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[ The Current Newsletter Logo ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ The Current Newsletter Logo ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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Inside this edition of The Current:
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- FAST is surging thanks to an increase in sports-centric and branded channels. Experts say it offers a premium, privacy-centric alternative to YouTube.
- AI-powered search is hitting publisher traffic, but retail media could be a potential winner in this shift.
- In a recent op-ed, MadTech’s Heather Macaulay shares why marketers need a proper data foundation before they can enter the AI era. Otherwise, they’ll continue to wonder why their expensive investments are falling short.
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[ Hand wiping American Football play plans off of a TV like a chalkboard to reveal a play button. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-chuck-e-cheese-branded-content-sports-fast?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ Hand wiping American Football play plans off of a TV like a chalkboard to reveal a play button. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-chuck-e-cheese-branded-content-sports-fast?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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Illustration by Sarah Kim / Shutterstock / The Current
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FAST is booming as branded content and sports drive the surge
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- The number of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels has surged, and viewership on major platforms is topping some subscription streamers.
- The growth is thanks in part to more brands participating, TV operators investing in their own platforms and sports making a bigger splash.
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“FAST platforms cater to young and diverse audiences, especially among price conscious cord-cutters and cord-nevers. … Name me a single brand that doesn’t want to tap into these demographics, and I’ll introduce them to the bankruptcy lawyer they’ll be needing soon.”
— Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy, Greenlight Analytics
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READ MORE
READ MORE [[https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-chuck-e-cheese-branded-content-sports-fast?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ A cracked, dusty website address bar with "http://" written inside it. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/marketing-strategy-ad-budgets-website-retail-media-ai?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ A cracked, dusty website address bar with "http://" written inside it. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/marketing-strategy-ad-budgets-website-retail-media-ai?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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Illustration by Robyn Phelps / Shutterstock / The Current
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What happens to ad budgets in a world where the website matters less?
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By Tharshini Tharma-Asokan
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- Enders Analysis reports publishers are seeing search traffic decline as AI overviews reduce clicks to the open web.
- Retail media could benefit; it’s forecast to surpass TV in ad spend for the first time this year, offering brands a new home for performance-focused budgets.
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“Traffic is becoming a vanity metric across the board, and brands that continue to be hung up on this will suffer.”
— Tom Mansell, VP of organic performance, Croud
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READ MORE
READ MORE [[https://www.thecurrent.com/marketing-strategy-ad-budgets-website-retail-media-ai?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ A robot hand holding up a finger with post-it notes stacked on the finger. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/opinion-heather-macaulay-president-madtech-readiness-isnt-competitive-edge-data?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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[ A robot hand holding up a finger with post-it notes stacked on the finger. ] [[https://www.thecurrent.com/opinion-heather-macaulay-president-madtech-readiness-isnt-competitive-edge-data?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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Illustration by Dave Cole / Getty / Shutterstock / The Current
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Data readiness isn’t optional anymore. It’s your competitive edge.
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By Heather Macaulay, president, MadTech
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- Data readiness is foundational and essential within AI frameworks, yet gets overlooked as marketers prioritize cool tools over proper utilization.
- The brands that do fully get their data in order will deliver on their full potential rather than operating at a fraction of their capacity.
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“Maybe we expect AI to serve as a magic wand that can fill any hole for us. It doesn’t work that way.”
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READ MORE [[https://www.thecurrent.com/opinion-heather-macaulay-president-madtech-readiness-isnt-competitive-edge-data?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=namer_multi_tc_genc&utm_content=gen_genpop]]
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- WNBA expanding: The WNBA announced the addition of three new teams in Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia over the next five years.
- Meta under the microscope: The European Commission says Meta could face daily fines if its pay-or-consent model is found in breach of the DMA.
- Streaming (German) giant: RTL will buy Comcast’s Sky Germany, creating a national streaming competitor to take on Netflix and Prime Video.
- Game on: The IAB released a Gaming Measurement Framework intended to bring marketers clarity around measuring ad spend on gaming environments.
- To infinity and Netflix: Netflix is partnering with NASA to bring livestreams of rocket launches, views from the International Space Station and space walks to the streaming platform.
- Let’s work it out: MLB and ESPN have renewed talks to keep baseball on the network, according to The Athletic.
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Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please send us a note at editorial@thecurrent.com.
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