Databricks: ad industry shifting from impressions to a ‘prediction economy’
MediaPost is reporting that Databricks argues advertisers and media are moving past impressions, reach and clicks toward predicting audience demand before spend happens, requiring measurement orchestrated across many data sources as ad tech and martech stacks converge.
Car ads vanish from prime time as automakers chase streaming, local deals
The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick Coffee reports automakers are cutting national brand ads on linear TV for targeted streaming and regional sales spots, with auto’s ad spend share set to fall below 10% this year, down from 13% a decade ago.
Tubi and TikTok launch creator incubator for 10 original series
Variety’s Isabelle Farina reports that Tubi and TikTok have launched the Creatorverse Incubator, with Tubi investing in 12 creators to develop 10 original long-form series spanning animation, horror, reality and YA genres.
James Denton-Clark named to lead Stagwell Europe
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell has handed its chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, the European leadership remit previously held by James Townsend.
Truthset, Aristotle pair up on political CTV ad targeting accuracy
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that Truthset and Aristotle International are partnering to bring identity verification to political ad buying on connected TV.
eMarketer: creators drive off-site commerce media creative
eMarketer’s Peter Clark reports that creators are becoming the creative engine of off-site commerce media, as retail media networks lean on creator content to power ads that run beyond their own retail sites.
AI visibility research says brand fame beats technical SEO tricks
MediaPost’s Lauren Ridgley argues that AI isn’t a new shortcut to growth but a mirror reflecting existing brand fame.
Stagwell taps Denton-Clark to lead European push
The Media Leader’s James Longhurst reports that Stagwell’s chief growth and client officer, James Denton-Clark, is taking charge of Stagwell Europe. He assumes James Townsend’s remit as the challenger network prepares to step up investment in the region.
SMBs know AI search matters but can’t yet measure it
eMarketer’s Peter Clark reports that small and midsize businesses increasingly see AI search visibility as critical to their marketing, yet most still struggle to measure its actual impact on their business.
Apple TV’s scripted-only bet pays off in awards and signups
StreamTV Insider’s Bevin Fletcher reports that Ampere Analysis finds Apple TV is the only major U.S. streamer increasing scripted content while rivals lean into unscripted fare, with just 18% of its catalog unscripted versus Netflix’s 25% and HBO Max’s 72%, per Ampere and Antenna data.
Jay-Z to headline 2027 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show
Variety’s Steven J. Horowitz reports that Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium, with Roc Nation producing and Hamish Hamilton directing.
iSpot: streaming matches linear ad revenue despite far fewer impressions
TVREV’s Jason Damata reports on iSpot’s Q3 Ad report, which found streaming now splits ad revenue evenly with linear even though linear still delivers the vast majority of impression volume.
XR’s Batter calls for industry-wide creative ID system
The Measure reports that Extreme Reach CEO John Batter says the industry lacks a creative ID structure to connect ad variants to masters, track rights compliance by region, and link production costs to media outcomes as AI speeds up variant creation.
Nielsen confirms WNBA Finals Game 1 set a viewership record
Nielsen is reporting that Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between Atlanta and Golden State drew 1.76 million viewers on NBC on October 17.
TNF audience up 12% on Prime Video, skews six years younger than linear NFL
Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp reports that “Thursday Night Football” is averaging 17.7 million viewers through Week 7 on Prime Video, up 12% year over year.
Low-budget ‘Clayface’ outperforms Warner’s $170M ‘Supergirl’ bet
The Ankler reports that Warner Bros.’ $30 million R-rated “Clayface” opened to $24 million, drawing an A-minus CinemaScore and an audience 73 percent under 35, offering a cheaper model after “Supergirl” opened to $38 million on a $170 million budget.
YouTube TV leaps to No. 1 in streamer promo reach as football returns
StreamTV Insider’s Bevin Fletcher reports that YouTube TV surged to the top of iSpot’s Streamers TV Promo Power Ranking in September with a 13.35% share of linear promo reach, up from just 0.97% in August.
Netflix redesigned its app around Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo
Lowpass’s Janko Roettgers reports that Netflix designers rebuilt their mobile app after testing Apple’s iPhone Duo, which supports tablet, book and tabletop viewing modes plus multitasking alongside other apps while watching live sports.
The Drum series probes why marketing ROI proof keeps getting harder
The Drum reports that the second episode of its documentary series “The Great Marketing Makeover” features leaders from Salesforce, Mars and Estée Lauder discussing the collapse of the traditional marketing funnel.
Disney+ to carry Channel 4’s linear feed and shows in UK, Ireland
Variety’s Alex Ritman reports that Disney+ will launch a Channel 4-branded section in the U.K. and Ireland in early 2027, carrying Channel 4’s live HD channel plus day-and-date on-demand shows like “Maya” and “Celebrity SAS” at no extra cost to subscribers.
Publicis names first-ever CEO, chief strategy officer for Marcel AI platform
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that Publicis Groupe has installed Scott Hagedorn as CEO and Sam Levine Archer as chief strategy officer in newly created roles atop Marcel, its internal AI platform.