Big TV networks and studios are finally shifting toward programmatic advertising - even for their linear TV spots. And this shift is attracting a new wave of advertisers and transforming what a typical TV ad break looks and feels like. For example, as reports, Comcast is starting to see net-new ad revenue growth from first-time TV advertisers. "The people coming in the door are small performance advertisers, but they've been doing social ads forever," says Travis Flood, Comcast Advertising's director of insights. "They don't have a TV ad."
Technology giant Meta is to trial premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp users in the coming months. The new offerings would give access to features including expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Under the plan, access to the platforms' core services would remain free to use. The firm also plans to test subscriptions for features, such as its Vibes video generation app, which the firm says "can bring your ideas to life with new AI visual creation tools".
Google Search is bringing its AI Mode feature - its AI-powered search experience - to Spanish-speaking users, the company announced on Tuesday. This expansion will introduce Google's conversational search interface to a broader market, allowing users to ask questions using natural language queries, engage in back-and-forth conversations, upload images, dig deeper on complex topics, and more. The Spanish-language rollout comes on the heels of Google's major AI Mode expansion in August, when the company released the feature to 180 more countries worldwide.
The centerpiece of this initiative is Plus, a $5-a-month subscription tier designed to deliver smarter browsing as well as channel income back to publishers whose work powers its AI. At the core of Comet Plus lies a $42.5 million , earmarked for early participating publishers and slated to expand as more users join Comet Plus, one that Perplexity promises will expand over time. The model is built on a generous split: publishers 80% of subscription revenue, while Perplexity retains 20% to defray compute and operational costs.
The premium plan called ChatGPT Plus guarantees access during blackout periods and includes access to OpenAI's most advanced models, making it attractive for superusers.