Media Monitor

The World Cup has become a much bigger advertising business in the U.S. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Guideline’s first-ever game-by-game World Cup advertising analysis and look at how the 2026 tournament changed the economics of the event. The headline number is substantial: Guideline estimates roughly $2 billion in U.S. advertising revenue across television and streaming, compared with less than $400 million during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. That means the advertising business grew roughly fivefold in four years. Several factors helped drive the change. The 2026 tournament was hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, making game times far more accessible to U.S. audiences. Soccer interest has also continued to grow in the country, supported by professional leagues, the U.S. women’s national team, entertainment, and broader cultural adoption. Streaming played a major role. Guideline estimates streaming impressions increased from roughly 2 billion in 2022 to 7 billion in 2026, while streaming and simulcast advertising accounted for around $500 million in this year’s tournament. Pricing moved sharply higher as well. Sean explains that a World Cup Final ad unit averaged just under $2 million, compared with roughly $500,000 during the 2022 Final. In 2026, that $500,000 level was closer to the average cost of appearing in a standard World Cup match. U.S. games also attracted major advertising demand. Two U.S. knockout-round matches generated roughly $40 million each, while the Final generated an estimated $150 million across Fox and Telemundo in Guideline’s data. Another big shift came from Spanish-language streaming. During the 2022 World Cup, Telemundo accounted for roughly one-third of streaming ad dollars. In 2026, its share climbed to just under half, showing how strongly audiences responded to the Telemundo and Peacock viewing experience. Kelly and Sean close by looking toward 2030. With the next World Cup hosted across Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, the discussion turns to what broadcasters and streaming platforms may do next—from additional streaming distribution and sponsorship formats to more monetization around live matches and surrounding content. In this episode: • Why U.S. World Cup ad revenue reached roughly $2 billion • How that compares with the 2022 Qatar tournament • The impact of North American time zones • Why U.S. soccer interest continues to grow • Streaming impressions rising from roughly 2B to 7B • TV versus streaming advertising revenue • Why U.S. knockout matches attracted major ad spend • The estimated $150M advertising value of the Final • Why World Cup ad pricing moved sharply higher • Final ad units approaching $2M • Telemundo’s growing share of streaming ad dollars • The role of Peacock in World Cup consumption • What advertisers and rights holders may do differently in 2030 • Why live sports continues to attract growing media investment If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Canada’s advertising market is outperforming the global average. In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright dig into Guideline’s first-half data for Canada and explain why ad spend grew 9% year over year , compared with roughly 6% globally. Part of the story is a rebound from a weaker period. Sean notes that tariffs and pressure on the automotive sector weighed heavily on Canada’s economy and advertising market the year before. That creates an easier comparison, but the current recovery appears broader than a simple bounce. Podcast advertising is one of the clearest bright spots. While podcast spend is roughly flat globally in Guideline’s data, Canada is up 25%, extending an already strong prior year and reflecting continued investment in Canadian-specific shows and talent. Social is also outperforming. Canada’s social advertising grew 21%, compared with roughly 14% globally, with the automotive category responsible for much of the additional lift. Auto has not fully recovered overall, but social stands out as one area where the category is spending more aggressively. Travel offers another interesting contrast. While broader travel advertising remains under pressure in many markets, Canadian hotels and resorts are up roughly 32% , supported by more domestic travel and stronger interest in Canadian destinations. Looking ahead, Sean expects growth to moderate but remain healthy. Guideline’s outlook is for Canada to finish the year with growth in roughly the 7% to 8% range, as some first-half sports effects fade but the underlying mix of categories and media types remains relatively strong. In this episode: Why Canada’s H1 ad market grew faster than the global average The impact of last year’s economic weakness on current comparisons Why podcast advertising is up 25% in Canada How Canadian social spend is outperforming global growth The role of automotive advertising Why hotels and resorts are up 32% The “Buy Canada / Stay Canada” effect Domestic travel and tourism demand What social media restrictions could mean for ad spend Why Australia’s under-16 social restrictions have not slowed social advertising Guideline’s outlook for Canada in the second half Why the fundamentals look healthier than a simple rebound If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

WWE is attracting new sponsors. AI agents are becoming part of the shopping journey. Retail media forecasts are getting bigger. And brands are testing advertising in places consumers may not expect. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright go straight into the headlines and break down what these shifts could mean for advertisers, agencies, publishers, and brand teams. The conversation starts with WWE. According to the coverage discussed in the episode, WWE generated roughly $160 million in brand sponsorships, with a large share coming from new brands. Kelly and Sean look at how the move of Raw to Netflix may be opening new sponsorship opportunities and changing where brands can show up inside sports and entertainment programming. From there, Sean brings up BMW’s use of an in-car branded experience tied to Spider-Man. That leads to a broader question: just because a new surface can carry an ad, does that mean it should? The episode then turns to what Kelly describes as the agentic shelf. For decades, brands competed for physical shelf space. Then came the digital shelf through marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart. Now there is another layer. As consumers increasingly rely on AI systems and agents to answer product questions or make recommendations, brands need to think about how they appear inside those responses. Kelly discusses AEO—Answer Engine Optimization—and GEO—Generative Engine Optimization as new areas marketers may need to account for alongside physical retail and traditional digital commerce. Sean raises a related concern: if AI discovery requires increasingly sophisticated optimization, could smaller brands have a harder time competing with companies that have larger teams and budgets? The conversation continues into retail media, where Sean questions a forecast suggesting the global market could reach $200 billion. His concern isn’t that retail media is small—it clearly matters. The issue is definition. If dollars flowing through a company such as Amazon include DSP activity, Prime Video, commerce media, and other advertising products, grouping all of that under “retail media” can make it harder for marketers to understand what the market actually looks like. Finally, Kelly and Sean discuss Omnicom’s reported move to transfer hundreds of employees who helped build its AI platform to an outside contractor. That story brings the episode back to one of Media Monitor’s recurring AI themes: companies may be using AI to make people faster and more productive, but that does not necessarily mean the technology can replace the work those people do. In this episode: WWE’s sponsorship growth How Raw’s move to Netflix may be changing sponsorship opportunities New ways brands can appear inside sports and entertainment BMW’s in-car advertising experiment Why more ad inventory is not always better What the “agentic shelf” means for brands Physical shelf vs. digital shelf vs. agentic shelf Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) How AI agents may change product discovery What smaller brands could face in an AI-driven commerce environment Bot traffic and the changing internet Why retail media forecasts require closer inspection The difference between retail media, DSP spend, and streaming advertising Omnicom’s AI staffing changes Why AI may be a work partner rather than a replacement Resources mentioned in the episode: https://www.mmm-online.com/news/warc-report-predicts-retail-ad-market-to-hit-200bn-in-2026/ https://www.motor1.com/news/805679/bmw-owners-upset-over-surprise/ https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/417367/well-fight-for-your-brand-wwe-records-160m-in-b.html https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/08/18/how-brands-can-optimize-for-the-agentic-shelf-and-why-it-matters/ https://www.adweek.com/agencies/exclusive-omnicom-offloads-hundreds-of-staffers-who-built-its-ai-platform-to-third-party-contractor/ If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

The NBA had a very strong advertising year. In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Guideline’s latest NBA advertising report and explain how the league grew ad revenue from roughly $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion in a single season. A big part of the story starts with distribution. After Warner Bros. stepped back from its previous role, the NBA expanded across NBC, Peacock, Amazon, ABC, ESPN, Hulu, and other platforms. That created more places for audiences to watch and more inventory for advertisers to buy. The result was a major increase in streaming revenue. Sean explains that streaming ad revenue climbed from roughly $10 million to $874 million, driven by a combination of simulcasts, exclusive games, and broader digital access. Pricing also moved higher. Regular-season unit rates increased substantially, meaning the league would have generated more revenue even if the number of ads sold had stayed flat. But more changed than pricing. The NBA also reached an estimated 170 million people during the season, its highest reach in roughly 25 years. That broader audience helped create stronger demand across the regular season, playoffs, and Finals. Kelly and Sean also unpack why Finals comparisons require care. A seven-game series naturally creates more advertising inventory than a five-game series. Looking only at total Finals revenue can make performance appear flat. Comparing the first five games of each series tells a very different story and shows much stronger year-over-year growth. The episode closes with another encouraging signal: advertiser participation was more diversified across product categories, meaning the NBA’s growth was not dependent on just one or two areas of the market. In this episode: Why NBA ad revenue rose from roughly $1.5B to $2.1B How streaming changed the league’s advertising economics The effect of NBC, Peacock, Amazon, ABC, ESPN, and Hulu distribution Why regular-season unit rates increased How the NBA reached roughly 170 million people Why streaming revenue jumped so sharply How exclusive streaming games contributed to growth Why the NBA now compares differently with the NFL on streaming revenue How playoff demand performed Why Finals revenue needs to be adjusted for series length The difference between total Finals revenue and game-for-game comparisons Why broader advertiser participation matters What the next NBA season will have to do to match this year’s performance Media Monitor breaks down what’s happening across media and advertising and explains what the data actually means. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Advertising spend can be growing while the market underneath it is becoming more fragile. In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney gives Sean Wright a new goal: create an index important enough to have his name attached to it. Sean may already have a starting point. Inspired by a discussion of market concentration and monopoly measurement, Sean applies similar mathematical thinking to Guideline’s advertising data to ask a different question: How much of advertising growth is being driven by only a small number of categories? Guideline tracks 89 advertising subcategories. Rather than looking only at the headline growth rate for the market, Sean examines how widely that growth is distributed. If many categories are contributing, the market appears more balanced. If one or two categories account for a disproportionate share of incremental spending, the headline number may hide more risk than it reveals. Sean explains that early analysis suggests the concentration of advertising growth may be strongly associated with what happens in the market roughly 11 to 12 months later. That creates potential applications for agencies, publishers, advertisers, and anyone trying to assess the health of advertising demand. The current picture provides an interesting example: advertising growth is concentrated among relatively few categories, while spending declines are spread across a broader group. For Sean, that combination suggests more risk beneath the headline growth number than the topline figure alone would indicate. Kelly and Sean discuss how a concentration index could help agencies think about negotiations, publishers assess revenue exposure, and industry leaders get a faster read on market conditions without having to interpret dozens of category trends individually. The conversation also introduces the idea of publishing the new indicator as a recurring Guideline market measure—with the final name still very much up for debate. And, naturally, Jimothy the raccoon makes another appearance. In this episode: • How market concentration can reveal risk that topline ad growth misses • The economic index that inspired Sean’s advertising analysis • Why growth concentrated in a few categories can make the market less stable • Why diversified advertising growth can indicate healthier conditions • What concentrated gains and broad-based declines may signal today • How the model could help agencies, publishers, and advertisers • Using advertising category data for strategic decision-making • Why a single index could simplify dozens of category trends • The potential predictive relationship between concentration and future ad spend • How publishers can assess dependence on a limited set of advertisers • Why diversification matters for advertising revenue • The early plans for a recurring Guideline advertising concentration index • The debate over what the index should actually be called Media Monitor breaks down what’s happening across media and advertising and explains what the data actually means. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

AI agents may automate more of media buying, but WPP’s Devon DeBlasio believes people still need to remain at the helm. In this installment of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Devon DeBlasio of WPP to discuss how agentic systems could change advertising—from buying media and building audiences to influencing how brands appear inside AI-generated recommendations. WPP has committed to helping develop standards for agentic buying, working with organizations including IAB Tech Lab and Prebid. Devon explains why common protocols and guardrails matter as buyer agents, seller agents, and MCP-enabled systems begin interacting across the advertising ecosystem. A central question runs through the discussion: Which decisions should an AI agent be allowed to make, and which should still require human approval? Devon describes WPP’s “human at the helm” approach, particularly when actual media dollars are being committed. AI can identify signals, generate potential audiences, surface insights, and automate parts of a workflow, while experienced people remain responsible for decisions with financial consequences. The conversation then turns to audience strategy. With large pools of historical performance data and increasingly capable models, agencies may be able to create more tailored growth audiences instead of relying as heavily on standardized audience segments. Steve and Devon also look at a newer question for marketers: What happens when the entity you need to influence is an AI agent? Consumers are increasingly asking systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for product recommendations. That creates a new brand challenge around how a company appears inside AI-generated responses, which signals shape those recommendations, and how marketers might influence brand perception in an agentic environment. The discussion closes with data literacy. Natural-language interfaces may make sophisticated analytics accessible to more marketers, but easier access to data does not remove the need for consistent measurement, shared definitions, sound governance, and human judgment. In this episode: What agentic media buying means for advertisers Why WPP is helping develop standards for agentic buying WPP’s “human at the helm” philosophy Where AI automation ends and human approval begins Why WPP is beginning its agentic buying work with CTV How buyer and seller agents could interact How AI could create more tailored growth audiences The role of historical performance data Moving beyond standardized audience segments What “influencing algorithms” could mean for marketers How brands appear inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other LLMs The emerging relationship between AI discovery and brand perception AI agents as a new layer between brands and consumers How natural-language interfaces change data analysis Why common definitions and standards still matter Why human judgment remains part of automated media buying Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes is a special summer series featuring conversations with leaders across media, advertising, data, and technology. Also subscribe to the regular Media Monitor podcast, released Wednesdays, for analysis of the data and trends shaping the media market. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Advertising has more data, targeting, platforms and measurement than ever. Yet one question keeps surfacing: Are those capabilities actually helping marketers build stronger businesses? In this installment of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Justin Lebbon for a candid discussion about where media investment is flowing—and what those shifts could mean for advertisers, publishers and the wider media ecosystem. The conversation begins with the growing concentration of media spend among a small number of global platforms. Justin argues that this concentration has consequences beyond advertising efficiency. As more money moves away from local publishers, less funding remains for journalism, locally produced entertainment and the businesses supporting content production. Canada, New Zealand and other markets provide examples of what can happen when large portions of digital advertising revenue leave the local media economy. That leads Steve and Justin into a broader conversation about social platforms. Social media remains valuable for communication, discovery and community, yet concerns around transparency, content quality, younger users and advertiser accountability continue to grow. They discuss emerging regulation, restrictions on social media access for children, and a question advertisers may increasingly face: Do you actually know what your media investment is accomplishing—and where your advertising is appearing? From there, the conversation turns toward effectiveness. Years of increasingly granular attribution and performance measurement have encouraged marketers to optimize around clicks, CPMs, conversions and other immediately measurable outcomes. Justin argues that this can create a short-term feedback loop in which marketers optimize what is easiest to measure rather than what creates future demand. Advertising, in his view, should help businesses and categories grow. The economic environment adds another dimension. Higher capital costs and greater pressure on profitability mean marketing investments face closer examination from finance teams. If marketers cannot demonstrate how advertising contributes to business growth, the risk is bigger than a reduced media budget: leadership may begin questioning the investment itself. Steve and Justin close by discussing a possible shift back toward fundamentals—better marketing education, stronger measurement, quality media, demand generation and creative work that connects with people. The tools have changed. The fundamental business question has not: What is the advertising supposed to accomplish? In this episode: Why media spend is increasingly concentrated among major platforms What that concentration means for local publishers The economic role of local media Why locally produced journalism and entertainment need sustainable funding Transparency across digital and social advertising Growing scrutiny of social platforms Social media and younger audiences Why advertisers should test the incremental impact of platforms The limitations of bottom-of-funnel measurement How cheap CPMs can distort media decisions Brand building versus performance marketing Why attribution can create false confidence The economic pressures changing marketing decisions AI-generated content and declining content quality Why advertising effectiveness matters beyond individual platforms The role of marketing education Why demand creation is returning to the conversation The relationship between media quality, creative quality and business growth Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes is a special summer series featuring conversations with leaders across media and advertising. Also subscribe to the regular Media Monitor podcast, released Wednesdays, for data-driven discussions about where the media market is heading. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

YouTube, AI search, data centers, and women’s sports may look like separate stories. Together, they reveal how quickly media distribution and advertising access are changing. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright begin with NBCUniversal’s decision to bring more Peacock programming into YouTube Premium. The partnership gives Peacock access to YouTube’s large global subscriber base while helping YouTube strengthen its premium content offering. Kelly and Sean discuss what the deal may mean for streaming bundles, subscriber growth, and the increasingly blurred line between traditional television and user-generated video. The conversation then moves to the open web. Digital publishers are reporting weaker referral traffic as AI-generated search summaries answer more questions without sending users to the original source. Sean compares those reports with Guideline’s UK advertising data and considers why major publishers with strong brands and original reporting may be holding up better than smaller sites built around search traffic. They also discuss what could be lost if niche websites can no longer support themselves through advertising. Next, Kelly and Sean turn to Meta’s Hyperion data center in Louisiana, a project reportedly valued at roughly $50 billion. They discuss how technology companies are financing large AI infrastructure projects, why those investments can be difficult to track, and how rising capital expenditures are influencing investor reactions. The episode closes with a different kind of inventory problem: brands want to advertise around women’s sports, but there may not be enough programming available. Live games are gaining attention, yet the surrounding content—documentaries, studio shows, interviews, and other lower-cost inventory—has not grown at the same pace. That creates an opening for publishers and media companies able to build quality programming around women’s leagues and athletes. In this episode: What the Peacock and YouTube Premium partnership could mean for streaming Why premium platforms are leaning on bundles and distribution partnerships The difference between YouTube Premium and YouTube TV How AI search summaries are reducing publisher referral traffic Why branded publishers may be more resilient than smaller search-driven sites What declining traffic could mean for niche websites and the open web Meta’s Hyperion data center in Louisiana How large AI infrastructure projects are being financed Why AI spending is drawing closer investor attention Growing advertiser demand around women’s sports Why the shortage is bigger than live-game inventory The opportunity in documentaries, shoulder programming, and studio coverage Media Monitor breaks down what is happening across media and advertising and explains what it means for brands, agencies, publishers, and technology companies. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

AI may be reshaping media planning and buying, but not every business problem requires an AI solution. In this episode of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes , Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers speaks with Drew Kane, Chief Product Officer for Prisma at Mediaocean, about media workflow automation, agentic buying, and why trusted systems of record become even more valuable as machines make more decisions. The conversation begins with Prisma’s role as a financial, contractual, and workflow system supporting the media industry from planning through payment. Drew explains how Mediaocean’s wider portfolio—including Prisma, Innovid, and Protected Media—helps agencies and advertisers manage creative workflows, buying, verification, and financial accountability. Steve and Drew then discuss the new integration between Guideline’s MediaTools and Prisma. While information has moved between the two platforms for years, the new API integration reduces manual work and helps keep planning and execution data synchronised. Objectives and budgets can flow more directly from MediaTools into Prisma, with actualised results moving back through the workflow. The result is less friction, fewer manual errors, and more time for teams to focus on business outcomes. Their discussion then turns to AI. At Cannes, many companies are trying to apply AI to nearly every workflow. Drew argues for a more disciplined approach: begin with the business outcome, then choose the appropriate technology. Sometimes that means an AI agent. Sometimes it means an MCP-enabled workflow. And sometimes a deterministic API is still the better answer. Steve and Drew also examine the emerging world of buyer and seller agents, where systems could identify inventory, exchange campaign requirements, and accelerate media transactions. But as the number and speed of automated decisions increase, so does the need for governance. Someone still has to track what was approved, where the money went, what changed, and whether the advertiser received the expected value. That is where systems of record become essential. In this conversation: • What Prisma does across the media planning-to-payment workflow • The partnership between Guideline and Prisma • How the MediaTools and Prisma API integration reduces manual work • Why business outcomes should determine the technology used • Why not every form of automation needs AI • The difference between APIs, MCP connections, and AI agents • How buying and selling agents could change media transactions • Why agent orchestration may matter more than individual agents • The continued role of human approval in automated workflows • Why auditability becomes more important as AI scales decision-making • How systems of record track media spend, approvals, and outcomes • The convergence of linear television, digital video, and broader video investment • Why media efficiency must ultimately translate into effectiveness Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes is a special series featuring leaders across advertising, media, measurement, and technology discussing the ideas shaping the future of the industry. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Jonathan Anastas, Chief Marketing Officer, at Rumble, joins Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes to discuss why AI won't replace human creativity—but instead make it even more valuable. Following Rumble's acquisition of Northern Data and the launch of Quake AI, Jonathan explains how creators can use AI to build businesses, why video is becoming the next frontier for AI training, and why human ideas remain the competitive advantage in an AI-powered world. Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes brings together leaders from across media, advertising, technology and AI to discuss where the industry is heading. In this episode, Steve Silvers , Chief Product Officer at Guideline, sits down with Jonathan Anastas, Chief Marketing Officer at Rumble, to discuss one of the biggest questions facing the industry: Will AI replace human creativity—or make it more valuable than ever? The conversation follows Rumble's acquisition of Northern Data and the launch of Quake AI, exploring how the company sees AI becoming a platform that helps creators build businesses rather than replacing the people behind them. Jonathan explains why the future belongs to creators who combine original thinking with AI-powered execution, why video is becoming the next major training asset for AI models, and why authentic human ideas remain the ingredient AI cannot generate on its own. They also discuss: • Why Rumble acquired Northern Data and launched Quake AI • The vision of creators becoming AI-powered businesses • Why human creativity becomes more valuable as AI advances • AI as an accelerator—not a replacement—for creative work • Why video is becoming the next major AI training resource • The decline of text as the primary source for training large language models • AI-generated content versus human-led storytelling • What marketers can learn from previous technology disruptions • Why businesses that ignore AI risk falling behind • The importance of authentic human connection in an AI-first world • Why face-to-face relationships become even more valuable as automation increases Whether you're a marketer, publisher, creator, media executive or technology leader, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on how AI is reshaping creativity, advertising and digital business. Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes features conversations with industry leaders recorded during Cannes Lions, exploring the ideas shaping the future of media and advertising. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

When should advertisers lock in Q4 media—and where could waiting actually pay off? In Episode 28 of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright use Guideline’s forward-booking, ad spend, and pricing data to look ahead at the Q4 advertising market and assess where demand is building, where prices are rising, and where buyers may still have room to wait. Sean frames the discussion as a media version of buy, sell, or hold. Retail media is one area where the data points toward buying earlier. After six consecutive quarters of price growth, demand remains strong heading toward the holiday period, when retailers face some of their heaviest advertising activity of the year. Programmatic CTV is showing similar pressure, with demand and pricing moving higher. Direct-buy CTV, however, tells a somewhat different story, with flatter conditions and some indications that buyers could find opportunities later. Traditional television presents another contrast. Scatter pricing is declining, spend is softening heading into Q4, and—with the exception of major properties such as the NFL—advertisers may have more flexibility around when they commit. Then there’s social. Spend continues to grow while pricing has been declining, creating a different buying dynamic in a channel where inventory is far less constrained. Kelly and Sean also discuss digital out-of-home, the potential effect of U.S. midterm election spending on local media and CTV inventory, and what these shifts could mean for planners building Q4 media strategies now. Before getting into the data, they cover several media and technology headlines, including OpenAI’s agreement with Yelp, the decline in referral traffic as AI increasingly answers searches directly, machine-readable web content, Google’s regulatory pressure in Europe—and Jimothy, the unusually round raccoon that somehow made its way into the conversation. In this episode: • What Guideline’s forward-booking data indicates about Q4 advertising • Why retail media may become more expensive as the holidays approach • Rising demand and pricing for programmatic CTV • Why direct-buy CTV is showing a different pattern • Falling TV scatter pricing and what it could mean for buyers • How U.S. midterm election spending could affect local advertising inventory • Why social ad spend can rise while pricing falls • Continued momentum in out-of-home advertising • OpenAI’s agreement with Yelp and the changing economics of web traffic • How AI-generated search answers are affecting publisher referral traffic • Google, European regulation, and the growing pressure on big tech • What the rise of bot traffic could mean for the future of the open web Media Monitor breaks down what’s happening across media and advertising and explains what the data may mean for brands, agencies, publishers, and the wider industry. Form to be filled: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=lw2afVEDz0GH7zXijD1lOQJDmVFO33JHi7Vy8ZqFLdxUOFo0QVZYNjlTSTgwSlUxMDVUV1VRQUkwNS4u&route=shorturl Referenced articles: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/bot-web-traffic-overtaken-human-web-traffic-data-shows-rcna348522 https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/416762/openai-licenses-content-from-yelp-seems-to-be-bui.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/style/jimothy-raccoon-seattle-videos.html https://www.reuters.com/world/google-hit-with-1-billion-eu-fine-first-under-landmark-rules-2026-07-23/ If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

AI is giving marketers faster access to data and insights. But having more data doesn’t automatically lead to better decisions. In this episode of Media Monitor's Conversations at Cannes , Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Preeti Croke of Analytic Partners to discuss how AI is changing marketing measurement, why ROI requires more context than a single number, and what happens when marketing, finance, and analytics aren’t working from the same definition of success. Preeti shares how Analytic Partners is using AI through tools such as Ask Genome to make insights more accessible and decisioning AI to support scenario planning in an increasingly uncertain market. The conversation then turns to a bigger measurement challenge: despite the amount of data available to marketers, marketing investment can still be perceived as less data-driven than other business decisions. The issue may not be a lack of data. It may be a lack of shared language. Steve and Preeti discuss why CMOs, CFOs, finance teams, and analytics leaders need to agree on the business outcomes they are trying to influence before deciding which metrics matter. They also discuss why measurement should account for far more than advertising alone, from competitive conditions and pricing to broader economic and market forces. In this conversation: • How Analytic Partners is applying AI to marketing intelligence • What Ask Genome brings to ROI benchmarking and decision-making • Why scenario planning is becoming more useful in uncertain markets • The disconnect between having data and making data-driven marketing decisions • Why marketing and finance need a shared definition of success • Moving beyond KPIs that don’t connect to business outcomes • Why Analytic Partners uses “commercial analytics” rather than simply marketing mix modelling • How non-marketing factors can influence business performance • Why finance should be part of the measurement conversation from the beginning Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes is a special summer series featuring conversations with media and advertising leaders about the ideas shaping the future of the industry. If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

The first half of 2026 delivered the Olympics, a resurgent NBA Finals, the FIFA World Cup, and continued growth across streaming and digital media. Yet advertising spend grew just 4% year over year—well below the roughly 10% growth Guideline has historically seen in comparable event-heavy years. In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down what Guideline’s data says about the first half of 2026, where advertising dollars are moving, which categories are gaining or cutting spend, and why major tentpole events haven’t been enough to produce a stronger market. They examine continued weakness among automakers, growth from AI and SaaS advertisers, social media’s strong first half, CTV’s continued gains, the shift of World Cup dollars from linear television toward streaming, and the surprising resilience of out-of-home advertising. Sean also looks ahead to the second half of 2026, including the effects of softer consumer spending, inflationary pressure, political advertising, and the early testing of AI search as a new advertising channel. Plus: why advertisers may be able to use AI to move faster, while consumer behavior still moves at the “speed of human.” What You’ll Hear Why U.S. advertising grew only about 4% in the first half of 2026 How major tentpole events contributed roughly 1.2–1.3 percentage points of market growth Why automaker advertising remains under pressure How AI and SaaS companies are supporting software ad growth Why social advertising grew roughly 14% What’s driving CTV and streaming growth How World Cup ad spending has shifted dramatically from linear TV toward streaming Why out-of-home continues to gain despite weakness across other traditional formats How consumer spending pressure could affect advertising in the second half Why AI-search advertising still appears to be in a test-and-learn phase Why faster advertising technology cannot make consumers make decisions faster Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Banter 00:20 Lighting Nerd Out 01:51 Film Lighting Origins 03:40 Family Pool Drama 04:15 Elle TV Recommendation 05:49 First Half Ad Market 08:27 Upfronts Quiet Signal 09:27 Category Winners Losers 12:08 Media Mix Shifts 15:02 Out of Home Surge 17:02 Second Half Outlook 19:36 AI Search Ad Tests 22:28 Speed of Human Wrap 23:35 Closing and Subscribe If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Welcome to the first episode of Media Monitor: Conversations in Cannes — a special mini-series featuring industry leaders sharing their predictions for the future of media, advertising, AI, data, and marketing. Recorded during Cannes Lions, these conversations brought together executives from across the advertising ecosystem to discuss where the industry is headed next. Before releasing those interviews, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright step back to identify the biggest themes that consistently emerged across every conversation. Three major ideas stood out. 🤖 AI is becoming a human-led tool. The conversation around AI has matured. Rather than replacing marketers and creative teams, industry leaders are focused on using AI to help people work faster, think better, and execute more efficiently while keeping human creativity at the center. 🎯 The Addressable Audience The ability to reach the right people, at the right time, with the right message has become one of the industry's biggest competitive advantages. Better audience intelligence, first-party data, and smarter targeting are reshaping how brands build meaningful customer relationships. 📊 Metrics That Matter The industry is moving beyond tracking KPIs simply because they exist. Today's marketing leaders are asking a more important question: Which metrics actually predict business growth? The conversations repeatedly emphasized measuring outcomes that create meaningful results instead of chasing vanity metrics. Throughout the episode, Kelly and Sean share highlights from conversations with leaders across media, advertising, retail media, analytics, and technology, including executives from Rumble, Albertsons Media Collective, WPP, Analytic Partners, Prisma, and more. If you work in advertising, media, analytics, brand marketing, or digital strategy, this episode offers a preview of the biggest ideas you'll hear throughout the Media Monitor: Conversations in Cannes series. In This Episode Introducing Media Monitor: Conversations in Cannes The biggest themes from Cannes Lions Why AI is becoming a creative partner instead of a replacement The growing value of addressable audiences Finding the right customer with better data Why marketers are rethinking measurement Moving beyond vanity metrics Predictions for the future of media and advertising Connect with Guideline Questions or feedback? 📩 press@guideline.ai If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Why are brands willing to spend millions sponsoring global sporting events? In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine the economics behind sports sponsorships during the FIFA Club World Cup and explain why sponsorship continues to outperform many traditional brand marketing investments. They discuss why companies are paying premium prices for World Cup advertising, how sponsorship drives brand awareness in an increasingly crowded media environment, and why marketers continue shifting budgets toward high-profile live events. The conversation also covers: Why Ford and IBM are hiring employees back after aggressive AI workforce reductions Meta's expansion into cloud computing The surprising history of Hidden Valley Ranch and why the World Cup could introduce ranch dressing to millions of international consumers Why sponsorship spending continues to grow while traditional brand budgets become more constrained How brands measure sponsorship success beyond immediate sales Whether you work in advertising, media buying, sponsorship, or brand strategy, this episode offers valuable perspective on where marketing investment is heading. In this episode: Why sponsorship spending is accelerating The economics behind World Cup advertising Ford and IBM rethink AI workforce reductions Meta's newest AI business strategy Hidden Valley Ranch's unexpected marketing opportunity Brand awareness versus performance marketing Why marketers continue investing in major sporting events Articles Refrenced in this episode: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/01/employers-who-laid-off-workers-for-ai-are-reversing-their-decisions.html https://rb.gy/l4kuog If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Prediction markets are rapidly moving from niche platforms into the mainstream—and advertisers are following. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine why companies like Meta are investing in prediction market technology, what the rise of platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi signals for the future, and how sports betting has quietly become one of advertising's fastest-growing categories. Using Guideline's advertising intelligence, they reveal how brands are spending over $50 million annually advertising on betting platforms, why alcohol, telecom, and quick-service restaurants are dramatically increasing investment, and what this shift means for marketers planning future campaigns. The discussion also covers Meta's new prediction market initiative, OpenAI's reported IPO delay, AI advertising trends, and why advertisers are increasingly treating prediction markets as brand-safe environments. If you work in advertising, media, marketing, streaming, or digital strategy, this episode offers practical insights into one of the industry's fastest-changing sectors. In this episode Why Meta is entering prediction markets The rise of Polymarket and Kalshi How prediction markets differ from traditional sports betting Why advertisers spent more than $50 million on betting platforms Which industries are investing the fastest What Guideline's advertising data reveals OpenAI's reported IPO delay and AI advertising trends Why prediction markets are becoming more attractive to brands Articles referenced in this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/technology/openai-ipo-artificial-intelligence.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/technology/meta-prediction-markets-app.html If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Sports, streaming, and advertising continue to reshape the media landscape—and this week delivered plenty to discuss. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean introduce a new weekly headlines segment before diving into Guideline's early advertising data from the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup. They discuss what the Fox and Roku partnership means for connected TV, why Tubi has become one of streaming's biggest success stories, and how advertisers are following audiences across broadcast and streaming platforms. The conversation also covers Meta's latest AI copyright lawsuit and why it could have broader implications for generative AI companies. Later, they examine why this year's NBA Finals generated dramatically higher advertising revenue than previous seasons and what early World Cup pricing suggests about the future of premium live sports. In this episode: Fox's acquisition of Roku and what it means for streaming Why Tubi continues to outperform expectations Meta's AI copyright lawsuit and its potential impact NBA Finals advertising revenue reaches new highs Why streaming is becoming central to sports broadcasting Early World Cup advertising trends and pricing The growing value of premium live sports for advertisers What marketers should watch over the coming months Whether you work in advertising, media, marketing, or simply enjoy understanding how major media businesses operate, this episode provides practical insights into one of the busiest weeks in the industry. What You'll Learn ✔ Why Fox's Roku deal matters beyond streaming ✔ How Tubi became one of FAST television's biggest success stories ✔ Why advertisers spent dramatically more during the NBA Finals ✔ How streaming is changing sports broadcasting ✔ What early World Cup advertising trends reveal ✔ Why Meta's AI lawsuit deserves attention ✔ Where premium advertising inventory is heading Articles referenced in the episode: https://www.404media.co/judge-rules-blacked-com-can-sue-meta-for-scraping-its-porn/ https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/future-of-tv-briefing-fox-finds-its-programmatic-identify-in-roku/ https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/the-3-biggest-questions-from-fox-and-rokus-22-billion-deal/ If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Most media companies are fighting declining advertising revenue. The New York Times is moving in the opposite direction. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean launch a new deep-dive series by examining one of the most successful media businesses today. Using Guideline's advertising intelligence alongside The New York Times' public financial reporting, they break down where the company's advertising growth is really coming from—and why it continues to outperform much of the industry. Topics include: Why New York Times advertising revenue grew 29% The role of direct advertising versus programmatic How podcast advertising has become a meaningful revenue driver Why sports content continues to outperform expectations What The Athletic acquisition is contributing The surprising return of print advertising Why subscriptions and advertising work together Lessons publishers and marketers can apply to their own businesses Whether you're a marketer, publisher, agency leader, or media executive, this episode offers a practical look inside one of the industry's strongest advertising businesses. Key Takeaways New York Times advertising revenue trends Podcast sponsorship growth Sports media monetization Print advertising performance Direct advertising strategy Subscription business expansion Publisher revenue diversification Media business strategy If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

AI continues to dominate headlines—but is the advertising industry becoming more cautious? In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean examine a series of major developments shaping the future of artificial intelligence and advertising. From Anthropic’s IPO plans and OpenAI’s advertising strategy to the surprising shift in AI conversations at Cannes Lions, the discussion explores how the industry’s perspective on AI may be evolving. The conversation covers: Anthropic’s reported IPO ambitions and trillion-dollar valuation discussions xAI, OpenAI, and the growing competition among AI leaders What public markets may expect from AI companies Why advertising revenue is becoming increasingly important OpenAI’s early advertising performance The challenges of monetizing generative AI platforms How AI conversations have changed at Cannes Lions Why AI panel discussions have declined compared to last year The growing debate around human creativity versus AI-generated content The Pope’s recent comments on artificial intelligence Business leader enthusiasm versus employee concerns about AI adoption The emerging challenge of “AI slop” in the workplace Predictions for AI advertising over the next several years As AI companies move toward public markets and face increasing pressure to generate revenue, advertisers, agencies, and marketers will need to understand how these platforms evolve—and what role advertising will play in their future. Key Topics Covered Artificial intelligence AI advertising OpenAI advertising strategy Anthropic IPO xAI valuation AI monetization Cannes Lions 2026 Generative AI AI adoption Advertising technology Marketing innovation Workplace AI trends AI business models AI search advertising Future of advertising If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

The NFL continues to dominate live sports advertising. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down Guideline’s latest NFL Advertising Report, examining the trends, categories, teams, and schedule changes shaping one of the most valuable advertising properties in the world. The NFL generated nearly $6 billion in advertising revenue last season, marking another record year of growth. Kelly and Sean discuss what is fueling that growth, how playoff matchups impact revenue, why certain teams consistently attract advertiser dollars, and what the league's newest scheduling changes could mean for advertisers in the upcoming season. The conversation also explores: Why NFL advertising continues to outperform expectations How playoff games drive major revenue increases The impact of streaming, Netflix, and special-event games Why the Dallas Cowboys remain an advertising powerhouse How celebrity culture influences sports viewership The surprising category spending trends shaping the NFL Why financial services became the NFL’s biggest advertiser category What international expansion means for league revenue New schedule changes and their advertising implications Predictions for the upcoming NFL season Whether you're an advertiser, marketer, media planner, sports executive, or simply interested in the business behind professional sports, this episode provides a data-backed look at how the NFL continues to drive massive audience attention and advertising investment. Key Topics Covered NFL advertising revenue NFL media economics Sports advertising trends NFL playoffs advertising Super Bowl advertising Financial services advertising Auto advertising trends Sports media strategy NFL international expansion Streaming and NFL viewership Sports sponsorship trends Live sports advertising NFL schedule changes Sports media planning If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to press@guideline.ai. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.