Have a question? Send us a text!

https://2026.marketecturelive.com/e/u/checkout/marketecturemedia/tickets/order

Use discount code FINAL30 for 30% off general admission.
Brands and agencies attend free.

In this episode, Tim Rowe sits down with Sam Khoury, Chief Strategy Officer at Marketecture Media, to go behind the scenes on one of ad tech's fastest-growing media companies and preview their upcoming flagship event, Marketecture Live 3: Consumers in Control. From the origins of the company as three independent podcasts to the current debate over OpenAI monetization and the decline of Google Search, Sam delivers a candid look at what's actually moving the needle in advertising right now and what's just noise.

Key Takeaways

The Open Web Is Under Pressure and Advertisers Need A Plan

Web traffic is declining across open web properties as consumers shift their discovery and research habits toward LLMs and AI platforms. Sam explains why Marketecture Live 3 is deliberately focused on maximizing what advertisers have today rather than chasing AI hype, and how the theme "Consumers in Control" reflects a fundamental shift in how audiences access content, research products, and navigate the internet.

• 4:04 – The event theme and why consumer behavior, not AI, is the real story.
• 5:10 – Why Marketecture is prioritizing practical advertising fundamentals over trending topics.

ChatGPT Ads Could Be A Multi-Billion Dollar Business

With Google Search usage declining and OpenAI announcing plans to add advertising, Sam and Tim break down what LLM monetization could look like, and why the contextual relevance of ChatGPT ads could be a game changer. The key risk? Transparency. If users can't tell what's sponsored, trust erodes fast. If they get it right, it's a new category of marketing entirely.

• 6:37 – OpenAI's ad play and what it means for search marketers.
• 8:32 – Why demand capture through LLMs still requires demand generation elsewhere.

The Startup Showcase Is Ad Tech's Shark Tank

MarketectureLive's pitch competition has a real track record. Past participant Streamer.ai was acquired by Magnite shortly after showcasing, and two other startups raised funding rounds. This year, five startups were selected from over 60 submissions spanning pharma, platform integrations, and more, proving the showcase has evolved well beyond AI-only pitches.

• 13:18 – How the startup showcase works: submission, selection, live demo, audience voting.
• 15:27 – Real outcomes: acquisitions and funding rounds that followed past events.

Headline Sessions Worth Blocking Your Calendar For

The two-day event at The Glasshouse in NYC features the CMO of the NFL discussing the Super Bowl and the rise of live sports advertising, an FTC commissioner addressing privacy and data, leaders from Omnicom and Dentsu, and Ari Paparo's keynote, which Sam calls a can't-miss every time.

• 8:32 – Session highlights and why the NFL CMO session stands out.
• 10:23 – Venue details, ticket pricing, and how brands and agencies attend free.

Connect with the Guest

• Connect with Sam Corey on LinkedIn: Sam Khoury
• Learn more about Marketecture Media: https://www.marketecturemedia.com
• Get tickets to Marketecture Live 3: Use code FINAL30

Have a question? Send us a text!

In this episode, Tim Rowe sits down with Jean Carucci, Streaming Strategy Scholar, to decode the rapidly evolving world of streaming mergers and acquisitions (M&A). They trace the industry’s journey from the Plethora of Plus era and the rise of FAST channels to the current landscape of mega-mergers and consolidation. Jean provides a strategic roadmap for media buyers to navigate the shift from linear-first to streaming-first planning, ensuring brands remain relevant and effective amidst the chaos.

Key Takeaways

The Shift from Linear to Streaming-First

The media planning landscape has fundamentally flipped. Historically, buyers started with linear TV and used digital to extend reach, today, the strategy starts with streaming, using linear only for incremental reach. Jean explains that we have reached a point of diminishing returns for subscriber growth, forcing major media companies to acquire competitors to gain scale and maintain leadership.

• 4:20 – The Plethora of Plus era and how the pandemic accelerated direct-to-consumer adoption.
• 12:20 – Analyzing the Nielsen Gauge: Understanding the 80% growth in streaming viewership over four years.

Two Paths of Consolidation: Prestige vs. Scale

Jean compares two potential merger scenarios, Netflix/Warner Bros. Discovery vs. Paramount/WBD, to highlight the different opportunities for advertisers. While one offers high-touch, premium integrations with limited inventory (Prestige), the other offers massive, high-volume reach across linear and streaming with endemic, sticky content like live sports and reality TV (Scale).

• 18:22 – A head-to-head comparison of merger outcomes for media buyers.
• 20:35 – Choosing between limited premium slots and fragmented high-volume supply.
• 26:20 – Why CPG brands might prefer the stickiness of lifestyle content over high-brow prestige drama.

Future-Proofing for Media Buyers

With consolidation comes technical hurdles. Jean outlines four critical tips for navigating the M&A wave, emphasizing Data Readiness and Engagement. She argues that the 30-second brand awareness ad is no longer enough; buyers must demand interactive, shoppable formats and prime real estate on the streaming home screen.

• 32:05 – Why scale is the primary driver for mass-market ROI in a merged ecosystem.
• 34:20 – Four tips to navigate M&A: From data portability to venture buying for tentpole events.

The 5 Must-Ask Questions for the Upfront Season

Jean identifies five critical questions every media buyer should bring to the table this year:

1. Can I activate my first-party data on your platform?
2. What is the actual ad-available subscriber base post-merger?
3. Can we lock in high-affinity tentpoles before prices reset?
4. Does your ad tech stack support shoppable and outcome-driven formats?
5. How are you carving out opportunities for my brand on the new user interface?

Connect with the Guest

• Subscribe to Jean Carucci’s Substack: The Streaming Strategy Scholar
• Connect with Jean on LinkedIn: Jean Carucci

Take advantage of 30% OFF registration to the 2-Day Marketecture Live event in NYC by using code FINAL30 here: https://2026.marketecturelive.com/e/marketecturemedia

Have a question? Send us a text!

In this episode, Tim Rowe sits down with David Sanderson, CEO of ReelGood, to discuss the complex world of streaming fragmentation. They explore how the lack of a universal content barcode led to a data crisis, how major studios are using historical availability to make nine-figure licensing bets, and why the current streaming landscape feels more like a logistics problem than an entertainment one.

Key Takeaways

The No Barcode Problem

There is no industry-standard ID for content. Netflix, Disney+, and Prime all assign unique internal IDs to the same movie, making it nearly impossible to track availability without sophisticated technology. David explains how ReelGood spent eight years and tens of millions of dollars building a machine learning system that maps content based on cast, crew, and metadata rather than relying on inconsistent vendor data.

• 2:28 – Why licensing data from existing vendors often results in wrong information.
• 5:12 – The challenge of the universal ID and why new standards often make the problem worse.

Strategic Insights: Defensive vs. Offensive Moves

Data isn't just for helping consumers find shows; it’s for helping studios survive. David reveals how data shows Paramount is more dependent on Warner Bros. Discovery than Netflix is. He discusses how licensing decisions are shifting from filling gaps to strategic gatekeeping of IP, especially as adaptations of proven books and franchises become the industry's safest bets for ROI.

• 9:00 – How marketing teams use data to identify and lean into their biggest catalogs (e.g., horror vs. drama).
• 15:00 – Analyzing the Paramount/WBD/Netflix exposure: Why buying WBD is an offensive move for Netflix but defensive for Paramount.
• 17:10 – Case studies on Yellowstone, James Bond, and Jurassic Park that reveal the absurdity of app-switching.

The Invisible Gap in Streaming

Nearly half of all movies and TV shows in global databases are not available to stream in the United States. David highlights the massive opportunity in international content and existing IP (like the hit Heated Rivalry), noting that smart services are looking at outsized returns by finding high-impact international titles that can be licensed at a fraction of the cost of a domestic blockbuster.

• 17:44 – The surprising stat: 50% of global content is missing from US streaming platforms.
• 18:20 – Why the future of margins lies in proven IP from international markets.

Connect with David Sanderson on LinkedIn here.

Take advantage of 30% OFF registration to the 2-Day Marketecture Live event in NYC by using code FINAL30 here: https://2026.marketecturelive.com/e/marketecturemedia