Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you beautiful people!

 Donna and I are going to visit family to celebrate this beautiful holiday for which we have so very muc t be thankful.

We'll be back in action November 29th and gather new media marketing information in the next week. 

We pray that G-d will bring peace down and let it settle in the minds and hearts of all who live!

Donna and I wish each of you and your beautiful families and joyous, peaceful and humble Thanksgiving!

May each of you be blessed with the joy and happiness of living a wonderful free country and a healthy and long life ahead!

Sending each of you lotsa hugs and love! 

 

New Season Delivers Slight Increase in Viewing, Ad Spend

• by Wayne Friedman , November 14, 2025

Nearly two months in, the new TV season -- with the new Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement in tow -- has seen a 8% rise in impressions to 446.5 billion among nine top TV networks, according to estimates from EDO Ad EnGage.

Advertising revenue is up 5% to $3.7 billion, with airings gaining 8% to 266,120 for the period September 22 through November 13.

Fox Television Network and NBC Television Network led the group with $738.9 million and $712.8 million in advertising revenue, respectively.

Those networks, as well as ABC and ESPN, have seen gains of 10% ($630.2 million) and 15% ($381.8 million), respectively versus a year ago, due to NFL programming in particular.

Non-sports cable networks had Fox News Channel as a major gainer -- up 15% to $196.7 million -- followed by HGTV at $180.5 million (slipping 9% from a year ago). CNN grew 21% to $131.8 million.

For the most recent reporting week, Nielsen Big Data + Plus measurement NBC led in average prime-time viewers with 5.1 million, followed by ABC at 4.6 million, CBS with 3.8 million and Fox Television Network at 2.1 million.

Among cable TV networks, Fox News Channel came in at 2.16 million, with ESPN next at 1.66 million, MSNBC at 1.26 million and CNN at 786,000.

The Trust Imperative: Why Purpose-Driven Media Is Your Competitive Advantage

 Below is the ad-on to the trust initiative: Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

The Trust Imperative: Why Purpose-Driven Media Is Your Competitive Advantage

• by Elise Stieferman , November 14, 2025

Your last campaign reached 2.3 million qualified prospects with surgical precision. Engagement rates hit targets. Cost-per-acquisition stayed within budget. Yet brand sentiment declined, and customer lifetime value stagnated.

Welcome to the precision paradox plaguing modern marketing, where flawless execution can still fail spectacularly if it lacks authentic purpose.

When Perfect Targeting Backfires

Today's targeting capabilities allow unprecedented audience precision. You can identify a 34-year-old wellness enthusiast in Denver who shops organic, practices yoga, and reads specific publications. But that same precision becomes a liability when your message feels invasive, inauthentic, or contextually tone-deaf.

The gap between consumer expectations and brand execution represents both your biggest risk and your greatest opportunity. Consumers increasingly seek brands that demonstrate genuine commitment rather than superficial purpose-washing, particularly in health, wellness, and sustainability sectors where trust directly impacts purchasing decisions.

Understanding Lives, Not Just Data Points

The most successful campaigns don't just target demographics -- they understand narratives. A working mother researching sustainable baby products isn't merely a "millennial female with children." She's navigating complex decisions about her family's health, environmental impact, and financial priorities. Your media strategy must acknowledge that complexity.

This requires a fundamental shift: from interrupting consumers to joining their conversations. When your message appears alongside content they already trust -- whether that's a respected health podcast, a sustainability-focused newsletter, or a community forum -- you're not just reaching them, you're respecting their context.

Why Media Environment Determines Message Impact

Environment amplifies everything. A wellness brand advertising during a mindfulness podcast doesn't just benefit from audience alignment -- it borrows credibility from the trusted host and demonstrates understanding of the consumer's mindset. Conversely, the same ad placed poorly can signal disconnect and erode trust instantly.

Smart marketers are investing in contextual intelligence: understanding not just where their audience spends time, but why those environments matter to them. This approach consistently delivers significantly higher engagement rates than traditional demographic targeting alone.

Building Competitive Moats Through Transparency

As personalization capabilities advance, responsibility becomes your differentiator. Transparent data practices, ethical targeting, and privacy-first approaches aren't just compliance requirements -- they’re trust-building opportunities. Brands that proactively communicate how they use consumer data create competitive advantages through transparency.

Measuring Trust, Not Just Transactions

Traditional metrics tell an incomplete story. While performance indicators remain crucial, forward-thinking marketers are expanding their measurement frameworks to include things like brand trust scores and long-term customer lifetime value. These indicators often predict sustainable growth better than short-term conversion metrics.

The Strategic Choice Every CMO Must Make

Brands that authentically align with consumer values consistently outperform competitors in customer retention, premium pricing power, and market share growth. In categories where trust directly impacts purchasing decisions, this advantage compounds exponentially.

The question isn't whether to embrace purpose-driven media, but how quickly you can evolve your approach. Your consumers are ready. Your competition is adapting. The only question is: Will you lead this transformation -- or follow it

 Does your local client's ad get business just because their air it on your station? In today's jungle of media marketing, it seems most importance is trust. Below is a bit of current goings on in the minds of those in-the-know that needs to take place before there's meaningful engagement between the advertiser and the consumer: Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

Commentary

You Don't Have a Demand Problem -- You Have a Trust Problem

• by Michael Baer , 4 hours ago

When B2B marketing results start to underperform — slow lead flow, flattening inbound, low conversion — the reflex is generally to diagnose it as a demand problem. And the knee-jerk response is predictable: crank up the ads, push harder on outbound, and hope that something sticks.

But the truth is that most of the time, it’s not a demand problem at all — it’s a trust problem.  Your prospects simply don’t believe in you yet. They don’t see you as credible, capable, or believable enough to deserve their attention, let alone their business. And that lack of trust is what’s quietly throttling your growth.

Trust Is the Real Growth Lever -- and it Starts Before Awareness

Too much B2B marketing and sales messaging goes straight to features and selling points and skips the all-important but harder work of earning belief and trust first.

And in B2B, credibility isn’t just what tips a buying decision in your favor; it actually determines whether your message gets noticed at all. Kantar research shows audiences actively avoid or discount untrustworthy messages, suppressing awareness long before any sales conversations.

Research from Forrester, Nielsen, and others shows the same pattern: buyers respond to credible evidence and validated options over interruptions, volume, and pushy outbound.

And this isn’t just a problem for tech or SaaS companies. In healthcare, it’s magnified. Clinicians, administrators, and payers evaluate every message through a lens of credibility and clinical validity.

The Trust Driver Playbook

If you suspect your marketing is underperforming, stop asking how to reach more people. Start asking how to earn more belief.

Here are some of the actions you can take to build it:

Seek to provide value. Value creation precedes conversion. In fact, 81% of B2B buyers say they’re more likely to engage with companies that provide helpful insights early in the process (Demand Gen Report, 2023). When you provide information they find helpful and trustworthy, you earn permission to sell later.

Give before you get. The companies that win trust are those that contribute before they seek to convert. They publish insights without a gate, share knowledge without expecting immediate return, and build credibility deposits long before seeking to make a withdrawal. In the long run, trust compounds — and pays back more than any one campaign ever will.

Don’t make promises; demonstrate proof. Tell real customer stories and provide case studies, showcase proven results, and leverage valuable third-party testimonials. These carry far more weight than “we’re the best” claims and miscellaneous puffery.

Build the right foundation and drive it consistently. Companies that have a defined strategy, clear positioning, and well-understood personas project confidence and credibility. And when that foundation is echoed everywhere — in website messaging, sales materials, and content – that consistency reassures customers that you know who you are and who you serve.

Put people out front. Buyers trust experts, not entities. Elevate your clinicians, engineers, or executives as visible thought leaders. Their authenticity transfers to the organization and makes the brand more human — and therefore more believable.

Trust as the Multiplier

Before you fund the next campaign or tweak the funnel again, ask a harder question: Do our buyers actually believe us yet? Because if they don’t, nothing else you do will matter.

And if they do, everything else gets easier.

THE NEXT READ WILL ADD TO THE ABOVE....CK IT OUT AND SHARE IT WITH YOUR LOCAL-DIRECT ADVERTISER...

Station Execs Bullish on Prospects for 2026 Ad Market, Deregulation

 Here's a nice new juicy report I pulled for you all and it's a big one indeed...So saddle up another  enjoy another first from LeNoble's Media Sales Insights. Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

Station Execs Bullish on Prospects for 2026 Ad Market, Deregulation

By George Winslow published November 7, 2025

Major groups saw better-than-expected revenue in Q3 from core advertising results that exclude political ads

 

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"We think broadcast is going from strength to strength at this moment,” Perry Sook, Nexstar Media Group’s founder, chairman and CEO, said on its Q3 earnings call. (Image credit: Nexstar)

While most station groups reported major declines in ad revenue in the third quarter, thanks to a steep decline in political advertising compared to a year ago, this week’s earnings calls with analysts were generally bullish. Most station groups beat expectations, reporting better-than-expected year-over-year results for core advertising sales that exclude political and the Olympics.

A close review of those earnings calls also provides a snapshot of the state of the industry in the latter half of 2025 and its prospects for 2026.

Station executives offered bullish comments about next year, thanks to the prospects of heavy political advertising and the likelihood regulators will relax ownership rules and allow a wave of dealmaking.

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For the moment, though, all the station results were heavily impacted by the absence of political revenue in Q3 2025 compared to the record spending during the 2024 presidential campaign.

“Advertising revenue of $476 million decreased $146 million or 23.5% over the comparable prior year quarter, primarily reflecting a $145 million year-over-year decrease in political advertising,” Nexstar Media Group President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Biard noted. “However, nonpolitical advertising was essentially flat and better than our expectation of a low single-digit decline.”

Sinclair also reported year-over-year declines in total revenue, thanks to the absence of significant ad income in Q3, but reported revenue that was generally better than expected. “We delivered strong performance and met or exceeded guidance across all key metrics,” Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley said on the company’s Q3 earnings call. “Total revenue of $773 million came in higher than the high end of our guidance range. Core revenues were up 7% year-over-year on an as-reported basis.”

Likewise, Gray Media generally beat analysts’ expectations and while overall revenue was down 21% YoY, Q3 2025 revenue was above analyst expectations.

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Hilton Howell Jr., Gray Media’s chairman and CEO, said: “Our results for the third quarter of 2025 compared favorably to our Q3 guidance for both revenues and expenses. Total revenue in the third quarter of 2025 was $749 million, at the high end of our guidance for the quarter.”

Pat LaPlatney (Image credit: Gray Media)

Pat LaPlatney, president and co-CEO at Gray Media added: “Q3 continued the theme we’ve been describing throughout 2025, with advertisers remaining somewhat cautious due to the macro environment. Through the quarter, though, we saw core activity strengthen more than we had projected back in August, and we ultimately finished on the high side of guidance. Remember that the Olympics on NBC provided about a $20 million uplift in July and August of 2024, of which about $16 million was core ad revenue and $4 million was political. Factoring that in, our third quarter was up about 1% over 2024.”

E.W. Scripps reported that third-quarter company revenue was $526 million, down 19% or $120 million from the prior-year quarter, mainly due to political advertising. But its Local Media division reported that core advertising (excluding political) was up, due to the services category and ”overall growth in national advertising due to strong sales efforts and Scripps’ sports strategy.”

You may like

• Local TV Has Lost More than Half of Its Media Spending Market Share Since 2017
• Unions, Civil Rights Groups Argue Localism Will Be Hurt, Not Helped by Eliminating Ownership Caps
• How Will the FCC’s Busy Fall Agenda Impact Broadcasters?

“During the quarter, our Local Media division revenue was down 27% due to the absence of political advertising revenue compared to the prior year,” Chief Financial Officer Jason Combs said. “Core advertising revenue was up nearly 2%. We grew national advertising revenue, driven by an increase in our largest category, services. Our sports strategy helped drive that Q3 performance as well. Local Media distribution revenue was flat."

‘We’re Very, Very Optimistic About 2026’
While broadcasters haven’t released detailed guidance for their 2026 revenue expectations, executives offered generally bullish comments for the year ahead in terms of the impact of political advertising and the prospects for deregulation.

“I would say that we’re really optimistic about 2026,” said Gray Media’s LaPlatney. “We have some early Q1 numbers that are encouraging, in fact, very encouraging…As we sit here today, we’re very, very optimistic about 2026.

“We think broadcast is going from strength to strength at this moment,” explained Perry Sook, founder, chairman and CEO of Nexstar. “In the near term, we see a decreasing interest rate environment, the reset of the majority of our distribution contracts at the end of this year, the acquisition of TEGNA and an election year in 2026, all of which we expect to drive shareholder value. Longer term, we expect to accelerate our CW and NewsNation network growth strategies, our deployment of applications for ATSC 3.0 and innovation around how we go to market and the products and services we bring to benefit our viewers and our advertisers.”

As expected, M&A activity was a major topic of discussion.

Chris Ripley (Image credit: Sinclair)

‘We're Operating in the Wild Wild West’
Sinclair’s Ripley noted that “the broadcast sector is facing secular challenges within linear TV while having a unique opportunity for significant consolidation. We believe the industry is at an inflection point where scale and operational efficiency will increasingly separate high-performing companies from the rest. … Against this backdrop, in mid-August, we launched a strategic review of our broadcast business and an evaluation of a potential separation of ventures to optimize value creation across our portfolio,” that has already led to “several transactions, including partner station acquisitions and select acquisitions and divestitures.”

“One potential path for industry evolution could involve consolidating into two similarly sized scale broadcast groups," Ripley continued. "[C]reating another group comparable in size to the large broadcast combination announced in August [i.e., the proposed Nexstar-Tegna combination], could unlock an estimated $600 million to $900 million in annual synergies through mergers and subsequent portfolio optimizations. This level of consolidation would strengthen the industry's financial footing and position broadcasters as more capable competitors to big media and big tech.

“While we present this as one potential industry scenario rather than a prediction, the fundamental point is clear,” Ripley added. “The regulatory environment now enables transformational consolidation that can benefit Broadcast Group shareholders, creditors, employees and the communities we serve. Sinclair is well-positioned in this environment, and we're actively evaluating how best to participate to maximize value for our stakeholders.”

Adam Symson (Image credit: E.W. Scripps)

Scripps’ discussion of M&A opportunities was more modest. “As I've said from the start, we are totally focused on optimizing our portfolio of stations to structurally enhance performance and economic durability in service to our vision to create connection,” Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson sais. “We've already announced a station-swap deal with Gray where we are exchanging two Scripps stations for five Gray stations, a transaction that improves our market positioning and creates immediate efficiency opportunities. We also announced station sales in Fort Myers, Fla., and Indianapolis for cash. The sale prices represent premium multiples for the industry. These are quality stations we agreed to sell only at strong valuations, and the cash we receive will go directly to delevering.”

Deregulation Continues
In the Q3 earnings call, Nexstar’s Sook reiterated his previously expressed belief that the industry should see significant deregulation of broadcast ownership rules.

“The 8th Circuit mandate was issued on Oct. 21,” he said, refrencing the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to vacate the Federal Communications Commission’s rule barring a station group from owning more than one of the top-four stations in audience share in a given market. “That eliminates the top-four ownership rule, that will go into effect as soon as that order is published in the Federal Register and it's effective 30 days later. … And we, again, continue to believe that this administration, the Trump administration and Brendan Carr at the FCC are focused on deregulating business, allowing businesses to breathe, allowing businesses to compete and that we’ve been spending a lot of time in Washington to reinforce at the regulatory agencies and on the hill that we are indeed here to help meet the regulatory moment."

While Gray Media has already announced a number of potential acquisitions and station swaps, including an agreement to acquire stations from Allen Media Group, Howell also expressed a note of caution during the analyst call. Reacting to a report of a possible merger or deal with Sinclair, he said, “there is nothing that we are in deep negotiation with at the moment.”

“We are in a period of time in our industry where things change faster than I have ever, ever seen it,” Howell added. “For the first time in the history of our business, we are really operating in the Wild, Wild West. No one knows what the rules actually are. Anybody that tells you that…they just do not. They cannot.

“I don’t want to…do any deal that would put the basic company in any kind of risk,“ he continued. “Now, there’s a lot of big opportunities to grow. Unlike perhaps some of our competitors, I don’t believe, and my management team unanimously does not believe, that Gray actually has to do anything. I mean, we’re just fine where we are, and we can carry on our previously announced efforts to just reduce our debt and pay it down and then return more to our shareholders.

 

automotive

Automotive TV Spending Declines 24% In October

• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Automakers spent an estimated $216 million on national TV spending in October, down 24.1% year-over-year compared to $284.6 million.

Year-to-date spending also continues to fall, down 7.6% year-over-year to $1.8 billion compared to $1.9 billion during the same period in 2024, according to iSpot.tv.

Consequently, October 2025 household TV ad impressions dropped 9.6% to 16.9 billion compared to 18.7 billion October 2024. Year-to-date household TV ad impressions registered at 176.8 billion, down 15.4% YoY compared to 209.1 billion.

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spend in October were Hyundai ($22.5 million), Chevrolet ($21.4 million), Honda ($19.5 million), Ford ($17.2 million) and Toyota ($16.6 million), according to iSpot.tv.

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions in October were Kia: Get More of What You Want (3.82%), Chevrolet: Trail Boss Family (3.43%), Genesis: No Old Ideas (3.27%), Jeep: America’s Original Influencer (2.90%) and Lexus: Solo (2.37%).

NFL games accounted for nearly 60% of total auto industry estimated national TV ad spend in October. All of the top five automakers by spend allocated 68% or more of their total October outlay to NFL games, with Hyundai leaning in the most (NFL games captured 79% of its total spend). 

Additionally, nine of the top ten programs by industry spend were sports-related. The outlier was "Los hilos del pasado," a new telenovela that premiered on Univision in September. 

The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions in October 2025 were NFL (22.43%), college football (16.10%), MLB (9.90%), NBA (2.35%) and "SportsCenter" (1.25%).

“Although sports programming remains a major reach vehicle for auto brands, many also increased investment in Spanish-language content in October — a genre showing strong year-over-year growth as automakers attempt to deepen marketing efforts with Hispanic audiences,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of Media Partnerships at iSpot.tv, tells Marketing Daily. 

iSpot’s advanced audiences data reveals ongoing untapped opportunities around news programming: Automakers only had three ad airings during "The Five" (despite it ranking fifth for auto intender reach in October), and skipped "NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas" entirely (it ranked sixth).

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions in October 2025 were Toyota (10.63%), Hyundai (9.25%), Lexus (9.00%), Ford (8.06%) and Chevrolet (7.93%), according to iSpot.tv.

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming for the month were Hyundai (12.08%), Toyota (7.81%), Jeep (7.60%), Ram Trucks (7.23%) and Subaru (6.75%).

Two automakers made the top five by ad reach on both streaming and national linear TV: Hyundai and Toyota. Jeep, which ranked third for streaming reach, was No. 12 on linear while Ram Trucks was No. 4 on streaming but No. 11 on linear. 

The top automaker ads by likeability among the top 20 most-seen ads were  Subaru: Going Too Far (+9.4% more likeable than October automotive norm), Lexus: Solo (+5.3%), Chevrolet: Trail Boss Family (+5.3%), Jeep: America’s Original Influencer  (+4.7%) and Kia: Get More of What You Want(+4.1%).

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent among the top 20 most-seen ads for the month were  Subaru: Going Too Far (58%), Chevrolet: Trail Boss Family (55%), Kia: Get More of What You Want (53%), Jeep: America’s Original Influencer (52%) and  Nissan: Next Level Adventure (52%)

 

'Cord Nevers': Young-Skewing Streaming Households Stable, Social Media Rising

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 9, 2025

Younger-skewing connected TV (CTV) audiences continue to have a major effect on streaming subscriptions and usage.

According to recent Comscore research, 18- to-34-year-old subscribers -- those who are “cord nevers” (cable, satellite, virtual or telco) -- represent 45% of connected TV (CTV) households.

This activity now has reached a saturation point. “After years of rapid expansion -- with household adoption climbing roughly 25% between 2020 and 2025 -- the pace has now begun to level off, growing only about 1% year over year,” according to authors of the report.

Somewhat similar are those older “cord-never” subscribers, representing around 13% to 14% of total CTV households.

One major growth area for CTV is families (households with children) in the broader picture of cord-nevers when adding in “cord-cutters” -- the families that have trimmed down but still have their legacy pay TV subscriptions, which now represent 75% of total CTV households. 

Comscore says the younger-skewing CTV consumers are also driving more social engagement. 

As an example, total social media reactions, shares, comments across Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok amounted to 64 million in August 2025. Eight years before, in August 2017, the total was 11 million.

Social-media engagements just on Netflix programming totaled 26 million in August 2025, versus 2 million in August 2017.

This activity is also fueled by the “creator economy.”

“Platforms like YouTube are no longer viewed as ‘separate categories’ but as integral parts of the streaming diet. For many households, creator- driven video sits alongside premium series, sports, and films as everyday viewing.” 

 

World Cup 2026: Rising Sponsor Dollars For 13 Host Markets

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 6 hours ago

Recent rising sponsorship trends point to high expectations that major brands will come out in force for next year's major World Cup soccer events, according to SponsorUnited, a research company focused on sports marketing.

Over the last three years, 765 brands in 13 markets have placed sponsorships on teams in Major League Soccer -- up 12% since 2022.

 Average spend per brand rose 7% to $452,000.

Since 2022, there has been a 5% increase in the number of deals to 955 in those 13 markets.

Social-media metrics have also grown substantially to 67.3 million total followers -- up threefold since 2022. And better still for advertisers, average brand engagement via social media hit a total of 33 million engagement actions this year -- 331% higher than 2022.

The biggest individual sponsors for MLS include BMO, a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company, at around $23 million per year. This is about 60% of its overall sports ad/sponsorship spend on sports.

Royal Caribbean Cruises was next at $20 million in soccer sponsor spend -- around 98% of its total sports spend.

Looking specifically at the World Cup 2026 host markets, the 13 markets total $4.5 billion in total team sponsorships.

Soccer sponsorship deals only represent 9% of total sports sponsorship in those markets.

The New York/New Jersey market pulls in $758 million per year, followed by Los Angeles at $754 million, San Francisco/Oakland with $421 million, Dallas at $385 million, and Boston at $360 million.

Commentary

Fantasy Sports Fans: They're Driving Culture

• by Jim Caruso , 2 hours ago

When most people think of fantasy sports fans, they picture someone glued to their phone on Sunday, tracking touchdowns and yardage. But the truth? These fans are more than scorekeepers. They’re cultural drivers, shopping powerhouses, and digital natives shaping how brands connect with audiences.

Data shows that they’re multidimensional consumers, combining varied lifestyle interests, heavy social media engagement, and strong purchasing behaviors. This makes them a powerful audience every brand, league, and marketer must understand to fuel the next wave of sports and entertainment growth.

Who Are Fantasy Sports Fans, Really?

Fantasy players are not just football diehards. They represent a multidimensional audience that blends sports passion with lifestyle choices. Compared to general football fans, fantasy sports fans show broader consumer engagement, stronger digital presence, and more expressive behaviors.

And this audience is evolving. Fast Company reported earlier this year that women now comprise approximately 35% of fantasy football players. But according to our data, women actually account for nearly 47% of the fantasy audience -- roughly 7.27 million women compared to 8.15 million men. That’s a near-even split, proving the community is far more balanced and diverse than many assume.

Behaviors Beyond the Game

The data shows a fan base with varied interests:

• 12.8 million connect with diverse hobbies and lifestyle passions
• 11.8 million are engaged with the trucks category, a distinctly American badge of identity

Shopping Habits That Matter

Marketers, listen up: fantasy sports fans are active spenders.

• Over 12 million made recent purchases, showing strong retail engagement
• Health and wellness is a standout category, with nearly 11 million recent buyers
• Apparel shopping is another big marker, with 6.9 million fans purchasing clothing

For brands, this means one thing: fantasy sports fans don’t just consume sports. They consume products.

Digital DNA: Always Online

Fantasy sports fans aren’t passive scrollers. And Deloitte’s recent survey backs this up: More than 77% of fans say they multitask during live sports, from scrolling social feeds to checking fantasy stats. In short, fantasy players aren’t just watching the game. They’re amplifying it across every platform.

Streaming, Social Media and TV: A Second Screen Lifestyle

Fantasy sports fans don’t just watch. They multiscreen.

• Comedy engages 14.9 million fans
• News draws in 13.2 million
• Reality TV captures another 14.1 million

This tells us fantasy fans consume sports, humor, news, and drama in one seamless digital stream. They’re checking stats, debating calls on Twitter/X, and streaming reality TV all at once.

That’s not distraction. That’s a new form of entertainment engagement.

Why Brands Should Care

The implications are huge. Fantasy sports fans are:

• Highly engaged across platforms daily
• Emotionally invested, reacting strongly to content
• Spend-ready, with proven purchase activity across health, apparel, and lifestyle categories

For brands, that means a perfect audience to target with sports crossovers, influencer collaborations, and lifestyle-driven campaigns. These fans aren’t just spectators. They’re the starting lineup for modern marketing.

For brands and leagues, the playbook is clear: treat fantasy fans as more than viewers. Recognize them as the cultural drivers they are and build experiences that meet them on every screen, in every conversation, and in every purchase decision.

WBD Q3: U.S. Ad Revenue Sinks 20%, Theatrical Soars 74%

 The report below is mostly national news: Local-direct still needs station growth! Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

WBD Q3: U.S. Ad Revenue Sinks 20%, Theatrical Soars 74%

• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Third-quarter advertising for Warner Bros. Discovery for all its platforms took another double-digit percentage hit -- down 16% to $1.4 billion.

“Underlying U.S. linear advertising trends remain largely consistent with prior quarters as demand for sports continues to be healthy and demand for general entertainment is steady,” according to the company.

While the streaming ad business has seen growth, the company says, linear TV ad business continued to suffer. Advertising was up 14% to $235 million, with global linear TV networks sinking by a massive 20% to $1.19 billion.

WBD’s bigger distribution business declined 4% to $4.7 billion. While there was a slight decline in distribution global revenues ($2.317 billion versus $2.320 billion), domestic linear TV coming from declining pay TV subscribers pulled business down 8% to $2.39 billion.

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HBO Max added 2.3 million subscribers in the period -- to a total 128 million in the third quarter. The company estimates the streamer will reach 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026. U.S. domestic subscribers are now at 58 million -- up slightly from 57.8 million in the second quarter.

The best news for the company came with its theatrical revenue and content sales business.

Theatrical revenue was up 74% due to higher box office revenue -- primarily from “Superman,” “The Conjuring: Last Rites” and “Weapons.” Overall content sales (theatrical and program license fees to networks and platforms) grew 26% to $3.1 billion.

Warner Bros. is the first studio to surpass $4 billion in 2025 global box-office revenue -- coming from just 11 films. The last time the studio exceeded $4 billion was in the pre-pandemic era -- from 20 films in 2019.

Nine Warner Bros. films opened in the number one spot at the global box office. 

WBD’s stock was down 1% in mid-day Thursday trading to $22.56.

The company continues to examine possible merger deals. Prospective buyers include Paramount Skydance, Comcast Corp. and Netflix, according to reports.

 

Commentary

It's Not HBO Or Even TV - Got A Name for It?

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 6, 2025

“It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” 

That was a daring branding phrase that started in 1996, and immediately became a popular topic for media discussion among viewers, in this regard.

If it’s on TV -- but not TV -- then what is it?

For the most part, this iconic TV brand line kept its wild promise. It delivered major story contrasts between what was on linear TV networks -- for example, top-rated NBC in those years --  with edgy, spicy dialogue from “The Sopranos” or “Sex and the City” and later, “Game of Thrones.”

Of course, "TV" definitions are changing again. Older types may refer to current new technology as "streaming,” but a much younger generation may think of TV as a synonym for the bland word "video."

This includes any content out there, no matter where it plays, and growing social media including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram -- you name it.

A Deloitte survey examined this blurring of boundaries in terms of where video plays for young media consumers. The research showed that 60% of Gen Zers and 44% of millennials spend more time watching video on social media than on streaming services. 

Analysts might say Gen Z and millennial viewers hardly ever use the word "streaming." Going back a ways, you’ll never hear older viewers now say, for example "over-the-air TV."

Worse still for brands buying into streamers to reach Gen Z and Millennials, more than half of young media consumers agree that social media is "more relevant" to their lives, believing they feel closer to “creators” than “actors.” Well, we can see that. 

But video traditionalists shouldn’t give up just yet. Short-form video series -- so-called “micro-drama” or “micro-series” -- are now getting significant audiences from young media consumers -- with 45% watching more of this content vs. a year ago. Micro-drama episodes run between one and three minutes long.

This would go hand and hand with all those quick TikTok, Instagram, and other short social-media video, which may only last 21 to 34 seconds (although some may be as long as three minutes).

What about boomers and more mature adults? No worries. They are just a bit behind.

Remember -- they started out calling it TV for a long time up, in the 1950s through the early 1970s. That’s when "cable" arrived.

Just call it TV, and we’ll all be good.

 

forecasts

Pessimistic Consumers Keep Spending, Forecast to Surpass $1 Trillion

• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

The National Retail Federation expects Americans to cross a milestone this season, with holiday sales topping $1 trillion for the first time.

In the new forecast, the trade association projects that November to December sales will rise between 3.7% and 4.2% from last year, reaching $1.01 trillion to $1.02 trillion. Executives underscored the outsized role of shoppers in the broader economy, noting consumer spending now accounts for about 68% of GDP — the highest share in roughly 15 years.

Even so, the outlook comes with caveats. NRF said retailers plan to hire 265,000 to 365,000 seasonal workers, down sharply from 442,000 last year — a sign of a cooler labor market. And with a federal government shutdown limiting fresh economic data, key forecasters have acknowledged they’re driving in a fog.

The NRF says it is relying on private gauges and modeling while official data is paused. Tariffs add another layer of uncertainty, with retailers trying to hold the line on prices while consumers grow more deal driven.

In a press call announcing the results, NRF leaders repeatedly emphasized the disconnect between dour attitudes and sturdy spending. “We are bullish about the holiday shopping season,” said president and CEO Matthew Shay, adding that consumers “plan for it, they prioritize it.” He called this year’s spending strength “somewhat of a surprise” given the backdrop of tariff noise, inflation and sentiment lows.

Purchase sentiments are so low, in fact, that — except for recent inflation-driven downturns — the mood of shoppers hasn’t been this bad since 1980.

Chief economist Mark Mathews described the consumer as “sentimentally weak, but fundamentally sound,” citing real wage gains outpacing inflation for more than two years, still-low unemployment, and balance sheets supported by housing and equities. He flagged stress points — notably rising auto-loan and student-loan delinquencies — but added: “As a whole, delinquency rates and debt service ratios remain manageable, and that allows the consumer to have the disposable income to continue to spend on the things that matter to them.” One persistent pattern, he said, is that shoppers “have shown the willingness to spend on family and loved ones” for gifting events.

Pricing will remain pivotal. Mathews expects a highly promotional season as retailers cater to price-sensitive shoppers, with some costs from tariffs likely offset by savings in other categories. Timing is in flux, too. While early deal events have pulled shopping forward in recent years, NRF’s latest survey shows more consumers planning to buy around Black Friday, reinforcing how deal-led the season has become.

Separate data from Circana drills down on those timing shifts. Its latest survey finds that 44% of consumers plan to start holiday shopping earlier than usual, signaling a return to pre-pandemic habits after last year’s lull. Nearly one in five still intend to make Black Friday their official kickoff, but early promotions are shaping behavior: more shoppers are buying discounted items and fewer are waiting until December. Notes Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor for Circana, in the report: “Getting an earlier start gives them more control and choice.”

 

Meta Hit with Amended Complaint Over Alleged Ad Overcharges

• by Wendy Davis , Yesterday

Aiming to restore claims against Meta Platforms, the South Carolina gym Iron Tribe Fitness has filed an amended complaint alleging that Facebook overcharged advertisers around $4 billion between 2013 and 2017.

"For over four years, Facebook systematically overcharged advertisers, reaping billions of dollars in illicit profits," Iron Tribe alleged in a revised complaint filed this week with U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer in the Northern District of California.

"These overcharges were contrary to promises Facebook set forth in Facebook’s agreements with advertisers," Iron Tribe adds.

The new complaint comes in a dispute dating to April, when Iron Tribe sued Meta for allegedly failing to honor representations that its auction system for ads would protect companies from overbidding.

The allegations center on Facebook's system for charging advertisers that submit winning bids in auctions. The gym specifically alleged that starting in 2013, and continuing until at least 2017, Facebook purported to use a version of a “second price” auction system, but instead inadvertently used a “blended price” system.

In a “second price” auction, the company with the highest bid wins the auction, but isn't charged more than the company with the second highest bid. But in a “blended price” system, the winning bidder is charged a price between its bid and the bid that came in second.

The move to a “blended price” system was due to an error in a 2013 software update, according to the complaint.

Iron Tribe also alleged that Facebook learned of the error in 2017, but did not immediately correct the issue.

A former Facebook executive "quantified the impact of that 2013 coding change at '$1B a year,'" Iron Tribe alleges, adding that the total overcharges "amounted to roughly $4 billion in excess, illicit advertising revenues for Facebook, at the expense of its own customers."

Meta previously argued the complaint should be dismissed, contending that the claims fell outside California's four-year statute of limitations. The company also argued that Iron Tribe didn't actually allege in the complaint that it was overcharged.

Last month, Breyer directed Iron Tribe to amend its complaint and bring it again within 30 days, according to court records. Breyer reportedly dismissed the initial complaint at the time. He did not issue a written decision explaining the ruling.

Iron Tribe alleges in its amended complaint that it "regularly" advertised on Facebook during the time the company allegedly overcharged advertisers.

For instance, Iron Tribe alleged, it was billed around $162 for ads placed between July 30 and August 30, 2014.

"Rather than being charged the prices that would have resulted had Facebook’s advertising platform operated as intended as a second-price auction, Iron Tribe was overcharged the prices that resulted from Facebook’s operation of a blended-price auction," the complaint alleges.

The complaint also asserts that Iron Tribe's attorney -- referred to in the papers as "undersigned counsel" -- first learned of the alleged overcharges two years ago.

"In November 2023, undersigned counsel spoke with an individual with first-hand knowledge of the coding change and its impact on Facebook advertisers, learning for the first time about the misconduct complained of," the complaint states.

Meta has not responded to MediaPost's request for comment.