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Welcome to Media Intelligence, the official podcast from WPP Media, WPP’s global media collective. Dive into the heart of the media industry with us as we explore topics like strategy, technology, marketing, and the role of media in society. Featuring experts from our global agencies and divisions, we'll unpack how we're shaping a future where advertising works better for everyone. Whether you're a business leader or a media enthusiast, join us for insights that matter. Welcome to Media Intelligence by WPP Media.
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What if the AI revolution succeeds at almost everything—but no single corporate monopoly, government, or master agent actually wins? In this episode of the WPP Media Intelligence podcast, hosts Kate Scott-Dawkins and Sam Weston explore "The Long Middle"—a potential 2035 scenario where AI capabilities grow exponentially, but market competition remains open, messy, and contested. Rather than consolidating into a corporate monopoly ( The Closed Loop ), individual agent dominance ( Agent Commons ), or state control ( The Sovereign Stack ), this future features continuous friction, fragmented regulation, and a balance of commercial players. Kate and Sam analyze how consumers will delegate routine tasks while retaining human agency, how hyper-personalization affects mass culture, and what strategic bets advertisers should make to navigate an environment of constant market competition. Key Topics Discussed Defining "The Long Middle": Understanding a commercially driven, highly plural AI ecosystem where no single platform or stack achieves absolute dominance. System Friction & Guardrails: How regulation, safety concerns, and economics prevent total corporate lock-in or complete consumer autonomy. Selective Delegation: Distinguishing between routine problem-solving purchases delegated to AI agents and identity-driven decisions retained by humans. The Creative Singularity & Content Abundance: Navigating an era of infinite machine-generated content where taste, trust, and distinctiveness become the primary sources of value. Mass Culture vs. Personalization: Why shared real-world events (like major sports tournaments) become more valuable as media experiences become increasingly personalized. Ad Industry Cycles: Comparing current AI trends to historical cycles of centralized vs. decentralized computing and media consolidation vs. fragmentation. Practical Advice for Marketers: Identifying strategic bets (investing in durable brand assets), mapping risks (over-indexing on short-term attention capture), and tracking market signals (monitoring the "delegation gap"). Scenario Ranking: Evaluating the likelihood of all four AI futures (Closed Loop, The Long Middle, Sovereign Stack, and Agent Commons). 00:00 - Introduction & The Premise of "The Long Middle" 02:00 - Series Recap & Defining the Long Middle 03:25 - Mapping the Long Middle on the Matrix 04:20 - A Snapshot of Daily Life in 2035 06:14 - Why Monopolies Fail: Friction, Regulation, and Economics 08:35 - The Rise of the AI Policy Industrial Complex 10:18 - Market Cycles & Historical Tech Competition 12:08 - AI Safety & Counter-Reactions to Advanced Models 15:18 - CapEx Investment Risks & Macro Economic Impacts 17:40 - Human Decision-Making vs. Agent Delegation 19:45 - The Creative Singularity & Content Abundance 21:11 - Mass Culture & Shared Moments in a Personalized World 23:15 - The 10-Year Path to 2035 24:55 - Strategic Advice for Advertisers: Bets, Risks & Signals 28:52 - The "Squishmallow" Multi-Agent Future 29:45 - Ranking the Four AI Scenarios & Wrap-Up
Kate Scott-Dawkins and Sam Weston continue their "Four Futures" series exploring potential scenarios for AI and advertising in 2035. This week, they dive into The Sovereign Stack —a future scenario characterized by concentrated control driven by public, civic, and government interests. They discuss how nation-states are asserting control over critical AI dependencies like compute, data, and security, how this fragments the global internet into regional intelligence ecosystems, and what this geopolitical shift means for global brands, agencies, advertising infrastructure, and media measurement. Key Topics Discussed Defining The Sovereign Stack: How governments maintain control over the intelligence supply chain (compute, data, digital identity, cybersecurity) without necessarily owning every AI model outright. Geopolitical Regionalization: How AI environments will reflect regional values and state priorities across the US, Europe, China, and the Global South. Cybersecurity as a Catalyst: How threats to critical physical and civic infrastructure (water systems, healthcare, utilities) accelerate state intervention and state-guaranteed AI defense. Capital and Infrastructure Demands: The massive physical investments required for data centers, power grids, and chip supply chains, alongside potential new tax policies on automated productivity. Open Source Models & State Sovereignty: Using open-weight models to reduce national dependence on foreign platforms and keep sensitive data local. Impact on Global Advertisers and Agencies: Navigating fragmented local jurisdictions, maintaining universal brand identity while localizing AI execution, and the evolving role of agencies as systems integrators and diplomatic partners. Backcasting Timeline (2026–2035): The five-stage progression from early public-private partnerships to nationalized champions, AI-native states, and international AI trade agreements. Strategic Actions for Marketers: Building a sovereign-ready commercial stack, managing state-affiliation brand risks, and tracking key policy signals. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome 01:16 - What is The Sovereign Stack? 02:30 - Ownership vs. Control over AI Dependencies 04:41 - Living in 2035: Borders on the Intelligence Layer 05:31 - Geopolitical Divergence: US, Europe, China, and the Global South 08:08 - Current Signals of Government AI Intervention 13:31 - Cybersecurity as the Catalyst for State Involvement 17:06 - Physical Infrastructure: Compute, Silicon, and Chips 19:09 - The Positive Vision for Sovereign AI 21:42 - How Governments Currently Shape Advertising 25:53 - Impact on Global Brands and Marketing Strategy 28:51 - Media Ecosystems, Clean Rooms, and Measurement 30:02 - Backcasting Timeline: From 2026 to 2035 34:02 - Three Strategic Actions for Advertisers Today 37:16 - Media Recommendations and Closing Remarks
What if the future of AI isn't controlled by a few massive tech platforms, but by you? In Episode 2 of our four-part mini-series exploring plausible futures for 2035, Kate Scott-Dawkins and Sam Weston flip the board to unpack The Agent Commons —a fully distributed, user-directed vision of the future. In this world, consumers own their own AI agents, manage their data inside private household "data bunkers," and send their software into the market to negotiate, compare products, and make purchases on their behalf. Key topics discussed How personal AI gatekeepers alter the buyer journey. The 6 key conditions needed for this decentralized future to scale. How advertising splits into "Human Media" (brand storytelling) and "Machine Media" (structured data & specs). Why brands must prepare for a "Market of One" and radical comparability. Strategic bets, risks to map, and signals to watch for 2026. Chapter timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome Back & Recapping "The Closed Loop" 00:55 – Sports Fandom, NBA Headwinds, and Disney + TikTok News 03:15 – Defining the Matrix: Control vs. Governance Axes 04:16 – What is the Agent Commons? (2035 Vision) 06:12 – The Convenience Paradox: Will "Normies" Adopt Distributed AI? 08:14 – Household Data Bunkers & Personal Memory Vaults 11:32 – Backcasting Condition 1: Open-Source & Independent Model Quality 12:35 – Backcasting Condition 2: Edge Computing & Local Compute Infrastructure 14:05 – Backcasting Condition 3: Portable Memory & Context Standards 15:31 – Backcasting Condition 4: Shared Protocols, Micro-Payments & Agent Wallets 17:27 – Backcasting Condition 5: Eroding Trust in Platform-Owned AI 18:42 – Backcasting Condition 6: Fiduciary Duty & Legal Protection for Agents 20:45 – Day in the Life (2035): Instructing Your Personal Buyer Agent 23:38 – The Shift in Advertising: Human Emotion vs. Machine Logic 27:32 – Brand Power: Becoming a Standing Instruction 28:37 – Automated Dynamic Pricing & 1-on-1 Market Negotiations 31:38 – Who Pays for Compute? Subscriptions, Monetized Intent & Bifurcated Access 35:05 – The Evolving Role of Agencies: Market Makers for Markets of One 37:01 – Timeline to 2035: From Presidential Campaigns to Mass Data Bunker Adoption 40:04 – 2026 Action Plan: Strategic Bets, Risks to Map & Signals to Watch
In the first installment of a four-part summer miniseries, hosts Kate Scott-Dawkins and Sam Weston pressure-test one of four plausible — and deliberately contrasting — futures for AI, advertising, and power by 2035. The scenario under the microscope: The Closed Loop , a world where a handful of vertically integrated platform ecosystems, not governments or open markets, come to govern everyday commercial life. The overarching story: convenience becomes a form of private governance, AI agents become the primary interface between brands and consumers, and marketing itself evolves into an exercise in shaping the instructions humans give their digital assistants. Key Topics Discussed A control-vs-distribution framework for mapping four AI-driven futures, building on WPP's 2020 "Advertising in 2030" report The Closed Loop scenario: persistent AI assistants that manage household purchasing, negotiate on your behalf, and default to platform-preferred merchants and payment systems Why closed platforms must consistently outperform open-source alternatives for consumers to accept this trade-off The regulatory gap between AI capability development and policymaking, referencing Dario Amodei's commentary and Mark Zuckerberg's Wall Street Journal op-ed on open AI How brand purchase decisions increasingly get intermediated by agents — and why "human prompt injection" (shaping brand preference before the prompt is even written) becomes a core marketing discipline Media planning's evolving role in identifying when and how brand preference actually gets set Global parallels already in motion outside the US, including Tencent's WeChat super-app, plus Xiaomi and ByteDance's platform ambitions The national champion question: will governments cede control to platforms, or assert regulatory authority over them A year-by-year backcast of how this future could unfold, from the "convenience bargain" (2028–2030) through agentic commerce maturity (2032–2033) to full platform-architected life (2034–2035) CRM supremacy, membership psychology (with a Costco parallel), and brand-specific platform variants as retention tools Three concrete moves for marketers in 2026: one strategic bet, one risk to map, and one signal to watch Chapter Stamps 00:00 - Introduction & Cold Open 00:36 - Series Overview: Four Plausible Futures for 2035 04:32 - The Framework: Control vs. Distribution Axis 06:53 - Introducing "The Closed Loop" Scenario 09:35 - What's Missing Today: The Gap Between Now and 2035 11:09 - The Policy Race: Capability vs. Regulation 15:26 - Open vs. Closed AI: The Zuckerberg Op-Ed Debate 17:42 - The Existential Question: What Happens to Brands? 19:32 - Agents as Intermediaries & Platform Differentiation 21:38 - Human Prompt Injection & Brand Preference 24:41 - Agencies' New Role: Negotiating Platform Environments 26:49 - Beyond the US: Tencent, Xiaomi, ByteDance & Super Apps 27:55 - National Champions & the Government-Platform Power Struggle 29:19 - Backcasting the Timeline: How We Get There 32:23 - 2028–2030: The Convenience Bargain 34:30 - CRM Supremacy & the Membership Model 36:53 - 2034–2035: Platforms as Life's Architecture 40:21 - Three Moves for 2026: Bet, Risk, Signal 44:50 - Next Week Preview: "The Agent Commons"
The numbers are in — and they're bigger than anyone expected. WPP Media's President of Global Business Intelligence, Kate Scott-Dawkins , breaks down the This Year Next Year 2026 Global Midyear Forecast , and the headline says it all: global advertising revenue is now projected to grow 8.9% to $1.3 trillion by year's end — a significant upward revision from December's 7.1% forecast. So what's driving the surge? In short: AI . An investment cycle of historic scale is proving remarkably resilient in the face of armed conflict in the Middle East, elevated oil prices, and deepening geopolitical fragmentation. From AI-native companies flooding the ad market to traditional advertisers deploying AI to sharpen efficiency, the technology is rewriting the economics of the industry in real time. In this episode, we unpack what the midyear data really means for marketers: Global ad revenue has hit its highest share of GDP since 1999 — outpacing even the dot-com peak, but this time built on performance, not speculation Generative Search is on track to be the fastest-scaling ad channel ever recorded — from 5.1Bin2026toover5.1 Bin 2026 toover 100 billion by 2030 Market power is increasingly concentrated: Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon alone control 57.6% of the global market outside China Content-driven advertising reaches $720.2 billion — but the story beneath the headline is uneven, with streaming, social, and gaming surging while linear TV and audio plateau Asia-based advertisers are emerging as a powerful global growth engine as they seek international expansion amid soft domestic demand Kate is joined by Katie English, Global Head of Ad Product at Spotify , who brings a front-row perspective on how these sweeping industry shifts are playing out on one of the world's biggest streaming platforms. Learn more about TYNY Midyear 2026 here: https://www.wppmedia.com/news/report-this-year-next-year-midyear-2026?utm_source=podcast
The numbers tell one story. The forces behind them tell a far more interesting one. In this mid-year edition of This Year Next Year, Kate Scott-Dawkins unpacks a forecast that has been significantly upgraded since December — not in spite of geopolitical turbulence, but in some ways because of it. From the AI investment cycle reshaping advertiser behaviour across every category, to a new advertising channel that could scale faster than anything the industry has ever seen, to the uncomfortable questions about what ad-funded platforms owe the people they serve — this is the episode that sets the agenda for the next 18 months. Key Topics Discussed Why global ad growth has been upgraded to 9% — and what it says about the structural resilience of the industry in a world of conflict, inflation, and fractured consumer confidence The Gold Rush analogy at the heart of the forecast — and why California is, once again, at the centre of it all Generative Search: the brand new channel that could hit $100B by 2030, making it the fastest-scaling advertising format ever measured Why social media is now the single largest ad channel globally — and what threatens that dominance from 2027 onward Retail media's quiet takeover: how commerce advertising overtook all of television in 2025, and what agentic commerce does to that equation next The streaming crossover: why 2026 is the year US streaming finally surpasses linear in national TV ad revenue Out-of-Home's unlikely staying power — and what it reveals about the limits of algorithmic media Courts, platforms, and product liability: how two landmark 2026 rulings could fundamentally reshape the economics of social media The effervescence paradox — why people are retreating into AI-mediated solitude and simultaneously paying record prices to be in a crowd New surfaces, no rulebook: the creative opportunity waiting in AR, autonomous vehicles, and ambient computing What the forty-niners got badly wrong — and what that means for the choices the advertising industry faces right now 00:00 - Introduction and the Gold Rush analogy 02:00 - The upgraded forecast: headline numbers in context 06:00 - Three themes that frame everything else 10:00 - Where the money is moving: a channel by channel breakdown 1 8:00 - The bigger picture: political, economic, social, and technological forces 32:00 - Regional highlights 35:00 - Closing: Manifest Destiny and the future worth building
In one of the most consequential earnings weeks of 2026, hosts Kate Scott-Dawkins and Jeff Foster break down results from Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Reddit, Roku, Comcast, Rogers, Televisa Univision, and Spotify. The overarching story: digital advertising is not just healthy — it's accelerating, decoupling from broader macroeconomic pressures, and being fundamentally reshaped by AI. Meanwhile, sports continues to dominate the traditional TV conversation, and the Fed's most divided rate decision in decades signals turbulence ahead. Key Topics Discussed Record digital ad growth from Alphabet (+19%), Meta (+33%), Amazon (+22%), and Reddit (+60%+) despite macro headwinds How AI is materially improving advertising outcomes across every major platform — from Meta's trillion-parameter ranking model to Google's AI-enabled campaign types The structural shift of ad spend away from traditional TV (projected to fall below 12% global share by 2030) toward search, retail media, and social Expansion of the advertiser base, including AI-endemic companies (OpenAI, Anthropic) spending ahead of IPOs Agentic commerce: Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, Amazon Rufus auto-buying, and Meta's in-app shopping — and what this means for the future of the purchase funnel Apple's deliberately vague AI narrative and its ~$10B estimated advertising business hiding within a $30B+ services segment Meta's underreported Pixel update — using AI to harvest advertiser site data — and critical implications for brand data governance strategy Three future scenarios for the AI model landscape, and why a messy, multi-model world requiring data orchestration is the most likely outcome Spotify's verified artist program as a response to AI-generated music (Deezer reports 44% of its catalog is AI-generated) The Fed holding rates at 3.5–3.75% with an 8-4 dissenting split — the most divided since October 1992 Inflation and tariff impacts: more likely felt in 2027 than 2026 according to CPG commentary Sports as the undeniable anchor of linear TV: Comcast ad revenue up 135% (Super Bowl + Olympics), Rogers media up 82% (Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment), Televisa boosted by early FIFA World Cup pre-buys Why every brand likely needs a dedicated sports advertising strategy in 2026 and beyond Chapter Stamps 00:00 - Introduction & Weekly Overview 02:02 - Big Tech Earnings: Headline Numbers 03:41 - Theme 1: AI-Driven Performance & Pricing Power 06:35 - Theme 2: Structural Share Shift Away from Traditional Media 07:21 - Theme 3: Advertiser Base Expansion & Growth Sectors 10:45 - Theme 4: Agentic Commerce & The Collapsing Purchase Funnel 13:51 - Apple Earnings & The AI Narrative 17:09 - The Three Future Scenarios for AI & Model Landscape 19:16 - Meta's Pixel Expansion & Data Governance Warning 22:07 - Spotify, Streaming & The AI-Generated Content Problem 23:26 - Macro Update: Fed Rate Decision & Inflation 28:20 - Traditional TV Deep Dive: Sports, Comcast, Rogers & Televisa 34:24 - Wrap Up & Closing Remarks
The headlines this week are loud — but the real story is in the fine print. In this episode of the Media Intelligence Podcast, WPP Media’s Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah unpack why the viral claim that Meta is about to overtake Google in advertising is far more misleading than it first appears, and what it really says about revenue reporting, market share and media coverage of the ad industry. Then the team turns to inflation, where rising oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty are pushing wholesale prices higher and keeping pressure on consumer budgets. They also look at what that means for advertisers, banks and branded demand, before moving into Netflix’s latest earnings and the ongoing question of whether ad-supported growth and live events can sustain momentum. The episode closes with a big policy shift in Europe, where new EU merger thinking could reshape media consolidation and create more room for pan-European scale. Key Topics Discussed Why the “Meta will overtake Google in ad revenue” headline is misleading Net vs. gross revenue reporting in ad industry analysis Why Google still appears to hold a larger share of client ad budgets than Meta Rising wholesale inflation and the impact of oil prices on the broader economy How inflation can act as a catalyst for advertising investment rather than a simple demand shock Strong Q1 advertising growth among major U.S. banks Netflix’s earnings, slower guidance, and the role of live events in audience growth Ad-supported Netflix signups, programmatic buying and the platform’s monetization path The strategic importance of distribution, hardware ownership and ecosystem control New EU merger guidance that may favor scale, innovation and European consolidation What more permissive EU competition rules could mean for media owners and advertisers 00:00 Introduction 01:16 Meta vs. Google: the misleading ad revenue headline 09:55 Inflation, oil prices and macro uncertainty 14:21 Bank earnings and ad spend growth 18:46 Netflix earnings, ads and engagement 28:40 EU merger rules and European media consolidation 33:10 Week ahead and closing thoughts
Global advertising is proving more resilient than the headlines suggest — even as the Middle East conflict and rising oil prices rattle energy markets, consumer confidence and supply chains. In episode 92 of the WPP Media Intelligence podcast, Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah break down what the oil disruption really means for ad budgets, why the ad market floor is holding, and what brands should do right now. Plus: two landmark court rulings find Meta and YouTube liable for platform harm, Netflix makes its live sports debut with MLB opening night and draws 18 million viewers to its BTS concert, micro dramas emerge as a serious global media format, and the US ad market closes 2025 with a surprising 14.7% growth figure. Key Topics Discussed Middle East conflict & oil disruption: Why global ad growth may hold despite the macro shock — and which sectors face the biggest risk Scenario planning for advertisers: Bull, base and bear case outlooks for 2025–2026 ad budgets Meta & YouTube legal verdicts: Platform liability, child safety rulings and what it means for brand advertisers Netflix live sports & live events: MLB opening night broadcast, the BTS concert hitting 18M viewers and top 10 in 80 countries, subscription price increases and the live events strategy Micro dramas: How short-form vertical video storytelling is going global and what the ad revenue model looks like US ad market 2025 results: 14.7% growth, digital advertising up 15.6%, digital newspapers up 10.4% 2026 US ad forecast: 7.4% growth projected, local TV under pressure in a midterm election year, out-of-home boosted by the World Cup Chapters 00:00 - Middle East conflict and global ad market impact 15:57 - Meta and YouTube platform liability verdicts explained 20:47 - Netflix live sports, BTS and subscription price increases 25:39 - Micro dramas: the short form format going global 31:04 - US ad market 2025 results and 2026 forecast 34:20 - What to watch next week
Oil is surging and the headlines say brace for impact — but the relationship between energy prices and advertising spend is more nuanced than it looks. In this episode of the Media Intelligence Podcast, WPP Media's Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah break down what rising oil prices actually mean for advertising budgets, media planning and brand strategy across five key markets: the US, Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia. The team unpacks why an oil shock today works as a macro stress multiplier rather than a direct spending killer — and what that means for marketing investment decisions in 2026. Then it's into eCommerce, where US online retail crossed $1.23 trillion in 2025 and the UK hit nearly 29% of all retail sales online — and what the rise of global retail media networks means for brands and advertisers navigating this shift. Topics covered: oil price impact on CPI and consumer spending, inflation risk by market, retail media growth, OpenAI's commerce strategy, Amazon's advertising ecosystem, and the global eCommerce players reshaping media investment. 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Oil prices and the macro stress multiplier 02:37 Market by market: US, Canada, Europe and Australia 14:30 China: EVs, exports and the labour market shift 17:17 eCommerce: where retail growth is actually happening 20:06 Retail media, agentic commerce and the $1B+ club 26:26 Amazon's content and commerce ecosystem 📊 Read the WPP Media Advertising Intelligence Framework — the full analysis of how AI is reshaping advertiser capabilities, competitive positioning and partner selection: https://www.wppmedia.com/thought-leadership/research-business-intelligence/advertising-intelligence-framework-first-edition?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep91
Women's Sports Are Booming — But Is Your Brand Keeping Up? This week on the WPP Media Intelligence Podcast, hosts Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster, and Nidhi Shah are joined by special guest Denise Ocasio , Executive Director and Head of Investment at WPP Media, to unpack three of the biggest conversations shaping media and advertising right now. First, they dive deep into women's sports — still on a record-breaking trajectory despite a quieter 2025 calendar. Denise shares why authentic storytelling, the creator economy, and smarter holistic video strategy are the keys to unlocking this still-undervalued media asset. Then, as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East ripple through energy markets and newsrooms, the team examines what it means for advertisers — from out-of-home disruption in MENA to cable news preemptions in the US — and how brands navigate uncertainty without pulling back. Finally, they break down the 2025 Top 50 Global Ad Sellers leaderboard — who climbed, who slipped, and what the rise of commerce media players like Uber, Netflix, and Reliance Industries signals about where the industry is headed. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & episode overview 00:41 – Welcome: Denise Ocasio, Head of Investment, WPP Media 01:45 – Women's sports viewership trends: 2025 in review 03:13 – The power of athlete storytelling (Caitlin Clark effect) 04:31 – Brand authenticity in women's sports sponsorship 06:11 – Navigating fragmented video: reach vs. engagement 07:25 – The creator economy as the "new Hollywood" 08:27 – Are athletes exhausted by content creation demands? 10:51 – Sports rights fragmentation & the future of leagues 12:00 – AI, new platforms, and where sports media is headed 15:52 – Geopolitical tensions: economic and advertising impacts 17:31 – Energy prices, inflation, and central bank pressures 20:06 – MENA advertising: OOH, news demand, and cautious messaging 21:37 – US market signals: EVs, gas prices, cable news preemptions 24:08 – Versant Q4 earnings: $6.7B revenue, 9% ad decline 25:52 – 2025 Top 50 Global Ad Sellers leaderboard breakdown 29:05 – New entrants: Uber, Netflix, Reddit, Reliance, Globo 30:34 – Who fell: legacy TV broadcasters and newspapers 32:36 – Commerce media's growing dominance (9 of top 50) 34:10 – International Women's Day: female CEO & board representation 35:10 – What the team is watching next week
The ad market is starting to look like a three-body problem: streaming growth, linear decline, and event-driven spikes (sports + politics) — all colliding as deal rumors swirl around Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Kate Scott-Dawkins hosts Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah (WPP Media Business Intelligence) to break down Paramount and WBD earnings: Paramount+ up 17% with 78.9M subs , Pluto TV down 16% on monetization headwinds, and WBD streaming ad revenue up 20% (just over $1B ) with 131.6M global streaming subscribers — plus the aftershock of losing NBA rights and the looming NFL renewal . They also scan Europe’s pressure points ( TF1, Atresmedia ) as broadcasters raise streaming ad minutes and broaden advertiser access, then look at TelevisaUnivision (U.S. ad softness, tentpole demand, political and World Cup tailwinds). Finally: Mercado Libre’s +67% ad growth and why shifting tariffs and de minimis rules are complicating 2026 planning. 00:00-Deal rumor backdrop, tariffs uncertainty, what’s on the docket 01:13-Paramount earnings: DTC growth, Pluto monetization slump, ad declines 07:07-Sports and NFL renewal: why local reach still matters 08:06-Warner Bros. Discovery: streaming ads +20%, subs 131.6M, NBA loss fallout 13:08-Europe: Atresmedia & TF1 declines, streaming monetization and ad-load strategy 16:30-TelevisaUnivision: US down, Mexico steadier, political + World Cup tailwinds 19:17-Mercado Libre +67% ads, retail media momentum, tariffs and de minimis “whack-a-mole” 23:37-Next week’s earnings and podcast recommendations Post-recording update: WBD’s board deemed Paramount Skydance’s sweetened offer “superior” to the $83B Netflix deal; Netflix will not match and has withdrawn. Advertising Intelligence Framework: https://www.wppmedia.com/thought-leadership/research-business-intelligence/advertising-intelligence-framework-first-edition?utm_source=media_intelligence&utm_medium=podcast
Ad revenue is still holding up in key quarters—even as some US economic signals flash stress and platform reporting gets a bit murkier. Kate Scott-Dawkins joins Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah to break down fresh earnings signals (Roku, Walmart/eBay, Pinterest, travel platforms, Reddit), then brings in WPP Media search experts Katelyn Taylor and Teddie Cowell for a fast-moving conversation on how “search” is expanding beyond the box into AI discovery, answer engines, and agentic commerce. Topics include: Roku platform growth and OS advantage, retail media’s continued surge (Walmart’s $6.4B ads and eBay near $2B), AI shopping assistants and order value lift, Pinterest monetization and international user mix, travel advertising divergence (Booking/Expedia vs Tripadvisor) under AI-driven traffic shifts, Reddit’s ad growth and changes to user reporting, why AI search isn’t a zero-sum threat to traditional search, “total search” (paid + organic + social + commerce), EEAT/source-worthiness and third-party signals (PR/UGC/reviews), the human vs machine content tension during the agentic transition, and the five pillars of the Advertising Intelligence Framework (inputs, processing, distribution, monetization, content/media). 00:00 — Opening: ad signals, “search is everywhere,” what it means for advertisers 00:25 — Agenda: earnings highlights + Advertising Intelligence Framework 01:00 — Roku earnings + TV OS advantage 02:39 — Retail media: eBay/Walmart ad growth + AI/agentic commerce 04:29 — Pinterest earnings: growth, user mix, monetization trends 05:39 — Travel platforms: Booking/Expedia vs TripAdvisor; AI’s impact on traffic 07:54 — Reddit earnings + AI citations; debate on logged-in metrics 12:00 — Deep dive: the future of search (paid + organic + new AI entrants) 18:52 — Myths/realities: AI search vs traditional search; Google’s role 20:47 — Becoming “source-worthy”: EEAT, PR/UGC, content for humans vs AI parsing 29:45 — Advertising Intelligence Framework: 5 pillars, companies scored, why it matters 38:49 — Wrap: what they’re watching + outro/contact info Advertising Intelligence Framework: https://www.wppmedia.com/thought-leadership/research-business-intelligence/advertising-intelligence-framework-first-edition?utm_source=media_intelligence&utm_medium=podcast
The Super Bowl isn’t just football—it’s the biggest advertising marketplace in American TV. Kate Scott-Dawkins (live from Levi’s Stadium) joins Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah to break down Super Bowl commercials , the cost of Super Bowl ads , and why brands still pay for the last truly mass, shared TV moment. They also unpack a major earnings week— Amazon, Alphabet (Google/YouTube), Uber, Disney, and Fox —and the theme cutting across everything: AI investment and rising capex , plus what it means for retail media, streaming ads, and sports rights economics . Topics include: Super Bowl ad “hacks” (prediction markets and skywriting), the “AI Super Bowl” creative playbook, Amazon advertising and Prime Video, Google search growth and retail ad spend, Uber’s $2B ads run-rate and AV data partnerships, Disney’s shifting profit mix, Fox/Tubi growth, and why sports rights keep squeezing margins. 0:00 – Intro: inside Levi’s Stadium vs the “advertising Super Bowl” at home 01:22 – Watching the game + what commercial breaks feel like in-stadium 02:34 – Prediction markets ad ban: Kalshi skywriting and “hacking” the Super Bowl 04:00 – San Francisco OOH: why every billboard says “AI” 04:39 – Super Bowl creative takeaways: Gemini, Alexa, celebrities 05:53 – Halftime show moments and cultural impact 07:05 – Early ratings chatter + why this reach is hard to replicate 08:17 – The reach math: what it would cost to match Super Bowl scale elsewhere 09:23 – Retail/commerce media: Walmart’s milestone and resilient growth 10:31 – Amazon results: ads, Prime Video, and audience scale 11:31 – AI capex surge: 2025 vs 2026 spending acceleration 12:07 – Alphabet/Google: $400B year, search growth, YouTube signals, CapEx jump 16:13 – Uber: $2B ads run-rate, AV strategy, Nvidia partnership, expansion 20:01 – Disney: earnings, streaming economics, and CEO succession signals 25:18 – Fox: sports rights pressure, Tubi growth, and ad category strength 29:44 – Europe: AI adoption in marketing/sales and budget implications 32:25 – Wrap-up + what to watch next (Snap note)
Meta’s ad engine keeps accelerating—even as legal and regulatory pressure builds. Kate Scott-Dawkins is joined by Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah to break down a packed earnings week and the theme they see everywhere right now: concentration and consolidation —of ad spend, audience attention, and especially AI investment . They unpack Meta’s surprisingly strong growth and a striking geographic disclosure (why Singapore suddenly shows up as a top billing market), Microsoft’s mixed ad signals across Search and LinkedIn (including rapid growth in paid video ads ), and what Comcast/NBCU’s results say about the economics of streaming—where sports can lift subscribers and advertisers, but also widen losses. Plus: what luxury earnings reveal about an uneven recovery (China stabilizing, other markets shifting) and why jewelry looks more resilient than other categories. We explore: Meta earnings: strong growth, the “billing address vs. user geography” disconnect, and why Singapore stood out. AI capex arms race: Meta’s major 2026 investment plans vs. Microsoft’s narrative challenge linking AI to ad growth. Microsoft ads + LinkedIn: Search/news resilience, marketing solutions, and the surge in paid video ads. Comcast/NBCU: mostly flat ad trends, tough comps, and the coming change as Versant assets roll out of reporting. Peacock: subscriber lift, NBA-driven advertiser gains, and what bigger sports bets mean for profitability. Luxury: uneven normalization, China’s importance, broader growth pockets, and LVMH’s lower ad/promo spend. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: Super Bowl, Olympics, and the week’s earnings theme 02:23 – Meta: growth stays strong 03:30 – Meta disclosure: why Singapore appears as a top billing market 06:22 – AI capex: Meta’s 2026 ramp and monetization paths (ads + subs) 07:17 – Market reaction: why Meta and Microsoft were read differently 10:30 – Meta headwinds: lawsuits and platform pressure vs. advertiser momentum 12:08 – Comcast/NBCU: Q4 ads, tough comps, and scale questions 14:01 – Peacock: subs, ad growth, NBA impact, and widening losses 15:58 – Microsoft: Search/news ads, LinkedIn momentum, and video growth 19:20 – Advertiser takeaways: efficiency, AI, and consolidation 21:17 – Luxury: uneven recovery, jewelry strength, and ad spend trends 24:13 – Tech preview: Apple/Samsung notes and what to watch next 26:45 – Closing
Netflix says ads are booming—but are viewers actually watching more? Kate Scott-Dawkins and Jeff Foster dig into Netflix’s latest earnings: ~$3B in projected ad revenue for 2026 , 325M paid memberships , and a surprisingly modest lift in hours watched . We unpack what that gap could mean for advertisers, why big IP (including Warner Bros. Discovery/WBD ) suddenly looks even more valuable, and where Netflix may go next on content and sports. Plus: what P&G’s results suggest about a more disciplined year for CPG ad spend , the latest on TikTok’s new U.S. ownership structure (and the still-open questions around the algorithm), and OpenAI/ChatGPT testing ads —with an early focus on transparency and user control. We explore: Netflix’s 2026 ad revenue guidance (~$3B) and what it takes to scale a young ad business. Why 96B hours watched in 2H 2025 only grew ~2%—and the “attention per member” problem. Content strategy and competition: ~$18B implied 2026 content spend , sports optionality, and the pull of major franchise libraries (WBD). P&G earnings and why the company isn’t planning a big media ramp —what that signals for CPG budgets in 2026. TikTok’s U.S. divestment outcome : who owns what, what likely stays the same for advertisers, and how pressure is rising on social platforms globally. OpenAI begins testing ads : early guardrails, what “AI-native” advertising could look like, and why this launch matters. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: Netflix, P&G, TikTok U.S. deal, OpenAI ads 00:42 – Netflix: ad revenue forecast to double to ~$3B in 2026 01:51 – Netflix: 325M paid memberships (first update in a year) 02:20 – Engagement: 96B hours watched in 2H 2025 and what it implies 04:29 – Content + sports: 2026 spend plans and rights questions 07:30 – The hardware challenge: Netflix vs OS-controlled platforms 08:38 – P&G: growth, pricing, category performance, and ad spend tone 12:32 – TikTok: new U.S. ownership structure and open algorithm questions 16:12 – Social pressure: under-16 bans, lawsuits, and brand risk 20:29 – OpenAI/ChatGPT: testing ads, transparency, and what’s next 25:27 – Weekend recommendations: AI reads/listens 28:41 – Next week preview: key earnings to watch 29:00 – Closing + contact
Is your next big purchase going to be made by AI? In this “super pod” crossover between WPP Media Intelligence and Madison & Wall, Kate Scott-Dawkins, Brian Wieser, Luke Stillman, Jeff Foster, and Nidhi Shah unpack the week’s biggest shifts in media and marketing. We explore: Google & OpenAI’s new agentic commerce protocols — and what AI shopping means for brands. Why US banks grew ad spend 12.5% in 2025 despite economic uncertainty. TikTok’s World Cup deal and what it signals for sports media rights. The evolving creator economy and where the dollars are really coming from. Insights into app advertising & mobile gaming following LiftOff’s IPO filing. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: AI shopping & what’s ahead in media and marketing 01:20 – Agentic commerce: Google vs OpenAI protocols & retail media impact 08:36 – US economy: Bank earnings and why ad spend is still rising 17:28 – Sports media rights: TikTok’s global World Cup video partner deal 20:40 – Creator economy: Where the money comes from and industry effects 25:53 – App advertising & gaming: LiftOff IPO, AppLovin, mobile ad quality 31:52 – Market outlook: Risks, opportunities, and sector growth potential 32:13 – Next week preview: Key earnings, inflation data, and major events 34:56 – Closing thoughts & outro WPP Media Global Advertising Forecast, Dec 2025: https://www.wppmedia.com/news/report-this-year-next-year-december-2025 Cross-over episode disclaimer: The views of Madison & Wall do not represent the opinions of WPP or WPP Media
Smart glasses everywhere, robots in your living room, and 73.9% of global ad spend concentrated in just 25 companies. Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster, and Nidhi Shah break down what really matters for advertisers from CES: the explosion of robotics and smart home ecosystems, a wave of smart glasses and next-gen TVs, and what this growing “surface area” for media means for targeting, measurement, and creative. They also unpack WPP Media’s latest Top 25 Global Media Owners update, where those players are now expected to account for 73.9% of total ad industry revenue — and how consolidation, regulation, and AI could reshape that landscape. We also look ahead to 2026: the impact of a packed sports calendar and US midterm elections on ad pricing and inventory, rising youth-focused social regulation (inspired by Australia and Europe), and new AI-driven business models on both the content and media owner side. Listen for: What CES 2026’s robots, smart homes, and smart glasses really signal for brands How the Top 25 media owners reaching 73.9% share changes planning and partnership strategy Where new ad opportunities may emerge in ecosystems like autos, connected homes, and creator platforms Key risks and catalysts for 2026: regulation, labor negotiations, mega-deals, and sports/election cycles 00:00-CES recap: robots, smart homes and health tech 03:29-Macro backdrop: jobs, inflation and retail context 05:39-Next-gen TVs and hardware ecosystems 09:23-Autos, energy tech and AI infrastructure 13:10-Creators, fandom and sports at CES 14:50-Top 25 global media owners and consolidation 18:22-Smart glasses boom and new ad surfaces 20:49-2026 outlook: deals, sports, elections and AI 26:16-Advertising Intelligence framework and earnings preview
Host Kate Scott-Dawkins is joined by Jeff Foster and Nidhi Shah to break down WPP’s newly released global advertising forecast across 60+ markets and every major media channel. Discover why 2025 global ad revenue is now projected to grow 8.8% to $1.14 trillion , how AI is driving a shift toward “intelligence” advertising, and what the milestone of commerce surpassing TV ad spend means for brands worldwide. We explore: The rise of proactive, AI-powered advertising and the $400B expanded search opportunity by 2026. Category shifts, including retail media’s slowing growth amid consolidation, and the emergence of financial services, travel, and gaming networks. Regional trends in North America, LATAM, EMEA, China, and India. Sector-specific insights for automotive, technology, and media entertainment. Key challenges — from concentrated consumer spending, to diminishing retail media returns, to the threat of “agentic shopping.” Whether you’re a marketer, media buyer, or brand strategist, this episode delivers actionable intelligence to prepare for the evolving advertising landscape in 2025 and beyond. See the forecast here: https://www.wppmedia.com/news/report-this-year-next-year-december-2025
Earnings season meets forecast crunch time | Kate Scott‑Dawkins, Jeff Foster, and Nidhi Shah break down the latest media and marketing shifts: European broadcasters in decline, OOH gains from travel rebound, Amazon’s surge in cloud and streaming ads, Tubi’s early AVOD profitability, and the mixed fortunes at Peacock, Paramount+, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney. From sports rights battles to identity‑based targeting and looming M&A moves, the team unpacks what’s driving TV and streaming ad revenues — and what brands and advertisers need to know now. Listen for: • Trends in linear TV vs. streaming ad revenue growth • Why sports rights remain top-tier ad inventory • AVOD’s profitability milestone and what’s next • How consolidation could reshape the media buying landscape 00:00 – Introduction and forecast season overlaps 02:27 – European broadcaster earnings, consolidation moves, and OOH trends 09:35 – Amazon earnings: Cloud, advertising, Prime Video reach, and sports rights 15:03 – Fox earnings: Tubi’s growth, early profitability, and login strategy 18:52 – Comcast: Peacock’s subscriber trends, ad revenue, and M&A speculation 21:11 – Paramount/Skydance: Ad revenue decline, price hikes, and theatrical expansion 24:32 – Warner Bros. Discovery: Revenue and ad declines, streaming subs, strategic options 26:07 – Disney highlights and advertiser implications 27:30 – Forecast wrap‑up and upcoming focus areas
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Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed September 13, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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