can unify planning and optimization across linear and streaming in seconds.

PayPal rolled out Transaction Graph Insights & Measurement at CES to gives advertisers and merchants a clearer, cross-merchant view of how people actually shop and purchase—and early results suggest meaningful impact.

The ad industry kept busy during the holiday season, so we rounded up the biggest stories from the last two weeks you need to know about.

OpenAI seeks real consumer intent, and a potential Pinterest acquisition would give OpenAI first-party shopping signals and native ad infrastructure to rival Google and Meta.

Agencies that don’t make AI skills a core part of employee training risk being sidelined in the age of AI.

At CES, Amazon is repositioning Amazon Ads as a full advertising ecosystem rather than a commerce-adjacent channel, emphasizing unified reach across TV, streaming, live sports, audio, and programmatic partners.

Disney will fully fold Hulu content into Disney+ by 2026, transforming Disney+ into a broader streaming portal spanning family programming, general entertainment, news, and sports. Hulu’s brand will remain intact inside the app, but its slowing revenue trajectory—expected to reach nearly $12 billion by 2027—has accelerated the logic for consolidation. The strategy becomes more important as Netflix pursues its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, potentially creating the most powerful premium-content library in streaming. Disney must keep viewers inside its ecosystem longer, reduce churn, and strengthen its ad-supported tiers. Success depends on balancing Hulu’s adult content with Disney+’s family identity while expanding perceived value.

2025 saw mergers, layoffs, and AI overhauls as the agency model fractured and reformed.

Reddit is leans into AI automation with its new Max campaigns. The new offering promises to cut CPAs and lift conversions, giving marketers efficiency relief as social CPMs rise sharply.

As audiences show a preference for user-generated content in ads, brands have an opportunity to showcase credibility across social advertising strategies.

Marketers across categories are calling for simpler, more intuitive advertising systems after years of growing fragmentation and technical overload. In interviews with EMARKETER, leaders from Criteo, LiveRamp, Reddit, Vistar Media, StackAdapt, and DoorDash all described a shift toward platforms that reduce effort, unify workflows, and provide clearer decision making. Buyers want fewer interfaces, standardized KPIs, easier activation, and more transparent insight into where ads run. The message is consistent: performance pressure amplifies the value of operational clarity. As the industry moves into 2026, platforms that eliminate friction—rather than add features—will gain share, while marketers who choose simplicity will gain speed and efficiency.

Most viewers pause for 1 to 5 minutes, offering extended periods for non-intrusive ads likely to drive action.

Threads and WhatsApp ads are growing as novelty draws interest, but lasting ad spend hinges on better, platform-native formats.