HBBTV AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRIES

23. 7. 2026 The HbbTV Association has opened entries for the HbbTV Awards 2026, which will be held as part of the 14th HbbTV Symposium and Awards in Barcelona.

THE SPAIN’S GOLD MEDAL SUCCESS BROKE A TELEVISION RECORD IN THE HOST COUNTRY

20. 7. 2026 Spain’s victory over Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup became the most-watched World Cup match in the history of Spanish television broadcasting. An average of 15.7 million viewers watched the match, and more than 20 million people tuned in to at least part of the broadcast, with an audience share of 87 per cent.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS ARE NOT IGNORING AI

17. 7. 2026 Advertising and marketing hype has become heavily saturated with the term "agentic buying" for back-to-school purchases, but the distinction between actual transactional data and futuristic projection only becomes more blurred as the season gets underway.

MAJORITY OF BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS GET A HEAD START ON THE SEASON

14. 7. 2026 Consumers are getting an early start on back-to-school shopping, with 62% of shoppers having already started shopping for the school year by early July, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. While the figure is down slightly from 67% at the same point in 2025, it remains significantly higher than the 55% reported in 2024.

MASCOTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM

14. 7. 2026 Future-focused brands know that mascots can embody a brand and bring it to life.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS HEAD TO MASS MERCHANTS, DEPARTMENT STORES

9. 7. 2026 Consumers are worried about their personal finances and plan to shop accordingly as value and affordability steer the market, according to Deloitte.

STREAMERS STEP UP MOBILE STRATEGY AS SHORT-FORM VIDEO RESHAPES VIEWING HABITS, VEED ANALYTICS SAYS

8. 7. 2026 Traditional streaming platforms are overhauling their mobile apps with short-form video features as they seek to challenge the dominance of social platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, according to new research from veed analytics.

STUDIE USA: LIVE SPORTS INCREASINGLY INFLUENCING VIEWERS’ STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION CHOICES

8. 7. 2026 Bango Survey reports that 43% of Americans would switch mobile, broadband or TV provider for a better sports streaming bundle.

STUDY USA: STREAMING UX FRUSTRATIONS DRIVE SUBSCRIBER CANCELLATIONS, STUDY FINDS

7. 7. 2026 More than a third of streaming subscribers have cancelled a service because of a poor app experience rather than price or content, according to new research from CTAM and Hub Entertainment Research.

FIFA 2026: HOW THIS YEAR’S ADS CELEBRATE FANS WITH HUMOUR, SELF-DEPRECATION AND FOOTBALL PATHOS

7. 7. 2026 For brands in the advertising industry, the Football World Cup has often been a celebration of successes or individual star players. The MAM editorial team has selected six striking adverts that show this trend is changing. The focus is now shifting to the fans – through humour, irony, pathos and fan rituals.

AI ADS ARE GOOD ENOUGH — AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM

6. 7. 2026 AI can now produce credible, efficient ads, but human-created ads still drive better business outcomes — for now.

SPORTS KEEPS VIEWERS CONNECTED TO TRADITIONAL TELEVISION

6. 7. 2026 Inscape's Q1 2026 data shows sports viewing grew to 1.8 hours weekly, but traditional TV's dominance is slipping as streaming claimed 12% of sports time—up from 11.5% a year prior.

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BRANDS AND MARKETERS

3. 7. 2026 Mundial. World Cup. World Championship. This football festival goes by many names, and it would be hard to find an event that can match it in terms of reach.

STREAMERS SHIFT TOWARDS SCRIPTED ROMANCE AS REALITY DATING SHOWS DECLINE

29. 6. 2026 Global streaming services are increasingly commissioning scripted romance dramas instead of reality dating shows, with more than four out of five new romance titles now scripted, according to new research from Ampere Analysis.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART TWO – FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GROWTH, FROM VOLUME TO TRUST

28. 6. 2026 Another part of the overall round-up of the Cannes Lions festival was a panel discussion featuring the heads of content from three platforms: Lions, Contagious and WARC. They took their seats at a table on stage to review the main themes of the past week.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART ONE – THE WORLD OF AI AND PEOPLE

28. 6. 2026 AI was one of the main themes at Cannes Lions, but the tone of the debate has shifted. Naive enthusiasm and even irrational fears about the loss of human creativity have given way to more practical and profound topics.

THE STRANGER THINGS EFFECT: IS IT WORTH LENGTHENING THE PAUSES BETWEEN SEASONS?

28. 6. 2026 The breaks between seasons of TV series have more than doubled over the last decade. According to an analysis by Ampere, whilst longer waits increase interest in the return of popular shows, they also increase the risk that some viewers will cancel their streaming subscriptions during the break.

CARAT WINS THE ‘MEDIA NETWORK OF THE YEAR’ TITLE AT THE CANNES LIONS

26. 6. 2026 Carat, the media agency network part of the Dentsu Group, was named Media Network of the Year at the 2026 Cannes Lions Festival. It secured the award thanks to three Gold, one Silver and two Bronze Lions.