The Current Report

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.

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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’ role in culture is evolving, and advertisers are moving with it: https://bit.ly/4d4IK5E
• Why are so many B2B firms sponsoring the Olympics?: https://bit.ly/4atypzv
• NBCUniversal's Alison Levin on strategic audience buying, the power of brand storytelling and the Paris Olympics: https://bit.ly/4cNaRX9
• 5 minutes with Spotify's Emma Vaughn: https://bit.ly/3Sg4PpP

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• Roku-MLB partnership marks a first for live sports on FAST platforms: https://www.thecurrent.com/roku-mlb-live-sports-fast-streaming 
• Why FAST platforms like Tubi are reaching the next stage in their evolution: https://www.thecurrent.com/fast-platforms-tubi-are-streaming
• FAST platforms are on the rise. How can they keep up the momentum?: https://www.thecurrent.com/fast-tv-platforms-sports-tubi-advertising
• Nielsen's May 2024 Report of The Gauge™: https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2024/the-gauge-may-2024-young-sheldon-covergent-tv-win/
• NBA finalizes TV deals with ESPN, NBC, Amazon, but TNT could still match: Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5629508/2024/07/10/nba-tv-deal-espn-nbc-amazon-tnt/

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• At Cannes, advertising leaders sound the alarm on the state of news: https://www.thecurrent.com/cannes-advertising-leaders-news-publishers
• Turning the vicious cycle of news and advertising into a virtuous one: https://www.thecurrent.com/cycle-news-advertising-stagwell-mark-penn-ceo
• A new study aims to convince advertisers that the news is brand-safe: https://www.thecurrent.com/study-advertisers-news-stagwell-brand-safe
• Netflix is starting to phase out its cheapest ad-free plan: https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/2/24190632/netflix-ad-free-basic-plan-discontinued

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.
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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• The Current's Cannes section: https://www.thecurrent.com/sections/the-current-cannes
• Dramamine's mini-doc about airplane barf bags wins health and wellness grand prix: https://bit.ly/3L0oupX
• Netflix's Greg Peters on a new culture memo and where ads, AI, and games fit in: https://bit.ly/4cJIKYJ
• 5 Minutes with PMG's George Popstefanov: https://bit.ly/3VI9tOk
• The Current's Cannes Lions section: https://bit.ly/3L5QW9Y

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 of it."

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• Cannes Lions 2024: Much ado about AI, Olympics frenzy and Elon Musk’s apology tour: https://www.thecurrent.com/cannes-lions-2024-ai-olympic-sports-elon-musk
• At Cannes, advertising leaders sound the alarm on the state of news: https://www.thecurrent.com/cannes-advertising-leaders-news-publishers
• Why commerce media networks are making a bigger play at Cannes Lions 2024: https://digiday.com/marketing/why-commerce-media-networks-are-making-a-bigger-play-at-cannes-lions-2024/
• Axios at Cannes Lions: Axios' Sara Fischer in conversation with Meredith Kopit Levien:
• https://youtu.be/3WK9-2a8pwU?si=PUudR86ZqC9Z2erc

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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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-upfronts-netflix-sports-news-amazon
• ‘We did not create another opaque walled garden’: NBCU touts transparency (and sports) at upfronts:  https://www.thecurrent.com/nbcu-transparency-sports-upfronts
  Streaming takes over the upfronts with Netflix’s NFL news and the Great Rebundling: https://bit.ly/3yvmOlm
• ‘We did not create another opaque walled garden’: NBCU touts transparency (and sports) at upfronts: https://bit.ly/44N90OS
• An asteroid is about to hit upfronts: https://bit.ly/3KKlE8i
• TV's Upfront ad-sales talks start to heat up, with some 'rollbacks' expected: https://bit.ly/3VHrgGE
• Global ad revenue to surpass $1 trillion in 2025 as GroupM boosts 2024 forecast for U.S., China: https://bit.ly/3KKWbf4
• GroupM releases its this year next year 2024 midyear global advertising forecast: https://bit.ly/3yWSiki

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk, Inc.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• The successor to viewability is not a metric — it’s a methodology: https://www.thecurrent.com/opinion-viewability-metric-methodology-sincera-mike-osullivan
• The value of the open internet is growing in the eyes of advertisers: https://www.thecurrent.com/report-open-internet-digital-advertisers
• Despite pressure to tighten budgets, marketers still invest in authenticated digital channels like CTV: https://www.thecurrent.com/marketing-authenticated-digital-channels-ctv

The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.
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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• The most interesting thing in tech: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7201594636702789633?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7201594636702789633%29
• The acronym that brands can't afford to ignore: LMFAO: https://www.thecurrent.com/brands-humor-advertising-holiday-digital

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• How CBS Sports is bridging the transition between traditional TV and streaming: https://bit.ly/3R5n2WB
• US TV and Connected TV Ad Spending Forecasts H1 2024: https://bit.ly/3X1zw5k
• US Political Ad Spending Forecast 2024: https://bit.ly/3wPehZZ
• As U.S. election looms, political advertisers shift focus to CTV: https://bit.ly/3V1XE5r

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 inside the presentation, including why one of the company’s ad executives called out walled gardens and transparency.

Plus, Netflix officially announced it would carry two NFL games on Christmas for the first time ever. And we cover Fox, Disney and Amazon’s upfronts news.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• ‘We did not create another opaque walled garden’: NBCU touts transparency (and sports) at upfronts: https://www.thecurrent.com/nbcu-transparency-sports-upfronts
• Streaming takes over the upfronts with Netflix's NFL news and the Great Rebundling: https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-upfronts-netflix-sports-news-amazon
• Netflix Says Ad Tier Has 40M Users, Plans to Bring Ad Tech In-House in Shift From Microsoft: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-ad-tier-update-40m-users-shift-from-microsoft-1235900301/
• Appointment TV isn’t dead. It’s making a comeback on streaming platforms: https://www.thecurrent.com/appointment-tv-streaming-platforms
•  Inside the Amazon Upfront: An A-List Gauntlet Is Thrown: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/reese-witherspoon-legally-blonde-series-amazon-upfront-road-house-1235898610/
• Amazon VP Alan Moss Tells Advertisers At Tech Giant’s First Upfront That Putting Ads On Prime Video “Connected The Dots Across Our Universe”:  https://deadline.com/2024/05/amazon-upfront-mike-hopkins-paul-kotas-streaming-advertising-1235915381/
• FOX UPFRONT—BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM ITS PITCH TO ADVERTISERS: https://adage.com/article/special-report-tv-upfront/fox-upfront-super-bowl-fox-news-and-tubi-ad-tech-focus/2560281?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D89208624261719825302994803284811687283%7CMCORGID%3D138FFF2554E6E7220A4C98C6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1715759528&CSAuthResp=1%3A%3A5845844%3A150997699%3A24%3Asuccess%3A2BCE6ADF5CE781A1B82431616F540DC8
• Inside the Fox Upfront: Tom Brady, the F-Word and Jamie Foxx in the Flesh: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tom-brady-jamie-foxx-f-word-fox-upfront-1235898098/
• The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.