Holdco earnings calls show pitches are no longer one-size-fits-all
Digiday’s Seb Joseph reports that holdco earnings calls reveal pitching has fragmented: Havas’s François Laroze cited integrated pitches, Publicis’s Arthur Sadoun described tighter two-holdco contests replacing full beauty parades, and Omnicom’s John Wren focused on tech-investment value.
Hollywood agencies back tax incentive but push for more
Variety’s Gene Maddaus reports that the American Entertainment Alliance, including CAA, WME and UTA, backs the proposed 20% federal production tax incentive as a “first step.”
Creators are restructuring as holding companies to court brand dollars
Ad Age’s Gillian Follett reports that top creators like Cody “Clix” Conrod are reorganizing under holding companies, hiring CEOs and executives to run diversified businesses spanning media, products and events.
TikTok, iHeartPodcasts add three more creator shows to podcast network
Inside Radio’s Hannah Kosh reports that TikTok and iHeartPodcasts are adding three creator-hosted shows covering internet culture, sports and fashion to their podcast network, launching between late October and December.
Dentsu Creative wins expanded Diageo trade and shopper marketing role
Adweek’s Christopher Cicchiello reports that Dentsu Creative won Diageo’s U.S. trade and shopper marketing business after a competitive review, consolidating work previously spread across multiple agencies and extending a 25-year client relationship.
World Cup gave NBCUniversal a $224 million Q3 ad boost
Adweek’s Bill Bradley reports that Comcast executives, on a Thursday earnings call, said the 2026 FIFA World Cup generated $224 million in incremental advertising across Telemundo and Peacock in the third quarter, bringing total World Cup ad revenue to $664 million.
Nielsen’s Gauge: TV usage falls 4.4% in August as World Cup glow fades
Nielsen reports that total TV usage dropped 4.4% in August as the post-World Cup lull and back-to-school season cooled viewing.
Commerce media’s growth story shifts from speed to proof
MediaPost’s Lauren Sanvidge argues commerce media is maturing past retail shelves into delivery, banking and travel platforms, with advertisers now working nine or more networks versus 8% two years ago.
Omnicom says IPG integration nearly done as growth accelerates
Digiday’s Michael Bürgi reports that Omnicom’s third-quarter organic revenue grew 7.2% year-over-year, up from 6.1% in Q2 and 3.9% in Q1, as CEO John Wren said the IPG integration is nearly complete. Total revenue hit $6.42 billion, with operating margin rising to 18.2%.
Comcast Q3: cable write-offs loom as NBCU preps to split off
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that Comcast’s cable business still drives most profit, $7.6 million compared with NBCU’s $1.8 million in Q3, even as cord-cutting worsened and broadband growth stalled.
YouTube’s TV viewing share hits record 15.8% in August
TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge shows YouTube grew its TV viewing share 6% to a record 15.8% in August, even as overall TV usage fell 4.4% post-World Cup.
Omnicom wins Coke’s North America media; WPP keeps global account
Adweek’s Christopher Cicchiello reports that WPP retained Coca-Cola’s global media account while Omnicom won the North American business, following two separate competitive reviews.
Hollywood studios rent out empty soundstages for $100,000 bar mitzvahs
The Ankler’s Degen Pener reports that L.A. families are booking Universal and Paramount soundstages and backlots for bar and bat mitzvahs costing $100,000 to $300,000, complete with custom sets, prop-house decor and backlot tram tours.
Walmart bets on measurement upgrades to chase Amazon in retail media
eMarketer’s Grace Harmon reports that Walmart is pushing to improve its retail media measurement as a way to narrow the gap with Amazon’s ad business.
Commerce publishers pivot from SEO to social and loyal audiences
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that The Independent’s social-commerce revenue overtook its SEO-based commerce revenue for the first time in September, per CEO Christian Broughton.
Netflix posts slowest revenue growth in three years amid leadership overhaul
The Wall Street Journal’s Jessica Toonkel reports that Netflix’s third-quarter revenue rose 12% year over year to $12.9 billion, its weakest quarterly growth rate in three years, even as net income jumped roughly 44% to $3.66 billion.
A24 doc ‘You Can See Everything’ splits Oscar documentary branch
The Ankler’s Katey Rich reports that Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary has the biggest documentary opening in over twenty years with a 97 Metacritic score.
Sony TV signs creator Thea Von Engelbrechten, launches ‘Hazelwood’
Variety’s Michael Schneider reports that Sony Pictures Television signed a multiyear first-look deal with content creator Thea Von Engelbrechten, best known for her “Moletown Drama” social accounts with 2.5 million TikTok followers and 1 million Instagram followers.
Political ad buyers find national NFL spots cheaper than local TV
TVREV’s Tim Hanlon reports that Senate Republican-aligned PACs bought national ad time on FOX’s and ABC’s NFL and college football broadcasts to reach Texas voters, rather than purchasing pricier local spots in Dallas and Houston.
iSpot’s SAGE finds Wells Fargo’s celebrity ads win likes, not purchase intent
The Measure’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that iSpot’s AI agent SAGE analyzed Wells Fargo’s Steve Martin and Martin Short campaign and found it consistently beats brand norms on Likeability by 55 points.
XR Pay launches payroll platform for creator advertising deals
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that XR Pay, which pays celebrities in commercials, has launched XR Pay for Creators to help agencies and marketers onboard and securely pay content creators, replacing ad hoc tools like Venmo.
Chartbeat: global engaged site time holds steady, but regions diverge
The Measure reports that Chartbeat’s Q3 data shows engaged site time holding roughly steady worldwide, with the Middle East down 2.1 seconds versus Q2 and North America up 0.8 seconds, underscoring that audiences everywhere want publishers to get to the point faster.
Polsat overtakes WBD as top content distributor in Poland
Nielsen reports that Polsat captured a 19.05% audience share in September, overtaking Warner Bros. Discovery’s 18.41% to claim the top spot in Poland’s distributor rankings for the first time in 2026, fueled by live volleyball coverage.