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 media trends shaping linear and connected TV this week.

March 1, 2026

1. US e-commerce sales to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030

In the U.S., e-commerce sales will reach $1.8 trillion by 2030, according to a new report from Forrester. Though U.S. e-commerce sales will comprise 29% of all retail sales, the remaining 71%, about $4.4 trillion, will come from stores, according to Forrester’s projections. With the exception of automotive and gas sales, total retail sales in the U.S. are forecast to grow from $5.2 trillion in 2025 to $6.2 trillion by 2030. 

2. Walmart’s Ad Business Grew 46% in 2025, Hitting Nearly $6.4B 

 $713.2 billion: Walmart’s total revenue during 2025, up 5.1% when adjusted for inflation. Q4 revenue was $190.7 billion, up 4.9% when adjusted for inflation.

$6.4 billion: How much Walmart made on its global ad business during 2025, including Vizio, an increase of 46% year-over-year. Walmart Connect in the U.S. grew by 41% in the fourth quarter alone.

24%: Ecommerce net sales growth during Q4. That represents 23% of total net sales.

10.5%: Growth in operating income during Q4, adjusted for inflation.

Executives repeatedly pointed to early indicators of success for its AI chatbot, Sparky, noting that seems to be leading customers to buy more each time they shop. The company announced that it was beginning to test ads within the chatbot earlier this year.

3. Target to test contextual ads in ChatGPT, including through Roundel

Target will be among the first advertisers to pilot contextual ads in OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT program starting this month, according to a company blog post. The retailer will run ads promoting both its own business and those of brand partners on its Roundel retail media network. Ads will be tailored to specific keywords in ChatGPT prompts in a bid to ensure relevance and improve personalization. Several other brands and agencies have jumped at the opportunity to advertise in ChatGPT as its base surpasses 800 million weekly active users. 

4. Amazon Stuns Observers With Commitment To Spend $200B On AI Investments

According to MediaPost, While the revelation that it intends to spend $200 billion to shore up its AI capabilities was a curveball few saw coming, Amazon’s latest results show the company firing on all pistons, with consumer spending still holding up. Fourth-quarter sales climbed 14% to $213.4 billion, up from $187.8 billion a year earlier and ahead of analyst forecasts. In North America, where there have been growing signs of consumer pullback,  sales still notched a healthy 10% year-over-year gain to $127.1 billion.

5. WBD CEO Addresses ‘Highly Competitive’ Sales Process as Netflix Deal Comes Under Question

$9.5 billion—Warner Bros. Discovery’s total revenues in Q4. Total revenue for fiscal 2025 was $37.3 billion, a 5% decrese.

-9%—Ad revenues decline, as ad-lite streaming subscriber growth was more than offset by domestic linear audience declines. The loss of the NBA negatively impacted the growth rate by 4%.

131.6 million—WBD’s total streaming subscribers across HBO Max and Discovery+, an increase of 3.5 million from Q3. However, WBD said Q4 2025 was also the final quarter it would consistently report subs.

WBD is still recommending Netflix’s bid for now. Netflix’s bid was revised in January to an all-cash offer of $72 billion, or $27.75 per WBD share.

For more insights and media trends, be sure to 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.