It’s NewFronts timing, the IAB showcase week when all eyes (and ears) are turned to digital platforms competing for dollars. And these days, what doesn’t have a digital component? Media lines have blurred since OEMs and retail brands became networks, since print pubs are more “phygital,” and Out Of Home is more Digital OOH (DOOH) than ever. The question now is how can brands leverage multiple platforms to earn attention and engagement, even more than awareness.
Podcasts get their “Upfronts” seasonally adjacent to the TV industry’s, but at the recent Podcast Movement Evolutions conference it was clear that radio and on demand audio may offer a microcosm of a solution for NewFronts audiences. That is: play everywhere, and play nicely together. Reach and awareness has been a given of radio (yes, still) but is proven to be amplified exponentially when paired with its digital siblings like streaming audio and podcasts. At that conference, Nielsen said that the combo of radio AND podcasting does more for brand lift and attention than either platform alone.
While AdResults Media (ARM) Playbook is also focused on audio as their sweet spot, even they write that “The most important media story of 2026 is that audio, video, creators and communities are converging into a potent platform for brands.” Their report focuses on the one-two punch of “leading with audio and scaling with video.”
Many NewFront presenters will want to landgrab, as they should. A la Samsung, which, impressively announced they’re the first-ever partner outside of Amazon to enable interactiveremote-enabled, ad formats. (Think: “add to cart” or “send to phone” all executed through the Amazon DSP.)They rightly did a little chest beating, saying they are the “one partner that handles everything you need: connections, outcomes and intelligence end to end, so that you're not forced to navigate, stitch together or manage every new shift in the media landscape.”
But it’s a big world of content out there. Let’s not forget our print friends offering pixels, and how OOH pairs as nicely with DOOH as a crisp white with halibut. That’s not Samsung territory. Yet.
Consumers Don’t Live in Silos. Why Do Our Media Plans?
Another NewFront presenter offered a more holistic perspective. Nerissa Valdellon of Channel Factory, a seasoned media executive, observed herself as a consumer and recognized that her own purchase behavior was shaped by exposure to ads across at least five platforms, from print to TV to social. It’s a lived example of the truth, and advice, she shared: “Consumers don’t move in straight lines or stay in one place, and neither should media strategies.”
She makes a good point -- that we don't live on one platform anymore, we move across many. Each platform captures valuable signals. But you don’t want client campaigns optimized inside platforms instead of across the full consumer journey and only delivering a fragment of the story. “That’s not just a measurement problem,” she said, “it’s a strategy problem.”
CTV Goes IRL -- and Fills a Gap in the Journey
That brings us to news from Atmosphere TV, a streaming CTV out-of-home (OOH) platform. To my mind it’s a way to offer two touchpoints at once, sort of the missing link in that multi-platform journey, catching people both in-stream and in-scene, when they’re out, engaged, and apparently a little more likely to act on what they see. It’s “IRL CTV.”
They’re also curating the content they deliver to screens with contextual relevance, so those bars or gyms or malls with Atmosphere get appropriate programming that fits the venue. And by extension contextual advertising.
That’s getting some impressive results, which MediaScience just documented: Using eye-tracking in real-world settings, the study found that Atmosphere TV content drove 12% more visual attention than traditional linear TV. In some cases, viewers spent more time actively watching short-form, visually engaging content than nearby screens showing dramas or sports highlights.
Capturing Attention and Real Results
That real-world context is translating into real results. Atmosphere TV claimed a 141% year-over-year jump in direct sales, drawing advertisers to the platform from across categories, from beer brands like Modelo to bank brands like BofA.
And it’s not just a nice environment play. Campaigns are delivering: an average 4.5X incremental ROAS for alcohol brands and a 34.9% lift in visit rates for dining partners. Paired with stronger brand recall, it’s another signal that when content shows up IRL it can deliver real results that resonate.
So, the net net is that capturing attention isn’t about screen size, but being on various screens, and engagement and outcomes happen when messages show up in the right moment... across many different playgrounds and platforms.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.