Nearly half of US adults who have made a purchase via shoppable commerce have done so on social media, according to our February 2024 survey conducted by Bizrate Insights. But budding partnerships between brands and streamers may shift more commerce toward connected TV (CTV) platforms, especially around live events. For example, Paramount piloted a shoppable experience during the CMT Music Awards, NBCUniversal launched a new shoppable ad format ahead of this Summer’s Olympics, and Amazon added shoppable ads to its Amazon Prime platform.

All eyes have been on streaming at this year’s upfronts. Sports are moving to digital, new (and old) trends are emerging for ad buying and delivery, and political advertising has been surprisingly quiet. Here are four themes that stood out this upfronts season.

At NBCUniversal’s Upfront, ads and content share center stage: Return on ad spend, AI concerns, and streaming-first projects were all featured.

Streaming has been a home run for sports-based advertising Through sports rights, new and niche content, and creative ad formats, every major streamer is attempting to grab a share of sports connected TV (CTV) ad spend.

Politics will buoy linear TV ad spending this year, but allocations will continue to shift toward streaming options that keep gaining ad-supported viewers.

Among subscription video streaming services, Amazon Prime Video has the highest share of ad-supported viewers, while Netflix has the lowest.

Disney and NBCU signal a major shift in CTV ad buys: Both are working with The Trade Desk to make inventory available programmatically.

What is shoppable media and which formats have the most potential?

Walmart is launching its first shoppable video series: The first episodes of the holiday-themed “Add to Heart” will be available on Roku, TikTok, and YouTube beginning on Dec. 2.

Retailers invest in shoppable TV ads after seeing early results: Walmart, Amazon, and Home Depot are banking on the format’s interactivity and ability to grab viewers’ attention to drive holiday sales.

Peacock expands its reach beyond the home: Exclusive live sports to be shown in commercial venues, diversifying audience and increasing brand visibility.

NBCUniversal and Roku experiment with shoppable ads to reach viewers in their homes, while Netflix courts customers in the real world. Here’s how each company is leaning into commerce to diversify revenue streams.

Roku and Shopify team up on shoppable ads: Viewers will be able to purchase items from Shopify merchants directly from their TVs.

On today's episode, we discuss how this year's Amazon Prime Day will be different, how competitors can maximize the sales holiday's impact, and an uncanny link between Prime Day and the end-of-year holiday season. "In Other News," we talk about the significance of NBCUniversal and Walmart Connect bringing targeted ads to live sports and Amazon's AI initiatives. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president and analyst Andrew Lipsman.

Streaming makes ad spending gains, Netflix experiences growing pains, and advertisers encounter a soft upfront market.

NBCUniversal highlights Peacock at upfront: Media titan reflects the industry's digital tilt amidst picketing and leadership changes

Shoppable media is gaining momentum as brands look for ways to narrow the gap between discovery and purchase. Just this month, Pinterest, NBCUniversal, Meta, and Yahoo announced shoppable media updates. From AI to QR codes, we dive deeper into these developments and why they may give companies an edge.

In the US, just 18% of adults say they’ve used livestream and video ecommerce, according to an October 2022 Insider Intelligence survey with Bizrate Insights. Brands shouldn’t shy away from livestream shopping in the US, but they need to be intentional about how they implement it.

NBCU announces Currency Council: The future of measurement is multicurrency—and the media giant continues to take a leadership role.

New advertising forecasts for Netflix and Disney+ shed light on streaming advertising’s evolution.