Netflix is reshaping CTV economics as sports, live events, podcasts, and a potential WBD acquisition push its ad tier toward 10% of spend, with $3 billion in sight this year.

Media habits keep evolving as digital gains ground faster than traditional declines. Video is absorbing more attention, screens are doing more of the work, and the central battle is for a share of limited consumer time.

The music giant will benefit from Checkout.com’s AI tools to boost payment efficiency.

Marketers could face a new challenge of podcast fragmentation, requiring more complex media planning.

Spotify sports podcast listening jumps 358% after games, outpacing pregame gains and opening a bigger ad window beyond live TV.

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

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

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.

The automotive dashboard is evolving into a media hub. By 2029, 203 million connected car drivers will give advertisers access to captive audiences through AI commerce, in-vehicle ads, charging sessions, and rideshare integrations.

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

Listening patterns from 2025 show how audio fits into everyday moments differently across markets, from commutes to cooking to winding down at night. Spotify’s Wrapped for Advertisers pulls those signals into a clearer picture for 2026 advertising decisions.

Digital audio commands massive attention, and podcasts keep most listeners within reach. As viewing blurs with listening, marketers face an opportunity—but also a widening gap between consumer time spent and the ad investment flowing into audio.

Apps dominate mobile activity and are essential for marketers and publishers to reach audiences. Key data shows how app users are shifting, which apps they prefer, and the outlook for consumer spending and ad revenues.​

The Trade Desk heads into Q4 facing simultaneous pressure from Amazon’s fast-expanding DSP and agency frustration over its forced migration from Solimar to Kokai. Amazon’s 0–1% fees, new offsite inventory, and closer ties to Omnicom have sparked reports of meaningful budget shifts away from TTD—an inflection point that challenges its premium pricing. At the same time, agencies describe Kokai as unstable and harder to use, with bugs affecting campaign launches during the most execution-heavy quarter of the year. The convergence raises a key question for marketers: Is TTD’s longstanding grip on open-web programmatic still durable, or beginning to loosen?

Podcast engagement and streaming variety are fueling rapid digital audio growth in Canada as listeners spend far more time with these digital platforms than with traditional radio.

Spotify’s Q3 2025 results show a company redefining success around efficiency and engagement rather than scale. Revenue rose to $4.62 billion, with 713 million monthly active users and 281 million premium subscribers, up 12% YoY. Gross margin reached 31.6% as AI integration, subscription pricing, and product diversification drove profitability. The company’s upcoming leadership transition—Daniel Ek to executive chairman, Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström to co-CEOs—signals continuity through maturity. While ad sales grew just 7%, Spotify’s dominance in user time and audio engagement positions it as the anchor of digital audio. The next chapter: sustainable margins, smarter growth, and steady leadership.

US media habits show a split between heavy streaming and enduring live TV. Gaming, immersive tech, and short video add complexity, making the market both advanced and fragmented.

Spotify is launching a free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel in partnership with Samsung TV Plus, per a Thursday announcement. Marketers now have the opportunity to combine the effectiveness and precision of CTV advertising with the authenticity of podcast advertising to convert passive listeners into active customers.