The 7 Media Trends We’re Watching in 2025

The media landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, presenting both exciting opportunities and new challenges for marketers. From the rise of short-form video content to the emergence of retail media networks, various trends are transforming how brands connect with their audiences and shaping media strategies for 2025 and beyond.

The transition from traditional television to digital video has become more pronounced than ever. In the U.S. and the U.K., spending on digital video advertising is projected to double that of traditional TV by 2025. This surge in popularity among advertisers is driven by more flexible budgets, precise targeting capabilities, and accessible ad formats. Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ are becoming essential partners for advertisers, offering accurate targeting in premium environments to increasingly diverse audiences.

As competition for viewers intensifies, these platforms are investing heavily in original content and live sports, which further enhances their appeal to advertisers. Notable events, such as Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday— which broke streaming records with an unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million U.S. viewers— illustrate the significant lengths and investments these platforms are willing to undertake to attract and retain audiences. 

YouTube is significantly impacting the way consumers engage with content on their TVs by providing a cost-effective option. Since 2019, the number of YouTube-connected TV (CTV) viewers in the U.S. has more than doubled, reflecting the growing trend towards larger screens and increased streaming consumption through CTV devices.

Advertisers must adapt to the changing digital landscape. As television consumption grows more fragmented and competition for viewers intensifies, new advertising formats, such as pause ads and split-screen ads, available in the U.S. and U.K., offer fresh opportunities to engage an overwhelmed audience.

The increasing complexity of this ecosystem emphasizes the importance of centralized data and effective measurement strategies. YouTube is particularly well-positioned to lead in this area due to its extensive ecosystem data and significant share—25%—of the total time spent on connected TVs in the U.S. (eMarketer).

Short-form video continues to captivate audiences, with substantial growth expected in the coming year across platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. Global ad spending in this format is forecasted to reach $145 billion by 2028. Its cost-effective and accessible nature facilitates agile creative production with quick turnaround times.

Brands are increasingly leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and partnering with creators to create authentic campaigns that boost audience engagement. This format has emerged as one of the top ways shoppers discover products on social media, especially among younger generations, who interact with it more than any other content type.

Visually engaging and dynamic content is essential for capturing shoppers’ attention and facilitating product discovery. Brands should aim to attract viewers within the first three seconds by utilising content that is culturally relevant and appropriate for the platform.

By integrating short-form video into a comprehensive, full-funnel media strategy, brands can establish a balanced content approach that aligns more effectively with the distinct characteristics of each short-form video platform.

Influencer marketing has evolved from a niche strategy to a mainstream practice. As the creator economy nears $250 billion in global revenue, creator media is rapidly gaining traction against traditional advertising and corporate media, solidifying its position in the marketing landscape.

Currently, one in five marketers allocate more than 30% of their budgets to influencers, and nearly a quarter of U.K. adults have purchased products due to endorsements from celebrities or influencers. This underscores the vital role creators play in fostering authentic audience engagement that drives conversions.

Despite the volatility surrounding TikTok’s long-term future in the U.S. in early 2025, creators will continue to shape cultural conversations and boost brand engagement across social platforms.

Authentic influencer partnerships that align with brand values resonate deeply with audiences, fostering trust and loyalty. It is crucial for both the brand and the influencers that these partnerships feel genuine. When exploring these opportunities, the guiding principle should be to focus on quality over quantity.

Successful brands will engage creators in more innovative ways to drive impact, utilising them across paid and owned media within a diverse mix of social platforms to achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

In 2025, search is transitioning from a transactional tool to a dynamic discovery platform. AI-driven innovations like Perplexity and OpenAI Search are transforming user interactions by encouraging curiosity and exploration instead of merely relying on keyword queries. This evolution establishes search as a top-of-the-funnel strategy, allowing brands to engage with consumers earlier in their journey. A new era of search is emerging, one that emphasizes relevance and personalisation, which will bring significant changes to consumer expectations and behaviours in the years ahead.

Traditional SEM, SEO, and feed optimization remain essential, with SEO optimizations often benefiting conversational AI platforms. However, these platforms create content differently, necessitating brands to adjust their strategies. While paid opportunities in conversational AI are currently limited, more are anticipated, particularly within Google’s Gemini ecosystem.

Search is no longer just a channel—it’s an interconnected ecosystem that spans SEO, SEM, conversational AI, Amazon, video platforms like YouTube, and social search. Its foundation is multimodal content—text, audio, images, and video—across both owned properties and external platforms such as social media, affiliates, and public relations efforts. This content influences brand visibility within AI-generated responses.

AI agents like OpenAI’s Operator may further shape shopping behaviors by automating research and purchases. However, their effectiveness and consumer adoption remain uncertain. Meanwhile, social platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest keep integrating search with commerce, merging discovery with action to create immersive shopping experiences.

For brands, this expanded role of search offers new opportunities to raise awareness and strengthen connections with consumers. Prioritizing dynamic, high-quality content and experimenting with conversational and discovery-focused ad formats will be essential for maintaining visibility in this changing landscape. As search increasingly bridges the gap between inspiration and action, brands that align their strategies with these shifts will gain a competitive advantage in attracting consumer attention and driving engagement.

Podcasts have established themselves as a popular audio format, with over 500 million listeners anticipated worldwide by 2025 and an expected annual growth rate of 27% to 30%. Listeners are attracted to podcasts for their ability to provide niche, in-depth, and highly engaging content. The situations in which they are consumed—such as during commutes or workouts—enhance attention and improve ad recall. Importantly, according to Acast, 84% of podcast listeners take action after hearing a podcast advertisement, with 41% making purchases and 57% visiting a brand’s website.

Podcasting’s distinctive capacity to build trust, loyalty, and a strong connection with audiences positions it as a treasure trove for advertisers. As ad fatigue increases on other platforms, podcasts continue to be a reliable medium where ads read by hosts resonate more effectively than traditional media.

Host-read ads continue to be the cornerstone of podcast advertising, providing brands with a means to connect authentically with dedicated listeners. Expanding campaigns to other platforms, such as YouTube or social media, will enhance their impact.

Social commerce is setting records, with sales projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2028. Platforms like TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping are enabling more seamless purchase experiences, merging discovery, engagement, and online transactions.

This trend particularly appeals to Gen Z and Millennials. Creating campaigns that align with their preferences and leveraging trends, short-form videos, and influencer partnerships will increase engagement. With TikTok’s future in the U.S. uncertain, it’s crucial to diversify social commerce strategies by establishing a strong presence across multiple social platforms.

As social media blurs the lines between entertainment and ecommerce, brands must adapt to these changes to stay relevant. By emphasizing authenticity, providing seamless shopping experiences, and forming creator partnerships, businesses can successfully capture attention, build loyalty, and drive growth in an increasingly competitive social landscape. With expected volatility related to TikTok, it’s crucial for brands to diversify their creator partnerships and explore other platforms for creator-driven activities.

By enabling direct targeting of consumers at the point of purchase, retail media networks are transforming how advertising connects with the consumer buying journey. Global advertising spending on retail media networks is projected to surpass$165 billion by 2027. Amazon continues to lead the way, capturing 76.2% of all U.S. retail media advertising spending.

These networks utilize first-party data to enhance the shopping experience and boost sales by cultivating direct relationships with consumers. Additionally, they provide advanced and transparent measurement tools that provide a comprehensive assessment of incremental value.

Demonstrating the ROI of retail media will be essential in 2025. Partner with retail media networks that prioritise transparency and advanced measurement tools. While it's important to focus investments in top retail media networks like Amazon, exploring specialized platforms and experimenting with new advertising formats, such as in-store displays, has its advantages. These initiatives can uncover untapped opportunities and diversify advertising strategies, thereby enhancing engagement and effectiveness.