Next in Media

I sat down with Evan Shapiro, the legendary media cartographer and author of the must-read substack Media War and Peace, to kick off 2026 with bold predictions about where our industry is heading. Evan didn't hold back as he unpacked the tension between AI-driven automation and the raw authenticity that makes creators so powerful. We explored how scale and reach are becoming vanity metrics, while fandom and engagement are what truly matter now. From Under Armor to Procter & Gamble, major brands are launching their own content channels and becoming creators themselves rather than just renting influencers. This isn't your typical brand content strategy, this is a fundamental shift in how marketing dollars flow.We also tackled the elephant in the room: YouTube's dominance and whether anyone can challenge it, the explosive growth of retail media networks like Walmart and Amazon, and why traditional media companies like Disney and Warner Brothers are finally embracing platforms they once feared. Evan predicts the AI bubble will burst in 2026, not because the technology isn't valuable, but because it won't be the sexy revolution everyone's hyping. Instead, AI will improve things behind the scenes with targeting optimization and efficiency gains. Plus, we discussed the rise of social media politicians and how $2.5 billion in political ad spending could fundamentally change addressable TV advertising. This conversation is packed with insights you won't want to miss. Key Highlights 🎯 Engagement Over Reach: Scale and reach are now vanity metrics. The biggest shift in the creator economy is toward fandom and deep engagement rather than pure subscriber counts. Mr. Beast is the exception, creators like Amelia Dimoldenberg and Sean Evans prove that smaller, highly engaged audiences drive better business results.🏢 Brands Become Creators: Under Armor, Procter & Gamble, and L'Oreal are launching their own content channels and production companies. Instead of hiring influencers, brands will convert ad spend into creating their own entertainment channels, following the Barbie and LEGO model of becoming lifestyle brands.📺 Traditional Media's Creator Problem: Disney still treats YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok as brochure ware with trailers and promotional content. In 2026, major studios will finally go all-in on real content for these platforms, similar to how they eventually launched Disney+ after years of resistance.🤖 The AI Bubble Will Burst: The hype around AI making movies, commercials, and scripts will deflate in 2026. AI's real value lies in boring but crucial improvements to targeting, optimization, and efficiency, not in replacing creative talent. Disney's $1.5 billion investment in OpenAI signals they're getting ahead of this shift.🛍️ Retail Media's Next Wave: We're in the first half of the first inning of shoppable TV. Walmart's integration of Vizio will make them the second-largest retail media network after Amazon. This enables a whole new class of TV advertisers and unlocks budgets that never intersected with traditional media spending.📱 Instagram and TikTok Launch CTV: Evan predicts both Instagram and TikTok will launch connected TV platforms in 2026. When Oracle takes control of TikTok in the US, a television product is inevitable. YouTube's success with shorts on TV proves short-form content can work on the big screen.💰 YouTube's Branded Content Explosion: Branded deals embedded in YouTube videos grew over 50% in the first half of 2025, becoming the fastest-growing segment of YouTube's ad economy. With dynamic insertion launching for branded content in 2026, this will dramatically accelerate and become more scalable.🗳️ Political Ads Transform CTV: The $2.5 billion political ecosystem will spend on hyper-local, outcome-based ads in 2026. This wave of aggressive buyers targeting at the neighborhood level will change television advertising at the genetic level and unlock the true promise of addressable TV. Resources & Next Steps 🔗 Follow Evan Shapiro on LinkedIn🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts

This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Shane Atchison, CEO of Zaaz Collective, and Seth Gordon, a film director and co-founder of Zaaz. We dove into their mission to help micro and mid-level creators (those with 5,000 to 100,000 followers) think and act like media companies. With 96% of creators making minimum wage or less, Shane and Seth saw an opportunity to build a collective where creators could access the data, tools, and intelligence typically reserved for top-tier talent. They shared how Zaaz is using AI-powered analytics, audience insights, and comments-to-commerce strategies to help creators maximize their impact and earnings.I was fascinated by their approach to solving the creator-brand disconnect. Shane explained how most creators have no idea what to charge for brand deals and often feel they get screwed on their first partnerships. Zaaz addresses this with transparent pricing data, engagement rate benchmarks, and personalized AI language models trained on each creator's unique content and audience. Seth brought a compelling perspective from the traditional entertainment world, noting how the $50 million ad model is dying and the future is much more atomized and creator-led. We also explored their plans for Q1 2025, including creator-to-creator events in Brazil and launching new tools for content transcription and multi-platform analytics._________________________________________________________________Key Highlights💡 The Creator Economy Gap: 96% of creators are making minimum wage or less despite the industry growing to $500 million by 2030 with 35% year-over-year growth in media spend.🤝 The Collective Model: Zaaz operates as a membership-based collective where creators share anonymized data on brand deals, pricing, and engagement rates so everyone can learn what's a fair deal.📊 Audience Intelligence: The platform unifies analytics across all social platforms in one dashboard and uses AI to analyze comments for purchase intent, brand opportunities, and genuine engagement.💬 Comments to Commerce: Zaaz filters through thousands of comments to surface the ones that matter, like when someone asks "what shirt are you wearing?" turning those into affiliate link opportunities.🤖 Personalized AI Language Models: Each creator gets their own AI agent trained on their content, comments, and audience data, plus access to collective intelligence from other creators' successful strategies.🎯 Brand Discovery Done Right: Zaaz pushes dynamic media kits to discovery platforms so creators are represented with real-time data on momentum, engagement rates, and audience quality.🎬 The Future is Atomized: Seth Gordon explained how the traditional $50 million ad campaign model is dying, and the future belongs to niche, specialized creator-led content reaching targeted audiences.🚀 Launching in 2025: Zaaz is hosting creator-to-creator events in Brazil and the U.S., launching AI-powered content transcription tools, and helping creators who "don't realize they're creators" move into the space._________________________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🌐 Explore Zaaz Collective🔗 Connect with Shane Atchison on LinkedIn🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts_________________________________________________________________YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Cold open - Building Zaaz for creators00:36 Introducing Shane Atchison and Seth Gordon02:02 What is Zaaz Collective?03:00 How the collective model works04:32 The "I got screwed" problem for creators06:07 Seth on protecting creators in the wild west07:07 Who are the target creators? (5K-100K followers)08:32 Audience analytics across platforms10:52 Comments to commerce strategy13:04 Brand discovery and connecting the two sides15:19 Seth on knowing your audience18:32 The value of micro influencers20:23 Seth on Warner Bros and the dying $50M ad model22:10 Streamlining media spend in the creator economy24:51 Personalized AI language models for creators27:00 Q1 plans: Launching in Brazil and creator events28:29 Wrap-up and thanks

This week I had the chance to sit down with two fascinating guests who are at the forefront of bridging the worlds of digital performance marketing and traditional television advertising. Nick Fairbairn, VP of Growth Marketing at Chime, and Andy Schonfeld, CRO at Tatari, walked me through how they've transformed Chime from a pure digital-first, DTC neobank brand built on social and search into a sophisticated advertiser that runs television campaigns with the same performance mindset they apply to Meta and Google. Their partnership has evolved from small linear TV tests six years ago to a comprehensive full-funnel TV strategy that blends brand building with direct response metrics.Nick and Andy shared incredible insights into the evolution of performance TV, from navigating the COVID-era inventory opportunities to understanding why linear TV still matters even as streaming dominates the conversation. They explained how Chime approaches television with a portfolio strategy, balancing premium reach moments like live sports with more targeted direct response placements, and why creative and media planning have become the "new targeting" in a world where precise one-to-one identification remains expensive and imperfect. We also dove into the challenges of measuring TV in a fragmented landscape, the role of AI-driven creative, and whether shoppable TV will actually move the needle or remain a marginal innovation. Key HighlightsHere's a shorter version:📺 From Walled Gardens to TV: Chime shifted from 80% Facebook/Google spend to treating TV as a performance channel, not just brand awareness.🚀 COVID's Opportunity: The pandemic opened premium TV inventory at discounts as major advertisers exited, accelerating streaming adoption for performance marketers.🎯 Performance TV Defined: Measuring full-funnel impact from awareness to account openings using spike attribution, MMM, and Tatari's platform.⚡ Linear Still Works: Live sports and big moments deliver results at 75% off rate card for brands buying real-time through platforms like Tatari.💰 The DR Valley of Death: Pure direct response TV hits limits, requiring investment in premium brand moments with longer attribution windows for growth.🤖 AI and Creative Over Targeting: Paying 2-3x CPMs for precise targeting isn't worth it—creative and smart placement beat perfect identity resolution.📱 Shoppable TV Reality: Interactive ads and QR codes show promise but remain marginal in business impact; AI-generated creative variations offer more upside. Resources & Next Steps🔗 Learn more about Chime📊 Explore Tatari's performance TV platform🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Opening - Performance TV and Chime's evolution00:55 Introducing Nick Fairbairn (VP Growth Marketing at Chime)01:00 Introducing Andy Schonfeld (CRO at Tatari)01:10 Chime's historic media mix - born on social and search02:00 The classic DTC journey - 80% in Facebook and Google02:20 Bringing a portfolio approach to acquisition02:40 Meeting Tatari and starting the TV journey (2019)03:00 Initial barriers - cost, creative, and optimization concerns03:40 Running TV like Meta from day one04:10 Linear focus in the early days (2016-2019)04:40 Small doses of TV with incrementality and attribution05:00 How COVID accelerated streaming adoption05:40 Major brands exiting created inventory opportunities06:00 Fire sale opportunities on premium inventory06:30 Nick's resistance to streaming at first07:00 The linear purist becomes a 50/50 believer07:40 Defining performance in TV advertising08:20 Full funnel measurement - awareness to enrollments09:00 Getting efficient on walled gardens to fund brand TV09:40 The DR valley of death explained10:10 How performance TV measurement has evolved11:00 Starting lower funnel, then expanding upward11:40 The $10-15M threshold where DR hits limits12:10 Going premium - live sports and big moments12:40 The commitment required to unlock TV's power13:10 TV driving IPOs and acquisitions13:40 Helping startups scale through TV14:00 The state of CTV today - better or more complex?14:40 Linear vs streaming buying challenges15:10 Cost prohibitive targeting on streaming15:50 Creative differences between linear and streaming16:20 What's missing - the dashboard fantasy17:00 Why linear still matters - 50% of viewership17:40 Yankees playoff game example - 75% discount18:30 You can't buy big moments programmatically19:10 Relationships still matter in TV buying19:50 Programmatic CTV limitations20:30 Media mix modeling and holistic measurement21:30 Identity and targeting in TV - does it matter?22:10 Creative as the new targeting22:50 Why paying 2-3x CPM for precision isn't worth it23:30 You can't measure it all - need multiple approaches24:00 Shoppable TV and interactive ads - bullish or not?24:40 QR codes and send-to-phone - still marginal25:10 Pause ads opening new real estate25:40 Amazon remote ads and early testing26:00 Dynamic AI creative - 100 variations vs two26:30 Local market creative optimization27:00 Something's brewing with device and TV convergence27:30 Wrap-up and thanks

I had the incredible opportunity to bring together some of the brightest minds in the creator economy for an evening of candid conversation about where this industry is headed. From ad tech innovations to creator authenticity, we covered the full spectrum of what it takes to turn creator content into scalable, revenue-generating partnerships. Conor McKenna from Luma and Zoe Soon from the IAB kicked things off with a macro view of the space, discussing how fragmented media is creating massive opportunities for technology to step in. We explored why brands are shifting budgets at unprecedented rates, with Unilever committing 50% of marketing spend to creator-related initiatives.The evening featured deep dives into brand integration strategies with Ali Parish from Blue Hour Studios and Jeremy Stewart from VuePlanner, followed by an eye-opening discussion with Arthur Leopolod from Agentio about how AI and automation are revolutionizing creator advertising. Perhaps most compelling was hearing directly from Sydney Jo, the creator behind the viral Group Chat series, and her manager Haley Friedman from Made By All about the reality of building a creator business. From navigating brand negotiations to maintaining creative authenticity, this conversation revealed both the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of digital storytellers._______________________________________________Key Highlights🚀 The Walled Garden Shift: Meta and Google are evolving from social platforms to entertainment platforms, opening up competitive dynamics that allow ad tech to capture margin in the previously closed creator ecosystem.📈 Explosive Growth Trajectory: The creator economy is projected to reach $37 billion this year, growing 400% faster than average digital media, with Agentio raising $40 million to help brands scale from $50K to over $1 million in creator spend without additional bandwidth.🎯 The Authenticity Challenge: Brands are treating creators like Hollywood storytellers but expecting them to perform like programmatic ad units, creating a disconnect that requires better infrastructure, measurement, and understanding of the creator-first approach.🤖 AI as the Creative Multiplier: While AI enables scalability and reduces production costs to zero, the real winners will be creators with established trust and parasocial relationships, as audiences increasingly seek authentic voices in a sea of AI-generated content.💡 Partnership Over Performance: Long-term brand relationships like Sydney's multi-season deal with Hilton outperform transactional campaigns, with brands that engage in comments and understand social media culture seeing significantly better integration and results.📊 The Measurement Gap: Over 50% of US buyers consider creators a must-buy (second only to search and social), yet the industry lacks standardized metrics beyond engagement and reach, requiring brands to rely heavily on first-party data and brand-specific goals.🎬 Platform Dynamics: YouTube and Meta provide strong creator support with dedicated reps, while TikTok remains uniquely difficult to work with despite its massive scale, and creators intentionally maintain cross-platform presence to avoid giving control to any single platform.⚡ From Viral to Viable: Sydney's journey from 250K to 1.7 million followers in one week (and a Today Show appearance) reveals both the opportunity and challenge of monetizing virality, highlighting the critical importance of having the right management team to navigate brand negotiations and maintain creative control._______________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🌐 Learn more about VuePlanner🌐 Learn more about Agentio🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts_______________________________________________YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Opening remarks and industry momentum01:10 Introducing Connor McKenney and Zoe Soon03:00 The ad tech opportunity in creator economy05:40 Walled gardens becoming distribution platforms07:00 Why brands are shifting to creators08:30 The infrastructure and measurement challenge12:00 AI and algorithm control concerns13:00 Standardization vs. authenticity debate17:10 Ali Perish and Jeremy Stewart on brand integration18:40 Evolution of Blue Hour Studios20:40 View Planner's role in creator measurement24:00 YouTube Creator Partnerships Hub26:00 The lifetime value of creators28:00 Arthur Leopold introduces Agentio30:00 The $10 billion to $800 billion opportunity32:00 How Agentio automates creator advertising35:30 Bidding model and AI strategy creation37:40 Creators as micro creative agencies40:00 The Cambrian explosion of AI creativity42:40 Sydney and Hailey from Made By All44:00 Sydney's viral Group Chat origin story46:30 Navigating early brand deals49:00 The importance of saying no51:40 Long-term brand relationships54:00 When brands don't understand social media56:00 Working with platform partners58:30 Advice for brands and creators01:00:00 Closing thoughts and thank you

Tusar Barik, Senior VP of Marketing at The New York Times, discusses the newspaper's exciting transformation into a diverse media giant. He highlights their impressive audience growth, especially among Gen Z, and the success of their digital advertising strategies. Tusar shares insights about the innovative Brand Match AI tool which enhances ad performance and the evolution of podcasts into multimodal experiences. He also explores the vital role of games like Wordle in driving engagement and how the Times is shaping content to meet modern consumer demands.

Summary:This week on Next in Media, Mike Shields talks with Erick Opeka, President & Chief Strategy Officer at Cineverse and board member at the startup Micro Co. Opeka breaks down how short-form “micro-dramas”—already attracting hundreds of millions of daily viewers in China—are taking shape in the U.S. and why they could become a $20 billion category.He explains how Cineverse’s 22 streaming services, proprietary Matchpoint technology, and deep ad-tech stack position it to lead this wave. From Quibi’s missteps to AI-driven efficiencies, Opeka shares how the next generation of vertical video could transform storytelling, advertising, and the very idea of television.⭐ Key Highlights🎥 Cineverse 101: Operates a full-service film & TV studio plus 22 streaming platforms with under 200 employees—powered by its Matchpoint operating system.💡 Tech meets storytelling: Built its own ad-tech stack (C360) and data tools to monetize efficiently while controlling creative output.📱 Rise of micro-dramas: Already a $1 billion U.S. market and mainstream in China, drawing 600 million daily viewers.🧠 Why it works: Each 3-minute story triggers anticipation loops in the brain—more rewarding than endless scrolling.🌍 Cultural crossover: Format expected to reach 13–15% of all video consumption at maturity—larger than the entire U.S. theatrical market.🧩 Creative power team: Lloyd Braun, Susan Rovner, and Jana Winograde join Opeka to build a U.S.-based micro-drama studio.📺 Beyond romance: Expanding from steamy love stories to game shows, thrillers, and reality formats.💰 Business model: Starts with premium and pay-per-view, evolves toward ad-supported models—echoing the broader streaming trend.🤝 Brand opportunity: Advertisers aren’t yet in but white-space potential mirrors early anime and TikTok stages.🔮 Looking ahead: Launch slated for Spring 2026, combining platform tech + top-tier creatives to redefine mobile storytelling. 🔗 Resources & Next StepsFollow Erick Opeka on LinkedIn 🔗 Learn more about Cineverse → cineverse.com⭐ Rate & Review to help more listeners discover the show🎧Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts ⏱️ YouTube Chapters00:00 – Intro and Erick Opeka’s role at Cineverse01:00 – How Cineverse runs 22 streaming services with Matchpoint04:00 – Ad-tech integration and C360 audience platform05:00 – The micro-drama trend and China’s 600 million viewers07:30 – Why micro-dramas hook audiences psychologically09:30 – U.S. market potential and viewer behavior11:00 – Genres evolving beyond romance13:00 – Demographics and comparison to K-drama boom14:30 – Business models: subscription vs ad-supported17:00 – Early lessons from China and U.S. adoption curve18:00 – Formation of Micro Co and the creative team21:00 – Building a U.S. platform with better UX and production quality26:00 – Quibi comparisons and why this time is different29:00 – Timeline for launch and platform strategy32:00 – Brand building and sustainable growth vs CAC race34:00 – CTV integration and cross-screen potential35:40 – Advertising ecosystem and brand interest37:40 – TERRIFIER franchise and Cineverse’s studio approach40:00 – Final thoughts on innovation and industry future

Why Brands Should Stop Avoiding News with Jack MarshallBrands have long shied away from advertising in news, fearing controversy or association with “negative” stories; but that hesitation is costing them results. This week, Mike Shields talks with Jack Marshall, Head of News at DoubleVerify, about why avoiding news is a missed opportunity and how advertisers can take a smarter, more nuanced approach to brand safety and suitability.Jack shares insights from DV’s research, which shows that news content drives 16% more engagement than non-news media, and explains how AI-driven tools are helping advertisers target responsibly while supporting trusted journalism. The conversation covers the shifting perceptions of news advertising, AI’s role in brand safety, and why authentic reporting may soon stand out as the antidote to AI-generated “slop.” Highlights:📰 The News Opportunity – DV data shows that news content generates 16% more engagement than non-news, yet many advertisers still block it.🔒 Brand Safety vs. Suitability – Safety covers truly unsafe content (malware, spam, copyright infringement); suitability is where nuanced strategy is needed.🧠 Educating the Industry – Jack’s role includes helping advertisers, agencies, and publishers understand how to unlock news environments safely.🛠️ Smarter Tools, Less Risk – DV’s AI-driven keyword optimization helps reduce false blocks and allows brands to use a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer.⚙️ Product Innovation – DV’s News Accelerator initiative and contextual categories like News+ and News+ Light make it easier to advertise in quality news at scale.📉 Myth-busting Fear – Consumers can separate ads from content; most don’t associate a brand with a nearby tough headline.🤖 AI & Trust – As AI-generated misinformation spreads, real journalism becomes more valuable — “the real connections stand out among the weirdness.”💬 Shift in Attitude – Advertisers are realizing they’ve been too conservative and are reopening budgets for trusted news environments.🪶 Publishers Adapting – From the New York Times’ strong ad growth to the rise of news creators, publishers are learning to leverage trust, voice, and engagement.🌍 Future Outlook – Expect closer ties between news brands and influencers, merging authenticity with scale in ad models. Resources and links:🔗 Follow Jack Marshall on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackmarshall/🌐 Learn more about DoubleVerify’s News Accelerator → doubleverify.comExplore Sabio’s platform: sabioctv.com ⭐ Rate & Review to help more listeners discover the show🎧Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts Chapters:00:00 Research shows advertisers miss out by avoiding news00:40 Introducing Jack Marshall, Head of News at DoubleVerify02:00 Why DV created a Head of News role03:20 Educating advertisers and publishers on news investment04:50 The CMO vs. junior buyer disconnect06:00 Brand safety vs. brand suitability explained07:30 When it’s reasonable to exclude content — and when it’s not08:20 Modern tools vs. blunt keyword blocking09:20 Overgeneralizations and nuanced strategies10:00 The myth of “negative adjacency”11:10 How consumers actually perceive ads near news12:10 DV research: news drives 16% higher engagement13:30 Why advertisers should rethink “news avoidance”15:40 The DV News Accelerator and new AI keyword tools17:10 Cutting bloated keyword lists with automation18:30 Helping brands use a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer19:30 Making nuance easy for media buyers20:20 Is the pendulum swinging back toward openness?21:30 AI slop and why real news stands out23:00 Publishers finding optimism amid change24:20 Diversifying revenue and growing brand trust25:20 The rise of news creators and influencer-style partnerships26:00 Closing thoughts — supporting real journalism and connection

In a lively discussion, Charlotte Maines, the Head of Device Advertising for Fire TV at Amazon, reveals the power of Fire TV's 300 million devices for brands targeting logged-in customers. She discusses the six-minute window where brands can capture viewer interest and how advertising has evolved from simple tune-ins to engaging full-funnel campaigns. Charlotte introduces Alexa Plus, an AI-driven assistant enhancing voice interactions, and explores innovative shoppable TV experiences that seamlessly integrate commerce with viewing, showcasing the future of advertising.

Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, discusses his company's bold transformation amid a shifting media landscape. He dives into the blend of big data and panel measurement, revealing how this foundational change addresses fragmentation and enhances audience understanding. The rise of YouTube on connected TVs and its challenges is explored, alongside the role of AI in integrating digital and linear workflows. Karthik also touches on the essential support for creators and the ongoing 'currency wars' in media measurement.

Robert Wheeler, Founder and CEO of At The Moment Media, discusses his bold move from corporate communications at major companies to launching a people-centric publication in advertising. He explains the importance of humanizing B2B storytelling and how his brand focuses on short, engaging videos. Robert shares insights on embracing authentic narratives over jargon and highlights plans to cover cultural events like the Latin GRAMMYs. He emphasizes that a good story can't be fixed by PR spin, advocating for clarity and creativity in communication.