As streaming services capture an increasing share of both viewership and subscription revenues, this FAQ will help marketers understand the terminology and dynamics shaping video advertising in 2026.

Podcast listeners are sought out by marketers for high engagement, and listenership is only set to grow.

Subscription streaming has reached mainstream status globally. Growth now hinges on harder-to-reach, price-sensitive markets where uncertain demand and uneven access create new hurdles—and fresh opportunities—for platforms chasing their next wave of viewers.

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.

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.

Netflix’s 2026 ad plans revolve around WBD: The mega-merger would give the burgeoning ad business a major boost for years to come.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss our “very specific but highly unlikely” predictions for 2026: what Amazon will do with the price of Prime; between OpenAI and Apple, who’s most likely to buy whom; and why a potential WBD acquisition by Netflix might not go through in 2026—if at all. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Nate Elliott, and Vice Presidents of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

On today’s EMARKETER Miniseries—AI-Driven Media Management—we explore how to break down the media manager role into workflows that can be automated or augmented by agentic AI, what agencies misunderstand about AI, and which agency tasks are ripest to hand off to AI right now. EMARKETER Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman speaks with Adam Epstein, co-founder and CEO of Gigi. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The Academy Awards will leave ABC after nearly 50 years and stream exclusively on YouTube beginning in 2029—a decisive acknowledgment that audience attention has migrated to digital TV. The deal gives the Academy expanded year-round programming options, flexible sponsorship formats, and a global distribution footprint that linear networks can no longer match. YouTube, now the No. 1 source of US TV viewing time at 13%, gains a premier cultural event as it continues its push into live programming alongside NFL Sunday Ticket. For marketers, the Oscars’ move underscores how YouTube has become the industry’s default television—and a must-buy for premium reach.

Digital ad spending remains resilient although economic signals are wobbly. AI-driven optimization, richer first-party data, and surging digital video will keep growth strong even as search shifts and traditional budgets fade.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rejected Paramount’s hostile acquisition bid Wednesday and told its shareholders the offer is “inferior” to Netflix’s bid. WBD’s board said Paramount’s offer carried "significant risks,” adding that it does not see a “material difference” in the risks Paramount will face compared with Netflix in receiving approval in the US and globally. Consolidation will reshape ad market dynamics regardless of WBD’s fate.

The average cost of ad-free streaming has risen from $9 to $16 per month since 2020, a 78% increase in five years, according to an October analysis from The Verge.

Streaming’s new reality is testing viewers as rising prices, heavier ad loads, and uneven experiences push them to reassess what they keep. Value, tolerance, and convenience now drive the fight for attention.

After Netflix won the bidding war and Paramount pushed forward with a hostile bid, a new possibility is emerging for the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The Information reports a possible compromise between Netflix and Paramount, where Netflix would acquire WBD’s studio assets and Paramount would be in charge of its HBO Max streaming service and cable networks. Netflix remains the frontrunner without any conclusive regulatory action preventing the acquisition, but Paramount remains the best option for advertisers.

Generational habits are diverging as younger audiences move deeper into video-first behaviors while older groups scale back. These shifts are reshaping where marketers can gain attention and how they compete for it.

In 2026, AI will reshape advertiser workflows and behaviors, while rising video consumption will boost CTV and YouTube.

Digital video keeps expanding as more viewers shift to streaming and mobile gains ground. Growth spans every generation, even as cord-cutting accelerates and reshapes how audiences spend time on the biggest screen in the home.