More Like NoFronts?
With one more day left to go in this year’s IAB NewFronts – and with the TV upfronts season set to start next week – the mood remains steadfastly optimistic.
This despite the fact that 54% of marketers plan to reduce their budgets in 2025, according to Ameneh Atai, general manager of audience measurement at Nielsen.
Citing Nielsen’s own annual marketing report, Atai said that marketers are also looking to shift their budgets toward “more of a digital media mix with cheaper inventory.”
We’ll also likely see a greater emphasis on performance campaigns and more investment in newer channels like influencer marketing and CTV (which is a silver lining for streaming publishers, at least).
Expect retail media to continue growing, too, she said. Only 40% of retail marketers are planning to cut their budgets, while 74% of US marketers say they want retail media networks to play a bigger role in their overall media strategies.
So, nothing to worry about then, we guess. 😅
Recession-Proof Media
The New York Times is still seeing strong growth in its subscription revenue. And its ad business is also growing, too, despite tariff-related headwinds.
During its Q1 earnings call on Wednesday, NYT reported $335 million in digital-only subscription revenue, up 14% year over year. It also added a quarter million digital subscribers in Q1, bringing its total to 11.6 million.
Meanwhile, Q1 digital ad revenue was $70.9 million, up 12% YOY.
To hear President and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien tell it, the ad business was strong thanks to NYT’s efforts to cater to its audience. As it turns out, Kopit Levien said, the content that consumers like – such as sports, recipes and games – is increasingly what marketers gravitate toward.
Plus, prioritizing the consumer experience and becoming ingrained in the daily routines of its readers – say, by keeping them committed to prolonging their Wordle streak – should insulate both the subscription business and the ad business from any tariff-related economic uncertainty, said Will Bardeen, EVP and CFO.
Even so, investors still seemed worried about tariffs. But all Bardeen would volunteer on that front is that tariffs have had an “immaterial” impact on NYT’s business to date and that the publisher expects its strong performance to continue throughout the year.
Video Ga Ga
If the phrase “video podcasting” sounds oxymoronic to you, you’d better get with the times. 85% of consumers define a podcast as audio or visual, up from 75% in 2023.
And it’s not just talk. As YouTube moves up in the CTV world, many podcasters with audiences on the platform are seeing an increase in viewers tuning in via their TV.
Podcast production company Sonoro has also seen a 5% increase in TV viewership over the past year and a 7% decrease in mobile viewership over the same period.
Now that nearly half of podcast viewers report listening to podcasts (watching podcasts?) on their smart TV, creators are investing in better production value and more creative ads, including incorporating products into the set rather than simply reading an ad aloud.
If you think this new way of podcasting sounds an awful lot like a talk show, well, you’d be right. “It’s sort of like podcasters are becoming the new late-night talk show hosts,” Camila Victoriano, Sonoro’s chief content officer, told Digiday. “Except it’s not late night, you can watch them wherever and whenever.”
But Wait! There’s More
Speaking of video podcasts, the Golden Globes is adding a “best podcast” award category. [Deadline]
Netflix has officially released its AI search function. [TechCrunch] Meanwhile, the streaming service will be shelving the last of its interactive specials, including the Emmy Award-winning “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.” [What’s On Netflix]
What’s it like to be a mystery shopper for online ads? [Business Insider]
A bill proposed by Oregon’s state legislature that would require large tech platforms to pay local news publishers for sharing their content is advancing to a vote – and Meta is already threatening to ban news in Oregon, as it has in places that passed similar laws. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
Inside the tactics of a self-proclaimed “SEO specialist” who creates AI slop content for the internet. [Futurism]
You’re Hired!
Creative management platform XR names John Batter as CEO. [release]
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