Comcast

Versant Posts $1.64B Q2 Revenue; Digital Grows

Versant Media Group reported Q2 2026 results on August 6, with total revenue of $1.64 billion, net income attributable of $211 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $624 million for the quarter ended June 30. Revenue declined year-over-year while digital and platform businesses showed growth: platforms revenue reached $225 million (up 0.8% overall) and platforms revenue rose 9.3% when excluding a SportsEngine divestiture. The company, which spun off from Comcast and began trading as VSNT after becoming independent in January 2026, highlighted strong audience and engagement metrics across CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network and other brands, completed a $100 million accelerated share repurchase (with a second $100 million planned), declared a $0.375 quarterly dividend, and completed the post-quarter acquisition of Full Swing. Full-year 2026 guidance was provided for revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow.

Aéropostale backs creator-led episodic shows

Digiday’s Future of TV Briefing (Aug. 5, 2026) highlights Aéropostale’s investment in creator-led episodic series and includes a Q&A with Marisa Thalberg, EVP and chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands. The briefing covers creator-driven content strategies, notes industry topics such as Disney+’s planned overhaul and Netflix’s creator-brand demand, and references streaming ad topics like FreeWheel’s show-level reporting. The piece is part of Digiday+’s weekly Future of TV Briefing for industry subscribers.

Q2 Big Tech earnings reshape ad tech and M&A

Digiday’s Ad Tech Briefing summarizes Q2 2026 earnings and market activity affecting the ad tech sector. Meta reported $61 billion in Q2 revenue (up 28% YoY) while Amazon’s overall growth was about 26% with ad revenues nearing $20 billion; Google posted $81.6 billion in ad revenue with a 14.5% growth rate. Investors flagged heavy AI-related capital expenditures, and Google piloted a limited Performance Max (PMax) control allowing opt-outs of third-party search partners and the Display Network. The piece highlights continuing private equity interest and take-private activity in ad tech (LiveRamp intended sale to Publicis Groupe, Integral Ad Science sold to Novacap, Criteo takeover speculation), cites LUMA Partners’ Q2 report showing deal volume softness, and notes Zeta Global’s $1 billion M&A credit facility. The briefing also previews upcoming Q2 reports from multiple public ad tech vendors and flags concerns about proving ROAS on new entrants like OpenAI.