蘑菇AV

Ecommerce is gaining on search advertising. The convenience of ecommerce is challenging traditional search鈥檚 dominance, with retail giants like Amazon increasingly catering to B2B buyers. But standardization in measurement remains a challenge, and ecommerce platforms may not yet deliver the same level of returns as open web advertising.

Some 35% of US retail advertiser spending on Meta in Q2 2025 went to Advantage+ shopping campaigns, up from just 19% two years ago, per a July Tinuiti report.

Amazon鈥檚 share of ecommerce channel ad spending will decline by about a point this year and next year, then slide a bit further in 2025, to 75.1%. Competitors鈥� off-site growth will drive this shift.

Zooming out: It鈥檚 not just NBCU; Amazon鈥檚 successful Upfront highlighted how live sports are fueling Prime Video鈥檚 ad momentum, with NFL and WNBA games driving engagement rates far above TV averages and putting streaming at the center of sports ad growth.

The news: Netflix is proving its power as the dominant subscription streaming platform with several recent ad wins. The streamer announced that it鈥檚 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: Disney announced that it will merge Disney+ and Hulu in 2026, a move that could save it $3 billion. The news came after a mixed Q3 FY25 that beat expectations thanks to high spending at Disney theme parks and growth in streaming, but saw advertising revenues fall short of analyst estimates. Our take: Disney鈥檚 future success depends on whether merging its core streaming offerings boosts advertiser appeal and a successful sports push that can compete on a similar level as rivals with access to tentpole live events like the Super Bowl.

Nearly 80% actively advertise in podcasts already, and ad spend intention for podcasts has reached 69% among agencies and advertisers. Our take: As audiences shift to digital, podcasts demand advertiser investment. Brands that pay attention to the format and take steps to innovate will succeed long-term. Investing in video podcasts will prove most valuable in the long run.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淐anada Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

Despite brands increasing influencer marketing spending, creators are struggling to grow their content business and earn more from sponsorship deals, per Digiday. And while holiday season typically provides a boom, 70% of creators expect traditional sponsored posts to account for under a quarter of their holiday content as focus shifts to performance-driven efforts, according to Collective Voice. Influencer marketing continues its growth trajectory, and the future of the sector relies on how creators adapt to the rise of third-party inventory solutions that divert brand spend away from traditional sponsorships.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淢exico Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淏razil Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: China reiterated that it will not sell TikTok鈥檚 algorithm to the US in accordance with Chinese laws as the September 17 sale deadline looms. The announcement comes almost immediately after the White House launched an official TikTok account in a move Chinese officials stated 鈥渃ontradicts the 鈥榥ational security threat鈥� rhetoric.鈥� Our take: With no definitive answer on TikTok鈥檚 future in the US, advertisers are in a difficult spot. Divestment risks losing access to audiences motivated to take action鈥攂ut investing too heavily risks overreliance on a channel that could face major changes.

The news: Advertisers are increasing investment in up-and-coming digital advertising channels as the shift away from traditional continues, per a DoubleVerify study. Social media maintains the highest level of investment among North American marketers. Seventy-nine percent are already investing, while 19% have plans to. Our take: High-performing traditional ad formats are being overlooked because they鈥檙e harder to measure鈥攂ut optimizing for attribution over outcomes could come at a cost.

The news: NFL ads are more effective than anything on linear鈥攂ut ads during streaming-exclusive games outperformed in the 2024-25 season. Streaming ads were 66% more effective than the cable and broadcast average during the most recent NFL season, per data from EDO. Our take: With streaming platforms capturing engaged audiences for tentpole sports like the NFL, advertisers can leverage CTV not just for reach, but for its superior ability to drive measurable action through precision targeting and interactive formats that linear doesn鈥檛 offer.

Reddit posted a standout Q2 2025, with revenues jumping 78% year-over-year to $500 million鈥攊ncluding $465 million in ad revenue, up 84%. Net income reached $89 million with strong EBITDA and free cash flow. Global DAUs grew 21% to 110.4 million, and US ARPU climbed 59% to $7.87, signaling improved monetization. Reddit is now a billion-dollar US ad business a year ahead of forecasts, driven by growth in AI ad tools. Yet challenges remain: Reddit still holds only 1.1% of US social ad spend and relies heavily on Google Search traffic. Sustaining growth means reshaping advertiser perception and boosting direct engagement.

PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. AIOs are eating into traditional search ad real estate. Last May, AIOs took up to 600 pixels of screen space on search results pages, per BrightEdge data.

Amazon, seen as playing catch-up in the AI race, also signed multiyear agreements with Cond茅 Nast and Hearst in July, specifically to power its AI shopping assistant Rufus, per Digiday. Our take: The Amazon鈥揟imes deal underscores the growing value of premium journalism in the AI era, setting a precedent for how tech companies can ethically license high-quality content.

More retailers are turning to Instacart to power their ecommerce storefronts, with Costco Business Centres and Kohl鈥檚 Food Stores signing up for the company鈥檚 white-label services in the first half of 2025 alone. That鈥檚 up from 30 in all of 2024, and slightly more than a dozen in 2023.

The news: Few US adults pay for news behind paywalls. A June 2025 Pew Research Center survey shows just 17% paid for any news last year. The vast majority (83%) avoid payment, citing the abundance of free alternatives. Our take: Advertising tied to paywalls narrows reach and shrinks scale. Brands should prioritize open, ad-supported platforms where audiences engage freely. Marketers who embrace paywall resistance鈥攆ocusing on easy access and relevant content鈥攚ill win attention and revenues in a fragmented media landscape. Those relying on strict gating risk losing audience share and diminishing ad impact as consumers stick to free, accessible alternatives.

US ad spend with financial media will reach over $600 millions this year, according to 蘑菇AV forecasts, but still represent a small fraction of the commerce media landscape. "This is a really nascent space. There aren't many players that make up this cohort of financial media networks (FMNs), and they represent a really diverse array of types of financial companies," said our analyst Sarah Marzano during a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers."

The news: As the NFL season approaches and digital video becomes a sports destination, fans are looking to new streaming services to stay caught up鈥攁nd 35% are planning to subscribe to a new service to watch fall and winter sports, per CivicScience data. Our take: Sports will remain a key opportunity for brands to reach engaged and passionate audiences鈥攂ut as fragmentation worsens, advertisers must prioritize cross-platform strategies that unlock consistent exposure.

Home Depot is sharpening its pitch to non-endemic advertisers with a new partnership with Yahoo DSP. Non-endemic advertising could be a lucrative opportunity for RMNs鈥攂ut it comes with its own set of challenges. Retailers have to clearly articulate what advantages they offer compared with the rest of the (very crowded) field, while measuring the impact of non-incremental ads is more difficult given the absence of closed-loop attribution. Companies should also follow Home Depot鈥檚 lead in being strategic about the types of non-endemic advertisers they allow onto their platform. While the temptation might be to cast as wide a net as possible, limiting ad buys to brands in complementary categories will maximize effectiveness and minimize the confusion for shoppers.