Global digital out of home (DOOH) supply-side platform VIOOH has announced a strategic partnership with Dolphin OOH to further expand access to premium DOOH inventory across the United States. The partnership delivers access to over 5,000 digital screens across major US cities, generating more than 50 million monthly impressions. Dolphin’s network spans diverse environments including malls, transit stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, gyms, convenience stores, retail office supplies and urban panels, reaching audiences in high-traffic locations across key metropolitan areas. Dolphin’s inventory reaches major markets including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Long Beach.
The IPA has launched the Creative Essentials Certificate, a cornerstone of President Karen Martin’s agenda to put creativity back at the heart of the industry and empower the next generation of creative leaders. Running from 20 April to 6 July 2026, this eight-week qualification programme is designed for early-career creatives, offering practical tools, inspiration and industry insight to help them develop, craft and sell work that truly moves audiences. Across a range of interactive sessions, participants will explore the full creative journey, from understanding their role within the agency and developing their voice, to shaping, crafting and pitching ideas with confidence. The course will also delve into building client partnerships and managing long-term career growth. Sessions will be led by industry leaders from top agencies, including BBH, Biscuit Filmworks, Wieden & Kennedy and the IPA, and hosted at the IPA and other key London creative spaces.
5 has cemented its position as the fastest-growing streaming service among UK public service broadcasters for the second year in a row. In 2025, the platform grew its Barb Total Viewing Minutes (TVMs) by 34% versus 2024 amongst all viewers, outperforming BBC iPlayer (+7%), ITVX (+24%) and 4 Streaming (+11%). 5’s slate of original drama and range of boxsets drove viewing on the streaming platform, reinforcing its strategy to invest in new slates for both during the year. The All Creatures Great and Small collection was the most watched scripted series on the platform during the year, alongside original dramas The Feud, The Game, Cooper & Fry, The Forsytes and The Rumour. Following the shift to a streaming-first strategy, Home and Away also became the one of the year’s best performing title on 5’s streaming platform. Top performing boxsets during 2025 included The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, Blindspot, The Following and Wentworth Prison.
Akeneo has unveiled its 2025-2026 commerce outlook, warning that the next 18 months will reshape global retail more dramatically than any period in the past decade. With major retailers such as Walmart integrating ChatGP-T assisted checkout, the technology is entering a critical trust phase. Akeneo’s latest research shows that only 27% of shoppers who have used an AI checkout experience intend to do so again, highlighting the importance of transparency and clear communication around how these tools work. In 2026, with more than half of consumers preparing to buy through third-party apps rather than brand websites, the traditional model of directing shoppers to owned channels is eroding. As Google, Amazon and ChatGPT become competing conversational storefronts, high-quality, consistent product information has effectively become a brand’s frontline salesperson. Looking further ahead, Akeneo expects agentic AI to begin playing a far more active role in purchasing itself. With a third of US consumers already open to the idea of allowing an AI assistant to make purchases on their behalf, the company predicts an immediate future in which shoppers describe their needs conversationally and delegate the entire purchasing process to an AI agent.
Streaming services and retailers grew UK revenues from music, video and games to a record high of £13.3 billion, amid broader economic stagnation, with new figures revealing the sector grew more than four times faster than the wider economy in 2025. According to the latest report from the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), revenues from video, music, and gaming marked 7.1 per cent year-on-year growth. This contrasts sharply with the 1.5 per cent GDP growth predicted by the OBR, highlighting strong consumer appetite for at home entertainment despite wider economic gloom. Over the past decade, the sector has expanded by 120 per cent, a rate ten times higher than that of the UK economy in the same period. Growth in 2025 was driven largely by streaming-video-on-demand services, with the film Wicked emerging as the year’s top seller, with nearly one million units sold. Video remains the largest of the three sectors surveyed by ERA, rising eight per cent to reach £5.4bn. The gaming sector also saw a strong return to form, growing 7.4 per cent to reach £5.4bn, fuelled by an 8.8 per cent increase in mobile-gaming revenue.
New research has revealed that 2026 will mark a decisive shift in how people discover and interact with brands. In the coming years we’ll see AI act on behalf of users; fundamentally changing the role of websites, search and brand content. According to Yext, the shift is already visible: 40% of UK consumers use AI search at least once a day and 68% of people globally have used AI platforms like ChatGPT to research local products or services. Additionally, in broader behaviour, 75% of global users reported they use AI search tools more than they did a year ago. Grounded in Yext’s Rise of AI Search Archetypes research, Yext predicts that brands will no longer compete primarily for clicks, but for inclusion in AI-driven actions, for example, personalised recommendations to purchases and bookings, even embedded in physical environments. The research also shows that 62% of global consumers now trust AI to guide brand decisions, underscoring the growing mainstream acceptance of AI as a discovery tool.
With so many products competing for space in your makeup and skincare collection, keeping up with a beauty routine can quickly become costly. The dupe market is increasingly growing in popularity as consumers are paying closer attention to the performance of products, according to The State of Fashion 2025 Beauty Report. As social media continues to help beauty lovers find more affordable and often just-as-good alternatives to some of the premium brands, Fresha has conducted a study to find out which brands and products Brits are trying to find dupes for most, and how much they could be saving us. Of the 97 brands analysed, beauty brand Sol de Janeiro comes in as the most searched for brand people want dupe products of, with 69,600 searches each year for Sol de Janeiro dupes. Known for its signature scents and Brazilian-inspired creams, the brand is most famously known for its Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. In second place is UK luxury beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury, who are known for their award-winning and universally-loved makeup, skincare and fragrance. From the iconic Magic Cream to viral Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, these premium products come at a price, making it no surprise that the brand receives 24,000 searches for cheaper alternatives each year. Other brands in the top 10 list include Drunk Elephant, Chanel, Elemis and Dior.
