Agencies
State of Play
Revised Sep 18, 2026The moment. Three signals ran on this channel, and the money story sits underneath all of them. Channel 4 Sales became the exclusive UK ad sales partner for Paramount’s 5 and other networks from 2027 in a long-term partnership valued at over 300 million pounds, ending Paramount’s Sky arrangement. Amazon’s Local Ads division, run by former CBS Radio and Entercom executive Jennifer Mock Donohue, is partnering with iHeartMedia and Spectrum Reach to sell small and mid-sized advertisers into Amazon’s streaming, audio and Twitch inventory. And marketers at State Farm, Mercedes and Hoka told Digiday they are citing AI search behavior in budget debates, arguing brand spend protects consideration as ChatGPT and AI Overviews reshape how people research.
The tension. That last one is the tell. Upper-funnel budget is notoriously the first thing cut and the hardest to defend, and the argument that is working for it right now is not a measurement result — it is anxiety about a channel nobody can measure yet. It works because the alternative is worse: ARF research this week found five of 13 major buyers cutting or dropping retail media over measurement problems, and the ANA found disciplined quality governance converted 56.7% of Q4 programmatic spend into benchmark-qualified impressions against 37.5% for the rest. Agencies are being paid for judgment in the places the numbers have gone quiet, which is the oldest version of the job.
Who’s moving. Channel 4 Sales, taking Paramount’s UK inventory off Sky. Amazon Local Ads, using broadcast sales forces to reach SMBs it cannot reach directly. State Farm, Mercedes and Hoka, making the AI-search argument for upper-funnel money. The ANA, on programmatic quality governance. The ARF, on buyers withdrawing from retail media over proof. Channel 4 itself, cutting around 340 roles, 28% of its workforce, in a three-part turnaround.
What the desk is watching. Whether AI-search anxiety survives its first flat quarter as a budget argument, and whether a sales house taking a rival’s inventory is the start of consolidation in UK ad sales or a one-off.
Channel 4 Sales becomes Paramount’s UK ad sales partner, ending Sky deal
Channel 4 and Paramount announced a long-term partnership, valued at over £300 million, under which Channel 4 Sales becomes the exclusive UK ad sales partner for 5 and other Paramount networks starting in 2027.
CMOs cite AI search anxiety to push for bigger upper-funnel budgets
State Farm, Mercedes and Hoka marketers say AI search behavior is a factor in budget debates, arguing brand spend protects consideration as tools like ChatGPT and AI Overviews reshape research.
Amazon’s local ad unit is teaming with iHeart, Spectrum Reach on SMB deals
Amazon’s Local Ads division, led by former CBS Radio and Entercom exec Jennifer Mock Donohue, is partnering with broadcasters like iHeartMedia and Spectrum Reach to sell small and mid-sized advertisers into Amazon’s streaming, audio, and Twitch inventory.
88% of advertisers now use AI in creative production, XR study finds
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.
BIA: local media ad spend still a $185 billion market despite platform shift
BIA Advisory Services managing director Rick Ducey says local ad spend remains a $185 billion market. Political spending is accelerating a shift toward CTV, forcing broadcasters to decide how fast they can adapt.
Ad sector set for worst earnings growth of 2026, Bloomberg data shows
Bloomberg Intelligence data shows the S&P 500 media index will post the weakest earnings growth of any sector in 2026, dragged down by Trade Desk.
Media and tech’s leadership pipeline is an inbred family tree, essay argues
A Media War & Peace essay argues that Big Media and Big Tech’s leadership crisis stems from executive homogeneity, not technology.
CNN ad chief: AI sharpens targeting, but sales stays a human job
CNN’s Guy Griggs describes how the network is using AI and first-party data to refine ad targeting and outcomes as part of a broader transformation strategy.
Buyers say the 2026 upfront survived, but got a lot more complicated
Media buyers tell ADWEEK the upfront isn’t dying, but this year brought Disney’s first Super Bowl in decades, heavier sports commitments, an influx of streaming supply, and deal structures far more complex than the standard package.
AT&T-Time Warner precedent looms over Paramount-WBD antitrust fight
As state attorneys general sue to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, lawyers and analysts point to the 2018 AT&T-Time Warner trial, where a judge rejected the government’s antitrust case and the merger closed.
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.
VCs chase AI and live events as Hollywood’s next venture bet
The Ankler surveys eight venture capital firms betting on entertainment, finding investors drawn to AI and live experiences rather than traditional studio startups.
Small radio owner signs digital ad deal with Townsquare’s Ignite unit
Lakes Media owner Tom Birch says agency revenue at his six-station North Carolina/Virginia group fell from 30 percent in 2005 to just 5-10 percent today.
WPP’s Rose posts better pitch numbers a year in, but margin gap persists
A year into Cindy Rose’s tenure, WPP Media’s retention rate has climbed to 43% from 16%, with $3 billion in new accounts won versus $2.81 billion lost. Operating margin still sits at 4.1%, far below Publicis’s 17.4%.
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.
Scripps hires NBCUniversal sales veteran Jen Carfley
Scripps has hired Jen Carfley, a longtime NBCUniversal advertising sales executive, for a senior role on its own sales team, according to a report from TV Tech detailing the personnel move.
Old Navy overhauls marketing after summer sales slump, CEO exit
Old Navy comparable sales fell 4% to $2.1 billion as summer campaigns missed traffic targets, Gap Inc. said. The retailer is replacing Old Navy’s CEO and pivoting to denim, citing early gains from a Cardi B campaign.
World Cup ratings surge fails to lift Premier League ad demand
Fox’s World Cup coverage drew 128 million viewers and lifted its ad revenue 28% to $4.2 billion, but buyers say that hasn’t translated into a rush for Premier League inventory.
Sinclair’s $3.25M Stirk buy reveals broadcast’s new consolidation playbook
Sinclair agreed to acquire four Howard Stirk Holdings stations it already operates under a shared services agreement for $3.25 million.
Agencies debate who owns YouTube Shorts buying
Digiday’s Future of TV Briefing reports agencies are still sorting out which internal teams — social, video or TV — should take the lead on buying YouTube Shorts ads.
HuffPost’s national desk cut to three reporters as BuzzFeed layoffs continue
BuzzFeed laid off 10 HuffPost Union members, cutting the national desk from seven reporters to three. The desk numbered 14 a year ago — the once-Pulitzer-winning newsroom keeps unwinding.
Tatari: buyers still treat YouTube as digital, not TV, despite the scale
Tatari’s Dana Delle argues buyers still purchase YouTube like a digital channel, on CPMs and algorithmic targeting, even though Nielsen counts it as TV and its reach dwarfs linear: CNN, 240 million monthly YouTube views against 550,000 in primetime.
The math problem hiding inside the Paramount-WBD settlement talk
Unions, exhibitors and politicians all want a negotiated Paramount-WBD settlement. A THR analysis flags the contradiction: the financing needs more than $6 billion in synergies, and the protections everyone wants would block those same savings.
US TV upfront spending share returns to pre-COVID levels
Upfront commitments made up 75% of total deal volume this season, per Madison & Wall and Media Dynamics research. That matches pre-pandemic norms, reversing years of advertiser reluctance to lock in spend months ahead.