Meta thinks users need stepping stones to the metaverse: Its Crayta announcement suggests many consumers need to be pushed along the “immersion continuum.”

On today's episode, we discuss the players in the advertising space—besides Meta, Google, and Amazon—that have created a billion-dollar ad business and which ones are close to gaining membership to the billion-dollar ad club. "In Other News," we talk about a refresh to the Federal Trade Commission's digital ad guidance and what Amazon's worldwide consumer chief stepping down means for the retail giant. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Andrew Lipsman and Max Willens.

Tech’s reshuffling makes spending tough for marketers: The industry is refocusing on advertising, which is still shaky from a year of changes.

Among US social network users, those ages 18 and older will spend an average of 1 hour, 40 minutes per day on those platforms in 2022, the same amount as last year. This figure is peaking after pandemic restrictions fueled a rapid rise in social media use over the past two years, and it will decline by 2 minutes next year.

Adults in the UK are spending more time than ever with digital media. Time spent watching videos online, particularly via social, is soaring.

Tech wrestles with an era of uncertainty: As 2022 hits the halfway point, we look at how various technology companies navigate expected and unexpected challenges that could alter the business landscape.

Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta at a crossroads: Departure of No. 2 exec comes as company faces major business challenges.

With more than 6 in 10 smartphone users adopting mobile peer-to-peer payments in the US across multiple apps, providers are looking to widen their addressable base, mitigate pain points, and drive engagement.

Meta clashes with Apple over AppTrackingTransparency: The change damaged Meta’s profits, but Apple’s ad business is soaring.

This year, TikTok will surpass YouTube in terms of time spent by their respective adult users in the US. The short-video app will see 45.8 minutes per day from its average adult user, edging out YouTube, at 45.6 minutes.

Snap’s investor warning is a worrying sign for social media: The ad-relient industry is feeling the effects of piling changes and weakening economic conditions.

The beauty industry is getting a digital makeover, thanks to Gen Z, viral TikTok trends, AR capabilities, and new consumer behaviors. Brands will need to take a multichannel approach to keep up.

ByteDance properties Douyin and TikTok have been making waves inside and outside China for several years. Their combined spectacular growth will result in ad revenues of more than $30 billion for their parent company in 2022, leaving ByteDance in fifth place among ad publishers worldwide.

TikTok kills two birds with one stone: The platform needs to court advertisers and become the most creator-friendly social platform. Its new initiative could do both.

Our latest forecasts for ad spending in Canada, which include our first-ever estimates for Google and Meta, show strong growth overall and an accelerated shift to digital.

Digital ad spending is exploding in Latin America. It will grow by 34.8% this year to $20.86 billion—a figure more than double the amount spent in 2020. Mobile will be the main growth driver, propelling the region’s digital ad market to new heights over the course of our forecast period.

The UK digital ad market is thriving. It will grow 11.9% this year, reaching £25.84 billion ($35.54 billion). Video will be a big contributor to this growth, as will social network spending, which is being disrupted by the likes of TikTok.

Following a banner year, US ad spending in 2022 will be shaped by three key trends: Linear TV crossing the Rubicon, a billionaires’ club emerging in connected TV (CTV), and ecommerce ad spending enriching Google, Amazon, and a crop of newcomers in search and retail media.