Media Monitor
Media Monitor is a data-led podcast unpacking what’s really happening across advertising, media, and consumer behavior—and what it means next.Hosted by Sean Wright and Kelly Sweeney from Guideline.ai, the show breaks down the signals behind the headlines: ad spend shifts, market trends, economic pressure points, and emerging opportunities shaping the media ecosystem.Each episode translates complex data into clear insight, helping brands, agencies, and decision-makers cut through noise, reduce uncertainty, and make smarter strategic calls.If media is changing faster than ever, Media Monitor helps you understand why, how, and what to watch next.
2026 World Cup Advertising: What Drove $1.5 Billion in U.S. Ad Revenue?|E46
The 2026 FIFA World Cup generated approximately $1.5 billion in U.S. paid-media advertising revenue. But the biggest story isn't just the number—it's what drove the growth.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Sean Wright takes a deep dive into Guideline's latest analysis of advertising activity surrounding the 2026 World Cup.
Comparing the tournament with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Sean explores how record-breaking viewership, North American scheduling, expanded tournament inventory, and changing advertiser demand contributed to historic growth.
World Cup advertising revenue surged more than 300%
Guideline's analysis estimates that U.S...
Ghost Viewers: Understanding Streaming Audience Behavior | Justin Fromm, Samsung Ads|E45
Streaming audiences are constantly moving. But where do they go—and what brings them back?
In this episode of Media Monitor, Sean Wright welcomes Justin Fromm, Head of Industry Insights at Samsung Ads, for a data-driven conversation about one of the most interesting developments in connected TV: ghost viewers.
As streaming continues to evolve, understanding how audiences move between platforms has become increasingly important for media companies, advertisers, and marketers.
Samsung Ads' research offers a closer look at those behaviors and the opportunities they create fo...
Amazon's Emmys Bet, Apple's Ad Changes & the Future of Retail Media|E44
What's changing in advertising—and what do the numbers tell us?
In his first solo episode of Media Monitor, Sean Wright takes the microphone to examine four major industry developments shaping advertising, media buying, streaming, and retail media.
With Kelly stepping away from the show, Sean introduces a new chapter for Media Monitor, with upcoming guest interviews, research-driven episodes, and regular industry headline discussions.
Amazon's $15 million Emmys bet
Amazon has reportedly secured streaming rights to the Emmy Awards for approximately $15 million annually, marking a departure fr...
Is Social Media Becoming Social Again? |E43
Social media was originally supposed to connect people.
Then came feeds, algorithms, creators, advertising, endless scrolling and platforms designed to keep us consuming.
Could the next era of social media move back toward where it started?
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright step away from the usual spend and pricing reports to examine the changing state of social media—and what today's emerging trends might tell us about where it goes next.
The stakes for advertisers are enormous.
Sean estimates that Meta al...
AI, Ad Spend & the Amazon–OpenAI Deal: What Advertisers Should Watch| E42
AI is moving faster. Advertising tools are getting smarter. Brands can do more themselves than ever before.
So why aren't agencies disappearing?
Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright are back with a Media Monitor Grab Bag, breaking down three advertising headlines that reveal where the market may be heading next.
AI isn't making agencies obsolete
The conversation starts with the growing debate around AI, automation and in-housing.
Programmatic platforms and self-service advertising tools have made buying media far more accessible. AI can process information faster, generate reports and...
Can the Right Sports Moment Make an Ad Twice as Memorable? | Gina Waldhorn| E41
A touchdown with four minutes left in a close game isn't worth the same thing as a touchdown during a blowout.
So why should advertisers buy those moments the same way?
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright are joined by Gina Waldhorn, SVP of Marketing and Advertising at Genius Sports, for a conversation about how real-time data, AI, and fan behavior are changing the economics of live sports advertising.
The conversation starts with the NFL.
According to Guideline's data, NFL advertising revenue reached...
Why More Streaming Inventory Is Pushing Ad Prices Down|E40
Media Monitor spends plenty of time talking about how much advertisers spend.
This week, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright flip to the other side of the equation: what are advertisers actually paying?
Using Guideline’s Q2 digital ad pricing data, Sean compares CPM trends across the U.S., UK, and Canada and finds something surprising.
Historically, digital advertising prices across all three markets have been remarkably similar.
Going back to 2024, the difference between the highest and lowest markets could be as little as roughly 40 cents after currency conversion.
...
How the World Cup Became a $2B Advertising Event|E39
The World Cup has become a much bigger advertising business in the U.S.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Guideline’s first-ever game-by-game World Cup advertising analysis and look at how the 2026 tournament changed the economics of the event.
The headline number is substantial: Guideline estimates roughly $2 billion in U.S. advertising revenue across television and streaming, compared with less than $400 million during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
That means the advertising business grew roughly fivefold in four years.
Several factors helped drive the ch...
Why Canada’s Ad Market Is Outpacing Global Growth|E38
Canada’s advertising market is outperforming the global average.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright dig into Guideline’s first-half data for Canada and explain why ad spend grew 9% year over year, compared with roughly 6% globally.
Part of the story is a rebound from a weaker period. Sean notes that tariffs and pressure on the automotive sector weighed heavily on Canada’s economy and advertising market the year before. That creates an easier comparison, but the current recovery appears broader than a simple bounce.
P...
WWE, the Agentic Shelf & What AI Is Changing in Advertising| E37
WWE is attracting new sponsors. AI agents are becoming part of the shopping journey. Retail media forecasts are getting bigger. And brands are testing advertising in places consumers may not expect.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright go straight into the headlines and break down what these shifts could mean for advertisers, agencies, publishers, and brand teams.
The conversation starts with WWE.
According to the coverage discussed in the episode, WWE generated roughly $160 million in brand sponsorships, with a large share coming from new brands. Kelly and Sean...
How the NBA Turned Streaming Into a $2.1B Advertising Season| E36
The NBA had a very strong advertising year.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Guideline’s latest NBA advertising report and explain how the league grew ad revenue from roughly $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion in a single season.
A big part of the story starts with distribution.
After Warner Bros. stepped back from its previous role, the NBA expanded across NBC, Peacock, Amazon, ABC, ESPN, Hulu, and other platforms. That created more places for audiences to watch and more inventory for advertisers to bu...
What Ad Spend Concentration Can Tell Us About What Comes Next |E35
Advertising spend can be growing while the market underneath it is becoming more fragile.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney gives Sean Wright a new goal: create an index important enough to have his name attached to it.
Sean may already have a starting point.
Inspired by a discussion of market concentration and monopoly measurement, Sean applies similar mathematical thinking to Guideline’s advertising data to ask a different question:
How much of advertising growth is being driven by only a small number of categories?
...Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| The Agentic Future of Media Buying with WPP’s Devon DeBlasio
AI agents may automate more of media buying, but WPP’s Devon DeBlasio believes people still need to remain at the helm.
In this installment of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Devon DeBlasio of WPP to discuss how agentic systems could change advertising—from buying media and building audiences to influencing how brands appear inside AI-generated recommendations.
WPP has committed to helping develop standards for agentic buying, working with organizations including IAB Tech Lab and Prebid. Devon explains why common protocols and guardrails matter as b...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| Is Advertising Losing Sight of What Actually Works?
Advertising has more data, targeting, platforms and measurement than ever. Yet one question keeps surfacing: Are those capabilities actually helping marketers build stronger businesses?
In this installment of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Justin Lebbon for a candid discussion about where media investment is flowing—and what those shifts could mean for advertisers, publishers and the wider media ecosystem.
The conversation begins with the growing concentration of media spend among a small number of global platforms.
Justin ar...
Ep 29: YouTube, AI Search & the Ad Inventory Gap in Women’s Sports
YouTube, AI search, data centers, and women’s sports may look like separate stories. Together, they reveal how quickly media distribution and advertising access are changing.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright begin with NBCUniversal’s decision to bring more Peacock programming into YouTube Premium.
The partnership gives Peacock access to YouTube’s large global subscriber base while helping YouTube strengthen its premium content offering. Kelly and Sean discuss what the deal may mean for streaming bundles, subscriber growth, and the increasingly blurred line between traditional television and user-g...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| Why AI Still Needs a System of Record| Drew Kane
AI may be reshaping media planning and buying, but not every business problem requires an AI solution.
In this episode of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers speaks with Drew Kane, Chief Product Officer for Prisma at Mediaocean, about media workflow automation, agentic buying, and why trusted systems of record become even more valuable as machines make more decisions.
The conversation begins with Prisma’s role as a financial, contractual, and workflow system supporting the media industry from planning through payment. Drew explains how Mediaocean’s wider portfolio—includ...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| AI Won't Replace Human Creativity| Jonathan Anastas (Rumble)
Jonathan Anastas, Chief Marketing Officer, at Rumble, joins Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes to discuss why AI won't replace human creativity—but instead make it even more valuable.
Following Rumble's acquisition of Northern Data and the launch of Quake AI, Jonathan explains how creators can use AI to build businesses, why video is becoming the next frontier for AI training, and why human ideas remain the competitive advantage in an AI-powered world.
Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes brings together leaders from across media, advertising, technology and AI to discuss where the industry is...
What Advertisers Should Buy Now—and What Can Wait in Q4
When should advertisers lock in Q4 media—and where could waiting actually pay off?
In Episode 28 of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright use Guideline’s forward-booking, ad spend, and pricing data to look ahead at the Q4 advertising market and assess where demand is building, where prices are rising, and where buyers may still have room to wait.
Sean frames the discussion as a media version of buy, sell, or hold.
Retail media is one area where the data points toward buying earlier. After six consecutive quarters of p...
Media Monitor's Conversations at Cannes: Metrics that Matter with Preeti
AI is giving marketers faster access to data and insights. But having more data doesn’t automatically lead to better decisions.
In this episode of Media Monitor's Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits down with Preeti Croke of Analytic Partners to discuss how AI is changing marketing measurement, why ROI requires more context than a single number, and what happens when marketing, finance, and analytics aren’t working from the same definition of success.
Preeti shares how Analytic Partners is using AI through tools such as Ask Genome to make...
Why Advertising Growth Is Slowing Despite a Huge Year for Media
The first half of 2026 delivered the Olympics, a resurgent NBA Finals, the FIFA World Cup, and continued growth across streaming and digital media. Yet advertising spend grew just 4% year over year—well below the roughly 10% growth Guideline has historically seen in comparable event-heavy years.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down what Guideline’s data says about the first half of 2026, where advertising dollars are moving, which categories are gaining or cutting spend, and why major tentpole events haven’t been enough to produce a stronger market.
They e...
3 Common Threads That Kept Coming Up | Conversations at Cannes
Welcome to the first episode of Media Monitor: Conversations in Cannes — a special mini-series featuring industry leaders sharing their predictions for the future of media, advertising, AI, data, and marketing.
Recorded during Cannes Lions, these conversations brought together executives from across the advertising ecosystem to discuss where the industry is headed next.
Before releasing those interviews, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright step back to identify the biggest themes that consistently emerged across every conversation.
Three major ideas stood out.
🤖 AI is becoming a human-led tool.
The conversation aroun...
Why Brands Pay Millions for World Cup Sponsorships | The Hidden Value of Sports MarketingWhy Brands Pay Millions for World Cup Sponsorships | The Hidden Value of Sports Marketing
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, how sponsorship drives brand awareness in an increasingly crowded media environment, and why marketers continue shifting budgets toward high-profile live events.
The conversation also covers:
Why Ford and IBM are hiring employees b...Why Meta Wants Prediction Markets | The $50M Advertising Opportunity Nobody Saw Coming
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 fastest-growing categories.
Using Guideline's advertising intelligence, they reveal how brands are spending over $50 million annually advertising on betting platforms, why alcohol, telecom, and quick-service restaurants are dramatically increasing investment, and what this shift me...
NBA Finals, Fox + Roku & World Cup Ads: The Biggest Media Stories This Week
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 one of streaming's biggest success stories, and how advertisers are following audiences across broadcast and streaming platforms.
The conversation also covers Meta's latest AI copyright lawsuit and wh...
How The New York Times Is Winning in Advertising (While Everyone Else Struggles)
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 company's advertising growth is really coming from—and why it continues to outperform much of the industry.
Topics include:
Why New York Times advertising re...AI, IPOs & Advertising: What Happens When AI Giants Go Public?
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 industry’s perspective on AI may be evolving.
The conversation covers:
Anthropic’s reported IPO ambitions and trillion-dollar valuation discussionsxAI, OpenAI, and the growing co...NFL Advertising Hits Record Highs: What’s Driving Nearly $6 Billion in Revenue?
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 discuss what is fueling that growth, how playoff matchups impact revenue, why certain teams consistently attract advertiser dollars, and what the league's newest scheduling changes could mean for advertisers in th...
Why Publicis Bought LiveRamp — Identity Data, AI & the Future of Advertising
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, and why AI-powered marketing increasingly depends on high-quality consumer data.
The conversation explores:
Why LiveRamp became strategically valuable
How identity graphs actually work
The shift aw...
Upfronts, Streaming & Why TV Advertising Is Starting to Look Like Cable Again
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 had disappeared.
The conversation covers the economics behind streaming advertising, why advertisers still reserve inventory months in advance, how connected TV (CTV) changed media buying, and why consumers may now be paying for “cable with ex...
Auto Advertising Slows While Pharma Faces a Major Shift
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 categories in media—is now facing slower growth, changing consumer priorities, rising vehicle costs, and uncertainty around electric vehicle adoption.
The discussion highlights:
Media Headlines Breakdown: OpenAI Lawsuit, iHeart & SiriusXM, Social Media Bans, and Amsterdam Ads
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 a shift from early expectations to a more competitive and financially driven environment.
From there, the discussion moves into audio, with reported talks between SiriusXM and iHeartMedia. Kelly and Sean examine what a po...
Sports Advertising Trends 2026: Streaming Growth, NFL, NBA, and Olympics Insights
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 with a lighter moment on sports viewing habits before moving into a structured breakdown of major events and leagues, including the Olympics, NFL, NBA, and NHL. From...
Programmatic Advertising Part 2: SSP Trends, CTV Growth, and What Q1 Data Shows
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 marketplace. If DSPs help advertisers buy, SSPs help publishers sell. From there, the conversation moves into one of the more striking shifts in the market — the growing role of programmatic in connected TV.
...Retail Media Networks Explained: Why Amazon, Walmart & Uber Are Winning Ad Dollars
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 Amazon, Walmart, and Target are leading the way, using shopper behavior to deliver highly targeted ads.
But the real s...
Meta & YouTube Lawsuit: Will Social Media Finally Face Consequences?
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—played a role in addictive behavior and worsening mental health for a young user. It’s part of a growing wave of over 2,000 similar cases targeting how these platforms operate, not ju...
Ep 11: How Oil, LNG, and Unemployment Impact Ad Spend (What to Watch in 2026)
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 transportation to manufacturing, the impact on advertising isn’t immediate. Sean explains why ad spend typically lags behind economic shifts, sometimes by several months, due to the long cycle of campaign planning and execution.
Fro...
Ep 10: TV vs Streaming in 2025: Cord Cutting, Live Sports Growth, and What’s Next for 2026
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 time. Since then, the gap has widened significantly, with most households now relying on streaming while traditional TV continues to decline.
The conversation then moves into how that...
Ep 9: Programmatic Advertising Benchmarks: DSP Trends, CTV Growth, and What’s Changing in 2026
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 announced quarterly programmatic benchmark report as a starting point for a practical discussion on what programmatic actually is, how DSPs work, and what the latest benchmark data suggests about the market.
They...
Ep 8: Out-of-Home Advertising Trends: Why the U.S. Lags Global Markets
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.
The discussion then shifts to the topic of out-of-home advertising and why the format continues to generate mixed reactions among U.S. marketers despite strong growth in many international markets.
...
Netflix Backs Out of Warner Bros Bid, WPP’s AI Pivot, and the Shift Toward Performance Marketing
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 strategy.
They also examine WPP CEO Cindy Rose’s announcement that the company is “no longer a holdco,” introducing the multi-year Elevate 28 strategy. With a focus on AI integration, structural realignment, and outcomes-based models, the move signals a broade...
