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The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 THE END OF THE AUDIOPHILE

More podcast listeners are watching, moving beyond earbuds and onto the living room screen. As connected TV becomes the main way people watch YouTube, podcasters are seeing a surge in viewership via smart TVs. Amid the shift, Digiday reports today that many podcasters are responding with more visual content to keep audiences engaged.

• One podcaster with 46K YouTube subscribers reported that connected TV now accounts for nearly 25% of views, up 10% points YoY. While mobile viewership fell 15%, from 70% to 55%, over the same period.

• Media company FlightStory said 30% of its total YouTube views were from TV in 2024, and reported 12 million hours of TV podcast views so far in 2025.

• Podcast production company Sonoro also saw its TV viewership rise to 22% this year, up from 17% last year.

• New data shows that almost half of podcast viewers now watch on smart TVs.

• YouTube’s TV app saw 400 million podcast watch hours per month in 2024, with podcasters and production companies reporting that the trend is continuing to grow in 2025.

🥈 LINKEDIN VIDEO ONLY

💼 No more extra baggage: LinkedIn updated its post embedding tools with a new offering a new "video only" option, letting users share video content on their websites without embedding the full post. The update also includes a new design, a compact preview option, and a clearer LinkedIn branding. more

• Users on desktop can now choose from three embed styles:

  1. Embed with less text

  2. Embed entire post

  3. Embed video only

• Only publicly shared posts are eligible for embedding, and posts with multiple images aren’t supported.

• Supported formats include text, articles, images, videos (live or recorded), and document posts.

🥉 TIKTOK: AD DOLLARS > DRAMA

TikTok opened this year’s NewFronts with a message for marketers: We’re not going anywhere. As U.S. lawmakers push for a potential ban, the platform leaned hard into stability, doubling down on safety with $2 billion in moderation investments, tens of thousands of safety staff, and “rigorous oversight” of U.S. data via Oracle and third-party inspectors.

Despite regulatory pressure, TikTok is still booming, with 170 million monthly U.S. users and projected ad revenue of $32.4 billion, up 25% YoY, in 2025... if it avoids a shutdown. more

• TikTok also teased big plans for search, positioning it as the next frontier of social discovery and brand integration.

• A new Sponsorship Solutions tool will let marketers build curated content around specific search terms.

• The platform is also eyeing live sports and other off-app content extensions.

• Generative AI is also entering the mix. TikTok’s new Custom Lineups tool, part of Pulse Core, helps surface relevant UGC by category, occasion, or holiday.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 1.17% ) is testing showing images within the sitelinks carousel in sponsored results. While image-enhanced sitelinks have appeared before, this version is being tested within the ad extension. more

• The platform is also testing a new large "Sponsored results" header that groups multiple ads together on the search results page. more

• Meta Ads $META ( ▼ 0.59% ) has a new instant form option that lets users select multiple answers to a question. When enabled, multiple choice questions switch from radio buttons to checkboxes with a “Select all that apply” prompt. It’s a small tweak, but one that could lead to more accurate responses. It's unclear if this is a full rollout or just a test. more

• ⚠️ Advertise with caution: As AI content dominates the internet, more users are searching for Reddit results, looking for real human insights. Marketing Brew has a great piece today on how some brands are tapping into this trend. While Reddit’s reputation for being tough on sponsored content has made some marketers wary, those who engage thoughtfully say the platform’s community insights and high engagement are worth it, as long as they approach the platform with care.

Streaming 📺️ 

• Netflix $NFLX ( ▼ 0.34% ) announced today that it will be rolling out a new homepage in the coming weeks. While the update doesn’t immediately impact advertising, the company hinted that ad-related changes may be on the horizon. At launch, both ad-supported and ad-free users will have the same experience. more

  • A "cleaner" homepage with updated navigation, shortcuts, and smarter recommendations.

  • A global test of vertical video on mobile, mimicking TikTok’s scrollable feed. Viewers can tap to watch, save, or share clips.

  • Generative AI-powered search is being tested on iOS, letting users search for shows using phrases like "I want something funny.”

• As economic uncertainty looms, execs say it could drive more demand for lower-funnel ad options on TV. Marketing Brew reports that platforms like NBCU $CMCSA ( ▲ 0.29% ) and Roku $ROKU ( ▼ 1.13% ) are going all in on shoppable ads.

  • NBCU has seen a 378% spike in engagement and a 60% YoY increase in purchases tied to its commerce activations.

  • Roku, meanwhile, is leaning into remote-based shopping and expanding its Shopify $SHOP ( ▼ 3.22% ) partnership, making it easier for viewers to shop directly through their remotes or via Roku Pay.

Social Media 📱

• LinkedIn is rolling out a new AI search tool that lets users find job listings by describing their ideal role. The updated search bar now provides results based on queries, like “find me entry-level brand manager roles in fashion.” The feature is available now to Premium subscribers, and will expand to all English-language users by the end of the week. more

The Ticker

📈 HOW DIGITAL MARKETING STOCKS ARE DOING

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