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Film and TV companies are expanding into video games: Whether it鈥檚 mobile games, mid-budget indie titles, or mega-franchise blockbusters, Hollywood鈥檚 next frontier is gaming.

Discord doubles down on youth with Gas acquisition: The app is huge with teens, and the deal shows the acquirer鈥檚 interest in moving beyond its gaming roots.

With 65.9% of digital ad dollars spent in the US this year going to mobile, according to our March 2024 forecast, brands must find ways for their mobile ads to stand out. Interactive ads can do that for brands, but the successful types vary between industries.

Mobile-first gaming leads the charge into 2025: Smartphones and portable consoles are reshaping gaming as enhanced hardware makes premium mobile games a competitive force.

Underage users are both an asset and huge risk for platforms: TikTok and games like Fortnite are thriving thanks to their young users, but controversy could make advertisers wary.

搁辞产濒辞虫鈥檚 ad efforts come at a tricky time: A spending downturn, prickly regulatory mood, and unclear in-game ad standards make this a tough space to navigate.

How we got here: The CMA blocked the acquisition of the gaming giant, which was first announced in January 2022, on the grounds that creating a monolith would smother competition in cloud gaming. Activision Blizzard owns games such as Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo.

While advertising areas like connected TV and retail media boast strong potential, other channels, like social media and linear TV, are losing some steam. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to explore other ad channels. For example, digital out-of-home advertising has made technological and creative leaps in the past few years, while the women鈥檚 sports ad opportunity is expanding. Here are some areas within digital advertising where you may be missing out on unlocking potential.

Netflix has also put surprisingly little marketing or promotion behind its gaming efforts for something it鈥檚 invested so heavily in. Still, gaming could be a natural fit for Netflix鈥檚 ad-supported plans. Video game consumers may be wary of the coming wave of ads in games, but advertising is already native to the mobile gaming experience.

Any brand delving into in-game advertising must be cautious about not distracting from the experience. Over a third (35%) of desktop gamers said ads negatively affect their experience, compared with 55% of gamers who said that product placements in games make the experience 鈥渕ore real,鈥� per a Comscore survey as reported by Digiday.

Time spent on media and consumer spending are plateauing, making one company's gain another's loss. Diving into these market dynamics, we explore innovative strategies for advertisers and retailers to win consumers in the new digital era.

How we got here: The FTC filed to stop Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard late last year, saying the $68.7 billion blockbuster deal would suppress competition in the video game market. The push to block the acquisition was seen as a bold and risky maneuver for the regulator after a year of anemic regulatory activity.

In 2024, in-app video ads will capture over 30% of total US mobile advertising spend for the first time. Driven by placements in social media, YouTube, and OTT apps, in-app video ad spending will increase 20.4% YoY in 2024 to reach $61.11 billion. It will account for over half (58%) of the $105.93 billion in US video ad revenues and nearly 90% of mobile video ad revenues.

Final question, Ross in the lead talking about Disney and gaming. So Disney is investing 1.5 billion into Fortnite creator Epic Games in the company's most significant venture into gaming yet writes our Daniel Constantinovich.

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5.

Half of US digital media professionals say that social media holds the most potential for innovation and opportunity in the next 12 months, per a September 2023 survey by YouGov cited by Integral Ad Science.

Roblox emerges strong after a tough 2022: While users and revenues rose, the metaverse platform鈥檚 advertising ambitions haven鈥檛 yet taken off.

On today's episode, we discuss whether the most watched program in the US (the NFL) has a looming viewership problem, Disney+ and Hulu joining forces, whether the free returns party is over, ride-hailing apps giving mixed messages, YouTube viewership on TV screens, the best-selling video games in history, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and analysts Ross Benes and Paul Verna.

Microsoft鈥檚 $20M fine for collecting kids鈥� data on Xbox underscores intensifying privacy regulations for ad-centric Big Tech, potentially triggering tighter privacy controls and bigger fines.

Well, streaming in gaming, in a lot of things but particularly in gaming, is certainly the future. You had a chart in your piece, which jumped out to me, basically saying or asking when game development professionals were asked, "Which gaming platforms will grow the most by 2025?" Most people, 40% said streaming followed by mobile, 24% and then Metaverse and console further down the list.

With 34 million developers, a massive app ecosystem, and a burgeoning ad business, Apple could fast-track its metaverse ambitions behind its MR headset announcement.

Fortnite鈥檚 success shows that if Meta can organize Horizon Worlds behind a unified vision and value proposition, players will be more likely to hop on board鈥攁nd advertisers will be sure to follow. This article originally appeared in Insider Intelligence's Marketing & Advertising Briefing鈥攁 daily recap of top stories reshaping the advertising industry.

搁辞产濒辞虫鈥檚 ad struggles show the metaverse鈥檚 waning importance: Advertisers may choose to stay away from the platform thanks to new rules limiting exposure and restricting content.