Nick Farbank (VP Growth Marketing at Chime) and Andy Schofield (CRO at Tatari) discuss how performance brands can successfully scale on television. Chime shifted from spending 80% of its budget on Facebook and Google to developing a sophisticated TV strategy that treats the medium as a performance channel, not just brand awareness. The pandemic accelerated this shift when major advertisers exited, opening premium inventory at discounted rates. They explain how "performance TV" measures full-funnel impact from awareness to conversions using spike attribution and media mix modeling. Key insights include: linear TV still delivers strong results (especially live sports at 75% discounts); pure direct response eventually hits a "DR Valley of Death" requiring brand investment; creative and smart placement matter more than expensive precise targeting (which can cost 2-3x CPMs); and while shoppable/interactive TV shows promise, it remains marginal—the real opportunity is in AI-generated creative variations. The conversation emphasizes that TV success requires the same rigor as digital channels, starting with lower-funnel performance metrics and gradually expanding to full-funnel brand building as budgets scale.

The event is about how fast the creator economy is growing and how brands are finally treating creators like a serious media channel, not a side thing. Speakers talk about the big challenges: fragmented creators across platforms, clunky/manual workflows, weak measurement, and the struggle to make creator deals work at real “ad tech” scale. They discuss new tech/platforms trying to standardize creator ad units, automate deals, and plug creator content into performance engines like Meta and YouTube ads—without killing authenticity. AI is seen as both a flood of cheap content and a huge boost for great creators who can use it as a tool. Finally, a creator (Sydney) and her manager explain how brand deals really work in practice: long-term partnerships > one-off mentions, brands need to understand her content, and legal/FTCs plus too many “cooks in the kitchen” make everything slower than it needs to be.

I sat down with Tusar Barik, SVP of Marketing at the New York Times, to discuss the paper's transformation into a multifaceted media company. The Times now reaches over 150 million registered users with 50-100 million weekly engagers, seeing strong growth among Gen Z and audiences in the Midwest and South. Their digital advertising business grew over 20% year-over-year, proving that quality journalism creates a powerful advertising platform. We explored their video-forward strategy (75+ hours monthly), their Brand Match AI product (delivering 30% improvements in CTR and brand lift), and how properties like Wordle and The Daily create deep audience connections. The conversation revealed how the Times has balanced subscription-first strategy with thriving advertising by staying true to its mission while innovating how it reaches audiences.

This week on Next in Media, Mike Shields talks with Erick Opeka, President & Chief Strategy Officer at Cineverse and board member at the startup Micro Co. Opeka breaks down how short-form “micro-dramas”—already attracting hundreds of millions of daily viewers in China—are taking shape in the U.S. and why they could become a $20 billion category.

Jack Marshall, Head of News at DoubleVerify, explains why advertisers are losing opportunities by avoiding news content. He breaks down the difference between brand safety and brand suitability, showing that most news is actually safe and delivers higher engagement—about 16% more than non-news content. Marshall discusses DV’s work to educate advertisers, reduce unnecessary keyword blocking, and introduce AI tools that help brands use a more nuanced, “scalpel-not-sledgehammer” approach. He also highlights how AI-generated “slop” increases the value of real journalism, why publishers remain optimistic, and how creators and personality-driven news are shaping the future of advertising.

In this special episode recorded live at Amazon UnBox in Nashville, I sit down with Charlotte Maines, Head of Device Advertising for Fire TV at Amazon. We dive into the massive reach of Fire TV—over 300 million devices sold globally—and what that means for brands aiming to connect with high-value, logged-in Amazon customers. Charlotte shares how Amazon is evolving the ad experience from simple tune-in campaigns to interactive, full-funnel marketing opportunities. We unpack the growing role of Alexa Plus, Amazon’s new LLM-powered assistant, and how it’s revolutionizing personalized, voice-driven engagement across devices. From shoppable connected TV to dynamic creative powered by GenAI, this episode is packed with insights for any brand looking to harness the next wave of CTV innovation.

This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao to get an inside look at the company’s transformation in a fast-evolving media landscape. From the explosive rise of YouTube on connected TVs to tackling fragmentation across platforms, Karthik breaks down how Nielsen is reinventing itself with big data, AI, and a mission to future-proof measurement.

Robert Wheeler — longtime communications leader at WarnerMedia, AT&T/Xandr, and GroupM — shares why he left the corporate world to build At the Moment Media (ATM), a people-first, video-led publication spotlighting personalities across advertising, technology, and media. He walks through how the brand came to life — from the black-and-white design and animated “M” mascot to its 5–6 minute storytelling format and short-form social clips. Robert also opens up about startup lessons, the state of modern comms, and how ATM plans to cover cultural business moments like the Latin GRAMMYs and BravoCon.

Google Ads just turned 25, and it’s entering a new era—one driven by AI, conversations, and context. In this episode, Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at Google, joins Mike Shields to unpack how the search giant is transforming its ads business for the age of AI Overviews, Performance Max, and long-form conversational queries. He explains why this shift feels bigger than mobile, how advertisers are adopting AI faster than ever, and why trust and accuracy remain Google’s north stars. Dan also reveals how AI is expanding the search funnel, creating new commercial moments that brands never could have targeted before. From tools like AI Max to agent-powered shopping, the future of advertising is about reducing friction, improving relevance, and meeting consumers wherever their curiosity starts. It’s a rare inside look at how Google plans to keep Search indispensable for the next 25 years.

In this episode, Roku’s Head of Ad Innovation Peter Hamilton joins Mike Shields to unpack how connected TV (CTV) is transforming advertising. They discuss the rise of new advertisers—from digital performance marketers to small businesses—and why onboarding SMBs at scale is tougher than it looks. Peter explains how Roku is building tools like self-serve ad platforms, “OK to Text” interactive ads, and AI-driven creative testing to make TV more measurable, shoppable, and data-smart. The conversation dives into CTV’s growing role as the next frontier after Facebook and Google, where brand building meets performance.

Photographer and YouTuber Jordan Matter joins the show to share how a simple idea — filming dancers in public — turned into a YouTube empire with millions of fans. He opens up about his creative process, viral moments, the power of authenticity, and what it’s really like building a family-friendly channel that inspires kids around the world.

Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat is redefining comedy and branded entertainment. EVP Janina Lundy joins to discuss creative ownership, co-creating with brands, and why humor still drives connection in media today.

In this episode of Next in Media, host Mike Shields talks with Michael Komasinski, CEO of Criteo, about how the company transformed from a retargeting ad tech firm into a major player in retail media and AI-driven advertising. They discuss Criteo’s evolution, its partnership with Google, the future of addressability, and how AI and agentic buying are reshaping the advertising ecosystem.

Next in Media talked to Michael Wayne, co-founder and CEO of Kin, about his nearly 20-year journey building a media company alongside YouTube's evolution. Wayne shared how his company navigated multiple business model shifts—from the MCN era to working with traditional celebrities on digital platforms, licensing content to streaming services and cable networks during the pandemic, and experimenting with FAST channels. The conversation explored the challenges of the changing creator economy, why YouTube is no longer the sole focus for content distribution, and how AI might transform storytelling and the media industry. Wayne also discussed his work with AI LA and his optimistic view on technology's potential to create new opportunities rather than just displacement. Join us for this fascinating conversation about adapting to constant change in digital media.

Next in Media talked to Selina Sykes, Global Marketing Transformation Leader for Beauty and Wellbeing at Unilever, about the company's ambitious goal to allocate half of its media budget to creators. The conversation explored how a legacy CPG giant is reimagining its marketing model to stay relevant in a social-first world.

Next in Media talked to Dhar Mann, Creator and founder of Dhar Mann Studios, and Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios, about building one of YouTube's most successful scripted content operations. They discussed creating family-friendly scripted series at scale, working with brands beyond traditional advertising, and expanding their studio model to support other creators. Mann and Atkins also covered why scripted content is breaking through on YouTube, their Samsung TV Plus deal, and positioning as the future of creator-driven media.

Next in Media talked to Kelly MacLean, Vice President of Amazon DSP, about her journey from professional soccer to leading one of the industry's most talked-about demand-side platforms. MacLean discussed Amazon DSP's evolution from a single-purpose tool to a comprehensive multi-purpose platform, the technical rebuilding required to compete at scale, and how AI is transforming campaign automation while maintaining advertiser control. The conversation covered Amazon's approach to streaming TV inventory, their partnerships with major publishers like Roku and Disney, and how changing consumer behaviors are shaping the future of digital advertising. MacLean also teased upcoming innovations to be revealed at Amazon Unboxed in November.

Next in Media talked to Walker Jacobs, Global Chief Revenue Officer and President of the US at DAZN, about the company's ambitious summer launching the FIFA Club World Cup as a global streaming event, lessons learned from managing 90,000+ live events annually, and what YouTube might face with their first NFL broadcast. Jacobs discussed DAZN's role as the world's largest sports streaming service, their partnerships with major leagues like the NFL and NHL for international distribution, and how they successfully executed the most complex live streaming event in the company's history. He also shared insights from his time at Amazon launching Thursday Night Football exclusively on Prime Video, the challenges of entering established sports advertising markets, and DAZN's plans for original programming and US market expansion.

Next in Media spoke with Drew Muller, VP and General Manager of House of Highlights, about how the Warner Discovery-owned property is looking to bridge sports fandom with top creators' content via the Creator League. The event, founded in 2023, features top creators such as Kai Cenat, Jesser and FaZe Rug playing a series of tournaments in sports such as slamball, dodgeball and basketball for big prize money, both on social platforms and streaming services like HBO Max.