The news: Netflix and Fox are closing Upfronts on a high note, with ad success driven by live sports and original programming. Netflix anticipates that it will “roughly double” its ad revenues in 2025 from 2024 after a strong second quarter. Our take: Netflix’s and Fox’s success underscores that high-quality, tentpole programming still commands advertiser trust even as broader ad growth slows. Live sports remains a critical touchpoint for advertisers, delivering consistent audience growth and high engagement and attention. Channels that invest in sports—whether streaming or linear—will attract interest.

The news: NBCUniversal will charge $8 million for 30-second Super Bowl LX spots, per an Adweek report citing those familiar with the matter. Ads for Super Bowl LX were reportedly going for around $7 million for 30 seconds—but that number has been increased due to high demand. Our take: The Super Bowl is likely the most lucrative advertising opportunity for US brands, as football continues dominating live TV—meaning advertisers are willing to invest despite the high cost. Live sports events, especially the Super Bowl, offer a rare combination of scale, immediacy, and viewer engagement.

A young, culturally influential, and economically powerful group, Black consumers are shaping digital trends through high engagement with streaming and social media while shaping retail with their distinct shopping preferences.

The news: Streaming watch time outpaced cable and broadcast combined for the first time ever. Streaming accounted for 44.8% of TV viewing in May, per Nielsen, compared with broadcast’s 20.1% and cable’s 24.1%.Our take: With TV viewership increasingly fragmented, advertisers that abandon cable and broadband entirely could leave many consumers behind. Brands should use a hybrid placement model that makes selective investments in linear TV while using streaming to reach younger cord-cutters, helping to retain flexibility as user habits fluctuate.

OTT video—including YouTube, subscription OTT, AVOD, and free ad-supported streaming TV—is extremely popular in nearly all forms. But traditional pay TV continues to reach new lows.

Indy 500 hits viewership record in its first time airing on Fox: The event highlights the ongoing battle for media companies to secure sports rights.

FAST shows no signs of slowing down: From the Roku Channel to Tubi, FAST continues a path of acceleration that will be bolstered by economic uncertainty.

As streaming subscription prices increase, viewers are becoming more amendable to ad-supported tiers.

A trade war with the US will hinder economic performance in Canada this year. Ad spending overall is expected to lose the momentum gained in 2024. But many digital formats will benefit from the emphasis on return on ad spending.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

YouTube tops TV rankings: Nielsen’s February data shows YouTube capturing 11.6% of TV viewing, overtaking Disney and redefining the streaming landscape.

Perplexity’s new ad makes Google a target: The company’s biggest ad yet, led by “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, could continue the push toward a more divided AI market.

FAST streaming is growing fast: The number of active channels has nearly doubled in several key markets, with the US showing the most growth, but user experience remains key.

Super Bowl LIX sets new all-time viewership record: The game averaged 126 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, a 2% increase from last year, with streaming playing a major role in its success.

Fox acquires Red Seat Ventures: As audiences shift from traditional TV, The company is expanding its digital-first media push.

Tubi will get a big boost from a free Super Bowl broadcast: Fox is looking to grow its FAST service with free access to the big game.

Video ad spending continues to outpace overall digital ad spending and will power the fastest-growing ad-supported media.

CTV inventory has surged, but the linear TV ad market remains much larger.

Streaming services are leaning more on advertising than they used to, resulting in increased overall ad spending but lower ad prices.

The 14th annual Global Media Intelligence Report details time spent with media, adoption of emerging formats, and device ownership in key markets around the world.