Media Trends: DirectAvenue’s Top Five Observations in Linear & Connected TV

Stay ahead of the evolving TV landscape with DirectAvenue’s latest media insights. Below are five standout trends shaping linear and connected TV this week.

January 1, 2026

1. The Biggest Commerce Stories of 2025, From Amazon’s New Ad Pitch to Instacart’s Deal With TikTok

Adweek’s biggest commerce stories of 2025 show retail media and social commerce rapidly converging, with billions of dollars in ad spend flowing toward shoppable platforms. Amazon and Google expanded AI and measurement tools across millions of shoppers, tightening the link between ads and purchases. Meanwhile, the Instacart–TikTok partnership signaled social platforms’ push to turn daily content consumption into direct commerce at scale.

2. YouTube Just Won the Oscars

YouTube and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences signed a multi-year deal giving YouTube exclusive global Oscars rights from 2029–2033, making the awards free and streamable worldwide with multilingual features, after recent telecasts drew 19.7 million viewers on legacy TV according to Adweek.

3. Retailers On TV: Quick, Easy Campaigns Winning Over Discounts

Retail TV ad impressions surged 9.8% year-over-year to 111.5 billion during the 2025 holiday season, led by Amazon up 60.7% to 18.2 billion impressions, with advertisers pivoting from discount messaging to convenience and fast discovery.

4. NBCU Showcases New AI-Powered Ad Offerings Ahead of 2026 CES

NBCUniversal unveiled a suite of AI-driven ad tools — including real-time contextual targeting, performance measurement hubs, and Peacock “Arrival Ads” — aimed at helping advertisers optimize and measure campaigns across linear and streaming inventory as part of its push into 2026.

5. Too Fast For FAST TV? Buckle Your Seatbelts

According to MediaPost, Despite broader CTV market maturation, FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) continues strong growth, with the global FAST market projected to reach $12.26 billion in 2025 and grow to ~$27.14 billion by 2030 on 17%+ CAGR, supported by ~1,850 active channels (up ~14% since Q1) and expected 30–50% increases in U.S. viewing hours next year.

For more insights and media trends, explore our blog, discover our full range of services, and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates.

Want to learn more about who DirectAvenue is and how we help brands grow? Visit our About page.