Ad-supported and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) are surging in popularity—what started as low-cost, complementary streaming options are becoming primary destinations for discovery. Total US hours spent watching FAST services reached 1.8 billion in August, per Comscore’s 2025 State of Streaming report, up 43% YoY. Advertisers should view FAST and ad-supported streaming options as a crucial part of the CTV media mix, tapping into rising demand for budget viewing options and the services’ wealth of user engagement data for campaign optimization.
Sell-side company Magnite announced a private marketplace in collaboration with ITN on Thursday that will enable programmatic access to local linear TV, representing a new milestone in linear. The private marketplace represents a new opportunity in linear that helps reignite its relevance for brands. Automation helps modernize linear programmatic advertising, delivering the same efficiency capabilities that are standard in digital.
58% of retail professionals strongly agree that sharing customer location data with partners positively impacts revenue, according to a June Retail Systems Research (RSR) survey.
At the Marketecture conference, MiQ’s global VP of strategy and partnerships, Moe Chughtai, said advertisers are finally connecting platforms like Meta, YouTube, and TV through clean room technologies that enable unified measurement. Traditional marketing mix models are being replaced by one- to three-month measurement cycles that allow for real-time optimization and smarter KPI alignment. The result: advertisers can move beyond isolated reporting and toward integrated, cross-platform performance strategies that strengthen confidence in ROI.
Meta posted $51.24 billion in Q3 revenue, up 24% YoY, with Instagram driving the bulk of growth as Reels, AI discovery, and cross-device formats redefine engagement. Reels now account for half of all Instagram time spent, while Meta’s upcoming CTV app positions it to compete directly with YouTube. Facebook’s US user base remains stable near 181 million, but Instagram’s will climb to nearly 170 million by 2029. For advertisers, Meta’s evolution marks a shift from scale to yield—emphasizing creative iteration, storytelling, and AI-powered optimization across its maturing social and video platforms.
Successful retail execution requires making products more available, visible, and relevant to shoppers; it's a challenge that's grown increasingly complex in today's retail environment. For many retailers, leveraging image recognition technology has transformed how they approach in-store execution and display compliance.
The Trump administration claimed Thursday that China has greenlit a US TikTok transfer agreement, just over a month after President Trump signed an executive order to keep the short-form video leader operational in the US. China’s commerce ministry simultaneously announced that it will collaborate with the US to solve “issues related to TikTok,” but similarly did not elaborate. Tentative talks around TikTok’s future offer short-term stability for advertisers but don’t resolve issues TikTok will face in the long-term.
Western Union will launch a stablecoin to power crypto remittances in the first half of 2026, per a press release. The stablecoin will be called the U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) and will run on Solana’s Bitcoin infrastructure. As more remittance players pivot toward crypto, they face a bind of a customer base that is more likely to trust in-store cash transactions than novel digital methods, which makes a strong retail presence necessary for success. Targeted advertising campaigns educating remittance senders about the benefits of digital transfers with incentives for new customers could help convert more users to crypto.
Target’s plan to win holiday sales relies heavily on in-store activations and a steady stream of deals throughout the last two months of the year. All of Target’s nearly 2,000 stores will be transformed into “nostalgic Alpine villages,” complete with festive décor and weekend events throughout the season. The retailer will also offer weeklong deals and host an earlier Black Friday sale to accommodate consumers' price sensitivities. Target is hoping that an emphasis on joy and whimsy—and discounts—will help it recapture some much-needed spending.
JPMorgan Chase will launch a digital-only retail bank in Germany in 2026. And Santander revealed that its US digital-only retail bank, Openbank, attracted over $6 billion in deposits in its first year. For a traditional bank, running a digital-only bank is a strategic choice rather than the side project it may seem. Rebuilding the technology stack and experience from the ground up fosters necessary digital transformation and enables business growth in new markets. To break out of a mold, bankers should think big about their options: A small subsidiary built from scratch can reshape the business.
The branch is key to consumers’ choice of primary bank, but banks overall fall short of a compelling customer experience, according to a recent study from Adrenaline. Delivering a seamless, modern branch experience means breaking down silos between teams across digital, ATM, call center, and in-person channels. With customers expecting frictionless interactions, the old compartmentalized approach won’t work anymore. Branches need to offer pared down, basic services that are traditionally expected combined with consistent, high-touch interactions that dovetail with digital services.
Wealthtech funding for 2025 is set to double last year’s figure and has already hit $4.2 billion as of September, according to a CB Insights report. And based on year-over-year hiring, three of the top five fastest-growing fintech segments fall under wealthtech. In our September 2025 report “Winning the Great Wealth Transfer in Wealth Management,” we noted that banks face three key considerations in competing against wealth techs: How to blend self-service and human connection, how to personalize services, and what investment vehicles to offer.
Amazon is continuing to see success with its maturing ad offerings. Q3 advertising services reached $17.7 billion, up 24% YoY, while net sales increased 13% to $180.2 billion. Q4 guidance points to continued confidence, with Amazon expecting growth between 10% and 13% YoY. Amazon’s ad success indicates that it will continue to be a promising opportunity for marketers that offers a unique proposition combining data-driven targeting, commerce integration, innovative ad formats, and the ability to reach consumers both onsite and offsite.
Visa and Mastercard reported strong growth in their most recent earnings. Visa’s net revenues increased 12% YoY in its Q4 2025, per its earnings release. Mastercard’s net revenues grew 17% YoY in Q3, per its earnings release. Lower-income consumers are more sensitive to tariff-induced inflation and other economic events. If lower- and medium-tier cardholders pull back on spending, their premium counterparts who are more insulated from economic pain can keep spending afloat. Issuers are following the same strategy: Citi, Chase, and American Express all launched or revamped premium cards this year.
Amazon beat expectations in Q3, helped by an extended Prime Day sale, expanded rural access to same- and next-day delivery, and healthy cloud and advertising growth. The company's AI investments are taking center stage as the company looks to improve efficiency, boost engagement, and keep third-party AI agents at bay. From a retail standpoint, Amazon is on firm footing. The retailer’s ability to offer unparalleled convenience, wide selection, and Prime membership perks are enabling it to gain share in an uncertain environment.
Due to the Trump administration's crackdown on direct-to-consumer (D2C) pharma advertising, drugmakers face a greater need to develop strong strategies to effectively reach the healthcare professionals (HCPs) who prescribe their treatments. Pharma marketers must use digital tools and channels, including social media and AI, to create credible engagement strategies that offset decreased consumer exposure to drug ads.
The global beer industry is confronting a sharp downturn as leading brewers like AB InBev, Heineken, and Carlsberg report falling volumes amid inflation, changing tastes, and growing alcohol moderation. With US beer production down and more breweries closing than opening for the first time in 20 years, consumers are shifting toward cheaper brands or alternatives like canned cocktails and THC drinks. AB InBev’s response—a $6 billion buyback, expanded no-alcohol lineup, and investment in premium RTDs—signals a broader industry pivot toward diversification and reinvention under mounting pressure.
Sprouts Farmers Market projects flat to 2% same-store sales growth in Q4, signaling a sharp slowdown after strong midyear gains as consumer spending cools. Q3 results missed expectations, with 5.9% growth versus forecasts of 7.4%. In response, Sprouts is emphasizing value through expanded private labels, unique product innovation, and affordable prepared foods, while leveraging its new loyalty program to drive repeat visits. Despite broader retail pressure and cautious shoppers, Sprouts remains optimistic—opening more stores than planned and leaning on its differentiated, health-focused positioning to sustain long-term momentum amid an industry-wide pullback.
Estée Lauder topped analysts’ profit and revenue expectations, aided by sales and market share gains in China and customer growth in the US. The parent of brands such as Clinique, Tom Ford, and Aveda said its results marked the start of its return to growth under a turnaround plan. Estée Lauder’s stronger-than-expected quarter shows that accessible pricing and product innovation is essential to growth in beauty, especially as competition continues to intensify. Gap Inc., for instance, is launching Old Navy Beauty, a youth-focused line of body mists and scents. Its move shows that even apparel retailers are muscling into beauty to lure Gen Z consumers, providing new pressure on established beauty brands.