Retail media ad spending in France, Germany, and the UK continues to rise, outpacing all other ad formats. The space is developing rapidly despite fragmentation and a lack of standards.

US TikTok Shop employees prepare for layoffs: Tariffs and de minimis changes have pushed the platform’s ambitious commerce goal further out of reach.

Amazon’s retail media ad revenues will exceed $60 billion, per WARC: The change represents its steady growth despite broader economic setbacks.

Tariffs threaten to reduce US digital ad spending growth this year. This series explains the effects tariffs will have on ad spending in search, social, CTV, and retail media—and which parts of each might fare best and worst.

US social ad spend will grow YoY in 2025, even as platforms grapple with tariff-related budget cuts from industries that spend heavily on social channels, like CPG and retail.

Meta pays creators for traffic, Spotify wins in-app freedom post-Epic ruling, and Amazon’s Zoox expands robotaxi testing despite software recalls.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the most likely outcome for the TikTok saga, if LinkedIn is risking its professional identity by pivoting towards being a content platform, Pinterest’s latest initiative to become the shopping destination, and why Reddit is somewhat of a sleeping giant. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Senior Analyst Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

TikTok is ByteDance’s global engine: Despite slowing growth in China, the platform continues to expand monetization and user base worldwide.

YouTube introduces new offerings for ads, podcasts: The platform aims to highlight its ability to reach audiences with unmatched versatile content options.

TikTok debuts AI Alive, an image-to-video generation tool: The feature is part of TikTok’s push to maintain dominance in a competitive short-form market.

TikTok brings DMs directly to livestreams: The update is part of TikTok’s broader livestream push, designed to keep brands and creators around.

Shorts now dominate prime screen space on connected TVs, signaling YouTube’s bid to normalize mobile-first formats in the living room—whether users like it or not.

Social media usage in Canada continues to grow, but it’s spread across a wider range of networks. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram still lead, but TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, and X also command large audiences.

YouTube introduces creator marketing updates: The changes aim to position YouTube as an influencer marketing hub amid social media uncertainty.

Social platforms vie for attention at NewFronts: Meta, TikTok, and Snap all debuted ad updates designed to remain competitive amid a backdrop of uncertainty.

The new Account Status dashboard helps explain post visibility, giving Threads an edge over X by offering clarity amid Meta’s evolving content policies.

The update introduces a My Netflix hub and real-time personalization tools, all aimed at helping users find something fast—and not flee to YouTube.

Advertisers battle economic difficulties as they head into upfront negotiations.

Despite uncertainty related to the economy and tariffs, US social network ad spending is expected to grow. AI offerings, social commerce, and lower-funnel investments will drive outlays.