Global Scans · Media & Entertainment · Weekly Summary

• [New] Global retail media spending is projected to climb from $184 billion in 2025 to $312 billion by 2030. Beet.TV
• [New] Importance for marketers: OpenAI's advertising expansion could fundamentally reshape search marketing, conversational commerce, performance media buying, and AI-driven customer acquisition. MarketingProfs
• [New] If all goes as intended come June, the conglomerate that now owns a rocket manufacturer, a social media app, and an AI chatbot developer will instantly rank among the world's top 10 largest publicly-traded companies. Wired
• [New] In 2028, brands will spend $16.1 billion to amplify creator content on social media (excluding YouTube), surpassing their spending with creators to produce sponsored content ($15.71 billion). / USA Business Insider
• [New] Kinetiq Political Insights projects $10.4 billion in total U.S. political media spending during the 2026 cycle, with a potential range of spending that could top out at $11.8 billion. Insideradio.com
• [New] Retail Media Networks continue to be one of the fastest-growing revenue streams for retailers; however, by 2026, they will look very different from the early sponsored product days. commercetools
• [New] Retail media networks are projected to account for 15.4% of all ad revenue by 2028, eclipsing television. Indepth Research Institute
• [New] US advertisers will spend $71.98 billion on retail media in 2026, up 18.7% from 2025. eMarketer
• [New] Retail media is accelerating (eMarketer expects ~ $5 billion of incremental spend to flow into retail media search in 2026) - set clear ROAS and incrementality targets by network to avoid fragmentation. / USA AI Digital
• [New] Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative has spurred investments in entertainment and hospitality infrastructure, including world-class resorts with expansive pool facilities. Market Data Forecast
• [New] The entertainment industry is expected to see a surge in demand, offering opportunities for U.S. companies in media production, sports broadcasting, and live event management. jennifer.stone@trade.gov
• [New] As podcasts become a staple for information and entertainment, Amazon's moves could set new standards for content creators seeking revenue. Coaio Limited
• [New] Looking ahead to 2036, AI will become integral to all aspects of media and entertainment, enabling faster production, deeper audience insights, and new creative possibilities. Morningstar, Inc.
• [New] Between 2026 and 2030, adoption of AI technologies is expected to accelerate rapidly as media companies prioritize cost compression, faster turnaround times, and enhanced audience targeting. Morningstar, Inc.
• [New] Employment in arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations is projected to grow 9% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. Research.com
• [New] CNN is developing an agentic infrastructure as part of a broader roadmap that will see it begin transacting media by the first quarter of 2027. Digiday
• FanDuel Predicts is a $300 million investment commitment from its parent company Flutter Entertainment that indicates the potential opportunity and the threat that prediction markets will be to traditional gaming companies. Iredell Free News
• Ministers hope to raise £5 billion over the next five years from the digital services tax, which imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of search engines, social media services and online marketplaces operating in the UK. HuffPost UK
• Richer media experiences require substantially more power and larger batteries, which is why IDC expects non-display glasses to drive near-term growth while display-equipped devices gain momentum closer to 2027. Next Reality
• In the United States alone, industry forecasts expect online sports-betting handle to exceed $210 billion by 2026, amid further state-level legalization and tighter media integrations. PMG
• The mass adoption of public Large Language Models as a replacement for traditional search is expected to drive a significant increase in PR and earned media budgets by 2027. Vuelio -
• Since 79% of young people get personal finance advice from social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, they are primed to expect quick wins and easy money. Fortune
• Most top social media platforms barring X grew their audience year on year Social media users plan to spend most time on Facebook, followed by Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn, with preferences varying across different generations of users. Typeface

Last updated: 11 May 2026