Consumers increase support for brands who stand by LGBTQ+ initiatives, and advertisers who back away face challenges in reaching the next wave of consumers.

Sports rights continue to fragment in the digital-first era with Major League Baseball’s (MLB) new media rights deals across Netflix, NBC, and ESPN. The MLB spreading game rights across platforms exacerbates the fragmentation issue advertisers are already facing. With fragmentation only likely to increase, brands that thrive will invest in strategic cross-platform campaigns and keep budgets flexible to follow viewers where they’re watching.

Capital One will issue T-Mobile’s first credit card, according to Bloomberg—but it won’t run on Capital One’s recently acquired Discover network. Whether T-Mobile snubbed Discover or Capital One wasn’t ready to integrate its credit card products with the newly acquired network, the optics of running a new card on Visa aren’t great. But Visa and Mastercard shouldn’t exactly call this a win. While Discover's total volume is still an order of magnitude lower than that of Mastercard or Visa, incremental gains will lead to real lost volume opportunities for the duopoly.

The news: A federal appeals court upheld $92 million in fines against T-Mobile and Sprint for illegally selling customer location information (CLI) without proper consent or safeguards. Our take: When building campaigns that use location-based targeting or CLI, marketers should treat consent and transparency as not only legal checkboxes but also strategic imperatives. Brands that clearly communicate how data is collected and used will build trust and better maintain customer loyalty.

T-Mobile has announced a full rollback of its DEI programs as it seeks regulatory approval for two major deals, citing alignment with FCC expectations. The move eliminates all DEI language and infrastructure, signaling a dramatic reversal of the brand’s equity commitments. FCC Chair Brendan Carr applauded the shift, while critics warned of reputational risks—particularly with Gen Z and DEI-conscious consumers. As major brands reassess social strategies amid regulatory and political scrutiny, T-Mobile’s move may gain short-term approval but risks long-term brand damage. Marketers face a tough balancing act between political pragmatism and authentic social commitments.

The news: T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, which launches July 23, will be accessible to customers of competing networks, unlocking carrier-agnostic reach in areas previously off the grid, per CNET. Because the service supports Verizon and AT&T users via eSIM and compatible devices, T-Mobile’s advertisers gain access to millions of new users—without being locked into one carrier’s ecosystem. Our take: As services like T-Satellite make it possible to connect with customers anywhere—marketers who adapt early will shape the next frontier of mobile engagement. They can expand geofenced campaigns to include off-grid locations and explore partnerships around safety, navigation, and outdoor experiences.

Acquiring Vistar and Blis strengthens its ad capabilities, but turning its mobile data advantage into ad dominance won’t be easy—especially in a market controlled by digital giants.

Its partnership with Perplexity aims to create an action-oriented AI smartphone, but market competition and questionable demand makes this a risky venture.

Retail media’s rapid growth has spurred nonretail verticals to harness their first-party data to fuel their own commerce media networks. Retail media spending still dominates the commerce media landscape, but distinct challenger cohorts are finding their footing.

T-Mobile sees a $600 million opportunity in Digital OOH: The mobile provider will acquire Vistar Media in a deal hinting at the format’s future.

Cyberattacks and overloads disrupt industries: From telecom strikes to service failures, 2024’s outages underline the fragility of tech systems and the urgent need for diversification and resilience strategies.

In partnership with Starlink, T-Mobile launches a beta for text messaging, bridging coverage gaps and setting the stage for future mobile connectivity.

SpaceX and T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell service promises to eliminate vast dead zones, but the cost to consumers could hinder widespread adoption.

Streaming services are offering a multitude of bundles as they try to expand their ad-supported audiences.

In seven charts, this report tells the story of some of the most critical trends that digital leaders need to know about in 2024 and beyond.

Streaming cancellations rise as costs climb: Major platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are adapting with new strategies.

Ad-supported video gains viewership, time spent on digital video surpasses TV, and streaming services pivot from audience growth to profitability.

Dish Network is still reeling from ransomware attack: With various services and websites offline and their stock hitting a 14-year low, the window for Dish to resolve its ransomware-related outage is closing.

Now that 5G has gone through growing pains, it’s finding its groove in implementation and adoption. As telecoms compete for users, retailers and marketers can take advantage of short-term opportunities.

Satellite connectivity segment emerges from MWC 2023: Apple’s iPhone 14 may have ushered in the ability to access satellites for emergency communications, but the technology is now ripe for wider mainstream applications.