蘑菇AV

The news: Paramount struck a $7.7 billion, 7-year agreement with UFC in its first big move after closing its merger with Skydance. The deal will see all 43 live annual UFC events streamed exclusively in the US on Paramount+, while select UFC events will be simultaneously aired on CBS. Our take: With its UFC deal, Paramount is taking the first step toward regaining audience share and ad spend post-Skydance merger, banking on live sports鈥� steady draw for viewers and marketers.

Amazon鈥檚 bundling of shopping, delivery, and streaming continues to pay off鈥攅specially in price-sensitive markets. Netflix鈥檚 decline may be incremental but also suggests saturation or diminishing value perception as users gravitate toward platforms offering broader ecosystems, cheaper access, or local content. Yes, but: Netflix鈥檚 dip in Brazil鈥攊ts No. 2 market behind the US鈥攎ay be temporary.

Brazil鈥檚 digital economy continues to thrive, driven by shifting advertising trends and increased social media usage. This report series explores key media consumption trends in Brazil in 2025.

VideoAmp has extended its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in a multi-year deal aimed at advancing flexible ad measurement. WBD will leverage VideoAmp鈥檚 tools across digital, linear, and cross-platform campaigns during the 2025 upfronts, reinforcing its 鈥渕easurement agnostic鈥� stance. This comes as marketers prioritize attribution and precision, particularly in CTV environments. The deal reflects broader trends: 71% of global marketers view advanced measurement as a top opportunity, and currency innovation is becoming essential. With recent leadership changes and ongoing partnerships with major networks, VideoAmp is positioning itself as a key player in the evolving ad currency ecosystem.

A trade war with the US will hinder economic performance in Canada this year. Ad spending overall is expected to lose the momentum gained in 2024. But many digital formats will benefit from the emphasis on return on ad spending.

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鈥攑aving the way for more data-rich, measurable campaigns.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss our 鈥榲ery specific, but highly unlikely鈥� predictions for 2025. What would happen to the social media world if OpenAI bought Snap, what if Starbucks launched a Stablecoin, and why some companies might still want to buy linear networks. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice Presidents of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna, and Principal Analyst Yory Wurmser. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

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

The big idea: Pharma marketers should pivot away from TV advertising even if the government doesn鈥檛 implement a ban on D2C drug ads. Our take: Pharma is a unique industry that still benefits from linear TV. However, more drug brands should consider D2C online platforms that serve as quasi substitutes to TV commercials at a much lower cost, plus channels like influencer partnerships.

The news: Messaging ads are gaining traction as a key opportunity to reach customers at critical moments after Meta debuted ads in WhatsApp. In an exclusive conversation with 蘑菇AV, Grant Parker, president of omnichannel ad platform Innnovid, offered his take on the future of the messaging medium. Our take: The path forward for messaging ads relies on how well the format integrates with the user experience rather than interrupting it鈥攏ecessitating that advertisers invest in this opportunity while accounting for consumer attitudes.

Real-world applications are already underway: Amazon鈥檚 Rufus ads blend product discovery with video in a seamless shopping flow, while Meta and TikTok aim to compress production timelines without sacrificing personalization. Despite the excitement, measurement gaps persist鈥攑articularly in closed-loop platforms like Rufus鈥攍eaving some advertisers flying blind on performance attribution.

Zooming in: All but one of the top 20 Rx brands increased YoY linear TV ad spending for the first six months of 2025, per iSpot. Novo Nordisk鈥檚 GLP-1 drug for weight loss Wegovy rang up $193.2 million in H1, boosting its linear TV ad spend by more than $150 million YoY. Johnson & Johnson鈥檚 anti-inflammatory biologic Tremfya dropped $119.2 million to promote its use for ulcerative colitis (UC).

Netflix could continue pushing into in-app e-commerce and shoppable features to give creators more opportunities to monetize content beyond platform payouts. Our take: YouTube鈥檚 appeal as a (mostly) free platform means it鈥檒l likely continue its dominance鈥攂ut all hope isn鈥檛 lost for Netflix, which continues to lead in paid streaming offerings.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly 鈥淎d Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly 鈥淎d Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly 鈥淎d Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly 鈥淎d Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: Reddit rolled out two AI-driven ad tools鈥擱eddit Insights and Conversation Summary Add-ons鈥攖o tap into its massive archive of user conversations to help brands reach more audiences effectively, per Reuters. Reddit is using generative AI (genAI) to distill user sentiment and track subreddit trends for sharper ad targeting. Our take: Where Meta and Google rely on targeting individual users, Reddit is spotlighting group dynamics and a shift toward community-led marketing. If these tools succeed, they could offer a new avenue for how brands approach discovery, feedback, and brand perception.

In early testing, Samsung reports Mobile Conversion exceeded 7-day return on ad spend (ROAS) targets by up to 150%. The system dynamically adjusts bids and creative based on real-time engagement signals. It works in tandem with mobile measurement partners like AppsFlyer and Adjust for full-funnel attribution.

In response to viewership spikes, podcast ad spending is increasing. US spending is projected to reach $2.51 billion this year, growing 11% YoY, per our forecast. By 2028, spending will exceed $3 billion. Creator-audience relationships are important to listeners.

The news: Out-of-home (OOH) and TV advertising are outperforming popular channels like connected TV (CTV) and digital across metrics, per a five-year study from Clear Channel Outdoor and Kantar. Our take: OOH and TV advertising will continue playing a critical role in an effective omnichannel strategy, and the most savvy advertisers will recognize the enduring effectiveness of these channels for reaching key audiences when they鈥檙e likely to purchase.