In this week’s Week in Charts, marketers prioritise CTV investment, UK sports piracy soars, and global streamers ramp up sports rights spend.
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Charts of the Week
CTV Highlighted as Investment Priority for 2026
Sixty-three percent of marketers say they expect to increase their investment in CTV this year, according to Mediaocean’s latest ‘Advertising Outlook’ report, based on a global survey of marketing professionals. Social and digital display/video are also set for significant increases, with 63 percent and 61 percent planning to up their spend.
Some of this investment may be reallocated from linear TV, as 34 percent of marketers expect to cut their ‘national TV’ budgets. It’s not all one-way traffic on the linear TV front, however, with 17 percent saying they will increase their spend, and 48 percent planning to keep their linear budgets flat.
Streaming Services Ramp Up Live Sports Investment
Investment in sports rights by streaming services is rising quickly, according to research from Ampere Analysis, growing from $6.5 billion overall in 2022 to a projected $14.2 billion this year.
Some of this growth has come from the ‘global generalist’ streaming services — companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple which are available globally and don’t specialise in sports. Netflix, once a sports naysayer, continues to spend on boxing and NFL one-offs, while Paramount has made live sports a cornerstone of its growth strategy following its acquisition by Skydance. Amazon, however, is the biggest spender out of the generalists, investing $3.8 billion this year based on deals already agreed.
Stagwell Shares Gain Following SPORT BEACH Launch
Streaming services’ interest in sports appears to be matched by advertiser appetite. Sports stars from across the globe have increasingly been popping up across the Croisette at the past few Cannes Lions festivals, with agency group Stagwell’s ‘SPORT BEACH’ serving as the major sports hub.
This sports-branding has given Stagwell an outsized presence on the Cannes seafront, and earlier this month the company announced the launch of a new dedicated sports practice, which shares its name with the Cannes activation. This, too, has been well received, with Stagwell’s share price up by over 30 percent since the announcement.
Amandaland Tops UK Christmas Viewing Charts
The final series of Stranger Things was perhaps the flashiest TV released over the Christmas period, but more UK viewers spent their Christmases in SoHa than in Hawkins according to Barb’s viewing data, with Amandaland’s Christmas special topping the charts. Just over seven million tuned into the Motherland spin-off, which beat out The Scarecrow’s Wedding (6.7 million) and the King’s Christmas message (6.4 million).
The Week in Stocks
Agencies
S4 Capital’s stock soared by over 50 percent this week, after the marketing group announced in a trading update that its full-year results are set to come in ahead of its previous guidance. It was some much-needed good news for the group, which issued multiple profit warnings last year amid tough market conditions.
TV
TV stocks bounced back this week following widespread falls in the week prior. Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery were the only fallers, as Netflix continues to be affected by its ongoing takeover battle for WBD.
Publishers
UK news publisher Reach rose by nearly 13 percent this week, after the company announced it expects full-year profits for 2025 to come in ahead of market expectations. Reach still expects digital revenues to have fallen across the year as a whole, but only by one percent.
Ad Tech
US tech stocks recovered following a dip last week, when President Trump’s threats towards Greenland and the opening of an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spooked investors. The Trade Desk, however, is down week-on-week, following the news that its CFO Alex Kayyal is stepping down after less than six months in the role.
Tech
Meta’s stock climbed over eight percent this week, ahead of the company’s full-year earnings, which are due on Wednesday. Meta’s share price is down by around 10 percent since the end of last October, when its previous financial results sent the stock plummeting.
