Media Monitor
Media Monitor is a data-led podcast unpacking what’s really happening across advertising, media, and consumer behavior—and what it means next.
Hosted by Sean Wright and Kelly Sweeney from Guideline.ai, the show breaks down the signals behind the headlines: ad spend shifts, market trends, economic pressure points, and emerging opportunities shaping the media ecosystem.
Each episode translates complex data into clear insight, helping brands, agencies, and decision-makers cut through noise, reduce uncertainty, and make smarter strategic calls.
If media is changing faster than ever, Media Monitor helps you understand why, how, and what to watch next.
Episodes
35 episodes
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| The Agentic Future of Media Buying with WPP’s Devon DeBlasio
AI agents may automate more of media buying, but WPP’s Devon DeBlasio believes people still need to remain at the helm.In this installment of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers sits ...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| Is Advertising Losing Sight of What Actually Works?
Advertising has more data, targeting, platforms and measurement than ever. Yet one question keeps surfacing: Are those capabilities actually helping marketers build stronger businesses?In this installment of Media Monitor: ...
Ep 29: YouTube, AI Search & the Ad Inventory Gap in Women’s Sports
YouTube, AI search, data centers, and women’s sports may look like separate stories. Together, they reveal how quickly media distribution and advertising access are changing.In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wr...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| Why AI Still Needs a System of Record| Drew Kane
AI may be reshaping media planning and buying, but not every business problem requires an AI solution.In this episode of Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silvers speaks with Drew Kane, ...
Media Monitor’s Conversation at Cannes| AI Won't Replace Human Creativity| Jonathan Anastas (Rumble)
Jonathan Anastas, Chief Marketing Officer, at Rumble, joins Media Monitor: Conversations at Cannes to discuss why AI won't replace human creativity—but instead make it even more valuable.Following Rumble's acquisition of Northern Dat...
What Advertisers Should Buy Now—and What Can Wait in Q4
When should advertisers lock in Q4 media—and where could waiting actually pay off?In Episode 28 of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright use Guideline’s forward-booking, ad spend, and pricing data to look ahead at the Q4 ad...
Media Monitor's Conversations at Cannes: Metrics that Matter with Preeti
AI is giving marketers faster access to data and insights. But having more data doesn’t automatically lead to better decisions.In this episode of Media Monitor's Conversations at Cannes, Guideline Chief Product Officer Steve Silve...
Why Advertising Growth Is Slowing Despite a Huge Year for Media
The first half of 2026 delivered the Olympics, a resurgent NBA Finals, the FIFA World Cup, and continued growth across streaming and digital media. Yet advertising spend grew just 4% year over year—well below the roughly 10% growth Guideline ha...
3 Common Threads That Kept Coming Up | Conversations at Cannes
Welcome to the first episode of Media Monitor: Conversations in Cannes — a special mini-series featuring industry leaders sharing their predictions for the future of media, advertising, AI, data, and marketing.Recorded during Ca...
Why Brands Pay Millions for World Cup Sponsorships | The Hidden Value of Sports MarketingWhy Brands Pay Millions for World Cup Sponsorships | The Hidden Value of Sports Marketing
Why are brands willing to spend millions sponsoring global sporting events?In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine the economics behind sports sponsorships during the FIFA Club World Cup and explain...
Why Meta Wants Prediction Markets | The $50M Advertising Opportunity Nobody Saw Coming
Prediction markets are rapidly moving from niche platforms into the mainstream—and advertisers are following.In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright examine why companies like Meta are investing in prediction ...
NBA Finals, Fox + Roku & World Cup Ads: The Biggest Media Stories This Week
Sports, streaming, and advertising continue to reshape the media landscape—and this week delivered plenty to discuss.In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean introduce a new weekly headlines segment before diving into Guideli...
How The New York Times Is Winning in Advertising (While Everyone Else Struggles)
Most media companies are fighting declining advertising revenue.The New York Times is moving in the opposite direction.In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean launch a new deep-dive series by examining on...
AI, IPOs & Advertising: What Happens When AI Giants Go Public?
AI continues to dominate headlines—but is the advertising industry becoming more cautious?In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly and Sean examine a series of major developments shaping the future of artificial intelligence and...
NFL Advertising Hits Record Highs: What’s Driving Nearly $6 Billion in Revenue?
The NFL continues to dominate live sports advertising.In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down Guideline’s latest NFL Advertising Report, examining the trends, categories, teams, and schedule changes shaping one of the most v...
Why Publicis Bought LiveRamp — Identity Data, AI & the Future of Advertising
Publicis just made one of the biggest advertising acquisitions in years — purchasing identity platform LiveRamp in a $2.54 billion all-cash deal.But this story is much bigger than a merger announcement.In this episode, Kelly and ...
Upfronts, Streaming & Why TV Advertising Is Starting to Look Like Cable Again
What are the TV Upfronts, and why do they still matter in the streaming era?In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down how television advertising, streaming platforms, and digital media buying continue to evolve in 2026. From traditional...
Auto Advertising Slows While Pharma Faces a Major Shift
This week, Kelly and Sean take a category-focused approach, diving into two major sectors shaping the advertising market: automotive and pharmaceutical advertising.The episode begins with a conversation around Sean’s recent car purch...
Media Headlines Breakdown: OpenAI Lawsuit, iHeart & SiriusXM, Social Media Bans, and Amsterdam Ads
In this episode, Kelly and Sean step back from deep dives and return to a broader format—reviewing several major headlines shaping the media and advertising landscape right now.They begin with the ongoing legal dispute involving Open...
Sports Advertising Trends 2026: Streaming Growth, NFL, NBA, and Olympics Insights
Kelly and Sean break down how advertising is evolving across major sports—from the Olympics to the NFL and NBA—and why streaming continues to reshape how brands reach audiences. In this episode, Kelly and S...
Programmatic Advertising Part 2: SSP Trends, CTV Growth, and What Q1 Data Shows
In part two of their programmatic advertising series, Kelly and Sean shift from the demand side to the supply side, breaking down what SSPs are, how they function, and what the latest Q1 data says about where programmatic is heading.They...
Retail Media Networks Explained: Why Amazon, Walmart & Uber Are Winning Ad Dollars
Retail media networks have quietly become one of the most important forces in advertising.In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down what retail media actually is, why it’s growing, and where it may be heading next.<...
Meta & YouTube Lawsuit: Will Social Media Finally Face Consequences?
A recent jury verdict against Meta and Google has reignited a long-running debate: are social media platforms simply hosting content, or are they designed in ways that can cause harm?In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down the case, t...
Ep 11: How Oil, LNG, and Unemployment Impact Ad Spend (What to Watch in 2026)
Economic headlines are everywhere—but how do they actually impact advertising?In this episode, Kelly and Sean unpack three key indicators—oil prices, liquid natural gas (LNG), and unemployment—and explain how each one connects to ad spen...
Ep 10: TV vs Streaming in 2025: Cord Cutting, Live Sports Growth, and What’s Next for 2026
Six years after COVID reshaped media consumption, the TV industry is still adjusting to the changes that followed. In this episode, Kelly and Sean walk through how the balance between linear TV and streaming flipped, what has happened since, an...