AdGrowthWeekly | Issue No. 51

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has set a new benchmark not just in scale, but in how television audiences are aggregated globally. The expanded format of 48 teams and 104 matches created nearly six weeks of continuous high-value live inventory, driving sustained TV viewership rather than isolated spikes. Global reach is expected to exceed 5 billion viewers, with record-setting audiences across key markets, including the U.S., where multiple matches delivered all-time highs across both English- and Spanish-language broadcasts. Linear TV remained central to that scale, particularly during knockout rounds, while streaming extended reach and frequency. The tournament also drove increased demand for premium live sports inventory, as advertisers leaned into environments capable of delivering mass, real-time audiences. With FIFA projected to generate around $13 billion in revenue, much of it tied to media rights and sponsorships, the 2026 tournament reinforced that global live sports, especially at this scale, still represent one of the most powerful drivers of television viewership and advertising value worldwide.

FAST is beginning to look less like an emerging streaming category and more like a mature part of the television ecosystem. New research from One Touch Intelligence identified 2,027 FAST channels across 15 major U.S. platforms, up 6% year over year, a sharp slowdown from the rapid expansion seen in recent years. At the same time, monetization continues to improve. Ad loads have largely standardized at 11.1 to 12.9 minutes per hour, 77.5% of detected ads are now unique rather than repetitive, and paid fill rates continue to rise across leading platforms. The market is also becoming more differentiated, with 41.4% of FAST channels available on only a single platform, while local news has emerged as one of the fastest-growing content categories, with broadcasters collectively operating more than 150 local news FAST channels. Rather than simply adding more channels, FAST platforms are increasingly competing through exclusive content, programming strategy, and advertising quality, signaling that the category is entering a more mature phase of growth.

Netflix inventory is being opened further to programmatic buying, with Kokai enabling access through 500+ sellers and publishers, expanding supply paths into one of the most tightly controlled premium streaming environments. The move comes as Netflix’s ad-supported tier continues to scale across its 325 million+ global subscribers, with millions of users now on ad-supported plans as the company pushes deeper into advertising ahead of projected growth in 2026. By increasing the number of programmatic entry points, the update allows advertisers to activate campaigns within existing DSP workflows rather than relying primarily on direct deals, bringing Netflix inventory closer in line with broader CTV transaction models. The expansion reflects a wider shift across premium streaming, where high-demand inventory is gradually being integrated into scaled buying infrastructure as advertiser demand for measurable, high-attention video environments continues to rise.

Fox’s Red Seat Ventures has entered a partnership with Amazon to enable programmatic advertising across its content portfolio, allowing its inventory to be accessed through Amazon’s demand-side platform. The agreement connects Red Seat Ventures’ digital media network, which spans podcasts, streaming video, and creator-led programming, to Amazon’s advertising infrastructure, expanding how that inventory is distributed and transacted. Red Seat Ventures produces and manages content for a range of media personalities and brands, distributing across multiple platforms and reaching audiences through both audio and video formats. By integrating with Amazon DSP, that inventory becomes available within a larger programmatic ecosystem, giving advertisers the ability to access it alongside other CTV and digital supply through a unified buying workflow. The partnership reflects a continued expansion of programmatic access across non-traditional video and audio environments, as more creator-driven and streaming content is incorporated into established advertising platforms.