Gracenote adds Sports MCP server, entertainment SLM to AI roadmap
Nielsen’s Gracenote unveiled the next phase of its AI product roadmap, adding a Sports MCP Server, an entertainment-focused small language model and task-oriented agents alongside its existing Video MCP Server.
NBC drops Adobe-Nielsen blend for pure Nielsen streaming data on NFL
Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp reports that NBC Sports will use Nielsen, not its Adobe-blended Total Audience Delivery metric, to measure streaming for NFL games and MLB Wild Card telecasts this season.
Netflix still drives most streaming bingeing, Luminate finds
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that Luminate Intelligence found 62% of streaming releases through H1 2026 were full-season bingeable drops, down from 64% the prior two years. Strip out Netflix, and non-Netflix bingeing capability falls further, to 38% from 43% two years earlier.
iSpot’s SAGE breaks down why GEICO’s Gecko ads win on likeability
The Measure’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that iSpot’s agentic AI platform SAGE analyzed GEICO’s top three 2026 ads by likeability, all scoring 662 to 687.
Hallmark’s NFL-team movies pull sponsors and ratings gold with Bears entry
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that Hallmark Channel’s third NFL-team holiday movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, follows Chiefs and Bills editions that ranked as the top and No. 10 most-watched cable movies of 2024 and 2025.
88% of advertisers now use AI in creative production, XR study finds
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that a State of Ad Ops survey of 400 U.S. and U.K. marketers found 88% of advertisers use AI in creative production, with nearly half of brand and agency executives using it daily, mostly for VFX, compositing and creative testing.
NFL ad revenue set to hit $6.3 billion this season, up 8%
The Measure’s Jon Lafayette reports that Guideline projects NFL ad revenue will climb 8% to $6.3 billion this season, building on last year’s 7% jump to a record $5.9 billion.
Pocket FM’s AI content engine drives revenue run rate to $500 million
TechCrunch’s Jagmeet Singh reports that Pocket FM has doubled its annualized revenue run rate to $500 million over the past year, with AI now producing 93% of its overall audio catalog and 99% of new content.
Meta’s Muse AI agent hits No. 2 despite a slow download start
TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez reports that Muse topped 83,000 U.S. iOS downloads and climbed to No. 2 on the App Store, per Sensor Tower, but trails Meta’s own Threads and Meta AI launches and ChatGPT’s debut pace.
Macron summit draws Hollywood, but its top brass stayed quiet
Macron convened Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Dana Walden and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley at France’s first Lumière Summit on AI and cinema’s future, but the studio chiefs mostly stayed silent while Sony’s Tom Rothman and George Clooney spoke bluntly.
Instacart launches AI shopping assistant Clementine
TechCrunch’s Aisha Malik reports that Instacart debuted Clementine, an AI assistant that turns a conversation, grocery list, recipe, or photo of a handwritten list into a ready-to-buy cart. It joins similar tools from Uber Eats and DoorDash, all launched within the past year.
Ankler’s final Emmys picks: Widow’s Bay dominant, limited series wide open
The Ankler’s Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen report that Widow’s Bay led all programs with eight wins across the first two Emmy nights, and Apple topped all networks, before Monday’s main broadcast even begins.
Shipt launches AI shopping assistant, joins Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats
TechCrunch’s Aisha Malik reports that Shipt, the Target-owned delivery platform, launched “Ask Shipt,” an AI tool that turns prompts and photos into ready-to-buy carts. It follows similar launches this year from Instacart, Uber Eats, and DoorDash, and new AI features across Target.com.
Fox Creator Studios backs TikToker Josh Richards’ sketch show for season two
The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey reports that Fox Creator Studios has co-produced season two of Read the Room, a sketch series creator Josh Richards financed himself in 2024.
Chipotle’s all-creator TV ads show which unscripted moments convert
The Measure’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that Chipotle used 100 creators with no brand direction to shoot two national TV spots, and iSpot’s SAGE found Chili Lime Chips beat Pollo Asado on likeability (720 vs. 671) and purchase intent (74% vs. 64%).
iSpot CEO: agentic ad AI is only as good as the measurement under it
Sean Muller argues agentic advertising needs trusted measurement before AI models, since automated decisions on allocation, audience and creative are worthless without reliable data underneath. He says AI workflows will become commoditized, making data quality the real differentiator.
Suno scraps old AI models, rebuilds on licensed music amid lawsuits
Suno launched Suno v6, a new AI music model family trained on licensed data from Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe, replacing models trained on data now at issue in copyright suits from Sony, Universal and artists like Jason Isbell.