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The connected TV ad opportunity is growing significantly in scope. The promise of broad yet targeted reach, retail media tie-ins, campaign measurement, and ad interactivity are fueling strong spending growth.

The payments giant is expanding its financial media network to monetize its data and push profitability efforts forward

Google and Meta landed slightly below expectations in Q3, allowing a collection of hungry competitors to inch ahead. But overall, the ad industry remains healthy. Sports events drove streaming and CTV to record gains, and retail media continues to be the sector鈥檚 fastest-growing ad channel.

Meta enhances its retail media tools: New APIs and ad formats aim to drive in-store and ecommerce sales while offering retailers better attribution data.

That gives social an advantage over retail media networks and traditional search engines, which have struggled to replicate the spontaneity of social shopping and rely heavily on on-site search for discovery and monetization. Human reviews remain key to purchase decisions.

Retail media networks (RMNs) are opening doors for digital audio. Like other digital channels, digital audio can make use of retailers鈥� consumer data to enhance targeting and measurement. Retailers with brick-and-mortar footprints like Walmart, Lowes, and CVS are also expanding in-store advertising capabilities to include audio formats, often available for purchase programmatically.

Among the 15 most-visited D2C consumer goods brands tracked by Similarweb in May 2025, 13 have retail partnerships, and a third sell via marketplaces. Incorporating wholesale partnerships, marketplaces, and their ancillary advertising opportunities via retail media networks often generates halo effects that boost traffic and sales for D2C channels.

Video and retail media networks (RMNs) will drive programmatic ad spending growth this year. Programmatic ad spend will increase by 15.2% in 2024 to reach $156.82 billion, 75% of which will go to direct channels. Programmatic video ad spending will grow even quicker at 21.2% YoY in 2024 and will continue to grow at a CAGR of 14.3% over the next two years.

In turn, retailers are using these platforms to unlock valuable customer data that can be used to power retail media networks for both in-store and online advertising. But consumers have mixed opinions about the various digital tools aimed at helping them discover, shop, and purchase grocery products. Here are five charts on the current state of consumer attitudes toward grocery technology.

No matter when or how they land, President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs will shake up retail and digital media.

AI shopping assistants are reshaping product discovery and threatening retail media鈥檚 search-driven model. RMNs and advertisers need to adjust strategies to protect their market position and seize the opportunity to turn disruption into growth.

Over 9 in 10 US marketers who invest in creator marketing planned to promote their partnerships via retail media networks in 2025, per Q3 2024 data from LTK and Northwestern University. That trend will help drive retail media ad spending, which will rise by 20.2% YoY in 2025. Brand deals are no longer bound to social platforms.

Despite the changes in the media landscape, upfront advertising is here to stay. Upfront ad buying dates back to the 1960s but remains a helpful practice for marketers even though advanced alternatives exist. In addition to linear TV and video streaming services, podcasts, video games, out-of-home (OOH), and retail media networks (RMNs) all sell inventory upfront now.

Commerce media networks, including retail, travel, and financial services follow, with 62% currently investing and one-quarter planning to. An equal percent of North American marketers (60%) currently spend on connected TV (CTV) and print, though slightly more plan to invest in CTV than those who have plans for print (28% and 26%, respectively). Beyond print, traditional is getting left behind.

Off-site retail media ad spend will grow 42.1% in 2025, almost three times as much as on-site, according to our November 2024 forecast.

Brands also have higher expectations for the retail media networks (RMNs) they work with, putting the onus on Instacart to simplify the ad buying experience, expand its reach to fast-growing channels like CTV and in-store retail media, and otherwise help advertisers optimize spend.

鈥淐onsumers are not just looking for the cheapest option,鈥� said Aki Susko, director of media sales at Ahold Delhaize鈥檚 retail media network. 鈥淭hey want the best value for their money.鈥�. Here are four strategies for retailers to deliver value to consumers across the purchase path. 1. Leverage retail media for value-driven campaigns.

Growth rates in retail media ad spending are slowing YoY. The channel鈥檚 contribution to total digital ad spending continues to rise, however, highlighting the increasing influence of retail media on holistic advertising strategies.

Acadia acquires Crush to expand Amazon-first capabilities: The deal reflects growing demand for full-funnel retail media solutions.