Despite saturated live sports calendar, Super Bowl remains north star for brands

February 05, 2026 Between the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, March Madness, NBA All Star game and soccer's World Cup, the sporting planets are aligned for a blockbuster media season through this summer. Media owners and broadcasters (especially NBCU, which holds the rights to several of the biggest live sports events this spring) are thrilled about the coming windfall. Dentsu's 2026 forecast report estimated that live sports spending would push overall global advertising to reach $1.04 trillion this year. Advertisement TOP STORY Marketing in Sports Despite saturated live sports calendar, Super Bowl remains north star for brands Brands are pouring budget into TV tentpole coverage during a congested live sports calendar. Not all events are equal, however. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Every manual task, campaign setup, pacing, tagging and trafficking leaks margin. Agencies that lean into AI media agents as the first line of financial defense will find that their revenue isn't squandered to inefficiency. Partner insights from fullthrottle.ai. As AI evolves from automation to autonomy, marketers are rethinking how campaigns run and how marketing organizations operate. Virgin Money is using AI-driven audience optimization so its agency team can focus on strategic tasks — all while reaping the rewards of improved performance as noted by its agency partner, mFuse. Partner insights from Quantcast. Leaders need new frameworks for handling the human-agent hybrid workforce. This means rethinking foundational assumptions about expertise, collaboration and career development. Partner insights from BetterUp. MARKETING Marketing on Platforms OpenAI's plan for ChatGPT ads starts with brands, not agencies  The industry has found out more about the upcoming tests via whispers, rumors and reporting, rather than OpenAI's own ads team. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ACTIVISON BLIZZARD MEDIA As gaming's influence extends beyond active players, brands are shifting their language and strategies Panelists at 4As Gaming Day underscored that the term "gamer" feels increasingly outdated and often unnecessarily creates distance between people and the behaviors they already participate in daily. Marketing in Sports The case for and against pre-game Super Bowl ads  Super Bowl ads are dropping earlier. Is the pre-game hype worth it, or does rolling out teasers too soon dilute the game-day excitement? MEDIA & PLATFORM The Programmatic Publisher Hearst rethinks brand safety to unlock news ad yield  Hearst challenges legacy brand safety with Mobian partnership. How will IAS and DoubleVerify respond? PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM THE WEATHER COMPANY Video explainer: Using weather targeting to influence action In this video, learn how advertisers tap into a consumer's mindset, motivation and emotional state at a given moment that moves the needle. Evolving Agencies Dentsu is the latest holdco to reunite media and creative production The agency group’s AI-led production solution is the latest sign big players are rebundling their services. But indies are too. Advertisement PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PADSQUAD Why advertisers are recentering creative in a precision-driven industry Rather than launching a back-to-school campaign with a single message, delivering experiences for different segments, like budget-focused families and first-time school parents, is more effective. Each experience reflects the same strategy but is tailored to specific motivations. DIGIDAY + Member exclusive Media Briefing: A solid Q4 gives publishers breathing room as they build revenue beyond search Q4 gave publishers a win — but as ad dollars return, AI-driven discovery shifts mean growth in 2026 will hinge on relevance, not reach. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy