Netflix’s GTA VI first look drove a 24% spike in app downloads
Sensor Tower found Netflix’s U.S. app downloads rose 24% the day it posted an extended GTA VI first look, with iOS downloads up 54% as the app jumped to 35th on the App Store’s free chart.
Amazon Ads bundles retail, streaming and IRL events into one back-to-college push
Amazon Ads launched First Day Ready, pairing Gatorade, Michael Kors and SharkNinja with influencers across shoppable video, brand storefronts, a Wisconsin campus block party and a Kane Brown concert streamed on Prime Video, Twitch and Fire TV.
Dr. Squatch bets $1 million on IShowSpeed-fueled scavenger hunt over ads
Dr. Squatch and streamer IShowSpeed launched “Speedrun: Million Dollar Mission,” a nine-week, $1 million contest with hidden briefcases, weekly missions and a $250,000 finale, built by Applied MSCHF and spanning more than 4,000 Walmart stores.
Netflix renews Shane Gillis’ ‘Tires’ for Season 4
Netflix has formally greenlighted a fourth season of Tires, part of its overall deal with Shane Gillis and John McKeever. Season 3 hit its highest-ever Global Top 10 ranking, reaching #5 the week of August 17.
Instagram to throttle reach of undisclosed AI influencer profiles
Instagram is renaming its “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” and will reduce reach for creators who fail to disclose AI-generated people on their profiles.
Magnite sponsors CTV video series on data, TV OS and live sports
TVREV’s sponsored “Making Waves” series features Magnite’s Kristen Williams on data partnerships, Samsung Ads’ Youssef Ben-Youssef on the TV operating system’s expanding role, and Magnite’s Paige Bilins on programmatic buying in live sports.
Op-ed: independent ad measurement is dead outside of TV
Dave Morgan argues Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and TikTok now represent 65% of U.S. ad spend and self-report the vast majority of it, while Nielsen’s renewed contracts keep independent currency intact only for linear TV.
Sony launches 100+ FAST channels on PS5 to sell ads against gamers
Sony Pictures Television unveiled “Live TV on PS5,” over 100 free ad-supported channels reachable through the console, launching first in the U.S. with Canada and Bravia TVs to follow. Publica and PubMatic will handle the connected-TV ad sales.
Meta’s $17B fine won’t fix the algorithm problem, TVREV argues
Meta faces over $17 billion in fines over addictive design harming kids, per opening statements in the states’ trial. TVREV’s roundup calls the penalty theater, arguing engagement-driven algorithms are too profitable to meaningfully regulate.
CIMM: sports engagement fades mid-game, so not all ad impressions are equal
A new CIMM report finds emotional engagement in live sports broadcasts declines steadily as games progress, with football’s index dropping from 100 at kickoff to 86 after two hours.
Micro dramas near $14 billion as TikTok moves to eat the category it feeds
Consumers may spend up to $14 billion this year on one-minute vertical dramas, CandyJar’s Ali Albazaz tells Business Insider. TikTok already supplies most of these apps’ audiences, and now runs its own free and paid micro drama apps.
The Telegraph turns podcasts into a franchise play across video and events
The Telegraph is expanding its podcast strategy beyond audio into video, live events and paid memberships, following its acquisition by Axel Springer.
California lawmakers rush fix for Hollywood tax credit cap fallout
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and Senator Ben Allen introduced AB/SB 186 to soften new business tax credit caps on Hollywood.
Why silence no longer saves brands from cancellation cycles
Modern Retail’s podcast examines why old-school PR tactics of waiting out a scandal are failing brands today.
Ritson: retail media is cannibalizing brand budgets, not adding new dollars
Mark Ritson argues at Adweek that marketers are wrongly raiding brand-building budgets to fund retail media, treating it as incremental when it is really just point-of-sale promo marketing rebranded.
Xbox shops bulk Hollywood rights deal worth $300 million-plus
Microsoft’s Xbox division is quietly pitching Hollywood on a package of more than a dozen game franchises, including Halo, World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, and Diablo, for a single studio or streamer.
Nike revives commercial chief role, taps Walmart’s Jane Ewing
Nike named 14-year Walmart veteran Jane Ewing chief commercial officer, starting Sept. 7, reviving a role it eliminated in December. Ewing will lead global marketplace operations, overseeing sales and Nike Direct, reporting directly to CEO Elliott Hill.