Fox ad revenue jumps 47% on World Cup, political spend, Tubi growth
Deadline’s Jill Goldsmith reports that Fox Corp. revenue rose 22% to $4.57 billion last quarter, beating expectations as a 47% ad sales surge from the FIFA Men’s World Cup, political advertising, and Tubi’s digital growth drove gains, while distribution revenue climbed 9%.
MediaPost: low-budget creator films are outperforming big-studio tentpoles
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that LightShed’s Richard Greenfield expects AI to eventually produce a hit show or film, but cites creator-driven movies like “Obsession” and “Backrooms” already beating $100 million-plus franchise films on tiny budgets.
MediaPost’s Mandese: retire the word “traditional” in media
MediaPost’s Joe Mandese argues the industry should stop labeling radio, TV and out-of-home as “traditional,” citing Guideline data that digital passed 80% of U.S. ad spend and Borrell Associates data showing digital nearing 75% of local spend.
Dana Maiman exits Omnicom Health; Tom Schwenger named to lead marketing unit
Campaign US’s Jameson Fleming reports that Dana Maiman is leaving Omnicom Health after 11 months as CEO, with her last day set for November 6.
Daddy Yankee, Visa back vertical microseries on aTwist for new album
Variety’s Isabelle Farina reports that Daddy Yankee partnered with vertical media studio aTwist and Visa to launch “La Postal: Written in the Dance,” a microseries promoting his album, releasing on his YouTube channel and aTwist on November 3.
Vend Advertising taps Kevel to build Nordic commerce media network
Markets.businessinsider.com, via a GlobeNewswire release, reports that Vend Advertising has chosen Kevel as its ad tech infrastructure partner to power a new “Marketplace Media” offering.
Sony Music podcast chief Emily Rasekh moves to CAA’s creator division
The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston reports that Emily Rasekh has left Sony Music, where she spent seven years building its podcast business and launched The Binge network, to join CAA.
Newsom proposes raising California film tax credit to $1 billion
The Hollywood Reporter’s Erik Hayden reports that Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to raise California’s annual film and TV tax credit from $750 million to $1 billion.
Vibe brings Walmart shopper data to CTV ad targeting
TVREV’s Alan Wolk interviews Vibe.co CEO Arthur Querou, who explains the self-serve CTV platform now lets advertisers target streaming viewers using Walmart’s purchase-intent audiences, with AI selecting the best segments automatically.
iSpot data: old KitKat and Butterfinger Halloween ads still outperform new ones
The Measure’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that iSpot SAGE data shows five of October’s 20 most-seen linear TV candy ads debuted in 2024 or earlier, with KitKat’s 2015 “Halloween Sounds” spot ranking No. 3 and still beating brand Likeability norms.
Instagram readies full rollout of long-form TV feature
TVREV’s Alan Wolk reports Instagram plans to fully roll out “Features,” a long-form horizontal video format supporting up to 90 minutes, tested in Brazil and built for TV-set viewing, letting creators link up to eight Reels as promos.
Traditional TV still claims two-thirds of sports viewing, Inscape finds
The Measure is reporting that Inscape data shows cable, satellite and over-the-air TV captured two thirds of sports viewing time in Q2, even without football in the mix.
Fox News holds 60% of cable news ad revenue as CNN slides to 14%
TVREV’s Jason Damata reports that an iSpot ad-revenue analysis from Sept 1 to Oct 31 shows Fox News capturing 60% of prime time cable news ad revenue and 64% of ad reach, leaving MSNBC with 22% and CNN with just 14% of the remaining viewership share.
Political YouTube outlets are landing mainstream brand sponsors this election season
TVREV’s John Cassillo reports that Chartbeat data shows partisan YouTube publishers like The Bulwark, The Daily Beast, Blaze Media and David Pakman’s channel drawing sponsors such as Hims, Shopify and ZocDoc despite their overt political leanings.
Nielsen’s 2026 report: fragmented viewing is now the baseline, not the exception
MediaPost’s Rob Williams reports that Nielsen’s 2026 Annual Marketing Report finds consumers scattered across smartphones, influencers, sports highlights and stacked subscriptions rather than gathered around any single screen.
Instagram’s new long-form video push has no creator payment plan
The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed reports that creators are criticizing Instagram’s new Features long-form video format, launched this week, because it offers no ad-share or performance payouts like YouTube does.
WPP’s Rose slams ‘pitch-less CEO handshake’ agency deals
Campaign US’s Shauna Lewis reports that WPP chief executive Cindy Rose criticized “pitch-less CEO handshake deals” on WPP’s Q3 investor call, warning clients against bypassing due diligence.
Rushfield floats contenders to fix Netflix’s struggling film division
The Ankler reports that Richard Rushfield, on the Ankler Agenda podcast with Elaine Low and Sean McNulty, named candidates to lead Netflix Film after Dan Lin’s exit after two years.
Amazon says AI shopping agents aren’t denting its ad business
Adweek’s Mitchell Parton reports that Amazon’s advertising revenue hit $78 billion over the trailing 12 months, with Q3 ad revenue up 11% to $19.6 billion even as rivals warn AI agents like ChatGPT and Gemini threaten sponsored listings.
Puck: Musk’s X stake raises throttling fears for Netflix
Puck’s Eriq Gardner reports that Elon Musk’s growing influence over internet infrastructure and platforms raises a hypothetical: what happens if he decides to throttle Netflix traffic or access, given his track record of using leverage against rivals and critics.
DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17 billion
Campaign’s Julia Walker reports that DoorDash will acquire Instacart for $17 billion to combine delivery and grocery fulfillment under both brands’ apps, ads and AI.
Stagwell posts record quarter, eyes government deals under Penn
Adweek’s Christopher Cicchiello reports Stagwell posted its best quarter in five years as a public company, with Q3 net revenue up 8% year over year to $664 million and EBITDA up 25% to $145 million.