for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, May 6-8 in Palm Springs.
DIGIDAY+ MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
As upfront negotiations near, buyers chart path through complex sports market
The DOJ’s NFL probe highlights how sports rights complexity can be ‘good for pricing, but hard on strategy’ for brands and buyers.
Media
Media Briefing: The ‘SaaS-pocalypse’ is spreading to publishers
As AI vibe-coding tools help publishers build their own software and products, the “SaaS-pocalypse” reshapes build-versus-buy decisions.
Forbes creates wine vertical, commerce shop and membership business as AI squeezes traffic
Forbes is launching a wine-focused vertical, commerce site and membership program to grow consumer revenue and offset declining traffic.
Digiday+ Research: Publishers favor generative AI over predictive AI
Publishers have worked to find the right fit for AI tools, and found that generative AI lends itself better to journalism than predictive AI.
Marketing
Amazon hits pause on controversial change to its advertising payment system that had caused a seller revolt
The pause signals Amazon is at least temporarily backing off a policy that had sparked coordinated pushback from its seller community.
Agencies compete for SEO talent as client demand for zero-click expertise surges
Media agencies across the industry are hoping to attract top organic search execs given how hot AI search is at the moment.
Google AI Max moves out of beta: Marketers sound off on the inevitable migration
Google’s AI Max is moving out of beta, further automating its search business and moving from a keyword-based auction to an intent-based auction.
Future of TV
Future of TV Briefing: Netflix’s VOID peeks at the future of virtual product placement
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at an AI tool developed by a team including several Netflix employees that could presage the evolution of virtual product placements.
Future of TV Briefing: A TV advertising staple is missing from YouTube show sponsorships
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the rare practice of YouTube channels offering TV-style make-goods to sponsors as TV-style shows become more commonplace.
Future of TV Briefing: What publishers have to offer creators
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at what publishers have to offer creators as more media outlets enlist independent video makers.
Media Buying
‘Absolutely no intention’: Publicis Group CEO rules out building a Trade Desk rival amid ongoing dispute
CEO Arthur Sadoun was clear there won’t be a Publicis-built rival. That path, he said, would pull the company too far off its current roadmap.
Ad Tech Briefing: The Trade Desk’s ‘changing of the guard’ and a ‘sign of the times’
So many exits, so much confusion in a buyer’s market.
With the World Cup around the corner, media buyers expect streaming prices to soar
Forecasts suggest that late-stage bids for World Cup inventory could see marketers pay a steep premium. But alternatives exist.
Annual research reports
Podcasts
Research
In many ways, 2026 is the year of peptides. Now, after a topical peptide surge in 2023 that included peptide skin care from Goop, Glow Recipe and Naturium, it seems the beauty industry is in for another wave. Glossy sat down with several brand founders and execs betting on the rise of new peptide products.
In many ways, 2026 is the year of peptides. Now, after a topical peptide surge in 2023 that included peptide skin care from Goop, Glow Recipe and Naturium, it seems the beauty industry is in for another wave. Glossy sat down with several brand founders and execs betting on the rise of new peptide products.
Overall, agencies’ top concerns this year are client spending and the effects of AI. Thirty-eight percent of agency professionals anticipated that the biggest challenge the agency industry will face in 2026 is reduced client budgets, while 38% said the same about the effects of AI. That’s according to a Modern Retail+ Research survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025 among 62 agency professionals.
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AI StrategiesLowe’s aims to make mulch buying easier with AI
Overall, agencies’ top concerns this year are client spending and the effects of AI. Thirty-eight percent of agency professionals anticipated that the biggest challenge the agency industry will face in 2026 is reduced client budgets, while 38% said the same about the effects of AI. That’s according to a Modern Retail+ Research survey conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025 among 62 agency professionals.