Digital Video Ad Spend To Climb 11% To $82B In 2026: IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau projects U.S. digital video ad spending to reach $81.9 billion in 2026, an 11% year‑over‑year increase that outpaces the overall advertising market by 20%. Social‑media video is set to grow 13% to $31.9 billion, overtaking connected TV (CTV) which will rise 11% to $29.3 billion. More than half of CTV’s growth is driven by budget shifts from linear TV and other traditional media, while social platforms now account for 38% of video budgets. Consumer packaged goods remain the largest spend category, followed by retail and technology.
Here’s All the Free Content Coming to Tubi This Month
Tubi is rolling out a massive free‑content slate on May 1, 2026, adding dozens of movies and series across action, horror, sci‑fi, romance, and more. The platform also debuts three new originals – a six‑part World Cup docuseries, a Formula 1 alt‑cast...
Fox One Streaming Offering $50,000 to Super Fan to Watch All 104 World Cup Soccer Matches Live From New York...
Fox One, Fox Corp.’s standalone streaming platform, is offering $50,000 to a "super fan" who will watch all 104 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches live from a Times Square studio. The tournament runs June 11‑July 19 across 16 North‑American cities and features a...
Dang Ly Joins Operative as Chief Product Officer
Operative, a software provider for media ad management, has hired Dang Ly as chief product officer. Ly, formerly senior vice president and CTO at Universal Destinations & Experiences, will steer product strategy for Operative’s portfolio, including AOS, Operative.One, Adeline AI and STAQ. His mandate covers...
Broadcasts and Promotions Related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup
FIFA has issued strict intellectual‑property guidelines for the 2026 World Cup, demanding that broadcasters obtain licenses for any use of official marks, mascots or slogans. Unlicensed references risk ambush‑marketing lawsuits, while only generic descriptors like “soccer in Canada” are permitted...
Lotus Seattle Seeks Account Executive
Lotus Communications is hiring an Account Executive for its Seattle station group, which includes all‑news KNWN‑AM/FM, talk outlet KVI, and country station KPLZ. The role focuses on generating advertising revenue, meeting monthly sales targets, and crafting cross‑platform campaigns that blend...
Traitors Fans Already Think They've Worked Out Who the Traitors Are, and Brand One "Diabolical"
The BBC has announced a star‑studded 21‑celebrity lineup for the second season of Celebrity Traitors, which will film in Scotland and offer a £100,000 prize (about $125,000) for the winner’s chosen charity. Host Claudia Winkleman returns to guide the contestants...
Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (5/4)
Talkers' daily roundup for May 4, 2026 identified the five stories that generated the most conversation on news‑talk radio. The list ranged from the Iran‑Russia war and a U.S. naval escort plan to a Secret Service gun‑fire incident near the White House,...
YouTube TV Keeps Weather Channel in New Deal with Allen Media Group
YouTube TV has signed a new multi‑year carriage agreement with Allen Media Group, preserving The Weather Channel and several AMG‑owned networks—including Local Now, JusticeCentral.TV, Comedy.TV and Recipe.TV—on its streaming lineup. The deal was announced with minimal public wrangling, a stark...
Think Small. (Agencies, that Is).
Craig Crawford, a former Leo Burnett creative, launched the boutique agency Black Noise in 2024 and this week placed paid open letters in trade publications and on LinkedIn aimed at CMOs in automotive, travel and quick‑service restaurant sectors. The letters...
Is the Pitching Process a Fair Reflection of the Client-Agency Working Relationship?
Campaign Middle East’s May 2026 forum surveyed regional experts on whether the current pitching process mirrors the client‑agency relationship that follows. The overwhelming consensus was “no”: procurement‑driven, price‑centric pitches often sideline strategic fit and create misaligned expectations. A few voices noted...
Brianna Doe on the One Thing CMOs Should Change About Creator Marketing Right Now
Brianna Doe, founder of Verbatim, argues that CMOs must stop treating influencer marketing as a siloed paid‑media tactic and instead embed creators within broader brand programs. She highlights the creator economy’s rapid growth, the flood of AI‑generated content, and the...
The Creator Economy’s Regulatory Grace Period Is Over
Governments worldwide are ending the creator economy’s regulatory grace period. Australia has banned users under 16 from major social platforms, and the UK launched a consultation that could impose age limits, scrolling caps, and AI‑chatbot duties. Simultaneously, Meta is defending...
What Does Declining Traffic Mean for the Future of Search?
The article warns that AI‑driven, zero‑click searches are reshaping how brands are discovered, turning traffic declines into signs of content authority rather than failure. Large language models now pull answers directly from authoritative guides, leaving no click trace in analytics....
Meta Draws Bipartisan Senate Fire for Pulling Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Ads
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Amy Klobuchar wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding an explanation for the company’s removal of lawyer‑recruitment ads that promote social‑media‑addiction lawsuits. Meta pulled more than a dozen Facebook and Instagram ads after New Mexico...
B2B Influencer Marketing: What Practitioners Are Actually Doing in 2026
B2B influencer marketing has moved from a niche experiment to a multi‑million‑dollar channel, with enterprise software firms paying creators five‑ to six‑figure fees for LinkedIn posts. Buyers now start their purchase journeys by trusting individual voices rather than reading analyst...
Inside WBD’s New Pitch to Advertisers Amid Paramount Shakeup
Warner Bros. Discovery is staging a May 13 upfront to reassure advertisers as it navigates a pending $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance. Ad‑sales chiefs Ryan Gould and Bobby Voltaggio highlighted the breadth of WBD’s portfolio—from news and sports to streaming and...
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Is First Movie to Reach 1 Billion Viewing Hours
Netflix’s children’s film “KPop Demon Hunters” has become the platform’s most‑watched movie, surpassing 1 billion cumulative viewing hours. The title outperformed the 2023 blockbuster “Red Notice” and topped all subscription‑streaming films in 2025. Ampere Analysis notes the movie peaked in its...
Why Friends Recast Ross' Ex-Wife Carol After Just One Episode
When "Friends" premiered in 1994, Anita Barone played Ross’s ex‑wife Carol for a single episode. After Barone left to pursue a longer‑term role, Jane Sibbett was recast and turned Carol into a recurring character across more than a dozen episodes....
Paramount+ Adds 700,000 Subscribers in Q1
Paramount+ added 700,000 new subscribers in Q1 2026, falling short of analysts’ 1 million‑plus forecast despite the recent UFC content rollout. Direct‑to‑consumer revenue rose 11% year‑over‑year to $2.4 billion, underscoring stronger monetization per user. The company announced that Pluto TV will be...
Nielsen: Co-Viewing Pilot Delivers +4% Average Increase in Total Viewers
Nielsen released data from a February co‑viewing pilot that recorded an average 4.19% increase in total viewers across major live events, including the Super Bowl and the State of the Union. The pilot used advanced wearable devices to more precisely...
Ex-Obama Aide Takes NYT PR Post
Katie Hill, former communications director for President Obama and SVP of communications at the NFL, has been appointed senior vice president and global head of communications and external affairs at The New York Times. In her new role, Hill will oversee corporate...
Netflix's One Piece Anime Remake Debuts First Poster, Premiere Month Confirmed
Netflix announced an animated adaptation of the One Piece manga that will premiere in February 2027. The first season will consist of seven episodes covering roughly the initial 50 chapters, ending with Luffy’s encounter with Sanji. Concept art shows Luffy at...
The Full Agenda for NEM Dubrovnik 2026 Is Now Revealed
The NEM Dubrovnik 2026 conference unveiled a record‑breaking agenda, drawing more than 300 companies, 200 CEE buyers and 150 exhibitors—a 50% market growth over last year. Over 80 speakers will address structural shifts, new business models, AI‑driven discovery, hybrid distribution,...
U.S. Digital Video Ad Spend to Surpass $80B in 2026; Growing 20% Faster Than the Total Ad Market, According to...
The Interactive Advertising Bureau projects U.S. digital video ad spend to top $80 billion in 2026, an 11% year‑over‑year increase that outpaces the broader ad market by roughly 20%. Digital video—encompassing CTV, online and social video—will claim more than 60% of...
Netflix Is Losing HBO’s Most Daring Sci-Fi Series Soon
Collider released an exclusive sci‑fi survival quiz that matches participants to one of five iconic universes—The Matrix, Mad Max, Blade Runner, Dune, or Star Wars. The eight‑question format probes how respondents react to systemic threats, scarce resources, and authority, then...
Social Video Ad Spending Is Set to Outpace CTV in Growth Rate This Year
The IAB projects social video ad spend to grow 13% year‑over‑year in 2026, surpassing CTV’s 11% growth. Total U.S. digital video investment is expected to reach $80 billion, with platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Reddit capturing a larger share of...
Trans+ History Week Campaign Spotlights Trans+ Community Voices
Uncharted Studio has unveiled an outdoor advertising campaign for Trans+ History Week, spotlighting the voices of trans and non‑binary individuals across major UK cities. The campaign rolls out a series of billboards and transit posters featuring authentic stories and artwork...
BioOne to Join Hopkins Press, Advancing Shared Vision for Scholarly Publishing
Johns Hopkins University Press will incorporate BioOne, a nonprofit aggregator of over 200 bioscience journals, into its organization. The merger links BioOne’s life‑science collection with the humanities‑focused Project MUSE platform, expanding the Press’s disciplinary reach. Both entities will continue using the...
Digest: OpenAI Lays Groundwork For ChatGPT Ads in EU; Blackstone, H&F, Goldman Back AI Venture; Musk Settles Twitter Lawsuit Paying...
OpenAI is preparing to launch ChatGPT advertising in the European Union by adding a consent‑management pixel and updating its privacy policy to permit sharing purchase data with advertisers. Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman and Goldman Sachs are backing a new Anthropic‑led...
Bravo’s Next Gen NYC Stars Still Want to Prove Themselves
Bravo’s reality series Next Gen NYC follows the offspring of established Bravo personalities—Brooks Marks and Riley Burruss—as they strive to forge independent entertainment careers in Manhattan. The pair discuss their early earnings, with Burruss splurging on a French bulldog and...
Do You Really Need 100,000 Influencers, Or Just the Right Few?
The article argues that brands achieve higher ROI by partnering with a curated group of influencers rather than casting a wide net of 100,000 creators. It highlights the growing role of influencer talent agencies that negotiate deals, manage contracts, and...
Brand Storytelling Is Evolving Into Micro-Dramas and Agencies Need to Keep Up
Brand storytelling is shifting from long‑form narratives to bite‑size "micro‑dramas"—15‑30 second video loops that dominate TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat. Agencies that once relied on traditional copywriters now face a talent gap as brands demand rapid pacing, cinematic visuals, and...
The Thessaloniki International Book Fair Kicks Off This Week, with Its Balkan Neighbor in the Spotlight
The Thessaloniki International Book Fair runs May 7‑10 and, for the first time, welcomes Bulgaria as guest of honor, underscoring the city’s role as a cultural bridge between Western and Southeast Europe. Organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture,...
NextGen Signage Drives The DSS 2026 Agenda and Speaker Line-Up
Digital signage leaders convene at the Digital Signage Summit (DSS) 2026 in Munich, marking the event’s 20th anniversary. The two‑day program, themed “NextGen Signage,” spotlights AI adoption, cybersecurity, green signage, and retail media through keynotes, panels, and tech dialogues. High‑profile...
Dacoit: Oka Prema Katha Locks May 8 for Its OTT Premiere; Adivi Sesh, Mrunal Thakur Starrer to Stream on Prime...
Prime Video will debut the Telugu action‑thriller Dacoit: Oka Prema Katha globally on May 8, 2026. The film, directed by Shaneil Deo and starring Adivi Sesh, Mrunal Thakur, Anurag Kashyap and Prakash Raj, will stream in the original Telugu plus...
Google Ads Data Retention Policy Updated
Google announced that its Ads performance reporting data will have extended retention periods. Hourly, daily and weekly metrics will be kept for 37 months, while monthly, quarterly and annual data will be stored for 11 years. The change, communicated via...
Why Reddit Blocked My Daily Visit to Its Mobile Website
Reddit has begun testing an overlay that blocks its mobile website for frequent logged‑out users, forcing them to download the app. The pop‑up offers no skip option, only a button to install the app, and users can only regain access...
Behind the AI in the Newsroom: The Washington Post’s Vineet Khosla
Washington Post CTO Vineet Khosla explains the paper’s "AI everywhere" strategy, which embeds artificial intelligence across news production and consumer products. The newsroom has rolled out AI‑generated personalized podcasts, now exceeding 100,000 episodes, and internal tools like Haystacker that let...
Duncan Painter Quits Omnicom for Tech CEO Role
Duncan Painter has resigned as chief executive of Omnicom, ending a tenure of less than three years. His departure comes shortly after Omnicom completed the $1.2 billion sale of its data‑technology unit Flywheel in 2023. Painter is set to become chief...
Social Media Updates and New Features to Know This Week
Meta’s daily active users slipped to 3.56 billion in Q1, ending a streak of steady growth and highlighting the impact of external disruptions in Iran and Russia. The company is rolling out an AI‑driven chat interface that lets marketers manage campaigns...
What To Watch Tuesday: Will Trent, Daredevil, And NCIS: Origins Finales, And More
TVLine’s Tuesday lineup spotlights three major season finales—Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, Will Trent on ABC, and NCIS: Origins on CBS—while the NBA Playoffs continue with Detroit vs. Cleveland and Oklahoma City vs. Los Angeles. The schedule also introduces Hulu’s...
Why American Family Insurance Made a Reality Competition Series for Hulu
American Family Insurance partnered with Disney Advertising to launch “Designed To Last,” a four‑episode reality competition premiering May 5 on Hulu. The show pits architects, engineers and inventors against design challenges focused on home‑preparedness for threats like wind, fire and ice,...
Google: AI Makes Human Experience More Important For Content via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
In a recent Search Off The Record episode, Google Search engineers Martin Splitt and Nikola Todorovic warned that AI is making basic factual content less valuable. As large language models can instantly retrieve specs and data sheets, the competitive edge...
Stop Picking Sides: Let ‘Living Data’ Power Total TV
Matt Bryan of Samsung Ads argues that CTV success hinges on "living data"—a continuously refreshed blend of first‑party screen signals and third‑party intent data. Samsung smart‑TV analytics show Europe’s viewing split 55 % streaming, 45 % linear, underscoring audience fragmentation. Research indicates...
ITV Unveils First-Look Trailer for Danny Dyer and Emily Atack's "Fiendish" New Series with "Big Twist"
ITV has released the first‑look trailer for *Nobody’s Fool*, a new quiz‑reality hybrid hosted by Danny Dyer and Emily Atack. The series pits ten contestants in a “Smart House” where success depends on convincing others of their intelligence rather than actual...
Zee Sues Nykaa over Alleged Copyright Misuse of Songs on Instagram Reels
Zee Entertainment has filed a Delhi High Court lawsuit against beauty retailer Nykaa, accusing the brand of using Zee‑owned songs in Instagram reels to market products. Zee claims its licensing agreement with Meta permits only non‑commercial use, while Nykaa allegedly...
Al-Futtaim Toyota Tugs Heartstrings Among UAE Locals, Residents with ‘The Accidental Icon’
Al‑Futtaim Toyota launched “The Accidental Icon,” a three‑month UAE campaign that revives the emotional bond with the iconic Toyota Building sign removed in 2018. The effort combines a five‑minute documentary on LinkedIn, Meta and TikTok, outdoor billboards on Sheikh Zayed...
What We Heard in Perugia About AI Rewriting the Rules of Journalism
At the 2026 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, a panel warned newsrooms that AI agents are emerging as a new class of readers, forcing publishers to cater to machine‑scale demand. Speakers highlighted a market split between hyper‑premium brands like The...
Government to Create Task Force to Examine Labelling for AI-Generated Content
The UK government will establish a dedicated task force to examine whether AI‑generated content should be formally labelled. The move follows the EU AI Act’s 2024 transparency requirement and emerging US state laws, though Britain currently lacks such legislation. Ministers...