In today’s Digest, we cover YouTube TV launching genre-based plans, expanding its sports streaming push, and increasing ads on Shorts. We also cover Pinterest buying tvScientific to expand performance ads to CTV, and Meta reportedly using Alibaba’s Qwen in its ‘Avocado’ model.

YouTube TV to launch genre plans, expands ads on Shorts

YouTube has unveiled plans to introduce genre‑based subscription packages for its YouTube TV service in the US early next year, underscoring the platform’s growth in the pay‑television market and its clear tilt towards sports enthusiasts. The forthcoming “YouTube TV Plans” will comprise more than ten themed bundles, with a dedicated sports package featuring heavyweight channels such as ESPN, FS1 and NBC Sports Network. 

At the same time, YouTube has expanded its advertising toolkit for Shorts, offering brands fresh ways to capture attention during the festive season. The updates include the ability for viewers to comment directly on Shorts ads, new functionality allowing creators to embed links to brand websites within sponsored content, and broader ad placement options across the platform. 

Pinterest to buy tvScientific

Pinterest has announced an agreement to acquire tvScientific, in a deal that marks a significant expansion of its advertising capabilities. The move will allow Pinterest to merge its audience signals with a CTV engine, giving marketers the ability to measure the impact of television on performance campaigns for the first time.

By integrating tvScientific’s outcome‑based CTV technology with its Performance+ suite, Pinterest aims to offer advertisers measurable, performance‑driven campaigns across multiple screens, supported by AI optimisation and deterministic attribution.

According to  Pinterest CEO Bill Ready “People plan and shop across multiple screens, and advertisers need performance solutions that reflect that reality. For the first time, Pinterest advertisers will be able to evaluate TV with the clarity they expect from their performance channels”. 

Meta said to use Qwen in ‘Avocado’ Model

Meta is reportedly drawing on Alibaba Group’s Qwen open‑source AI model in its latest efforts, signalling another potential breakthrough for Chinese AI technology. According to Bloomberg, Meta is deploying Qwen alongside open‑source systems from Google and OpenAI as part of the training process for a new AI project, code‑named Avocado, which is expected to launch next spring. The report did not clarify which variant of Qwen is being used.