Snap Inc. has secured San Francisco-based Perplexity as its new partner in artificial intelligence, with Perplexity’s AI-powered answer engine to become an in-app feature of social service Snapchat starting in early 2026. Snapchat’s community of over 943 million monthly active users will be able to converse with Perplexity, asking questions and getting “clear, conversational answers drawn from verifiable sources,” Snap explains. Perplexity will pay Snap $400 million over the next year through a combination of cash and equity, gaining access to Snap’s mobile-native audience, comprised of more than 75 percent of 13–34-year-olds in over 25 countries. Continue reading Perplexity Deal Will Bring Conversational AI to Snapchat App

London-based global marketing giant WPP has launched WPP Open Pro, a new edition of its flagship AI marketing platform, WPP Open, aimed at attracting “brands of all sizes” and helping them to plan, create and publish campaigns independently. The product stems from the Gemini-powered AI platform WPP built with Google — a relationship that has been extended by five years and includes a $400 million WPP spending commitment. The spend will drive WPP’s mission to expand the use of AI in its services and technologies. “This partnership will empower WPP clients with groundbreaking AI solutions, transforming how they connect with audiences and achieve business goals,” according to WPP. Continue reading WPP Rolls Out Open Pro AI and Extends Its Deal with Google

YouTube is implementing a new Activation Partners program to help advertisers achieve better outcomes in CTV campaigns. The program connects brands, advertisers and agencies with approved third-party experts specializing in YouTube media buys, including campaign planning and management. The program aims to help marketers discover new resources that have been pre-vetted by Google, expanding perspectives and tapping alternative expertise by tapping a “collection of trusted third-party partners” that the social video company hopes will “help advertisers get the best results out of their work with YouTube.” Continue reading YouTube’s Activation Partners Program Supports Advertisers

Meta Platforms is launching new AI features including Business AI, a new sales concierge service that aims to guide customers “from discovery to purchase” with AI-powered messaging agents appearing on Meta ads, threads and your company’s website. Meta is launching the Meta AI business assistant, an AI chat experience that will help optimize campaign targeting and resolve account issues, via Ads Manager and Business Support Home. There are also new generative video tools and expanded access to Meta’s creator discovery APIs to matchmake businesses with influencers and other grassroots partners. The news was shared as marketers convene for Advertising Week New York. Continue reading Meta Boosts AI Ad Tools: Adds Brand Chatbots, Creator APIs

Pinterest is introducing new ad formats along with an updated ad manager tool. Currently in beta, the debuting Top of Search ad configuration aims to leverage visual search by inviting advertisers to perch atop search returns and results for Related Pins queries. The company is also making local inventory ads generally available so local merchants can highlight products available in nearby stores. Also unveiled at the Pinterest Presents summit last week was Pinterest Media Network Connect, which allows advertisers to securely link campaigns to media networks on the platform. Continue reading Pinterest Introduces New Ad Tools Ahead of Holiday Season

Amazon Ads and Netflix have partnered to provide advertisers direct access to Netflix’s premium ad inventory via Amazon DSP. Beginning in Q4, marketers using Amazon DSP in the U.S., UK, France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Australia, will be able to purchase programmatic ad inventory from Netflix using the e-retailer’s demand-side platform. In June, Amazon and Disney did a similar deal and Netflix partnered with Yahoo DSP. Netflix has expanded outreach to Madison Avenue through its own internal ad-tech platform, now in 12 markets, including South Korea in addition to those mentioned above. Continue reading Netflix Taps Amazon DSP for Programmatic Advertising Sales

TikTok has teamed with Fandango to sell movie tickets, allowing entertainment fans “to go from movie discovery to ticket purchase directly within the TikTok app.” The integration is powered by TikTok Spotlight, a film and TV vertical the social platform launched last summer. The first film on offer is Disney’s “Tron: Ares,” opening in theaters October 10. “Fans will see a ‘Get Tickets’ button on movie-related in-app hubs, which will seamlessly connect them to Fandango’s ticketing flow,” TikTok explains, noting that from there, moviegoers can select seats and purchase tickets. Continue reading TikTok Partners with Fandango for In-App Movie Ticket Sales

New York-based satellite and online radio provider SiriusXM is adding an ad-supported music tier to subscription offering, with SiriusXM Play coming to market for in-car streaming at “less than $7” per month for more than 130 content channels. SiriusXM already offers talk channels with ads, and also has an existing car plan that costs $9.99 per month. A $24.98 monthly “all access” plan also includes car coverage. The Play package, which SiriusXM first began talking about in May, is now available “on a limited basis,” with additional details coming later in 2025, the streamer says. Continue reading SiriusXM Adds Car-Targeted Music Plan for Under $7 with Ads

Netflix revenue grew to $11.08 billion in Q2, a 16 percent year-over-year increase that helped drive net profit up 46 percent to $3.1 billion. The company’s operating margin rose to 34.1 percent in Q2, a nearly 7-point rise over Q2 2024 that along with 30 percent full-year guidance puts the streamer on par with tech giants such as Apple (31 percent) and Google (32 percent). Although Netflix no longer provides quarterly subscriber updates, the company did share results of its half-year Engagement Report, indicating members watched more than 95 billion hours of Netflix content during the first six months of the year. Continue reading Netflix Records Impressive Q2: Revenue Reaches $11 Billion

Meta Platforms is expanding AI support for WhatsApp, adding voice calling to customers for enterprise accounts, a feature that’s been available to small businesses for years. “In the coming weeks, larger businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will be able to receive a call from a customer when they want to talk to someone live or call a customer directly” on request. Meta announced in Miami at its fourth annual Conversations business messaging conference, saying the move “paves the way for AI-enabled voice support in the future.” The company also added WhatsApp to centralized marketing across Facebook and Instagram. Continue reading Meta Is Increasing WhatsApp Ad Capabilities and AI Support

ElevenLabs is bringing its powerful AI voice tools to mobile. Previously, the company’s apps and voice libraries were only available via the Web. Now iOS and Android users can tap ElevenLabs tech on the go with a “faster, intuitive, more powerful experience built natively for mobile” rather than awkwardly through a mobile browser. Combining mobility with creativity, the app lets users create realistic voiceovers for social media or narrate video using ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech models — including Eleven v3, now in alpha, which lets users fine-tune vocalizations using tags. The company has also introduced a new voice assistant, 11ai. Continue reading ElevenLabs Text-to-Voice AI Tools Now Available for Mobile

Meta Platforms has announced new generative AI features developed for marketers that produce video advertisements. Announced as part of Meta’s Advantage+ ad suite, marketers can now use up to 20 product stills to create multi-scene video ads with music and text overlay. The company has also added generative AI voices and virtual try-ons to its Advantage+ marketer toolkit. The upgrades were announced at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where the topic of Meta using AI not only to create ads but to algorithmically serve them to target audiences was a topic of conversation. Continue reading Meta Unveils New AI Advertising Tools as Part of Advantage+

Kaiju means “giant monster” in Japanese, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is hoping the term will translate to monster box office at its new Godzilla-themed movie house, the Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California. “This is just the beginning,” says Alamo, announcing a partnership with Toho International, the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of the fabled Tokyo production company that is home to the reptilian heavyweight and his pals Mothra, Rodan and Megalon (as well as Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”). Alamo promises “exclusive merch, screenings and other surprises” tied to Toho’s “universe of city-stomping beasts.” Continue reading Alamo Drafthouse Bows Godzilla-Themed California Theater

Snapchat has introduced new editing tools designed to make it easier for creators to produce and share content on its platform. Capabilities of the new “Timeline Editor” include generating videos from saved Memories and viewing video content in a chronological way, making it simpler to move and rearrange clips. The “Create a Video” feature provides templates that let users select Memories vids, pick a song from the Snapchat Sounds library and generate a custom video compilation. The ability to auto-save public Stories to profiles has been added as Snapchat seeks to build-out creator tools to compete with Instagram and TikTok. Continue reading Snapchat Expands Its Video Editing Tools and Adds Analytics

Fox Corporation’s Tubi free ad-supported streaming service has partnered with Kickstarter to support independent filmmakers raising funds on the crowdfunding platform. The deal will bring more than 20 Kickstarter-funded films to Tubi for an exclusive period beginning this fall. As part of the arrangement, Tubi has joined with Kickstarter to launch the FilmStream Collective fund, which will channel completion funds to filmmakers active on the platform. Tubi reaches over 97 million monthly active users worldwide with FAST entertainment in the form of on-demand movies and TV episodes, including original content. Continue reading Tubi Is Joining Forces with Kickstarter to Support Indie Films