AdGrowthWeekly | Issue No. 49

HAPPY Q3! (YES, ALREADY.)

Author

Grace Gillespie
July 09, 2026

AdGROWTH WEEKLY

July 9, 2026

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend! It's officially summer... which, in our industry, somehow means it's already time to start talking about the holidays.

Coming back this week, I was surprised by how many conversations have already shifted toward retention, preparing for BFCM, and what brands should be doing over the next couple of months to set themselves up for a strong finish to the year. Every July I think, there's just no way we're already having these conversations, and every July I'm proven wrong (You'd think I'd learn by now).

So... welcome to Q3!

I've actually started to like this point in the year. The conference calendar slows down a bit, there's finally a chance to catch up on emails, and everyone gets a second to breathe after a busy first half. But the interesting part isn't that things get quieter, it's how quickly everyone's mindset shifts. The focus moves from what's happening today to what's coming next, and I think that's where some of the best conversations happen.

That also made this week's AdExchanger feature especially exciting for our team. Our SVP of Digital, David Nyurenberg, was featured discussing something CTV buyers have been waiting on for years: true show-level optimization. Instead of simply reporting on where campaigns ran after the fact, buyers are beginning to optimize based on the performance of individual shows while campaigns are still live. It's a really interesting look at where buying is headed, and even better to see David helping lead that conversation. Definitely worth the read if you haven't had a chance yet!

If this week reminded me of anything, it's that our industry doesn't really have an "off season." Even when the conference schedule slows down and the summer PTO starts rolling in, the ideas don't. They just shift from what's happening now to what's coming next. 

So enjoy the sunshine while you can. I have a feeling August and September are going to get here much faster than any of us would like.

Now, before someone I accidentally start saying Happy Holidays in July, here’s what shaping the conversation this week.

Enjoy,

-Grace

INDUSTRY TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Sports Inventory Gets More Targeted

Gracenote and PubMatic are adding more structure to programmatic CTV by introducing curated deals built around live sports and specific content, not just publishers. The partnership uses Gracenote’s metadata, which spans more than 40 million program listings across 260+ streaming services in over 80 countries, allowing advertisers to transact against inventory tied to genres, leagues, and individual events. The shift comes as programmatic CTV continues to scale but still lacks the program-level visibility that has long existed in linear TV. By layering content-level signals into the buying process, these deals aim to bring more precision into how inventory is packaged and sold, especially around high-demand environments like live sports where context plays a larger role in performance.

Inside Fox's Live Syndication Test

Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach, and LTN are testing what live syndicated TV can look like in a more modern setup, running a four-week trial of 25 Words or Less LIVE that delivered 38+ live broadcasts across 18 stations in major U.S. markets. Instead of relying on satellite, the show was distributed using LTN’s IP-based network, with production based out of Parlay Studios in New Jersey. It’s a relatively small test, but the numbers show this isn’t just a concept. Multiple markets, consistent daily broadcasts, and live delivery all running through IP infrastructure. The bigger signal here is operational. Local and syndicated TV are starting to experiment with more flexible, network-based distribution models, which could change how live inventory is produced, distributed, and scaled over time.

PARTNER PULSE

FreeCast Takes Streaming Local

FreeCast is pushing deeper into the FAST market with the rollout of FreeCast Cities, a localized streaming platform designed to operate across all 210 U.S. TV markets, effectively bringing full DMA-level targeting into a digital environment. The scale is significant. Covering every market mirrors the structure of traditional broadcast distribution, but within a streaming framework that can support more flexible ad delivery and measurement. The platform will deliver localized news, weather, sports, and entertainment, alongside geographically targeted advertising, positioning it closer to a digital version of local TV than a typical national FAST channel. As FAST continues to grow, which is already reaching tens of millions of U.S. households and accounting for a rising share of CTV viewing time, this type of localization adds another layer of value. It allows advertisers to combine national scale with market-level precision, something that has historically required separate linear and digital strategies.

Record Ratings Despite U.S. Exit

The U.S. vs. Belgium World Cup match delivered a record-setting audience, drawing 42 million viewers across Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock, the largest soccer audience ever recorded in the United States. Fox’s English-language broadcast averaged 30 million viewers and peaked at 36.9 million, while Spanish-language coverage contributed an additional 12 million viewers, highlighting the scale of bilingual audience engagement. The match now ranks among the most-watched sporting events in recent U.S. history, with viewership continuing to climb even in a knockout stage loss. The data underscores the consistent pattern seen throughout the tournament, as World Cup matches continue to aggregate massive audiences across linear and streaming platforms, with Spanish-language viewership playing a significant role in total reach.

Netflix's Homepage Is Changing

Netflix is starting to reshape what its homepage looks like, bringing in short-form video from digital publishers in a move that expands beyond traditional TV and film. Beginning August 3, the platform will feature content from dozens of publishers including BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst, People Inc., and Tastemade, with videos typically running 3 to 20 minutes across categories like food, travel, design, and entertainment. The addition puts this type of content in front of Netflix’s 325 million-plus global subscribers, introducing formats that have historically lived on social and digital platforms into a premium streaming environment. It’s a notable shift in programming strategy, as Netflix looks to increase engagement by blending long-form viewing with shorter, more frequent content that keeps users on the platform longer.

I.M. NEWS

InterMedia helps unlock a new era of show-level optimization in Connected TV

InterMedia helps unlock a new era of show-level optimization in Connected TV For years, show-level transparency has been one of the biggest unsolved challenges in Connected TV. While advertisers have long known that programming influences performance, programmatic CTV has lacked a scalable, privacy-safe way to turn that intelligence into an optimization signal. Today, we're proud to share what we believe is the first public demonstration of a privacy-safe framework for show-level buying and optimization at scale. Featured today in AdExchanger, David Nyurenberg, SVP of Digital at InterMedia Advertising, discusses how InterMedia collaborated with PEER39, Pontiac Intelligence, and innovative client Laundry Sauce to prove that authenticated show-level intelligence can move beyond reporting and become a real optimization signal inside a DSP. The results were significant. Using authenticated content intelligence, the team achieved show-level CPA reporting across approximately 94% of open auction CTV impressions, compared to the 10% to 15% typically available through traditional show-name metadata. More importantly, those insights became actionable. The campaign uncovered performance differences of up to 4x between individual programs, enabling Pontiac's optimization algorithms to prioritize higher-performing programming environments. The result was a 64% improvement in add-to-cart efficiency and a 2.5x increase in page-view-to-add-to-cart conversion rate. While these results benefited Laundry Sauce immediately, the broader implications extend far beyond a single campaign. This work demonstrates that show-level intelligence can become a scalable optimization signal without relying on user-level viewing data, creating a path toward a more transparent, measurable, and privacy-conscious future for Connected TV. We're incredibly proud of David, our partners at Peer39 and Pontiac Intelligence, and especially Laundry Sauce for helping bring this vision to life. Innovation like this doesn't happen in isolation. It happens when advertisers, agencies, and technology partners come together to solve industry-wide challenges.

Q3 2026 TV & Streaming Planning Guide

Q3 is officially in full effect, and the biggest opportunities of the quarter are just getting started.From the FIFA World Cup Final and NFL Kickoff to back-to-school shopping, fall premieres, and thousands of live sporting events, audience attention will be more concentrated over the next 90 days than almost any other time of the year.Inside, you'll find key planning dates, major cultural moments, and strategic insights on how brands can use linear TV and CTV together to maximize reach, improve efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition this quarter.If you're building or refining your Q3 media strategy, it's worth a read.

WHERE TO BE

GROW NY: Center 415, NY: August 19, 2026

eTail Boston: Sheraton Boston, MA: August 10-12, 2026

Groceryshop: Mandalay Bay, LV: September 22-24, 2026

Shoptalk Fall: Music City Center, TN: September 29-October 1, 2026