SURVEY: 70% OF CTV ADVERTISERS PLAN TO BOOST SPENDING IN 2026

2. 3. 2026 | 5 min read They were planning to increase spending an average of 17% this year, according to Premion and Advertiser Perceptions.

THE RISE OF CONNECTED TV: RESHAPING ADVERTISING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

2. 3. 2026 | 6 min read The landscape of television has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer behaviors.

STUDY: ADVERTISERS BOOSTING SPENDING ON CONNECTED TV, NEW STUDY FINDS

2. 3. 2026 | 3 min read Premion, Advertiser Perceptions respondents see best results when linear TV and CTV are coordinated.

NEW SCREAM HITS THEATERS AS AUDIENCES BUZZ WITH ANTICIPATION. BRANDS TAP INTO THE POPULARITY OF HORROR IN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

2. 3. 2026 | 5 min read Three years have passed since the release of Scream 6, and the seventh instalment is now racing into theatres. The trailer for the new film premiered during this year’s Super Bowl, leaving fans of the franchise eager for more. The sixth film was a major commercial success, grossing over $168 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing entry in the series on the North American market. It also received positive reviews from both audiences and critics. Horror films are generally popular with viewers, so anticipation is high for the next addition to the franchise. But terror doesn’t come only from movies. Sometimes, audiences let out frightened screams while watching TV ads, too. And let’s be honest, some of them are truly worth it.

GLOBO CREATES HOME SCREEN PROMINENCE FOR FREE-TO-AIR TV ON SMART TVS

26. 2. 2026 Globo, Brazil’s largest commercial TV group, is rolling out DTV+, a next-generation free-to-air TV standard designed for connected TVs. It brings broadcast channels into the TV operating system, with app-like navigation, login and interactive layers placed directly on top of live programming.

THE VISUAL TRANSFER EFFECT: HOW SOUND BUILDS BRANDS

24. 2. 2026 In collaboration with neuro-marketing agency Unravel, Talpa Media has produced the scientific proof that audio does not just complement TV. It actively reactivates it, reconstructing visual brand memories in the consumer’s mind through sound. The findings carry significant implications for how audio is planned, sold, and valued within the wider media mix. Context Talpa Media is one of the Netherlands’ largest media companies, operating a broad portfolio of TV, radio, and digital platforms. That multiplatform reach puts them at the centre of a question: what actually happens in the brain when consumers encounter TV and audio advertising together? Specifically, Talpa aimed to explore whether prior exposure to a TV commercial changes how the brain processes a matching audio ad, and whether that effect can be measured without relying on conscious recall. Research Forty participants were fitted with EEG caps to capture real-time brain activity and exposed to commercial breaks from 14 brands. The study used a two-group design:

TV ADS TOP THE CHARTS FOR PURCHASES, AND FOR ANNOYANCE

24. 2. 2026 | 1 min read TV ads drive purchase behavior for 49% of consumers, making them the most effective channel, even though 36% find them disruptive, according to a January report from DISQO.

RMB TURNS QR CODE VOTING INTO A SHARED VIEWING MOMENT THAT STRENGTHS BRAND IMAGE FOR SPRITE AND DELI CHOC

24. 2. 2026 Campaign objectives The chocolate snack Deli Choc and soft drink Sprite brands worked with RMB to reach younger audiences by becoming part of Belgian hip-hop show “PLAYGROUND”, supporting new rap talent through a live QR vote and cross-platform content. This helps the brands appear as enablers of the format rather than separate ads.

CANADIAN SUPERSTAR ANDREW PHUNG HELPS VIA RAIL CHALLENGE CAR CONVENIENCE ASSUMPTIONS WITH LONG-FORM STORYTELLING ACROSS CBC’S TV ECOSYSTEM

24. 2. 2026 Campaign objectives VIA Rail, the company operating Canada’s national passenger rail service, combined a new product launch with brand building, using long-form content to tackle misconceptions that tend to block conversion in travel: comfort, ease, and whether rail feels like a realistic alternative to driving for intercity trips. The objectives behind this campaign were to increase consideration, turis, and improve overall impression of VIA Rail.

HOW L’ORÉAL PARIS AND RTL MADE STREET HARASSMENT HARD TO IGNORE

24. 2. 2026 Context Sexual harassment in public spaces is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence in the world. Two figures frame the issue: 80% of women have experienced street harassment, but 85% of people say they lack training on how to intervene. Ad Alliance and L’Oréal created a campaign to respond to this problem with a practical idea: show what intervention looks like in a situation viewers recognise, then point them to an online training called “Stand Up”. A program against street harassment that L’Oréal Paris and Right To Be launched in 2020.

HOW AD ALLIANCE USED VIRTUAL SET GRAPHICS TO RESKIN THE LET’S DANCE STAGE FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES

24. 2. 2026 Context This campaign promotes a film by changing the look of a well-known TV studio during the ad break, so the show setting becomes part of the idea.

CHANNEL 4 SHOWS HOW PUTTING ACCESSIBILITY FIRST BENEFITS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND COMMERCIAL WITH CURRYS’

24. 2. 2026 Context Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award 2025 set its brief under the theme “Inclusive by Design”. It asked brands to embed inclusive practices into the creative, rather than at the end of production. The initiative linked that ambition to airtime: £1m of advertising space across Channel 4’s portfolio sat behind the winning campaign. The brief framed the size of the audience affected by sight or hearing loss at nearly 20% of the UK population, putting an access gap into plain planning terms.

HOW BMW USED A COUNTDOWN TO HOLD ATTENTION FOR TWO MINUTES

24. 2. 2026 The iX3 launch in Belgium used prime time to make a first impression quickly. The plan did not rely on many repeated 30-second ads. Instead, it opened with a two-minute film that ran without interruption.

TURNING PEAK TV SHOW ATTENTION INTO TRUSTED CONTEXTUAL SPOTS AND FAN FOLLOW UP CONTENT

24. 2. 2026 Context A plot cue inside a flagship soap can set the terms of the next ad break, because viewers stay anchored in the same scene and characters. Emmerdale’s familiarity, plus its own show social channels, gave the message a recognisable voice on TV and somewhere to continue after broadcast.

USING ELECTION NIGHT VIEWING HABITS TO MAKE A RETAIL MESSAGE FEEL LIKE ENTERTAINMENT

24. 2. 2026 This campaign connected Bauhaus’s retail messaging to a major national television event. In Finland, municipal and regional elections feature hours-long results TV programmes that track vote counting as results come in. Bauhaus (a major home improvement retailer) partnered with the biggest national broadcaster, Sanoma, to create branded entertainment within this format, using “price” as the central theme.

WHEN DISNEY CAME TO DANCING: A LIVE SHOW BECOMES A FAIRYTALE

24. 2. 2026 Inspired by Disneyland Paris’s Disney Music Festival, where performances by Disney-movie characters fill the park with dance and live music, DPG Media’s creative team proactively conceived an unprecedented brand integration: a dedicated Disney-themed episode of Dancing With The Stars. The concept was not driven by a client brief. Knowing the client’s wishes and dreams, and recognizing the natural connection between the Disney Music Festival and Dancing With The Stars, Team Integreate (the creative team within DPG Media) pitched this unprecedented collaboration, which Disneyland Paris immediately embraced.

WHEN A CROSS-FORMAT APPROACH MULTIPLIES IMPACT: BOL × HUIS GEMAAKT ACROSS CONTENT & CONTEXT

23. 2. 2026 Description Bol is Belgium’s largest e-commerce platform, a household name for buying books, electronics, and everyday items online. But furniture and home décor? That was not what consumers associated with the brand. DPG Media set out to change this perception through a multi-format partnership with Huis Gemaakt (“Home Made”), a popular Flemish TV show where couples compete to renovate run-down properties, with the winning couple keeping their fully transformed home.

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS AD BREAK AS PRIMETIME ENTERTAINMENT

23. 2. 2026 Background In the Netherlands, Christmas commercials hold a special place in television culture. Much like the Super Bowl in the United States is known for its spectacular commercials, the Dutch festive season is the moment when brands showcase their most creative, emotional storytelling. Over the years, several Christmas campaigns have achieved iconic status, moving and entertaining millions of viewers and winning the Ster Gouden Loeki, the public award for best commercial. These campaigns demonstrate how advertising can contribute to the collective holiday spirit.