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DIGIDAY+ MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
The NBA’s contract with YouTuber Kenny Beecham could be a new blueprint for sports leagues
The NBA’s blueprint for working with creators like Kenny Beecham could be a sign of where sports leagues are headed.
OpenAI's ads program matures
Media
WTF is back button hijacking?
Google is cracking down on “back button hijacking,” which some publishers use to offset declining referral traffic and monetization pressure.
Why Amazon and YouTube pitched operating systems, not just TV inventory at this year’s upfront
Negotiations over identity, infrastructure, AI-driven buying take place as much as programing.
The Economist prepares for a two‑track internet: one for humans and one for AI agents
The Economist is testing agent-readable versions of content that already sits outside its paywall, as it prepares for “two versions of the web.”
Marketing
Who owns agentic workflows? Agencies struggle to govern new tools as marketing budgets surge
Deciding how AI is used, vetting tools, shaping best practices and how staff are incentivized to use AI tools are still up for debate internally at agencies.
Pitch deck: X leans on AI and performance in a bid to win ad dollars
For the past few years, X emphasized brand safety capabilities to reassure advertisers. This latest deck is all about the new AI era of X.
Spirits brands look to sports, sponsorship and celebrity playbook to convert younger consumers
For advertisers like Chivas Regal, Maker’s Mark and Jameson sports is now the keystone of efforts to recruit younger drinkers and renew brand profiles.
Future of TV
Digiday+ Research: The marketers’ 2026 guide to a shifting CTV landscape, including YouTube, Peacock and Roku
Digiday+ Research’s fifth annual report analyzes the state of ad-supported streaming and the challenges those companies pose to marketers.
Future of TV Briefing: The upfront is overtaking streaming’s programmatic marketplace
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how major TV and streaming ad sellers are seeing upfront deals represent a larger share of their programmatic businesses.
Future of TV Briefing: Inside Warner Bros. Discovery’s programmatic upfront pitch
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how WBD’s programmatic advertising business has evolved with programmatic playing a bigger part in its upfront deals.
Media Buying
Agencies are moving closer to supply, and it’s reshaping the programmatic middle layer
How the rise of ‘containerization’ reflects a broader shift as holding companies seek greater control over infrastructure.
‘Identity is the qualifier for AI’: Publicis’ $2.2 billion LiveRamp deal is a bet that whoever controls the data owns the AI era
Publicis just bought the infrastructure its rivals depend on. Now it has to convince them nothing will change.
Ad Tech Briefing: The downstream implications of Publicis Groupe’s $2.2 billion bet on LiveRamp
Rival holding companies will likely be rethinking their relationship with the industry’s largest data onboarding outfit.
Annual research reports
Podcasts
Research
Upfronts
Media Buying Briefing: What buyers expect out of this year’s upfront marketplace
Although no deals have been cut yet, outcomes will be a major factor in this year’s negotiations, while complicating factors include measurement and flexibility.
Amazon bets creator video podcasts can be the next TV network – if it can fix measurement
Amazon’s Upfront presentation leaned into its podcast offerings, which the company believes are the next generation of TV networks.
Richer contextual signals in the bidstream help agencies and publishers alike
Programmatic buying has long relied on a combination of identity-based and contextual signals to guide decisions. Partner insights from Seedtag.
Front and center in the new iteration of Marc Jacobs Beauty is a familiar favorite: Daisy. The Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance, a pillar of Coty’s portfolio since its original launch in 2007, has already inspired countless flankers and now serves as a through line in the fashion designer’s anticipated return to beauty.
Front and center in the new iteration of Marc Jacobs Beauty is a familiar favorite: Daisy. The Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance, a pillar of Coty’s portfolio since its original launch in 2007, has already inspired countless flankers and now serves as a through line in the fashion designer’s anticipated return to beauty.
Last week, retail giants including Home Depot, Walmart, Target, TJX and Urban Outfitters, Inc. reported their quarterly earnings. And there were a surprising number of bright spots considering the inflationary pressure both retailers and consumers have faced over the past year.
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OperationsHits and misses from Q1 earnings season
Last week, retail giants including Home Depot, Walmart, Target, TJX and Urban Outfitters, Inc. reported their quarterly earnings. And there were a surprising number of bright spots considering the inflationary pressure both retailers and consumers have faced over the past year.