Observed Signal · Apr 7, 2026 · Market Research / Report · Source: VideoWeek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Week in Charts: Gulf Ad Spend Risk and Audience Trust Slide
VideoWeek's Week in Charts summarizes recent research and market moves: WARC forecasts the Gulf crisis could shave up to $94 billion from global ad-spend growth over the next two years under severe scenarios; Ofcom finds UK online adults' belief that the benefits of being online outweigh the risks fell to 59% (from 72%); Omnicom Media and Showheroes report high proportions of FAST-only viewers in France (56%) and the Netherlands (54%); Hub Entertainment Research shows low consumer awareness of where to watch certain streaming originals (only 11% identified Heated Rivalry). The roundup also notes stock moves and company updates including S4 Capital, Roku, Future and Google. The piece aggregates multiple industry studies relevant to advertisers, publishers and streaming platforms.
Aggregated industry research highlights a potentially large ad‑spend downside from the Gulf crisis, declining consumer trust online and audience behavior shifts (FAST-only viewers and streaming discoverability) that affect targeting, inventory planning and creative strategies for advertisers and publishers.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- WARC forecasts the Gulf crisis could reduce up to $94 billion of global ad spend growth over the next two years under multiple scenarios.
- Ofcom research found 59% of online adults in the UK say the benefits of being online outweigh the risks, down from 72% last year; 60% reported at least one negative online experience in the past year.
- Omnicom Media and Showheroes research found the share of FAST viewers who do not use any subscription AVOD services is 56% in France and 54% in the Netherlands.
- Hub Entertainment Research reported only 11% of US consumers could correctly identify the single streaming service carrying the HBO Max show Heated Rivalry; Squid Game was correctly identified by 50% of respondents.
- Market-moving company notes: S4 Capital's shares continued to surge on margin guidance; Roku shares rose ahead of a Home Screen refresh and a mobile app for its ad-free service; Future's stock fell after a trading update citing declining Google search traffic; Google shares rose after Wells Fargo backed its revenue outlook.
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CTV Growth Soars as UK Trust in TV Ads Rises
VideoWeek’s 'Week in Charts' roundup highlights multiple industry data points: Netflix’s UK ad-tier households grew 13.11% quarter-on-quarter in Q4 2025 (Barb’s Establishment Survey), driven by the Stranger Things finale; Disney+’s ad tier grew ~13% while Amazon Prime’s was largely flat. UK research shows rising trust in advertising across channels — TV trust rose from 33% in 2021 to 46% in 2025 (Credos) — while influencers remain the least trusted (25%). CTV viewers value convenience features such as starting a show from the beginning (77%), resuming where they left off (76%) and instant 'watch next' episode playback (76%) per Oliver & Ohlbaum. A study from the IPPR found BBC News is notably absent from ChatGPT answers. The roundup also notes broad downward pressure on agency and ad-tech stocks, Comcast’s relative resilience after Q4 results, Thomson Reuters’ 5% YoY Q4 revenue growth, Apple overtaking Google in market cap, and Amazon’s 14% stock fall after a large capex forecast.
Week in Charts: YouTube Ads, Netflix, Women's Sports
This Week in Charts roundup (VideoWeek, 2026-04-21) highlights recent media and marketing data: Tinuiti found skippable in-stream ads accounted for 63% of YouTube video ad spend in Q1 2026 while Shorts made up 18% of YouTube spend; Deloitte forecasts women’s elite global sports revenues will top $3 billion in 2026 (up from $2.41 billion in 2025) with sponsorships, matchday and broadcast deals driving growth; a YouGov survey shows strong European public support for social media bans for under-16s (France 79%, UK 76%, Germany 74%, Italy 70%, Spain 68%, Poland 53%); and a Supermetrics marketer survey reports 55% of marketers worry about budget cuts, with 46% considering personnel reductions and 36–37% eyeing agency fees, events and paid media. The piece also notes recent stock moves for Stagwell, Netflix and Future and summarises broader tech market context.
Week in Charts: CTV Shares, Retail Media Shift, AI Ads
VideoWeek’s 'Week in Charts' highlights industry data and market moves: Pixalate data shows Samsung held the largest share of open programmatic CTV impressions in the UK (31%) in Q1 2026 while Roku led the US (36%), with Amazon Fire TV second in both markets. eMarketer forecasts China’s share of global retail media ad spend to fall from 44% (2026) to 42% by 2029 while the rest of the world rises from 20% to 22%; the US is expected to remain at ~36%. An IAB UK/MTM survey found half of UK consumers comfortable with AI-generated background images, but a majority uncomfortable with fully AI-generated people in ads. TiVo research shows in-car video is most commonly used to entertain children and is watched more often when parked (41.8%) than moving (31.7%). The piece also summarises recent stock movements affecting adtech and media companies.
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