Report: Here are the top 10 key media trends of 2025

The media landscape has seen many changes in the past year with artificial intelligence (AI), new dimensions of consumer engagement and changes driven by algorithms expecting to shape up the media landscape in 2025. 

In fact, a new study by Carat, dentsu X and iProspect titled "Algorithmic era of media", unveils that the upcoming year will drive toward a fully addressable, shoppable and accountable media system. 

"Brands must build media strategies to create more memorable, personalised moments tapping into the creator economy and building a connected ecosystems to identify new spaces for growth," said Prerna Mehrotra, chief client officer and practice president, dentsu Media APAC.

Don't miss: Planning for 2025: How these marketers deciding what to invest in 

"The rapid integration of AI across the media value chain has transformed how brands interact with consumers, marking the beginning of the algorithmic era, where real-world value creation moves beyond experimentation," added Will Swayne, global practice president, media, dentsu.

That said, here are 10 key media trends to look out for in 2025. 

1. AI changing audience consumption and brand interaction

AI will have a significant impact on the personal lives of consumers over the next 12 years, said the report. This is especially since generative AI makes digital experiences more accessible to wider audiences. 

In a world where standards rapidly escalate, where everything increasingly just works and where search provides complete answers, consumers will expect brands to be as reliable and prescient, added the report. 

In addition, AI has a huge environmental toll. Hence, brands committed to carbon reduction strategy must be cognisant of the environmental impact to deliver against its targets. 

2. AI to enhance media value chain

In the next year, more brands are expected to go beyond platform solutions to explore AI potential across the entire media value chain.

Major opportunities include developing dynamic scenario planning for improved budgeting, tapping into a richer data pool to generate predictive insights on growth audience segments, producing detailed media plans for better mirroring the consumer journey, performing autonomous, real time optimisations across channels to maximise impact, and building upon enhanced insights on media performance for continuous improvement, said the report. 

Most importantly, brands much establish a data governance that prioritises transparency, fairness, accountability and empowerment both upstream and downstream. 

By using this approach in 2025, marketers will be able to set up the pilot projects necessary to make the most of AI throughout their own media value chains before rolling out successful initiatives at a wider scale, according to the report. 

3. Maximise micro-moments to win over consumers

81% of consumers declare that the best way for brands to stand out and earn their loyalty is to surprise and delight them in unexpected ways, said the report. 

As such, brands can bring value to individuals where they are and fit naturally in their daily lives if they maximise every micro-moment opportunity.

To do so, brands must ensure their content and data is easily discoverable, use personalisation where possible, and be consistent in messaging over time and across environments.

4. Power in niches

From fan communities with specialised interest on Reddit to peculiar movie genres on Netflix to audience segments deemed too small in traditional media planning, brands can consider niche audiences as a new path to mass reach.

As such, brands should explore how you can leverage the troves of audience data available through ecosystems and lean into artificial intelligence to optimise media presence. 

5. Seize connected television  

Advertising spend on connected television is forecast to grow at a 18.3% three-year compound annual growth rate to 2026 as streaming platforms ramp up their advertising offerings, both in terms of scale and sophistication, said the report. 

Moving forward, brands need to keep abreast of the new advertising and content integration opportunities available in rapidly developing spaces such as live sports.

6. Poor creatives will hurt reach

As algorithms expand to every facet of online advertising,  quality approach could become the new standard for success.

In 2025, brands are encouraged to invest in high impact, optimised creatives to maximise the potential of media investment and capture demand by converting faster through automated delivery.

7. Retail reshapes media 

According to the report, retailers could dictate the media market sooner than later. 

First-party shopper data places retail and payment platforms in an ideal position to take over the media market in a future that is 100% algorithmic, addressable, shoppable, and accountable, said the report.

Whether brands are advertising to directly sell via the platform or not, brands should consider how to make the most of its unique assets to keep the brand ahead of the competition.

8. Good company brings growth

As audiences switch from one ecosystem to another in a fraction of a second, the quality of the experience becomes the most important factor of stickiness for brands, publications, and technology platforms alike. 

In 2025, companies should explore which innovative partnerships could help the brand grow faster by building upon mutually beneficent data, content, and distribution.

9. Invest in a better supply chain

In today’s environment of increased audience scrutiny and polarisation, brands must actively protect their programmatic media from fraudulent, unsuitable, and unsafe environments to shield both their investments and their reputations. 

Hence, to get the best outcomes from media investments, brands have to protect reputations, and contribute toward a healthy and diverse advertising ecosystem in the long term.

In addition, brands must take an active role. To do so brands can look into reviewing current media supply chain and identify priority areas to elevate the overall quality of media investment.

10. AI to widen tech gap

The newest AI features bring major changes as they require a level of computational power that only the semiconductors of high-end devices can handle, said the report. 

In addition to new requirements for AI, other developments may widen the digital divide between the haves and the haves not. More content once available for free is now being hidden behind paywalls as publishers look to monetise their audiences, added the report. 

As such, the future of media is likely to be more fragmented across the world as technology increasingly becomes a political issue.

Considering this widening digital divide, advertisers could have a greater role to play in supporting access to news for those who cannot afford it.

Related articles:  
These are 7 ways to make your ads more memorable to consumers 
Australia might ban socials for kids: Could it have an impact on SEA marketers?
What Malaysian marketers need to know as AI regulations shape up