This week's episode recaps the Trump administration’s greenlight of the $8 billion union of Paramount and Skydance, and the White House's AI Action plan. Then (16:11), Alexander Lee, senior entertainment media reporter, and Krystal Scanlon, platforms reporter, join the Digiday Podcast to parse through what’s in, what’s out and who’s getting paid in the creator economy right now.

This week’s episode recaps what CBS's cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert says about the media business and takes a look at OpenAI's agentic AI offering.

Then (24:20) Albert Thompson, head of digital innovation at ad agency Walton Isaacson, joins the show in a live recording from Digiday’s CTV Advertising Strategies event to break down why the CTV ad industry needs to prioritize more native ad formats.

Creator Brandon Edelman stops by the Digiday Podcast to talk about his pivot to full-time content creation, how he strikes brand deals and life after TikTok (22:00).

Also on this episode, Digiday platforms reporter Krytsal Scanlon joins co-hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson to talk about Linda Yaccarino’s exit from X, what WPP’s new CEO means for the holding company’s growth and how AI is shaping the next era of the browser wars.

YouTuber Michelle Khare joins the Digiday Podcast to break down how she’s leveling up her content — from viral challenges to Emmy buzz (18:24). Plus, co-hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson unpack Paramount’s $16 million settlement with the Trump administration, why European publishers are taking aim at Google’s AI Overviews, and what TikTok’s rumored app reboot means for its U.S. future.

This week’s episode recaps Meta’s reported look at acquiring Perplexity, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s conditional approval of the Omnicom-IPG merger and Netflix’s deal to carry traditional TV networks in France.

Then Select Management Group’s Danielle Pistotnik (21:45) joins the show to go behind the scenes of developing “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” around a group of TikTok creators and selling the reality show to Disney-owned Hulu.

Amid the AI hype, increasingly fragmented media marketplace and economic headwinds, marketers this year came to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity looking for answers. For Carly Carson, PMG’s head of integrated media, this year’s festival served as a temperature check for an industry in flux. As the book closes on another Cannes Lions, Carson has pocketed three takeaways: AI still needs a human infusion, Garbage in, garbage out and Ad dollars need to keep up with changing consumption habits.

Between panels and parties, creators like former bachelorette Rachel Lindsay are looking to get face time with ad execs, brand marketers and partners like Spotify. However, rather than coming to the Croisette to strike deals, they’re playing a long game. Joined by Roman Wasenmüller, head of podcast business at Spotify, and Digiday Podcast co-host Kimeko McCoy, Lindsay pulls back the curtain on the creator at Cannes experience, monetization strategy and more.

A few years ago, Twitter Beach was one of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity places to be. Nowadays, the beach and Twitter execs are harder to find. Instead of the flashy fireside chats and branded lounges, X’s execs are found behind closed doors, quietly courting marketers and media buyers against a backdrop of lawsuits, Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM)’s disbanding and political crosshairs. It’s a clear sign that the platform’s role in the ad ecosystem– and culture overall–has dramatically shifted. In this episode of the podcast, platforms reporter Krystal Scanlon joins host Kimeko McCoy about Twitter, now X, and what its retreat from the Cannes beachfront says about its relationship with advertisers, as well as TikTok’s head in the sand mentality around the ban.

If there was any doubt that everything is an ad network, this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity proves otherwise. To Peggy McCann, chief media officer at GSD&M ad agency, all signs point to one thing: retail media networks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s a tall order, but perhaps fits within the expectations of Cannes’ pageantry. For media planners like McCann, the question is: is the Cannes flash enough to attract ad spend?

On this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Patricia Corsi, chief growth officer at Kimberly-Clark, joins hosts Kimeko McCoy and Tim Peterson to kick off Cannes Lions 2025. Corsi shares her approach to Cannes and how she's sifting through AI hype chatter to get to the real talk of Cannes. This episode marks the start of Digiday’s daily podcast coverage from Cannes. Tune in every day this week for fresh conversations with marketers, media execs and creatives on the ground.