Let’s get personal: Meta is rolling out a feature that lets Meta AI remember certain details that users share with it in 1:1 chats across WhatsApp and Messenger. The company is also rolling out a greater level of personalization for Meta AI on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. “Let’s say you’re looking for something fun to do with your family this weekend and you ask Meta AI to suggest something,” said Meta in a blog post. “Based on the home location you’ve listed as part of your Facebook profile, recent views of reels featuring live performances by various country artists and its memory that you have a partner and two young kids, Meta AI might suggest tickets for that weekend’s country music show at your local arena and reservations at a local brunch spot.” Meta AI will only remember certain things users tell it in 1:1 conversations, not group chats, and its memories can be deleted at any time, according to Meta.

Brands spent 13.2% more on digital ad spend in 2024 yet the increased investment has not translated into better results, according to Contentsquare’s 2025 Digital Experience Benchmarks report, which analyzed over 90 billion user sessions across 6,000 websites. The cost of an online visit rose 9% year, amounting to a 19% increase within the past two years, while conversion rates have dropped 6.1% year-over-year. The report pins the blame on declining organic traffic, increased dependence on paid channels (especially paid social), and the challenge of meeting customers’ growing demands for faultless interactions. “In 2025, almost half of online visits will continue to suffer from preventable friction, which is, at best, cutting journeys short, and at worst, driving customers away entirely,” said Jean-Christophe Pitié, Chief Marketing and Partnerships Officer of Contentsquare. “Relying on paid channels to drive traffic without addressing the customer journey itself is a short-term fix. The true value lies in nurturing online experiences that are frictionless, engaging, and that keep customers coming back.”

Walt Disney rose 6% from November to top total TV usage in December, making up 11.2% of viewing for December, per Nielsen’s “Media Distributor Gauge.” Disney had an assist from NFL and college football airings on ESPN, kids show “Bluey” on Disney+, a 45% viewing gain on the FX Network and Freeform movie marathons. Nipping at Disney’s heels was YouTube, a close second at 11.1%, having gained 7%. Netflix hit an 8.5% share, up 14% over November, helped by its Christmas Day NFL games and series “Carry-On,” “Squid Game” and “Virgin River.”

Max is tackling the content discovery problem with the phase-in of an updated navigation menu, relocating the Home, Series, Movies, HBO, B/R Sports, and CNN Max content lenses from the top of the page into the left side utility menu, which already includes Search and My Stuff functionalities, Settings, and Profiles. The update also introduces “What’s New,” a new navigation page showcasing content that has recently arrived on the platform, and “Categories,” a new pathway for users to browse titles by genre, brand, and thematic collections.

CTV advertisers are increasingly adopting digital media buying practices, prioritizing advanced ad tech solutions when choosing a CTV provider, according to Advertiser Perceptions’ bi-annual “CTV Landscape 2H 2024” study. Of note: While direct buys remain the go-to method for SVOD inventory, programmatic guaranteed transactions are gaining traction – advertisers’ preference for buying SVOD inventory via programmatic guaranteed transactions is up 5 percentage points versus 2023. Other key findings include:
· First-party data is a key differentiator for advertisers. Access to provider’s first-party data and a clean room solution for data integration are top considerations when choosing a CTV/streaming TV advertising partner. New this wave: First-party data targeting (both advertiser and publisher data) and behavioral targeting are considered the most valuable CTV targeting capabilities.
· Innovative CTV ad formats (pause ads, binge ads, QR codes, shoppable ads, or in-scene ads) saw a significant rise in adoption in the past year. While traditional video ads remain the most common, innovative formats now comprise a quarter of all CTV ads.
· 75% of respondents consider the ability to buy across linear and streaming properties with one provider as important solutions when choosing to partner with a CTV advertising provider.
· Original content drives CTV advertising investment. When choosing a CTV advertising partner, 56% of respondents consider original content as the most important content. In the top five: exclusivity to the platform, new content, live content, and sports content follow.

CBS Stations held a station group-wide CBS Stations + American Red Cross Insta-Thon yesterday, a one-day complete takeover of Instagram accounts across its 14-owned markets to raise funds for wildfire relief efforts. The digital fundraiser encouraged viewers, on-air talent, and community partners to rally around a unified day of giving.

Cineverse announced that lifestyle company JoySauce will use Matchpoint, its proprietary streaming technology platform, to ingest the library of content for which JoySauce holds streaming rights. Later in 2025, Cineverse will help create a new standalone streaming service, including a branded JoySauce subscription SVOD app and eventually a FAST channel targeting both the AAPI community and viewers interested in content showcasing the American Asian experience.

Reelz announced the fourth season of live docuseries “On Patrol: Live,” produced by Half Moon Pictures, extending the show’s run through January 2026. The network also ordered 90 one-hour episodes of spin-off and “OPL” lead-in “On Patrol: First Shift.”

Casting notes: Ashley Sutton (“Monsters”) has boarded the season three cast of Paramount+ with Showtime drama “Yellowjackets.”…Kate Mara (“House of Cards”) has joined Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss in Apple TV+’s “Imperfect Women.”

Who wants a taste of the 22nd season of Bravo’s “Top Chef”? Brands including BMW of North America, Chipotle, Delta Air Lines, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Josh Cellars wine, Morton Salt, Paramount Pictures, Pure Michigan, Rao’s Homemade, Saratoga® Spring Water, Talenti, Wayfair, and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Credit Card have lined up to partake of dynamic integrations and fresh ad content in the cooking competition. The season kicks off Thursday, March 13 at 9p.

Suspense thriller “Long Bright River” premieres Thursday, March 13 on Peacock. The series, based on the Liz Moore bestseller, stars and is executive produced by Amanda Seyfried.

WHSmith North America plans to launch a retail media network, WHS Media, for the company’s 353 stores in airports, resorts, casinos and rail stations. Unlike other recently launched retail media businesses, WHSmith has no e-commerce presence and is exclusively focused on travel facilities and destinations. WHSmith has a network of 200 digital screens in its stores, with plans to double that this year.

“As the first data provider offering persona audiences in Doceree’s HCP-focused Marketplace, pharma marketers can now leverage our people-based audiences specifically designed to provide insight into the provider-as-a-person for better HCP marketing,” said Christine Lee, Head of Health Strategy & Partnerships, AnalyticsIQ.

Viant struck a partnership with TransUnion allowing Viant’s Household ID to identify 95% of US adults. Leveraging Viant’s patented Household ID™, Viant’s native identity solution is interoperable with various IDs, giving advertisers precise targeting across all channels, including CTV. “This partnership with Viant is about building something advertisers can truly rely on,” said Dorean Kass, EVP, Diversified Markets, at TransUnion. “By augmenting the Viant Household ID with TruAudience identity data, we’re helping brands tackle today’s challenges head-on—like signal loss—to continue delivering impactful marketing campaigns.”

Adtech platform Nexxen announced advancements to its live sports offerings as well as new partnerships with publishers. Partnerships include DSPs like FOX Sports, Fubo, DirecTV and FanDuel Sports Network, as well as programmatic advertising platform StackAdapt.

Auto entertainment network Speedvision is now streaming on MyFree DIRECTV. “Speedvision is extremely proud to be among the first networks to launch on the new MyFree DIRECTV platform, as it represents the latest in a series of significant distribution milestones since our launch two years ago,” said Robert Scanlon, President and CEO of Speedvision. “Now any car-passionate viewer with an email address can access Speedvision’s best-in-class vehicle content at no cost, wherever and whenever they want, just by downloading the DIRECTV app.”

For the fourth consecutive season, the Big East Conference will partner with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity dedicated to inspiring excellence in youth by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball. This year’s theme, “Pioneers of Change,” will shine a spotlight on early African Americans who left an indelible mark on the sport.

Hoho Rights has struck a deal with Canal+ in France for the acquisition of preschool property “Shane the Chef.” The series has also been sold to MTV in Hungary and RTV in Slovakia.

Swedish label Filmlance picked up a second season of “Fallen” with TV4.

Channel 5’s free streaming service, My5, will launch on Sky Q next month. The UK distribution deal comes as the broadcaster prepares to combine Channel 5 and My5 under the unified brand of 5 this March.

Fox News Channel delivered its highest-rated January in cable news history and marked 23 consecutive years as the number one network in cable news, according to Nielsen data. In primetime, FNC delivered 2.8 million viewers and 353,000 in the 25-54 demographic, growing its audience 40% year-over-year in total viewership and 61% in the 25-54 demo. In total day, FNC drew 1.9 million viewers and 253,000 in the 25-54 demo, marking 53% growth year-over-year with viewers and 70% in the 25-54 demo.

MSNBC is recovering from a Trump slump, averaging 1.3 million viewers in primetime the week of January 20-24, according to Nielsen, up 61% from the prior three week average. Total day viewership hit 591,000, handing MSNBC its biggest primetime and total day audience since the week of the presidential election in early November 2024. The return of “The Rachel Maddow Show” to five days a week earned the news net 1.7 million viewers.

“Culpa Tuya” (Your Fault) has become Prime Video’s biggest international original launch ever. The Spanish-language YA movie hit number one in over 170 countries.

Spectrum News was the most-watch news network among Spectrum households in January, averaging 2.1 million daily viewing households across its linear and digital platforms.

OpenX Technologies promoted Tyler Romasco to SVP, Global Publisher Development, from VP, US Publisher Development.

Documentary film veteran Derek Threinen has joined Mission Partners Entertainment as Executive Vice President, Film Distribution and Theater Development. Threinen comes to MPEG from his SVP role at Giant Screen Films and D3D Cinema.

CG animation company Mindshow has named David Baron as Chief Operating Officer. A founding executive at Hulu, Baron also held leadership roles at Fox Digital Media, Paramount, and Microsoft.

Trade association TVB has appointed Trisha Ripperger as Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications & Category Development. Ripperger, previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at Tom Wood Group.

FilmRise has promoted Melissa Wohl to EVP, Global Distribution Partnerships and Sales and Daniel Gagliardi to EVP, Global Streaming Distribution and Strategy.

Hightouch hired Amplitude/Salesforce/Omniture alum Adam Greco as Product Evangelist.

Today’s Trivia Question
Which city hosted the coldest Super Bowl on record? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)