In today’s Digest, we look at TikTok splitting its US app from its global business, YouTube CTV ads enabling shopping, and Netflix doubling ad revenue while eyeing growth in 2026.

TikTok splits US app from global business

TikTok has secured an agreement that will allow the short-form video platform to remain operational in the United States, bringing an end to a protracted political and legal standoff between Washington and Beijing. The deal resolves a dispute that dates back to Donald Trump’s first term, when concerns were first raised about national security and TikTok’s Chinese ownership. Under US legislation passed in 2024, the app faced a nationwide ban in January 2025 unless its parent company, ByteDance, divested its US operations. Enforcement was repeatedly delayed by Trump, who returned to office and opted not to shut the platform down.

At the heart of the negotiations was TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, widely regarded as its most valuable asset. As part of the agreement, the algorithm has been licensed to TikTok’s US owners and will now be trained exclusively on American user data. While analysts expect this to bring changes to how content is surfaced, the practical impact on TikTok’s roughly 200 million US users remains uncertain.

YouTube CTV ads enable shopping

Google is expanding the commercial potential of YouTube ads with the rollout of shoppable connected TV (CTV) formats powered by its Demand Gen campaigns, allowing viewers to browse and buy products directly from ads shown on televisions. First previewed at Google Marketing Live 2025, the new Shoppable CTV ads are now being rolled out via Display & Video 360 and delivered through Google’s Smart TV app ecosystem. 

The format pulls product images and data from advertisers’ Google Merchant Center feeds, turning them into interactive carousels that viewers can explore using QR codes, linking directly to individual items. The ads run as non-skippable 15-second spots, designed for premium placements such as Google TV.

Netflix doubles ad revenue, eyes 2026 growth

Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. may be commanding industry attention, but its expanding advertising business is also emerging as a major talking point for media and marketing executives. The streaming platform reported during its Q4 2025 earnings call on Tuesday that advertising revenue grew 2.5 times year-on-year, surpassing USD$1.5bn (£1.11bn) in 2025. The performance underscores how quickly Netflix has built scale in a segment it once resisted.