DIGIDAY+ MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
The case for and against agencies betting on tokens the way they bet on media
AI compute costs are the next frontier for the next upfront. This is the case for it.
OpenAI's ads program matures
Media
Kai Cenat’s Streamer U was a ‘masterclass’ for brands looking to tap content creators
The creator bootcamp brought in big brand partnerships and big engagement metrics, which could bring more brands to the streaming sponsorship table.
Kroger’s new CEO, a Walmart veteran, is focused on speed and execution
Foran joined Kroger in February after serving as CEO of Air New Zealand since 2020. Before that, he was president and CEO of Walmart U.S. for about six years.
In Graphic Detail: The real impact of creators at the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup buzz was all about creators; we look at the numbers breaking down their impact at the global tournament.
Marketing
Michaels claims Google-powered AI assistant doubles conversion rate of traditional search
Michaels shared early results of its new Google Gemini-powered AI assistant.
Mythbusters: AI visibility’s biggest misconceptions
AI visibility is evolving quickly, but many of the industry’s biggest assumptions don’t hold up. Experts debunk the biggest myths.
How AI costs are quietly reshaping principal media deals
AI doesn’t have a price. Principal media is absorbing it anyway.
Future of TV
Future of TV Briefing: The streaming ad industry finally has levers to pull on quality
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how the IAB’s Redefining Media Types Standard could address the streaming ad market’s call for quality controls.
Future of TV Briefing: The M&A match game (summer 2026 edition)
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the M&A deals that should be in the offing after an active first half of 2026.
Future of TV Briefing: The 5 biggest news stories of 2026 so far
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks back at the most significant developments — or non-developments– in the TV, streaming and digital video industry during the first half of 2026.
Media Buying
Media Buying Briefing: Why Omnicom merged Mediahub and Hearts & Science
Merging Hearts & Science and Mediahub into one agency that will operate under a new name and brand may not be the last move the holding company makes in simplifying its go-to-market offering.
Google quietly gives ground on PMax controls
The search giant’s black-box ad product has confounded media buyers for years. Now, it’s passing them the reins – sort of.
The upfront market is nearly done, as sports acts as both negotiation driver and obstacle
All that’s left for buyers to do is to finalize packages with any traditional media firms that don’t have some digital or streaming element.
Annual research reports
Podcasts
Research
Upfronts
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.
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.
Publisher playbook: Assessing agent readiness and adopting agentic AI at scale
The transition to agentic advertising will not slow down for publishers who aren’t ready for it. Like every programmatic shift before it, the agentic era will reward those who move quickly and intentionally. The publishers who act now will benefit twice over: from the immediate advantage of agentic workflows and from the agentic marketplace forming […]
In this week’s Luxury Briefing, I take a deep dive into the most significant group of earnings from recent months from LVMH, Kering, Hermés, Prada Group, Brunello Cucinelli and EssilorLuxottica – with analyst takes from Bernstein’s Luca Solca. It seems like as brands are adjusting to slow growth, they’re trying to meet customers at all price points, not always successfully. Also, how Frasers is buying up, or buying into more of the U.K. luxury space, and what Arnault said on X in reply to the Le Monde investigation.
In this week’s Luxury Briefing, I take a deep dive into the most significant group of earnings from recent months from LVMH, Kering, Hermés, Prada Group, Brunello Cucinelli and EssilorLuxottica – with analyst takes from Bernstein’s Luca Solca. It seems like as brands are adjusting to slow growth, they’re trying to meet customers at all price points, not always successfully. Also, how Frasers is buying up, or buying into more of the U.K. luxury space, and what Arnault said on X in reply to the Le Monde investigation.
Amazon wants to become an even more vital part of shoppers’ lives, as it prioritizes growing sales of groceries, prescriptions and other essential products. The company said on Thursday during its second-quarter earnings results that sales of groceries and everyday essentials grew “meaningfully faster” than the rest of its Stores business.
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AnnouncementIntroducing the Modern Retail+ Big-Box Briefing
Amazon wants to become an even more vital part of shoppers’ lives, as it prioritizes growing sales of groceries, prescriptions and other essential products. The company said on Thursday during its second-quarter earnings results that sales of groceries and everyday essentials grew “meaningfully faster” than the rest of its Stores business.