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TikTok makes a bid to encourage creators, agencies to livestream: The push is part of the platform’s strategic effort to avoid a US ban.

It's been a year since the messaging app Discord launched its own reward-based ad format called "Quests" for PC and game console users, and they're ready to celebrate its success.

Social sharing aims to boost usage, yet without real-time info or buzz, it may struggle to stick

Not everyone gets news from creators and influencers. But alternative voices, especially podcasters, hold a lot of sway over key demographics, including Gen Z, men, and consumers who feel marginalized by mainstream media.

Brands are shifting away from traditional influencer marketing to tap into the power of everyday consumers sharing authentic content about products they genuinely use and love.

Threads makes ads available globally: The Meta platform benefits from steady growth and a safer brand image than X.

Australia will exempt YouTube from its under-16 social media ban: The promise is receiving backlash from Meta and TikTok, and will require brands to adapt.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why the Trump administration extended TikTok’s sell-by date again, what deals are on the table, and how creators feel about the potential ban at this point. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

X’s ad business is beginning to recover. But the return to growth is complicated, and there’s still a long road ahead for X’s ad revenues to reach pre-Elon Musk levels.

YouTube has more users than Facebook, Netflix, or Spotify. But its advertising revenues do not match its vast reach. This report contextualizes the opportunities and scope for growth in various media spheres.

What do brands need to know about the next wave of digital growth?

The news: While brands invest heavily in social media giants like Instagram and Facebook, smaller platforms are showing steady growth—indicating a future where ad opportunities go beyond the big players. While the Meta platforms make up an enormous 72.5% of US social network ad spending, smaller social media platforms are holding their own, experiencing growth at a similar rate to Meta. Our take: While advertisers shouldn’t discount the massive reach Meta offers, smaller players are increasingly valuable for driving results, especially as competition intensifies on larger platforms.

The news: Snapchat acquired social calendar app Saturn and about 30 of its employees. For now, Saturn will stay an independent entity, but integration is likely down the road, per Engadget. Our take: Acquiring Saturn was a natural progression in Snapchat’s social path. It doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel when it has an app that already has a massive user base of its target audience. Calendar integrations will help brands more easily geotarget ads based on school events.

The news: Cannes Lions 2025 marked a shift in retail media strategy, with platforms like Pinterest and Reddit forging deeper ties with retailers. CVS announced a clean room data partnership with Reddit to allow targeting based on shared first-party data, launching a Sensodyne and Advil campaign this fall. Pinterest partnered with Instacart to enable shopping from pins and connect ad exposure to sales via closed-loop attribution. Our take: Social platforms are becoming full-funnel retail media environments. By fusing community context with purchase signals, these integrations aim to blend discovery and commerce in real time—paving the way for more data-rich, measurable campaigns.

The news: US adults are increasingly dependent on digital platforms for news, with social media and video overtaking traditional news outlets for the first time. 54% of US adults get their news from social media, per the Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, compared with 50% from TV news and 48% from news websites and apps. Our take: Linear platforms could offer personalized news digests and mobile- and social- friendly content to reengage younger users, while advertisers should diversify their campaigns across social media platforms to follow fragmented user engagement.

The news: Instagram and TikTok are working on plans to develop connected TV (CTV) apps to mimic the success of YouTube’s big-screen push, per The Information. Our take: Advertisers may be hesitant to spend on placements before user adoption is proven. TikTok and Meta should prepare for initial losses and, to ensure a robust content pipeline for TV, introduce new simple editing tools or financial incentives to help creators optimize vertical posts for the horizontal big screen.