Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled a range of updates intended to make ads more interactive, personalized, and measurable across streaming, linear TV, digital, and social environments—all with the help of AI.
Key offerings announced at the company’s upfront presentation today include shoppable ads that appear onscreen when programming is paused, as well as an integration with Kerv.ai that enables advertisers to match ads with specific scenes in shows and movies.
Historically, TV and streaming ads have been sold at the programming, genre, or audience level, not at the moment- or scene-level, so this addition to WBD’s ads business is likely to appeal to advertisers seeking hyper-contextual placements.
Contextual relevance was a clear theme at WBD’s upfront. The company, parent to HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, and Food Network, is upgrading its dynamic creative offering by linking it to its Brand Block product, helping to tailor ads to the content that the audience was just consuming onscreen. It is also working toward a more automated future of relevance with plans to allow brands to use AI agents to deliver messages based on signals that indicate what audiences are interested in seeing in real time.
“By pairing our world-class content with these dynamic tools, we’re unlocking new and effective ways for brands to maximize their value and spend across WBD’s portfolio, all while enriching the viewing experiences for our audiences,” Bobby Voltaggio, the company’s co-president of U.S. ad sales, said in a statement.
To support the changes, Warner Bros. Discovery is also investing in tools that support better real-time campaign optimization rather than simply post-campaign measurement. Advertisers working with the company will soon have access to a single, centralized dashboard that provides on-demand views into performance across linear, streaming, and digital, as well as tools for tweaking campaigns while they’re still running.
The company also unveiled a cross-channel program called Unbreakable meant to convert fans into more engaged participants in branded experiences through a series of opportunities, including live polling, debates, social engagement, interactive, and incentives, including exclusive access and rewards.
The announcements reflect the industry’s wider shift away from demographic-based targeting to more AI-supported contextual approaches—natural outcomes of signal loss as well as increasing pressure on streaming platforms to drive monetization without drastically increasing ad loads.
The changes also signal WBD’s commitment to developing more seamless, tech-driven ad products that can help it compete for budgets against walled gardens like Meta and Amazon.
In addition to its smattering of ad product updates, the company made an appeal to advertisers with a comprehensive look at its forthcoming programming, which includes 98 new series as well as new episodes of nearly 130 returning titles. Advertisers and consumers can look forward to a Rick and Morty spinoff starring Keith David called President Curtis; Discovery Channel’s playful Shark Week addition, KPop Shark Heroes; and a new true crime docuseries produced by NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal.
