The Current Report

Momentum has been high for Democrats since Kamala Harris became the party's nominee a month ago. But how do Democrats keep that going into election day? And what strategies are they using to target swing voters? Middle Seat's Elizabeth Bennett shares her wisdom in this special episode of The Current Report, from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. _______ Inside political marketers' str...

Exverus Media's managing director Talia Arnold joins The Current Report to break down how much the agency's clients focus on brand safety (in light of GARM shutting down), advertising against the news and why successful brands take a long term approach to strengthen their messaging. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: Media planning should be more like long-term investing, n...

After a judge ruled against Google in a landmark antitrust case around search, calling Google "a monopolist," we are covering the fallout. Part of that is how news publishers could be affected, which is why we're talking with Josh Brandau, CEO of AI company Nota. Nota provides AI tools to news publishers so they can be more efficient. Brandau has deep experience across the advertising field — from...

The Olympics magic is back as NBCUniversal is getting record viewership and advertising revenue. This year's games in Paris is showcasing the power of Peacock and streaming overall. We break down how all the ways to watch the Olympics is extending how generations, including Gen Z, connect with the historic event. ______ To read the full stories included in this episode: NBCUniversal expects record...

Nearly a week after Google sent shockwaves by halting its plan to deprecate third party cookies in the Chrome web browser, @IAB Tech Lab CEO @Anthony Katsur thinks cookies will still go away eventually. Hear why on this episode of The Current Report. ______ To read the full stories included in this episode: Under pressure, Google halts third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome: https://www.thecurre...

Days out from the opening ceremonies on NBC and Peacock, we highlight how programmatic is carrying the torch for the first time this Olympics. Listen to The Current Report for more. ______ To read the full stories included in this episode: French advertisers eye the opportunity of a century in Paris 2024: https://www.thecurrent.com/programmatic-2024-olympics-media-buyers-streaming  The Olympics’ r...

FAST platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel have made a fast rise in the streaming world. So how can they make their next jump to grab viewers attention? Live sports has big potential. Listen to this episode of The Current Report for more. _________   To read the full stories included in this episode: Roku-MLB partnership marks a first for live sports on FAST platforms: https://www.the...

AdFontes Media’s Lou Paskalis joins The Current Report to break down the recent Stagwell study that revealed it's safe for brands to advertise alongside news content. Plus, Netflix is phasing out its cheapest ad-free tier for existing subscribers. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: At Cannes, advertising leaders sound the alarm on the state of news: https://www.thecurrent.c...

At this year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Dramamine took home a Grand Prix award for its "The Last Barf Bag" documentary. This week on The Current Report, we're going behind the scenes on the campaign with Prestige Consumer Healthcare's VP of marketing Randi Jachino. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: The Current's Cannes section: https://www.thecurrent.com/sectio...

A.I. is a divisive topic in advertising, particularly amongst creatives. From Cannes Lions 2024, Pereira O'Dell's chief creative officer Jason Apaliski shares why he's supportive of A.I. "There could be doom and gloom of what it means for the industry and the world and the jobs, but I see it as one that's an opportunity. [It's] a tool that if you can take advantage of now, you'll see the benefits...

Streaming was the star of upfronts week this year, but what's it going to take for it to fully take over the upfronts process? Horizon Media's Samantha Rose gives her take on the latest episode of The Current Report. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: Streaming takes over the upfronts with Netflix’s NFL news and the Great Rebundling: https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-upf...

Mike O’Sullivan, CEO of data firm Sincera, joins The Current Report to break down why quality advertising is at a premium, made for advertising sites (MFAs), and the top 100 publishers list Sincera and The Trade Desk recently came out with. _______ The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk, Inc. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: The successor to viewability is no...

This week on The Current Report, Damian Fowler sits in for Chris Brooklier to connect with Jon Cook, the CEO of VML. They break down what to expect at year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Plus, some publishers are striking deals with OpenAI, a move that could become increasingly common according to Nicolas Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic. _______ To read the full stories inc...

Boasting the NFL, March Madness, PGA events like the Masters, plus Big Ten football and basketball, CBS Sports is a king maker in live sports. On this edition of The Current Report, we explore how advertisers are taking hold of those games being streamed. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: How CBS Sports is bridging the transition between traditional TV and streaming: https...

The return of big stars like Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart and Reese Witherspoon signaled that this year’s upfront presentations were already different from last year’s, which took place during the actors’ and writers’ strikes. NBCUniversal made a big show of its live sports offerings, from more NFL games on Peacock, to 5,000 hours of Olympics coverage. Chris Brooklier and Travis Clark go ins...

It’s upfronts week, with many of the big TV networks, from Fox to Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal hosting their annual presentations. Streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are also joining the festivities. Measurement is emerging as an important part of this upfronts season, as advertisers are searching for more than just scale — they want to tie measurement and attribution data back...

It's an election year in the U.S., meaning ad dollars will be flowing in. Past news just being a cornerstone of our society, news publishers and the IAB are making the case that advertising alongside news has positive business consequences. This week on The Current Report, IAB CEO David Cohen dives into why that message resonates with marketers. _______ To read the full stories included in this ep...

If journalism isn't around, how will generative A.I. models feed new information?  In part two of our interview with former LA Times journalist Matt D Pearce on the future of journalism and the California Journalism Preservation Act, we break down why it makes business sense for A.I. models to keep reporters around. "Google should pay its fair share for the work of journalism, even if only not out...

Big tech is battling journalism over proposed legislation in California that would force companies like Google to pay to carry links to news articles. In response, Google is removing links from news outlets in the state. We break down the consequences this week on The Current Report with journalist Matt Pearce. _______   To read the full stories included in this episode: Google blocking links to C...

On this edition of The Current Report, Dave Solomon, Ampersand's director of sports partnerships, and Chris Brooklier break down the surging popularity of women's basketball after South Carolina beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship. Advertising demand skyrocketed as brands wanted to be a part of the moment. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: March Madnes...

On this edition of The Current Report, we're joined by Brian Mandelbaum, CEO of Attain, to discuss how Attain is harnessing commerce data from 7 million users to help marketers fully leverage being data-driven. Plus, in news across the internet, women's elite sports are projected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year. _______ To read the full stories included in this episode: Just...

As 2023 marked a year of brands hitting the big screen, brands are seeing the value in streaming partnerships that subvert traditional advertising. In this episode of The Current Report, we're joined by McCall Gridley, Tastemade head of sales & partner experience, to explore why brand-funded shows are getting bigger on streaming. Plus, the NFL is adding more exclusive games on streaming platforms,...

In this edition of The Current Report, we dive into another way AI is changing our world. Michelle Castillo, a contributor to The Current, joins us to discuss her recent article on how AI has the potential to reduce the time it takes to pick a show to stream. Plus, we explore how ESPN foresees its streaming future playing out. To read the full stories included in this episode: Don’t know what show...

Goodway Group's Mike Wolk, VP of growth and partnerships, breaks down how the media agency is building its strategy around the biggest screen in the house - the TV. Plus, eMarketer projects that retail media CTV ad spend will be approximately 3.6 billion in 2024 with even more growth projected by 2027. To read the full stories included in this episode: To advertisers' delight, the latest trend in...

Jennifer Lewis, chief client officer at Carat Canada, joins The Current Report to explore how changing demographics in Canada influence advertisers' strategies, and how she's approaching solutions for measurement in the fragmented TV market. In other news, we also highlight Meta's decision to shut down Facebook News in the U.S. and Australia next month. To read the full stories included in this ep...