In this week’s Week in Charts, Netflix’s Greg Peters on the impact of Paramount’s WBD takeover, Teads “walks away from” low-quality inventory revenues, and The Trade Desk stock jumps on OpenAI partnership reports.
To have Week in Charts delivered to your inbox, you can sign up to the newsletter here.
Quote of the Week
Number of the Week
Charts of the Week
Video to Gain Spend and Search to Lose Out in IAB UK Survey
Ninety-five percent of the UK digital advertising industry expect video channels to gain ad spend in 2026, according to IAB UK’s latest Digital Ad Spend survey. Retail media (74 percent) and DOOH (70 percent) are also projected to see increased investment, while 57 percent of respondents expect search advertising to lose spend this year.
Shorter YouTube Viewing Sessions Account for Bulk of Ad Impressions
Seventy-five percent of ad impressions on YouTube are shown in viewing sessions of less than 84 minutes, according to research from the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) and TVision. This means longer viewing sessions (over 84 minutes) only include 25 percent of total ad impressions on YouTube, which VAB says limits opportunities for advertisers. “The bulk of YouTube impressions live solely in super short or short viewing sessions, minimising brand opportunities to drive attention,” said the report.
The Trade Desk Stock Jumps 18 Percent on OpenAI Partnership Reports
The Trade Desk’s (TTD) share price jumped 18 percent on Thursday after reports suggested that the ad tech firm was in talks with OpenAI to help sell ads on ChatGPT. And on Friday, the ad tech firm’s CEO Jeff Green announced that he had bought around $150 million of TTD stock. “I’m putting my money where my mouth is,” said Green.
TV and Social Media Drive Purchases but Feel Intrusive, Finds US Survey
TV and social media are the most effective, engaging and relevant channels for advertising, according to a US consumer survey by DISQO, but also the most disruptive and intrusive in terms of ad experience. “The same channels that most effectively trigger action are also the ones consumers describe as the most intrusive,” said the report. “These contradictions reveal an uncomfortable truth: in many environments, influence and irritation coexist inside the same impression.”
The Week in Stocks
Agencies
Shares in Stagwell are up 8 percent ahead of the US agency network’s Q4 earnings call on Tuesday.
TV
Paramount’s stock price corrected on Thursday following its spike after winning the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
Publishers
Shares in Reach slumped on Wednesday following its 2025 results, when the UK publishing group posted a 3.7 percent YoY decline in revenues. Meanwhile Thomson Reuters’ share price jumped on Thursday after the Canadian media company filed its 2025 annual report, following a strong Q4 that saw revenues rise by 5 percent YoY.
Ad Tech
The Trade Desk’s share price was boosted by reports that the business was in partnership talks with OpenAI (see chart above). Shares in Nexxen also rose on Thursday following the company’s latest earnings update, when the ad tech firm forecast 10 percent YoY growth in programmatic revenues for 2026.
Tech
Adobe stock is on the rise ahead of the company’s earnings update on Thursday, as investors seek signs that the software giant’s AI push is becoming a revenue engine.
