TikTok’s $14B valuation, Netflix collab with AB InBev, & OpenAI's ad ambitions

On this week’s Media Intelligence Podcast, Kate Scott-Dawkins, Jeff Foster, and Nidhi Shah from WPP Media’s Business Intelligence team discuss some of the week’s biggest media and marketing stories. Topics include TikTok’s $14B valuation and what it means for the platform’s future, the latest UK inflation data, rising streaming subscription prices, Netflix’s new partnership with AB InBev, and OpenAI’s plans to introduce advertising. The team looks at how these developments could affect brands and advertisers as we head into Q4.

Key Topics

• TikTok’s $14B valuation and U.S. ban update
• UK inflation trends and global economic signals
• Netflix teams up with AB InBev for native advertising
• Streaming service price hikes compared to cable costs
• Comcast spinout Versant’s revenue decline
• Affiliate TV station consolidation in the U.S. and Europe
• OpenAI’s push toward ad monetization with Pulse

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction & TikTok valuation update
02:21 – UK and global economic outlook
11:55 – Netflix and AB InBev partnership
15:27 – Streaming price hikes vs cable costs
20:01 – Comcast spinout Versant revenue trends
23:23 – Affiliate TV station ownership and consolidation
28:14 – OpenAI moves toward advertising

Links:

WPP Media's Mid-Year Global Advertising Forecast Update: https://www.wppmedia.com/news/tyny-midyear-2025