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Insights from IAB NewFronts: Streaming and AI innovation are transforming marketing鈥攂ut in a period of rapid change and economic unrest, adaptation is key.

Social platforms vie for attention at NewFronts: Meta, TikTok, and Snap all debuted ad updates designed to remain competitive amid a backdrop of uncertainty.

The news: Samsung Ads has introduced Creative Canvas, a self-serve ad suite unveiled ahead of NewFronts that lets advertisers easily create interactive, social-style connected TV (CTV) ads, per Adweek. Early adopters span categories including quick-service restaurants, retail, automotive, and consumer packaged goods, according to Samsung Ads.

Our upfront/NewFront connected TV (CTV) video ad spending forecast is a subcategory of our upfront/NewFront digital video ad spending forecast. Our CTV forecast is limited to digital advertising that appears on TV screens. Macroeconomic troubles precede the upfronts. Tariffs could upend the upfronts. Throughout spring 2025, the US oscillated between enacting and redacting steep tariffs.

The 2024鈥�2025 upfronts and NewFronts promise to be interesting. This year鈥檚 planning season will showcase the interplay between consumer preferences and TV viewing habits, underscoring the urgency for industry-wide innovation and flexibility.

TikTok's NewFronts showcases AI-curated ads and partnerships: Despite regulatory scrutiny, the platform shows no signs of being distracted in its efforts to pursue ad dollars.

Linear upfront spending is expected to remain flat for the foreseeable future, but marketers are increasingly turning to connected TV (CTV), with advertisers projected to spend more than $8 billion on CTV ads at this year鈥檚 upfronts and NewFronts.

Short-form video is the hot topic of 2023 Newfronts: TikTok, Meta, and YouTube are all presenting as the dominant short-form app faces existential threats.

Major players like TikTok, Meta, and Google unveiled new partnerships, AI innovations, and streamlining solutions. Here are three key developments you may have missed.

On today's episode, we discuss what the new normal looks like at Netflix, why its ad-supported tier isn't helping much, and what the first DVD ever mailed by the company was. "In Other News," we talk about Meta, TikTok, and YouTube facing off at this year's NewFronts and whether instant videos could be the next big AI development. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

The battle against TikTok took center stage at this week鈥檚 NewFronts, as Meta, Snapchat, and YouTube unveiled new ad products tied to short-form video. While none of them can compete with TikTok鈥檚 lock on the youth market or the enormous amount of time its users spend on the app, these new ad products are an attempt to bring Reels, Spotlight, and Shorts into greater parity with TikTok鈥檚 ad formats.

On today's episode, we discuss how much advertisers spend on traditional TV, whether connected TV (CTV) is stealing all of its dollars, and how much time Americans spend watching both. "In Other News," we talk about the one big takeaway from this year's upfronts and NewFronts and whether Peacock's new pricing strategy will work. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Paul Verna.

Our upfront/Newfront connected TV (CTV) video ad spending forecast is a subcategory of our upfront/Newfront digital video ad spending forecast. Our CTV forecast is limited to digital advertising that appears on TV screens. Meet the new upfronts, same as the old upfronts. Linear TV has been the bread and butter of upfront advertising.

Shorts wants to take ad dollars from TikTok: YouTube uses the NewFronts to tout their short-form video format.

This builds upon the platform鈥檚 announcements at NewFronts. The integration comes at a crucial time, as TikTok will reach 117.9 million US users in 2025, per our forecast. Why it matters: Cross-platform performance has become an imperative in today's fragmented media landscape鈥攁nd measurement is the top 2025 priority for US marketers by a large margin (see chart).

Reels remain a massive priority for the company, as they were heavily discussed during its NewFronts presentation this year. This makes sense considering the possibility of a TikTok ban. Still, Meta is working to emphasize video as a whole instead of focusing on short-form content.

On May 2, 2023鈥攐ne day after the NewFronts kicked off, and less than two weeks before the start of the TV upfronts鈥攖he Writers Guild of America (WGA) began a labor strike.

This move, explained during the 2023 IAB NewFronts, could expand the purchase funnel for Shorts and create an opening for the product to move to bigger screens (see below). YouTube rolled out Shorts for its smart TV app in November 2022. This positions Shorts as a product that goes beyond its smartphone base to reach users on the biggest screen in the house.

As upfront linear ad spend declines, US upfront/NewFront digital video ad spend is on the rise. US upfront/NewFront digital video ad spend will increase by 37.3% to reach $18.61 billion, per our May 2024 forecast.