Media Monitor

Why are brands willing to spend millions sponsoring global sporting events? In this episode of Media Monitor , Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine the economics behind sports sponsorships during the FIFA Club World Cup and explain why sponsorship continues to outperform many traditional brand marketing investments. They discuss why companies are paying premium prices for World Cup advertising, h...

Prediction markets are rapidly moving from niche platforms into the mainstream—and advertisers are following. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine why companies like Meta are investing in prediction market technology, what the rise of platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi signals for the future, and how sports betting has quietly become one of advertising's f...

Sports, streaming, and advertising continue to reshape the media landscape—and this week delivered plenty to discuss. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean introduce a new weekly headlines segment before diving into Guideline's early advertising data from the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup. They discuss what the Fox and Roku partnership means for connected TV, why Tubi has become on...

Most media companies are fighting declining advertising revenue. The New York Times is moving in the opposite direction. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean launch a new deep-dive series by examining one of the most successful media businesses today. Using Guideline's advertising intelligence alongside The New York Times' public financial reporting, they break down where the...

AI continues to dominate headlines—but is the advertising industry becoming more cautious? In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean examine a series of major developments shaping the future of artificial intelligence and advertising. From Anthropic’s IPO plans and OpenAI’s advertising strategy to the surprising shift in AI conversations at Cannes Lions, the discussion explores how the indu...

The NFL continues to dominate live sports advertising. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down Guideline’s latest NFL Advertising Report, examining the trends, categories, teams, and schedule changes shaping one of the most valuable advertising properties in the world. The NFL generated nearly $6 billion in advertising revenue last season, marking another record year of growth. Kelly and Sean d...

Publicis just made one of the biggest advertising acquisitions in years — purchasing identity platform LiveRamp in a $2.54 billion all-cash deal. But this story is much bigger than a merger announcement. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down why identity data has become one of the most valuable assets in modern advertising, how the industry evolved after the decline of third-party cookies, an...

What are the TV Upfronts, and why do they still matter in the streaming era? In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down how television advertising, streaming platforms, and digital media buying continue to evolve in 2026. From traditional TV Upfronts to modern NewFronts, they explain why streaming services are increasingly adopting strategies that resemble the cable television model many thought h...

This week, Kelly and Sean take a category-focused approach, diving into two major sectors shaping the advertising market: automotive and pharmaceutical advertising. The episode begins with a conversation around Sean’s recent car purchase, which quickly opens into a broader discussion about the state of the auto industry. They examine how automotive advertising—historically one of the largest categ...

In this episode, Kelly and Sean step back from deep dives and return to a broader format—reviewing several major headlines shaping the media and advertising landscape right now. They begin with the ongoing legal dispute involving OpenAI, exploring how the lawsuit connects to broader questions about business strategy, monetization, and rising competition in the AI space. The conversation highlights...

  Kelly and Sean break down how advertising is evolving across major sports—from the Olympics to the NFL and NBA—and why streaming continues to reshape how brands reach audiences.    In this episode, Kelly and Sean take a closer look at how advertising is shifting across the sports landscape in early 2026, using recent data and real-world examples to unpack what’s changing and why.  They begin wit...

In part two of their programmatic advertising series, Kelly and Sean shift from the demand side to the supply side, breaking down what SSPs are, how they function, and what the latest Q1 data says about where programmatic is heading. They begin with a practical explanation of the supply-side platform: the technology publishers use to make ad inventory available to buyers in the programmatic market...

Retail media networks have quietly become one of the most important forces in advertising. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down what retail media actually is, why it’s growing, and where it may be heading next. At its core, a retail media network allows retailers to sell advertising using their own customer data—whether that’s on their website, app, or even in-store screens. Companies like A...

A recent jury verdict against Meta and Google has reignited a long-running debate: are social media platforms simply hosting content, or are they designed in ways that can cause harm? In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down the case, the broader legal context, and what it could mean for the advertising industry. The ruling found that platform design—features like endless scroll and autoplay—pla...

Economic headlines are everywhere—but how do they actually impact advertising? In this episode, Kelly and Sean unpack three key indicators—oil prices, liquid natural gas (LNG), and unemployment—and explain how each one connects to ad spend, media planning, and category performance. They start with oil, often treated as a leading economic signal. While rising oil prices affect everything from trans...

Six years after COVID reshaped media consumption, the TV industry is still adjusting to the changes that followed. In this episode, Kelly and Sean walk through how the balance between linear TV and streaming flipped, what has happened since, and what the data suggests for the year ahead. They start by revisiting the inflection point during COVID, when streaming usage overtook cable for the first t...

Kelly and Sean break down Guideline’s new quarterly programmatic benchmark report, explain how DSPs fit into the media buying ecosystem, and share the latest trends in programmatic, CTV, and streaming. Programmatic advertising plays a growing role in digital media buying, but it is still one of the more misunderstood parts of the industry. In this episode, Kelly and Sean use Guideline’s newly anno...

Kelly and Sean examine global trends in out-of-home advertising, why the U.S. market trails international growth, and which industries are driving recent spending increases. Kelly and Sean begin the episode with a light conversation about long-running broadcast partnerships after a Western Australia news anchor duo set a Guinness World Record for more than 40 years and 10,000 broadcasts together....

Netflix has stepped away from its bid for Warner Bros, clearing the path for Ellison and raising questions about consolidation in streaming, valuation logic, and what this means for consumers and advertisers. In this episode, Kelly and Sean revisit the streaming saga and discuss how further consolidation could affect subscription pricing, content availability, theatrical releases, and advertiser s...

Podcasting isn’t just a format — it’s becoming a major force in advertising. Digital audio has grown more than 2.5x faster than the overall media market since the pandemic, and podcasts now account for nearly 30% of digital audio ad revenue. Even more striking: 77% of incremental digital audio growth is coming specifically from podcasts. In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean unpack what...

The January jobs report came in stronger than expected, with 130,000 jobs added — nearly double what economists predicted. But a closer look reveals that most of that growth came from healthcare, raising questions about what the numbers actually signal for other industries. In this episode, Kelly and Sean dig into what the latest labor data means for advertising and marketing. They examine whether...

Publicis closed out 2025 with strong fourth-quarter earnings, the Winter Olympics officially kicked off with unprecedented levels of coverage, and Super Bowl weekend arrived with a familiar twist: counterprogramming aimed at siphoning attention away from the halftime show. In this episode, Kelly and Sean switch up the format with a rapid-fire review of the biggest media headlines shaping the indus...

TikTok saw a sharp increase in app uninstalls in late January, and that trend could have real implications for advertisers. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down what’s driving the spike, how different age groups are responding, and why this matters for media budgets. They revisit the last major period of TikTok uncertainty, when ad dollars were pulled and reallocated to other platforms, and...

Advertising often reveals where the economy is heading before the headlines do.  In this episode of Media Monitor , we break down one of the biggest advertising developments in years: OpenAI officially testing ads inside ChatGPT. We explore what this move means for advertisers, media companies, and brands trying to understand where digital budgets are shifting. Using real advertising data, we comp...

Why would a vodka brand spend close to $9 million on a Super Bowl ad at a time when alcohol sales are slowing and advertising budgets are under pressure? In this episode, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Svedka Vodka’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial and what it reveals about where advertising, culture, and brand strategy are heading. The conversation looks at why Svedka is leaning into A...