Retail media forecast to top $200 billion in 2026
WARC Media forecasts global retail media spending will hit $200.4 billion in 2026, then climb 11.5% to $223.4 billion in 2027. The growth keeps outpacing most other ad channels as retailers expand where sponsored placements can appear.
Netflix study: better recommenders concentrate viewing, don’t spread it
A Netflix research paper examines how recommender system upgrades reshape consumption across the catalog, splitting titles into popularity segments including a “middle tail.” The findings challenge assumptions that better RecSys naturally surfaces long-tail or lesser-known content to more viewers.
Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat to make vertical originals for microdrama platform aTwist
Hartbeat and aTwist will team on more than 20 original microseries for a dedicated Hartbeat destination on the platform. The slate also includes adaptations of Blake Karrington’s bestselling book series, produced with Upscale Productions.
Glance adds Mexico’s official TV audience data via ACAM tie-up
Glance has partnered with ACAM, Mexico’s official TV audience measurement body, adding its dataset to Glance’s international linear TV analysis. ACAM’s panel covers 78 percent of Mexico’s urban population and is expanding toward 3,500 households and 7,200 individuals.
ESPN’s app-exclusive content now lives inside YouTube TV
YouTube TV rolled out “ingestion” of app-exclusive ESPN content, letting subscribers access all live ESPN events and library shows like 30 for 30 directly in the channel guide.
CreatorFi raises $45 million to fund creators against platform revenue
CreatorFi raised $45 million in equity and debt to advance capital to creators against earnings from Roblox, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube, up from a $12 million credit facility in 2025.
Ex-UTA chief Jeremy Zimmer resurfaces as a Twitch talk-show host
Jeremy Zimmer, who stepped down as UTA’s CEO in March 2025 after nearly five decades in the agency business, now co-hosts a live career-advice talk show on Twitch called 877unmplyd.
NALIP taps Parrot Analytics to score audience demand for 2026 honorees
NALIP is partnering with Parrot Analytics to evaluate 2026 award nominees using audience demand data, not just critical buzz.
Ace Hardware’s RedVest adds incrementality, influencer and DoorDash tools
Almost one year in, Ace Hardware’s retail media network RedVest Media unveiled new features at its inaugural upfront: incrementality measurement, influencer marketing via Publicis-owned Influential, a DoorDash ad partnership and weather-triggered programmatic campaigns.
TV’s overall-deal era shifts from guarantees to bonus-driven pay
Streamers and studios are cutting guaranteed upfront money in overall deals, replacing it with success-only bonuses after getting burned overpaying showrunners in the Peak TV era, sources tell The Ankler.
Pangram’s CEO on why AI detection beats simple ‘real or fake’ labels
Pangram co-founder Max Spero joined TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to discuss AI content detection, weeks after the startup raised $9 million and struck a partnership with Substack to flag newsletters written with AI.
Vertical dramas turn a 47-year-old career auditioner into a working actor
TJ Wilk, a former waiter, trainer and manny who logged 729 auditions over two decades, has filmed more than 30 mobile-first microdramas since 2023. His debut vertical, a 56-episode werewolf series, drew 28.8 million views on ReelShort.
Gracenote: viewers want sports schedules on TV home screens
A new Gracenote report, Home Screen Advantage, finds 26% of viewers say they can’t always find games on TV, and 85% want their set’s first screen to show upcoming games for favorite teams and leagues with how-to-watch info.
Gracenote: 85% of viewers want a home-screen hub for sports schedules
Gracenote’s Home Screen Advantage study found 26% of viewers often can’t find games on TV, and 85% want their set’s first screen to show upcoming games and how-to-watch details.
Nielsen launches local college football fandom index, tops with Birmingham
Nielsen expands its Scarborough Fandom Index franchise to college football, ranking local markets on eight engagement metrics. Birmingham, Des Moines/Ames, Columbus, Omaha and Knoxville top the list, led by mid-size markets near flagship programs.
FTC filing accuses Amazon of tilting its own ad auctions
The FTC alleges Amazon has overcharged advertisers for years by putting a thumb on its ad auction mechanics, according to columnist Kiri Masters. She argues advertiser trust is damaged even though spending on the platform is unlikely to move.
ABC, NBC evening newscasts gain viewers and demo for week of Aug. 24
ABC World News Tonight averaged 8.731 million viewers and 1.219 million in the Adults 25-54 demo, its best demo week since January 2025.
Twitch’s engaged audience gives marketers more reason to invest in livestreaming
EMARKETER’s latest coverage frames Twitch as a platform where viewers stay deeply engaged, a quality that stands out to advertisers weighing where to spend limited livestreaming budgets.
Netflix inks day-and-date deal with YouTube travel star Drew Binsky
Netflix will stream a curated library of Binsky’s travel videos starting September 19, and going forward his new episodes will release day-and-date on Netflix alongside YouTube. Binsky has 7.3 million YouTube subscribers and 22 million followers across platforms.
DirecTV survey: out-of-home sports viewing rivals watching at home
DirecTV for Business polled 2,000 sports fans and found ballpark attendance edged out both home viewing and sports bars as the top choice, 31% versus 29% each.
Sports TV could revive the old “ad hoc network” model for live rights
TVREV traces the 1960s-70s “Love Network” and syndicators like TVS and Mizlou, who cleared local stations market by market for events lacking a permanent channel home. Gray Media, Scripps and TEGNA are already rebuilding similar station-based sports distribution today.
MrBeast signs multi-year deal to promote Gemini and Google Health
Google inked a multi-year partnership with Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson to feature Gemini, Google Health, and the Fitbit Air in upcoming videos.