The battle against TikTok took center stage at this week’s NewFronts, as Meta, Snapchat, and YouTube unveiled new ad products tied to short-form video. While none of them can compete with TikTok’s lock on the youth market or the enormous amount of time its users spend on the app, these new ad products are an attempt to bring Reels, Spotlight, and Shorts into greater parity with TikTok’s ad formats.

TikTok is going all-in on in-app purchases; Meta is focused on shoppable ads; and YouTube hopes to gain a competitive advantage through its strong creator relationships. All of this is happening as we forecast US retail social commerce sales will grow nearly 30% this year to hit $68.92 billion

Ad spending is looking shaky for many of the legacy formats across digital and traditional. New channels have arrived, however, and there are bright spots. This year could be rough, but 2024 is looking better.

Mobile and video formats will be key to a recovering ad market in the years ahead.

US marketers will spend over $1 billion more on influencer marketing in 2023 than they did last year, per our forecast. We lay out six tactics to maximize the impact of those dollars.

TikTok is launching ad product Pulse Premiere, an extension of Pulse that allows publishers like Condé Nast, Buzzfeed, and NBC to make money off of ads featured by all of their own content, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new product is part of TikTok’s efforts to make the platform more appealing to publishers, even as risks of a US ban loom.

On today's episode, we discuss what the new normal looks like at Netflix, why its ad-supported tier isn't helping much, and what the first DVD ever mailed by the company was. "In Other News," we talk about Meta, TikTok, and YouTube facing off at this year's NewFronts and whether instant videos could be the next big AI development. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

Shorts wants to take ad dollars from TikTok: YouTube uses the NewFronts to tout their short-form video format.

Reels and Shorts are gaining users and adding ad options. They still lag TikTok in several key areas, but now is the time for video advertisers to give them another look.

Connected TV (CTV) will be the fastest-growing major ad format in 2023, despite a downward revision in our latest forecast. Time spent on CTV is also showing big gains.

Microsoft and Google report solid quarterly results amid slow economy: With AI transforming the future of search, is Microsoft gaining a perceived edge in innovation?

UK consumers have a voracious appetite for digital video content, but the cost-of-living crisis is boosting ad-supported options, particularly broadcaster video-on-demand services. Netflix’s pivot to an ad tier, meanwhile, may have legs.

Our first-ever mobile video flash survey explores the latest consumer trends in Latin America’s rapidly evolving digital video landscape, and what they mean for the region’s biggest media companies this year.

US consumers are increasingly turning to Walmart.com, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to start their online shopping searches, according to Jungle Scout. Amazon, search engines, and Facebook have lost share since Q1 2022.

On today's episode, we discuss how sports betting in the US became an overnight market and how many folks will own cryptocurrency going forward. "In Other News," we talk about Substack's new tweet-like feature "Notes" and how YouTube is pricing NFL Sunday Ticket. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Peter Newman and analyst Andrew Spink.

Despite a surge in ads, connected TV (CTV) faces the same challenge as traditional TV: getting consumers’ attention. Our analyst Paul Verna shares why co-viewing won’t hurt CTV’s targeting abilities and how too much repetition may make ads ineffective.

The US Hispanic population is young and growing faster than the general US population is. Their buying power will approach $2.8 trillion by 2026. Here’s a look at their media habits and how to reach them.

The influencer landscape is more crowded than ever, even as creator funding dries up. Leveraging smaller influencers will help your brand focus a limited budget toward a targeted audience. “We’ve had sleeper hits [with] micro-influencers,” said Fernish CMO Evelyn Krasnow, speaking at eTail West 2023 in March. Finding the right influencers is “going to be trial and error,” said Krasnow. Here are tips for finding smaller influencers who can reach niche, targeted audiences.

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

TikTok has broken social media with its addictive short-form videos, according to The Economist. While “broken” may be a bit strong, our analyst Debra Aho Williamson agrees that TikTok has irrevocably changed the way we engage with social media, including how much time we spend on the platform.