Barb vs Comscore

Unfiltered Media podcast interview with Caroline Davey and Luca Vannini

Barb's COO Caroline Davey and Luca Vannini are featured in an Unfiltered Media podcast interview, discussing the future of JICs and streamers.

Netflix Ad Boss Pitches Full-Funnel Media Plan in UK

At its first UK Upfront, Netflix's advertising chief Amy Reinhard outlined the company's ambition to expand beyond a top-of-funnel, linear TV substitute to compete for digital budgets. Netflix announced that its ad-supported plan reaches over 14 million UK viewers, with expansion into nine more EMEA countries set for March 1, 2027. Pause Ads will be available programmatically via partner DSPs next month, and demographic targeting will now include income and household composition. The company cited System1 research showing its brand partnerships excel in long-term brand-building, and highlighted live events like the Fury vs Joshua fight to attract advertisers. Reinhard stressed Netflix's subscription-first economics prevent ad load pressure, with an attention rate of 86% for UK ad-tier viewers.

• Netflix's ad-supported plan reaches over 14 million UK viewers, nearly one in four people.
• Netflix will launch its ad tier in nine additional EMEA countries on March 1, 2027.
• Pause Ads will be available programmatically through partner DSPs from next month.

Barb hires Jen McLevey as Head of Strategic Developments

Barb hires Jen McLevey as Head of Strategic Developments

Fox News Tops YouTube, Digital Views in Q3 2026

According to Comscore data, Fox News Digital led all measured news brands and broadcast networks in multiplatform views and minutes during Q3 2026, generating 4.6 billion views and 10 billion minutes. This marks its 17th consecutive quarter leading in views and 22nd in minutes. On YouTube, Fox News ranked first among news brands for the eighth consecutive quarter with 918 million video views, exceeding competitors like MS NOW (889M), CNN (712M), and ABC News (442M). Fox News Media also led in social media interactions with 290 million. Meanwhile, CNN.com saw its lowest average total digital unique visitors since 2015 at 57 million. The data highlights the continued dominance of Fox News in digital news consumption across platforms.

• Fox News Digital led Q3 2026 with 4.6 billion multiplatform views and 10 billion multiplatform minutes.
• Fox News YouTube channel had 918 million video views in Q3 2026, first among news brands for 8th consecutive quarter.
• CNN.com recorded 57 million average total digital unique visitors, lowest since 2015.

VideoAmp Leverages AI to Unify Ad Planning and Measurement

VideoAmp is intensifying its focus on AI to bridge its ad planning and measurement workflows, aiming to enhance campaign performance for media buyers. The company recently cut about 20% of its headcount to invest more in AI operations while making strategic hires, including Andrea Zapata as SVP of Agency Partnerships. Josh Hudgins, who became CPO in 2024, emphasized that AI agents will help buyers optimize campaigns in-flight, suggesting adjustments like reallocating spend across inventory sources. VideoAmp relies on first-party viewer data obtained through clean room partnerships and publisher log-level data, and it uses ACR data for CTV targeting. The company's goal is to make performance improvements repeatable and scalable through AI infrastructure. VideoAmp, alongside Comscore and iSpot, received re-certification from the US Joint Industry Committee for its measurement currency, positioning itself as a Nielsen alternative.

• VideoAmp cut about 20% of its headcount to invest more in AI operations.
• Andrea Zapata joined VideoAmp as SVP of Agency Partnerships in July.
• Josh Hudgins was promoted to Chief Product Officer in 2024.

TV Budgets Follow Wrong Scorecard

An analysis argues that TV advertising budgets are overly shifted to streaming based on total viewership share, ignoring the value delivered per dollar. Citing Nielsen data, streaming represents 47.6% of total TV viewing, but in ad-supported TV, linear still holds 51.8% of viewing among Persons 2+ and 55.6% among adults 18+. The article evaluates linear vs streaming across five dimensions: reach, frequency, precision, ad exposure, and delivery integrity. Linear offers advantages in reach, cost efficiency for frequency, higher ad exposure (82% of delivered ad time per Comscore), and deterministic delivery, while streaming excels in precision and flexibility. The piece highlights Continuum, a TV buying platform, as an example of simplifying linear buying and encourages advertisers to mix both channels based on campaign objectives rather than following the audience migration narrative.

• Nielsen data shows streaming accounted for 47.6% of total TV viewing in April 2026.
• In ad-supported TV, linear still holds 51.8% of viewing among Persons 2+ and 55.6% among adults 18+ in Q2 2026.
• Comscore found linear delivered about 82% of delivered ad time in late 2025.