Threads is now included in Meta’s Marketing API: The change positions Threads as not only an X alternative, but as an effective marketing channel.

Advertisers seek dismissal of X boycott lawsuit: Regardless of the outcome, X still needs to prove itself as a viable channel for advertisers.

This year, we forecast social media company X, formerly Twitter, will see ad revenue growth for the first time in four years, but still only earn about half of what it did in 2021.

Social media usage in Canada continues to grow, but it’s spread across a wider range of networks. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram still lead, but TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, and X also command large audiences.

The new Account Status dashboard helps explain post visibility, giving Threads an edge over X by offering clarity amid Meta’s evolving content policies.

Despite uncertainty related to the economy and tariffs, US social network ad spending is expected to grow. AI offerings, social commerce, and lower-funnel investments will drive outlays.

Threads hits 350 million monthly active users: As the platform sees steady growth, the question of whether it’ll outpace X in the near future intensifies.

X’s ad business is beginning to recover. But the return to growth is complicated, and there’s still a long road ahead for X’s ad revenues to reach pre-Elon Musk levels.

AI detection and watermarking could improve the user experience but deter brands and creators from experimenting with the technology.

A new domain and improved desktop tools are part of Meta’s strategy to win over disillusioned X users and prove Threads’ value to advertisers.

Threads makes ads available globally: The Meta platform benefits from steady growth and a safer brand image than X.

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.

TikTok extends its partnership with MLS: The move is part of a broader trend of brands investing in sports.

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.

The 2024 US presidential election ushered in a new normal in brand safety, with prominent social media companies such as X and Meta shifting the burden of content moderation from internal teams and contractors to users.

OpenAI is floating a social app: The move would place the company in direct competition with X and Meta, but will require a unique value proposition to pay off.

The FTC’s challenge to Meta’s deals could fracture the social media giant's empire and signals that no acquisition, no matter its age, is safe from antitrust scrutiny.

Sports remains a profitable ad opportunity: Two-thirds of Americans are sports fans and over half have made a purchase based on audio ads.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs landed harder than expected. Uncertainty remains, given the pause on reciprocal tariffs for countries willing to negotiate with the US—along with an escalating trade war with China. Which markets will take the greatest hits? And how might our US forecasts change?