Agency & Consulting
Attention metrics are a proxy, not the full picture, argues new framework
TVREV’s Sofie Sue Rutgeerts argues that attention is only the middle step in a three-part chain, with motivation priming exposure and memory determining whether it matters.
Survey: only 7% watch local news via a station’s own app
TVREV’s In the Vicinity podcast covers new Future of TV Live survey data from Ring Digital founder Brian Ring, who finds pay-TV reliance for local news has fallen to 35% while social, YouTube and free streaming apps pick up the slack.
Instagram tests 90-minute videos, lands on Apple TV — still no ad-rev share
Variety’s Todd Spangler reports that Instagram is testing video lengths of up to 90 minutes and expanding to Apple TV, positioning itself as a bigger YouTube rival.
Amazon takes international rights on A24’s $200M ‘Elden Ring’ film
Deadline’s Andreas Wiseman reports that Amazon MGM has pre-empted market interest in A24’s “Elden Ring,” securing international pay-1 streaming rights ahead of next week’s American Film Market.
Combined Paramount/WBD would top NBCU in US TV ad exposure time
VideoWeek’s Tim Cross-Kovoor reports that Comscore’s “The Score” shows NBCUniversal and Versant combined led US TV ad exposure time in August at 17.5 percent, but a merged Paramount-WBD would top the chart at 23.9 percent.
Prime Video streams TV’s first fully AI-made series
The Ankler’s Erik Barmack reports that Prime Video is now globally streaming “Castle Walls,” a two-episode melodrama from Turkish producer Ay Yapım built with AI doing much of the visual work.
Adidas, Poppi, Walmart Connect lead 2026 Digiday Awards winners
Digiday reports that Adidas and Gamefam won Best Partnership for a Roblox football activation that drew more than 51 million visits and 468 million brand interactions in four weeks.
Netflix cuts 2026 ad revenue forecast to $2.7 billion from $3 billion
Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports that Netflix rolled back its 2026 ad revenue projection to $2.7 billion from $3 billion, citing delays in rolling out new ad products, as streaming supply glut gives buyers leverage on pricing.
Anthropic’s ad spend signals AI brands as a new mega category
MediaPost’s Joe Mandese reports that newly disclosed figures show Anthropic is on pace to spend more than six hundred fifty-five million dollars on advertising this year and over nine billion dollars on total sales and marketing.
Life360 names commerce media veteran Donna Sharp GM of ad business
Campaign US’s Emmy Liederman reports that Life360 Ads has appointed Donna Sharp, a former adviser to the company and ex-MediaLink managing director, as general manager to lead growth and monetization.
Instagram, Netflix, Disney chase YouTube’s lead in creator video
Axios’s Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer report that Instagram is testing 90-minute videos and an Apple TV app, while Netflix, Disney, Tubi and Amazon strike video-podcast deals as YouTube captured 15.8% of U.S. TV viewing in August, per Nielsen.
Microsoft offers buyouts to a quarter of its workforce
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that Microsoft is making voluntary buyout offers to 25% of its workforce, about 60,000 people, who have to decide their futures by early December, with a prior buyout round yielding only a 30% acceptance rate.
Databricks: ad industry shifting from impressions to a ‘prediction economy’
MediaPost is reporting that Databricks argues advertisers and media are moving past impressions, reach and clicks toward predicting audience demand before spend happens, requiring measurement orchestrated across many data sources as ad tech and martech stacks converge.
Car ads vanish from prime time as automakers chase streaming, local deals
The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick Coffee reports automakers are cutting national brand ads on linear TV for targeted streaming and regional sales spots, with auto’s ad spend share set to fall below 10% this year, down from 13% a decade ago.
Tubi and TikTok launch creator incubator for 10 original series
Variety’s Isabelle Farina reports that Tubi and TikTok have launched the Creatorverse Incubator, with Tubi investing in 12 creators to develop 10 original long-form series spanning animation, horror, reality and YA genres.
James Denton-Clark named to lead Stagwell Europe
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell has handed its chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, the European leadership remit previously held by James Townsend.
Truthset, Aristotle pair up on political CTV ad targeting accuracy
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that Truthset and Aristotle International are partnering to bring identity verification to political ad buying on connected TV.
eMarketer: creators drive off-site commerce media creative
eMarketer’s Peter Clark reports that creators are becoming the creative engine of off-site commerce media, as retail media networks lean on creator content to power ads that run beyond their own retail sites.
Comcast eyes deeper Peacock-YouTube bundling after profitable quarter
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that Comcast co-CEO Michael Cavanagh told analysts on the company’s earnings call that deep bundling with YouTube Premium and YouTube TV is a key focus for Peacock.
AI visibility research says brand fame beats technical SEO tricks
MediaPost’s Lauren Ridgley argues that AI isn’t a new shortcut to growth but a mirror reflecting existing brand fame.
Stagwell taps Denton-Clark to lead European push
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell’s chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, is taking charge of Stagwell Europe. He assumes James Townsend’s remit as the challenger network prepares to step up investment in the region.