Bad Bunny will make history at Super Bowl LX as the first artist to perform a halftime show entirely in Spanish. The move comes as Hispanics emerge as the nation’s most engaged digital video audience, with 83.7% penetration and nearly 56 million monthly viewers. It also arrives at a politically charged moment: Bad Bunny has openly criticized Trump-era policies, endorsed Kamala Harris, and refused to tour the US over ICE concerns. For brands, his Spanish-only set underscores the growing importance of bilingual and Latino audiences in media and marketing.

Horizon Media and Havas are teaming up in a new $20 billion joint venture, Horizon Global, designed to add scale without a full merger. Headquartered in New York, the entity will focus on U.S.-centric global accounts while Horizon and Havas continue operating independently. Horizon Global unites Horizon’s Blu platform and Havas’ Converged.AI into a new system called BluConverged, billed as the first AI-native media network. The move comes as Omnicom and Interpublic finalize a $13.5 billion merger, intensifying competition across the agency sector. Horizon Global offers clients a more flexible, performance-based alternative to mega-holdcos weighed down by bureaucracy.

LinkedIn debuted several new features for ad automation targeting small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) as it looks to expand its advertiser base beyond large brands. The update reduces barriers to professional-grade ad campaigns by offering automation and AI-driven support that previously demanded larger budgets or in-house expertise.

Pause ads are proving their potential in the crowded connected TV (CTV) landscape after marketing service Wunderkind Ads saw massive success with a pause ad campaign for jewelry brand Zales. Pause ads are proving to be one of the most promising CTV innovations yet, and advertisers who haven’t experimented with the format should tap in—but must also understand what makes these ads work.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a consent order to finalize Omnicom’s multibillion-dollar acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) on Friday. New conditions state that Omnicom cannot deny ad dollars to publishers for ideological or political beliefs, unless a client specifically instructs otherwise. The FTC being able to put such explicit conditions on two of the largest advertising agencies globally underscores a new era of aggressive conditions in mergers, setting precedent for how regulators can shape corporate conduct beyond traditional remedies.

The Trade Desk unveiled Audience Unlimited, a new tool designed to simplify and lower the cost of third-party data. The product bundles hundreds of data sources at a consistent price and uses AI to rank relevance, letting advertisers access as much as needed without unpredictable fees. The launch aims to make programmatic buying faster, cheaper, and more effective.

Several channels and platforms saw viewing hikes in August, largely driven by live sports, per Nielsen’s August 2025 Media Distributor Index. The platforms that thrive in an increasingly fragmented media landscape will be those that go all-in on live sports and build a diversified portfolio combining tentpole events like the Super Bowl and emerging growth drivers like women’s sports.

Meta is planning on offering UK users paid, ad-free versions of Instagram and Facebook in the coming weeks. Privacy transforming into a priced option implies a growing consumer awareness of data use. Advertisers who make privacy a positive part of their brand messaging will better match emerging consumer mindsets.

Pinterest announced new ad offerings at its Pinterest Presents summit as it looks to cement its position as a key destination for digital advertisers. Advertisers can use Pinterest to capitalize on intent-driven shopping.

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday approving a proposal to keep TikTok operational in the US under new leadership. Even with a deal set to keep TikTok operational, the app’s new conservative ownership will likely shape the user experience and could impede future growth.

YouTube TV could lose access to programming from NBCUniversal’ Peacock as the companies struggle to reach a distribution agreement. Rather than purchasing ad slots tied to a single platform or broadcaster, leveraging data-driven audience segments will help cut across services to follow fans regardless of where they watch, ensuring continued reach as rights scatter.

OpenAI is preparing to turn ChatGPT into an advertising platform, posting a new role for an engineer to build systems for ad integration, campaign management, and attribution. The move could position ChatGPT as a new challenger to Google, Meta, and Amazon’s ad businesses. Already a major driver of referral traffic to retailers like Walmart, Etsy, and Target, ChatGPT has clear potential to evolve into a commerce and ad engine. But execution will be critical: Poorly integrated ads risk undermining user trust, even as AI-driven ad formats are projected to grow at triple-digit annual rates in the coming years.

Consumers are increasingly receptive toward digital ads and generative AI in marketing, per Kantar’s Media Reactions 2025 report. While consumers increasingly see digital ads as the norm, advertisers must work harder than ever to cut through the clutter and deliver relevant, memorable experiences that drive action.

Global ad spending is now expected to rise 7.4% to reach $1.17 trillion in 2025, driven by social media and digital investments, per WARC’s updated forecast. Advertisers aren’t slashing budgets, but instead rethinking spending as economic uncertainty accelerates the shift to digital channels, performance campaigns, and newer formats like influencer marketing.

Jimmy Kimmel’s return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! drew 6.3 million viewers, the show’s strongest 18–49 demo ratings for a regular episode in more than a decade, despite being blacked out on affiliates covering nearly a quarter of US households. His free speech monologue went viral, surpassing 19.7 million YouTube views to become his most-watched segment ever. The moment underscores both the enduring ability of linear TV to deliver tentpole audiences and the necessity of digital distribution to sustain reach. By amplifying his message, tactics to cancel Kimmel ultimately expanded his audience—proving digital video is now essential to late-night relevance.

Access to connected TV (CTV) is inching toward democratization, transforming a high barrier to entry into an accessible landscape for brands with smaller budgets to connect with consumers. AdGood and Magnite illustrate how CTV is evolving from a premium resource to a more inclusive and dynamic marketplace as the format matures.

Disney is raising streaming prices again; Disney+ ad-free will climb to $18.99 per month, Hulu’s ad tier will rise to $11.99, and bundles will increase by up to $3. The hikes follow similar moves by Apple TV+ and Peacock, as subscription inflation outpaces consumer budgets. Nearly half of US adults have altered streaming subscriptions in the past six months, with two-thirds of cancellations tied to high costs. Disney can point to premium franchises, ESPN, and bundles as value, but modest daily engagement gains make retention a tougher challenge in a saturated market.

The news: Private equity firm Novacap will buy digital advertising measurement and analytics firm Integral Ad Science (IAS) for $1.9 billion, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal will take IAS private after four years of public trading and is expected to close this year. Our take: Measurement fragmentation and transparency concerns with leading ad firms like Google means third-party measurement and attribution companies have a lucrative opportunity to provide much-needed standards.

The news: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned to ABC Tuesday night after a nearly weeklong suspension by ABC and Disney. Kimmel’s return may appear to turn the page on a brief-but-heated conflict for legacy media, but it’s only the beginning. Nexstar and Sinclair have said they will air other programming over the show, cutting it out of local ad revenues. Our take: The responses to Trump administration pressures reflect a media industry that will act quickly to avoid becoming a political target, but one that is also willing to lower its head for business interests.

YouTube will allow creator accounts banned for election and COVID-19 misinformation to apply for reinstatement after mounting pressure for platforms to reverse Biden-era restrictions. YouTube’s policy shift signals a new norm in online content moderation where platform rules are more fluid and politically contested.