You Could Pay $4,000 for This Report...

💥 Why Pay $4,000 for a Report When You Can Get the Truth for $50?

Rewiring the Upfront:
Navigating the Strategic Shifts
Reshaping 2025/2026 Commitments

Look, we saw it too—that report floating around with a $4,000 price tag and a logo slapped on top like it was Michelin-starred research.

So what did we do?

We took their overpriced outline, figured out what they were probably going to say, and then… did the actual work.

Two weeks of reporting, analysis, editing, and caffeine overdoses later, we produced the same caliber report—maybe better.

But here’s the kicker:

Ours doesn’t cost $4,000. (I still can’t believe people are charging that much)

It’s part of ADOTAT+, which costs $50.

That's a savings of $3,950 and we won’t make you attend a sponsored “summit” to access it.

Why? Because we’re the only independent adtech publication left that isn’t quietly shilling for a brand, rewriting press releases, or selling pay-to-play fluff as “insight.”

We don't take bribes.
We don’t fake coverage.

And yes, that means some sponsors won’t touch us—because we might write a report exposing how their shiny new platform doesn't actually do what it says on the tin.

So if you like your adtech news with spine, facts, and a hint of irreverent rage at overpriced mediocrity, join ADOTAT+.

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📘 Report Summary: Rewiring the Upfront: Navigating the Strategic Shifts Reshaping 2025/2026 Commitments

The Upfronts are no longer what they used to be—because the industry isn’t either. This ADOTAT+ white paper takes a chainsaw to the outdated idea of “business as usual” in TV and video buying, exposing how performance pressure, retail media, and economic volatility are forcing advertisers, sellers, and platforms to completely rewrite the rules.

🧭 Key Takeaways:

• The Economy Is Cracking the Foundation:
  With tariffs biting into GDP, consumer confidence see-sawing, and retail sectors tightening their belts, ad budgets aren’t shrinking—they’re becoming more surgical. Long-term commitments are being replaced by just-in-time media strategies.

• Retail Media Is Now the Center of Gravity:
  Growing at nearly +20% YoY, retail media is swallowing traditional spend categories with its closed-loop attribution and shopper-intent magic. Amazon, Walmart Connect, and Instacart are now competing with NBCU for Q4 dollars.

• Performance Is No Longer Optional:
  If it can’t prove sales, it doesn’t get funded. Attribution, incrementality, clean room access, and AI-driven optimization are table stakes. Sellers that can’t deliver outcomes—not impressions—are being written out of the plan.

• The Upfront Has Become a Living Contract:
  Hybrid deals, “Outcomefronts,” and opt-out clauses are redefining the entire model. Advertisers want flexibility, data access, and the power to pivot mid-flight—not a pile of GRPs with a handshake and a prayer.

• Linear Is in Decline, CTV Is on the Rise, and Creators Are Cashing In:
  CTV is gaining momentum (+6.5%), FAST channels are picking up budget slack, and influencer commerce is growing +12.3%. Meanwhile, general entertainment linear TV is expected to drop over 10%—again.

• Buyers Want Intelligence, Not Inventory:
  From predictive AI in media planning to dynamic creative to platform-native attribution, the smartest buyers are treating their media stacks like engineering problems, not ad placements. Sellers are being forced to evolve into data-savvy solution architects—or get left behind.

• CMOs Are Under Pressure:
  Marketing budgets are shrinking as a share of revenue (down to 7.7%), and CFOs are demanding real business value. Vanity metrics are being torched. Everything must be justified in dollars, not deck slides.

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