MAM
Media Mastery: Nielsen launches a crucial planning guide for 2025-26
MUMBAI: Media buyers, sellers, and anyone who’s ever struggled to untangle the intricate web of audience metrics, rejoice!
Nielsen has just dropped its 2025 Upfront/NewFront Guide, a comprehensive playbook aimed at conquering the complexities of today’s media landscape. With its blend of actionable cross-media insights and forward-looking trends, this guide ensures you don’t just survive the 2025-26 planning season—you thrive.
Did you know you’re spending 70 hours a week with the media?
Yes, you read that right.
Americans clocked an average of 10 hours a day across devices like TVs, radios, and smartphones in Q1 2024. While smartphones are hogging the spotlight with a 44 per cent growth in usage over two years, TV still holds its ground, commanding half of all media time.
How do media professionals keep up? Nielsen’s guide decodes the numbers to help media buyers and sellers sharpen their strategies and negotiate effectively during Upfronts/NewFronts.
Top media trends for 2025
1. TV’s converging realities:
The battle between linear and streaming is heating up! 88 per cent of U.S. viewers tune into TV monthly, with streaming taking a juicy 41 per cent share of total TV time as of October 2024. The takeaway? You need a dual approach to capture eyeballs.
2. Profiles get personal:
Forget bland demographics. Today’s advanced audience data digs deeper, enabling marketers to send targeted messages that stick. As Nielsen chief data & research officer Pete Doe aptly put it, “Behind the data, there are people in front of screens. Advanced Audience data can help you reach these people with the right message.”
3. The digital dilemma:
Rising ad spends and fragmented platforms demand a razor-sharp understanding of digital trends. Nielsen’s chief solutions officer for digital products Akhil Parekh nailed it, “With rising ad spend and an evolving media landscape, strong competitive intelligence is now essential for staying ahead and making data driven decisions.”
What’s in It for you? Whether you’re a media buyer looking to maximise ROI or a seller hoping to stand out, the guide’s actionable insights give you the edge. From finding harmony between linear and streaming to leveraging cutting-edge audience profiling, Nielsen’s roadmap ensures you’re not left spinning in the media whirlwind.
The 2025 Upfront/NewFront Guide isn’t just another boring report—it’s your secret weapon to winning the ever-changing media game. Ready to stop guessing and start dominating?
Still want more? Dive into the full guide today at nielsen.com and transform the way you approach media planning.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
