Each day, New Digital Age gathers the most interesting digital marketing industry news from around the web…
STREAMING
The Media Leader – James Longhurst, 28th October 2026 (also in Advanced Television)
Channel 4 to launch on Disney+ with linear channel and day-and-date shows
Channel 4 will launch on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland from early 2027 under a new agreement with The Walt Disney Company.
VIDEO
Advanced Television – 28th October 2026
Research: HDR shaping the future of premium video
Research from Parks Associates shows high dynamic range (HDR) is becoming a foundational component of premium video entertainment, creating opportunities for television manufacturers, streaming services, and content creators to differentiate through picture quality.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Guardian – George Chidi, 27th October 2026
AI-driven disinformation running rampant on social media before US midterms, experts warn
Social media companies including Meta have pulled back on efforts to protect voters from election-meddling lies
Social Media Today – Andrew Hutchinson, 27th October 2026
Meta adds individual performance data for ad creative
Meta will now let advertisers view the individual performance of creative elements in their ads, in order to provide more guidance on what’s working and what’s not in promotional campaigns.
CONSUMER
Retail Week – Hugh Radojev, 28th October 2026 (also in Retail Gazette)
BRC: Eight in 10 adults worried about rising prices ahead of Budget
Over 80% of British consumers are concerned by rising food prices and inflation ahead of today’s Budget, according to new research by the British Retail Consortium.
Retail Gazette – Katie Searles, 27th October 2026
No cars, more shoppers? How Oxford Street pedestrianisation will reshape retail marketing
As of this Monday, Oxford Street will be pedestrianised, marking a new chapter for one of London’s most well-known shopping hotspots. An initial report and assessment suggests that this pedestrianisation is expected to drive an annual sales growth of 5 per cent to 10 per cent, generating approximately £2.8 billion in cumulative additional revenue.
RETAIL MEDIA
The Drum – Kiri Masters, 27th October 2026
Retail media was built on the keyword search bar. Its days are numbered
Forrester expects conversational search to bring the first big change to retail websites in decades. Built on the keyword auction, retail media has the most to lose and will probably pay for the rebuild.
Decision Marketing – 28 October 2026
‘Trust issues’ holding back AI potential in retail media
Retail media professionals are missing out on AI’s potential to drive advertising performance, with fewer than one in six (16%) using the tech to boost targeting but nine out of ten (88%) embracing it to analyse data and write reports.
BIG TECH
Digiday – Ronan Shields, 28th October 2026
Apple’s Safari crackdown pushes ad tech toward server-side solutions, but doubts remain
Apple’s latest crackdown on identity resolution has accelerated efforts among publishers and ad tech companies to move advertising infrastructure beyond the browser, although questions remain over whether the industry’s preferred response will provide a lasting solution.
E4M – Shantanu David, 28th October 2026
Big Tech wants the shopping journey. What remains for brands?
As Alphabet and Microsoft prepare to report quarterly earnings today, on October 28, with Amazon following on October 29, attention is again turning to Big Tech’s advertising engines. Meta’s advertising revenue rose 26% in the third quarter.
HOLDCOS & AGENCIES
PPC Land – Luis Rijo, 27th October 2026
Trade Desk CEO says Fortune 500 advertisers decide the open internet’s fate
The boss of The Trade Desk wrote an essay saying a few big tech and AI companies should not control how people find and pay for news, music and shows.
The Media Leader – Jack Benjamin, 27th October 2026
Anonymous group of ad execs asks for intervention on ad industry’s funding of hate
A group of senior UK advertising executives is calling for government intervention to tackle ad funding of harmful online content, citing gaps in platform transparency, accountability and brand safety.
The Media Leader – Charli West, 27th October 2026
Thinkbox launches tool to compare cultural impact of media channels
Thinkbox has launched a free planning tool that compares the cultural impact of eight media channels across 19 audiences, helping advertisers assess cultural relevance alongside metrics such as reach and ROI.
