U.S. digital audio spend has topped $7 billion, with streaming audio growing 14% year over year as it shifts from a side test into a core performance driver.
This rapid growth is just one piece of a complex landscape where AI-driven content and tightening platform controls are redefining how brands reach consumers.
In this week’s breakdown, we will take a look at the surge in CTV ad revenue, TikTok’s latest logistical mandates, and how new AI fees are impacting merchant margins.
Audio and CTV Continue to Evolve
Audio and CTV are growing, shifting from experimental channels into core drivers of performance, efficiency, and smarter media decisions for modern brands.
Performance Audio Gains Momentum
Audio is no longer a side test. It is becoming a real performance channel. In PDMI’s Take 20 webinar, experts shared that U.S. digital audio spend is topping $7 billion, with streaming audio growing up to 14% year over year.
People listen for nearly 2 hours a day, often with headphones. That makes audio personal and hard to ignore.
Brands are leaning in. Over 70% see stronger brand recall, and many plan to spend more. Agencies now use podcasts and streaming audio to test messages, build trust, and drive results across the funnel.
AI Is Rewriting the CTV Ad Playbook
According to analyst Laura Martin, AI is flooding CTV with cheaper video. More AI-made ads mean more supply, lower prices, and blurrier lines around what counts as “premium.”
That tradeoff is the catch. Brands gain speed and performance-style metrics, but lose some control over quality and trust. Platforms with AI muscle are pulling ahead, while others cut CPMs to keep up. AI makes CTV easier to buy, but harder to manage well.
Streaming Growth Slows, Ad Revenue Accelerates
Disney+ is a clear example of the shift. U.S. viewing is growing slowly, around 5% a year, but ad sales are surging. Disney+ ad revenue is projected to jump 21% this year, hitting $1.2 billion.
Advertisers are not backing off. Even as audiences level out across streaming, brands see stable reach and better ad tools. With fewer new viewers to chase, platforms are squeezing more value from the ones they already have.
Platform Disruption and Growing Pains
Platforms are evolving, but the changes come with friction, as tighter control, new rules, and unfinished systems test how much power brands and sellers really have.
TikTok’s U.S. Transition Faces Early Challenges
TikTok hit turbulence after its U.S. ownership change. Users reported outages, missing views, and posting glitches. Creators and public figures also raised concerns about content suppression, sparking loud backlash.
That uncertainty matters for brands. Unstable reach and shifting rules make it harder for sellers and advertisers to predict performance.
Agentic Advertising Raises Standards Questions
Agentic ads let AI agents plan and buy media independently, using tools like the Ads Context Protocol. The promise is speed and scale, but the big question is: Who sets the rules when software starts making buying decisions?
The industry is split. Groups like the Agentic Advertising Organization want guardrails, while others warn about weak oversight and fuzzy accountability. Without clear standards, AI could outpace trust, putting brands, publishers, and budgets at risk.
AI Agents Meet Platform Limits
eBay just drew a hard line. It banned third-party AI “buy-for-me” agents and now allows only approved tools to place orders. The rule takes effect in February and locks most outside bots out of its marketplace.
The signal is clear. Platforms want AI, but on their terms. As commerce gets smarter, control is shifting inward, leaving brands with fewer tools and less visibility into how sales really happen.
Commerce, Fees, and Fulfillment Shifts
Commerce is getting more centralized and more expensive, as platforms tighten fees, take over fulfillment, and decide who controls the path from click to checkout.
Shopify Merchants Face New AI-Driven Fees
ChatGPT is adding a new cost to AI shopping. Shopify sellers will pay a 4% fee on sales made through ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout, in addition to existing Shopify fees. Merchants must opt in when the feature goes live.
That fee changes the math. Margins get tighter, and testing AI commerce becomes more expensive. For some brands, the extra cost may slow adoption. For others, early sales and visibility could still make the cost worthwhile.
TikTok Shop Ends Independent Shipping
TikTok is changing how shopping works on its platform. Starting in late March, U.S. sellers must use TikTok’s own logistics system. Independent shipping is going away.
That shift reshapes control. Sellers lose flexibility and must hand fulfillment to TikTok to reach its 170 million U.S. users. Costs may rise, timelines tighten, and leverage moves away from merchants and squarely into the platform’s hands.
Amazon Refocuses Physical Retail Strategy
Amazon is closing its Go and Fresh physical stores. Some locations will shut down, while others will turn into Whole Foods Market stores. Amazon Fresh will live online, not on Main Street.
The focus is now clear. Amazon plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods stores and expand same-day grocery delivery. The strategy favors brands people trust and faster fulfillment over experimental retail ideas.
The Road Forward Starts Here
2026 will test performance marketers, but it also rewards the ones who stay curious and steady. Platforms will change, costs will shift, and rules will tighten, but smart strategy still wins.
The lesson is simple. Know your data, understand the platforms you rely on, and adapt faster than the market.
Markets shift. Winners adjust. Contact TelNet Agency and get back in the game stronger.