Our Scans · (ZY.4.18) Media Studies · Weekly Summary

• [New] Daily media consumption will hit a record 13 hours and 26 minutes per day in 2026, fueled by genAI, resilient social media engagement, stronger-than-expected streaming growth, and a slower decline in traditional TV. eMarketer
• [New] By the end of 2021, there were more than 4.26 billion social media users worldwide, a number that is expected to increase to nearly six billion by 2027. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region globally in 2026 with a share of 29.7%, as television and streaming audiences continue to expand alongside rising internet access, smart TV adoption, and digital media consumption. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Retailers have been looking more at opportunities to influence consideration before purchase intent is fully formed, and that brands are increasingly looking into how richer content can complement their retail media strategies. Digiday
• [New] The strongest 2026 media plans use CTV for addressable reach and brand lift, social and search for lower-funnel capture, and AI-powered video systems to produce native assets for every channel. The Gutenberg
• [New] A media strategy that works on LinkedIn will not translate directly to TikTok. Web Tonic
• [New] Beyond jobs, the accelerating production of convincing AI-generated media, such as deepfakes, is expected to routinely blur the line between real and fake (Vertex AI Search). BuildEZ
• [New] The mass exodus to Ozel's Yeni Parti will leave the CHP with 44 seats in parliament, making the CHP the fourth largest in Turkey. Deutsche Welle
• [New] The Digital Marketing GCC will focus on AI-led intelligence, attribution models, media planning playbooks, and centralised content creation at scale. BMI
• Deepfakes have evolved from early CGI research into a global risk as generative AI has made creating synthetic media fast, inexpensive, and highly convincing. Reality Defender - Enterprise-Grade Deepfake Detection
• Growing concentration of media ownership and tensions between big tech and media are threatening media pluralism across Europe, leaving media systems increasingly vulnerable. European University Institute
• The proliferation of well-funded, content-rich streaming services from major media companies (e.g., Disney +, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV +) poses a clear emerging threat. Trefis
• Media and entertainment is projected to expand at a 38.19% CAGR through 2031, which makes it the fastest-growing end-user segment. Mordor Intelligence
• Media and entertainment is projected to grow at a 33.56% CAGR through 2031, which reflects the increasing value of subscriber-level behaviour data in streaming and digital advertising. Mordor Intelligence
• Sky, which is owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, will pay £1.2bn in cash initially for ITV's media and entertainment business, which includes its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and ITVX streaming platform. The Guardian
• Nike focused much of its spend through May and June on TV, increasing from 42.9% to 50% of its overall media spending - perhaps an attempt to make up for the brand awareness it might have gained, if it were a sponsor like Adidas. Digiday
• The increased security policy concerns resulting from the war in Ukraine are expected to increase national expenditure for military preparedness, which includes satellite-based communication. Ovzon
• The UK's proposed restrictions on VPNs and social media for under-16s could have global implications, following similar moves in Utah and raising concerns about privacy and online access. Yahoo News
• Average ad spending per internet user in the social media segment nearly tripled from $15.82 in 2017 to a modeled $42.77 in 2024, and is forecast to hit $60.90 by 2030. TechnologyChecker.io
• Global social media advertising spending is on track to reach $275.98 billion in 2025 and $480 billion by 2030, while the number of social media users has already passed 5.4 billion worldwide. TechnologyChecker.io

Last updated: 30 July 2026