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Media

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.”

The case for and against clipping

Clipping is the creator growth hack of the year, but there are strong arguments for and against the practice. We break them down.

Marketing

CeraVe taps Carmelo Anthony as ‘head coach’ of its new dandruff campaign

CeraVe found that the NBA and Carmelo Anthony could give it access to a very diverse, engaged and Gen Z fandom.

Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit May Recap: How marketers are navigating agentic ad buying

Execs are already using AI agents to buy ads. At DPMS, they shared what’s worked (and what hasn’t) and the guardrails that the industry needs to put in place to future proof.

Future of Marketing Briefing: The brands winning at AI started with process not tech

The AI agent conversation is a distraction. Here’s what matters more.

Future of TV

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.

Future of TV Briefing: The upfront glossary, 2026 edition

This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the terms on the tips of ad buyers’ and sellers’ tongues when talking about the upfront market.

graphic image of a television (TV) with bills of money flying out of it, representing CTV advertising being an effective form of advertising for brands, publishers and consumers.

Future of TV Briefing: Ad tech’s pod bidding push moves CTV toward advancing the live sports ad model in 2026

This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how ad tech companies including Comcast’s FreeWheel, Index Exchange and The Trade Desk are preparing CTV’s programmatic supply chain for upgraded auction dynamics amid an influx of live sports ad inventory.

Media Buying

Influencer boost budgets are throwing gas on social video spending fire 

A rise in social video spending is being accelerated by the use of paid media to amplify the reach and effectiveness of influencer activity.

‘We should own it’: Hershey’s programmatic chief on AI agents and media mix modeling

The confectionary advertiser has developed an AI-enabled MMM system to inform its media investments. Programmatic boss Vinny Rinaldi said it won’t be stopping there.

By the numbers: Ad tech’s quarter of mixed fortunes

AI and CTV raise investors’ hopes, although underlying tensions persist.


Upfronts

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.

MrBeast’s creator platform signals a more programmatic creator economy

MrBeast’s first-ever Upfront revealed Beast Industries’ forthcoming creator platform, an infrastructure play that will elevate the company’s offerings.

How publishers are playing a more active role in the agentic era

The agentic era is already here, and it’s moving fast. The media industry has gone from concept to live campaigns in record time. Yet nearly one-third of publishers have no immediate plans to invest in agentic solutions, putting them at risk of falling behind. For publishers with strong first-party data, robust identity infrastructure and established […]

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Beauty
How Makeup by Mario balances paid and organic content

Makeup by Mario’s senior manager of influencer and communications, Marisa Sargenti, discusses the brand’s community-building initiatives, including what it does to allow members of that community to feel close to its star founder, Mario Dedivanovic, and how it’s (slowly) growing its paid social initiatives.

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Beauty
How Makeup by Mario balances paid and organic content

Makeup by Mario’s senior manager of influencer and communications, Marisa Sargenti, discusses the brand’s community-building initiatives, including what it does to allow members of that community to feel close to its star founder, Mario Dedivanovic, and how it’s (slowly) growing its paid social initiatives.

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Operations
Target reports first quarter of sales growth in more than a year

While still in early stages, Target’s efforts to revitalize the business appear to be paying off. The retailer reported its first quarter of net sales growth after at least six quarters of year-over-year declines.