The news: Google Ads is ending manual language targeting, taking over a significant element of campaign management. In lieu of manual targeting, Google’s AI will detect user language automatically using signals such as language settings and historic search activity. Our take: Brands should consider auditing current campaigns to identify where automated language detection might create gaps and establish safeguards, such as breaking out campaigns by region or market and including clear, native-language text in headlines and descriptions to signal intended language to both users and Google’s systems.
The news: Despite the shift toward programmatic advertising, a study from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) identified a lingering issue with the trend: The growth of wasted ad spending. The amount of wasted ad spend in programmatic advertising has risen 34% in two years, up to $26.8 billion from $20 billion in June 2023. Our take: The efficiency and growing relevance of programmatic comes with brand safety trade-offs, making transparency and stronger verification a prerequisite for sustained investment.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss if the death of the Late Show is “the canary in the linear coal mine” and the biggest takeaways from the landmark NFL and ESPN deal. Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Editor, Daniel Konstantinovic, and Vice President of Content, Paul Verna. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: YouTube has made an official inquiry about purchasing the rights to future Academy Awards ceremonies in its latest live events push, per Bloomberg. The move comes after viewership increased slightly for the most recent Oscars ceremony, driven by simultaneous airing on ABC and Hulu. Our take: Rather than competing head-on with broadcast, YouTube can position itself as a complementary streaming partner that extends the Oscars’ reach by highlighting shifting viewership trends that capture audiences broadcast alone struggles to reach and its edge in premium video advertising.
ChatGPT saw 52.2 million US unique visitors in June, up 180.6% from last July, per Comscore.
The news: New data from Digital Content Next revealed that Google AI Overviews lead to as much as a 25% decrease in publisher referral traffic, reinforcing brands’ and publishers’ ongoing concerns over the tech’s adverse impact on content effectiveness. Our take: AI Overviews will continue usurping referral traffic from publishers, meaning that the brands who last will be those who adapt to the change rather than fight it. Brands must optimize for AI visibility, not just search rankings.
The advertising industry’s age and experience mix is shifting fast. In the US, entry-level roles are shrinking as automation replaces routine tasks, while in Australia, “juniorisation” favors younger, digitally fluent hires over seasoned veterans. Agencies face a balancing act—bringing in Gen Z talent to master AI-driven tools and authentically shape campaigns, while retaining senior expertise crucial for strategy, oversight, and client trust. Without a robust entry-level pipeline today, the industry risks a future shortage of homegrown leaders just as marketing grows more complex.
The news: Upfront spending on primetime TV declined for the third year in a row as viewers shift to streaming and advertisers follow suit, per Media Dynamics. Our take: Though linear still commands more ad spending than streaming for now, money and viewership are becoming more entrenched within streaming.
The news: Netflix is proving its power as the dominant subscription streaming platform with several recent ad wins. The streamer announced that it’s sold all of its available commercial time in preparation for its two Christmas day NFL games, also noting sponsorship deals with partners like Google and FanDuel. Our take: With its strong lead in ad revenue growth, position as the most-used subscription video service in the US, consistently low subscriber churn rate, and content strategy tailored to unique markets, Netflix is likely to continue dominating advertiser investment in connected TV.
The news: Gamers are more involved in gaming content than ever before, thanks in large part to titles like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite. And they’re not keeping that interest solely on-platform. 46% of gamers say their time spent creating in-game video game content has somewhat or significantly increased over a year ago, per Bain & Company’s Gaming Report 2025. About 20% say they spend less time. 27% of gamers’ social media time and 25% of their streaming video time is spent focused on gaming-related content. Our take: The gaming audience is growing, and it’s not focused on a single platform or console. Gamers’ interests reach through the game and into social media, streaming, TV, and audio, giving marketers a wide path to reach gamers where they are.
After beauty's social return on ad spend (ROAS) dipped to $1.90 in Q4 2024, the category saw a marked jump up to $3.50 in Q1 2025, according to a March report from Cart.com.
The news: Paramount outlined the future of its cable and studio assets on Wednesday a week after completing its merger with Skydance Media. Paramount president Jeff Shell characterized the company’s vision for its cable networks, including MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon, not as shrinking linear assets, but as “brands that we have to redefine.” Our take: Paramount’s emphasis on growing its traditional media businesses signals a bet that legacy channels can drive meaningful revenues when accounting for shifting viewing habits and pursuing higher-volume content pipelines.
The news: The NFL may dominate sports viewership, but brands are also tuning into sports with smaller, but highly engaged, audiences. A Harris Poll report found that 70% of soccer fans are more excited for the World Cup because it will be hosted in North America. Beyond soccer, women’s sports is gaining momentum as a critical ad opportunity. WNBA team deals have increased 52% in two years, per SponsorUnited. Our take: Advertisers looking to reach tuned-in audiences at a lower cost of entry should view sports advertising opportunities like soccer and women’s sports as critical investments, not a last resort.
The news: Google announced an expanded use of AI to combat invalid ad traffic in a bid to help advertisers preserve budgets and maintain trust, per a recent blog post. Though Google has previously used AI to prevent invalid traffic (IVT), the company has updated its “industry-leading defenses powered by large language models,” with the goal of better analyzing ad placements, suspicious user interactions, and app and web content. Our take: By taking concrete steps to reduce IVT and address transparency concerns, Google may begin to rebuild trust with advertisers.
Spotify’s Ad Exchange is reshaping podcast monetization by moving beyond one-to-one sponsorships toward scalable, automated buying. With adoption up 60% since spring and expanded DSP integrations via Google DV360, Magnite, and The Trade Desk, the platform is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the $5.5B global podcast ad market. While CPM and performance gaps remain compared with host-read ads, programmatic’s potential for reach and efficiency could push rivals to upgrade their own offerings.
The news: As budgets tighten, consumers are altering their streaming habits, per Hub Research’s annual Monetizing Video report. While the average user is unwilling to pay much more than they’re already paying for streaming subscriptions, 42% say they are much more likely to maintain bundled subscriptions compared with individual streaming subscriptions. Our take: Advertisers must pay attention to platforms that offer bundle packages as key areas for investment due to their lower churn. Bundles consolidate audience attention and offer more predictable engagement.
The news: Live-streamer Sling TV debuted day, weekend, and weeklong streaming passes as monthly subscription costs escalate. Consumers can buy a Day Pass for $4.99, a Friday-Sunday pass for $9.99, or a Week Pass for $14.99. Passes don’t auto-renew. All three passes offer access to the same 34 channels on Sling’s Orange package, including ESPN, TNT, A&E, Comedy Central, and more. Our take: If its short-term passes are successful, we can expect more streamers to follow suit and potentially offer popular IP for rent—think “Squid Game” on Netflix or “The Gilded Age” on HBO Max. That would allow advertisers to target specific, price-conscious audiences.
The news: 88% of mobile app ad spend is concentrated on Google and Meta, per Moloco’s Performance Through Independence report, despite high user engagement with independent apps. Advertisers who diversified their ad mix beyond the two Big Tech giants saw return on ad spend (ROAS) improve by up to 214%. Our take: Independent mobile apps offer untapped ROI. Reducing reliance on Google and Meta by diversifying mobile app spend could boost reach, hedge against platform risks, and better align with user behavior, especially as privacy challenges threaten to reshape targeting and measurement.
Elon Musk plans to sell paid placements within Grok’s AI-generated answers, marking his first major advertiser pitch since Linda Yaccarino’s departure. Grok, X’s in-house AI assistant built by xAI, will integrate ads directly into responses, offering brands high-intent, context-driven targeting. The move comes as X’s global ad revenues, projected at $2.26 billion in 2025, remain roughly half of pre-Musk levels. Musk says Grok will eventually automate the full ad-buying process, from creative grading to personalization, aiming to improve efficiency and performance. With user growth declining in every major region, the strategy hinges on whether brands trust Musk’s AI-led vision enough to re-engage.