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.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
