Big Brands Pivot To Indie Agencies; Sports And Digital Drive Record Growth For NBCU | AdExchanger

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Viva La Independencia 

The petition to “shop small” isn’t just for consumers anymore.

Per Ad Age, some big brands are turning away from larger media holding companies (think agencies owned by Omnicon or Publicis) in favor of smaller, independently run shops with fewer than 100 employees.

Part of this may be because these brands are doing more in-house work on data, analysis and measurement themselves. And now they want smaller agencies for their ability to provide quicker and often bolder work.

It probably doesn’t hurt that independent houses tend to be staffed by senior talent who left or were cut from larger firms. The indies are also often more equipped to connect with marginalized or cross-cultural communities than huge conglomerates.

So far, holding company agency executives don’t seem worried – or at least, they’re not admitting it.

Regardless, this trend certainly portends a more interesting (and appealing) fate for creatives than the usual AI-related doom and gloom.

Proud As A Peacock, Baby! 

“Modest” and “record-breaking” don’t typically go together – and yet, here they are.

NBCUniversal hasn’t disclosed much from its recently wrapped upfront talks, but a source tells Adweek that the company “drove modest growth across its portfolio.”

That includes “record-breaking” upfront commitments to Peacock, digital and especially sports, which saw double-digit year-over-year growth.

It is, however, the second year in a row NBCUniversal hasn’t revealed CPM details, which is especially interesting considering the central role that advanced audiences and measurement played during its upfront pitch this year. 

But speaking of advanced audiences, NBCU seems to be placing its focus on live events and fandoms across all categories. Sources told Adweek that NBCU has been touting SNL’s 50th anniversary and 2025’s BravoCon, to say nothing of all the sports events coming up in 2026. Is it too soon to start thinking about the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics? 

Reddit TV

Licensing sports content is Reddit’s next revenue diversification play.

The social platform has struck licensing deals with the NFL, NBA and MLB, The Information reports. Reddit will host highlights and behind-the-scenes videos from these leagues on its platform, sell ads alongside the content and share the revenue.

Adding monetizable content from pro sports leagues should bolster Reddit’s pitch to brand marketers by offering an alternative to TV ads. The branding play also creates a revenue stream beyond Reddit’s usual focus on direct-response advertising.

Other platforms, such as YouTube and X, have seen success with sports licensing. At one point, X’s sports licensing deals brought in $1 billion a year. That’s the kind of moolah the newly public Reddit – which only generated $804 million in revenue last year – wants to emulate. 

Early indicators bode well: Reddit began testing licensed sports content last year with the NFL and brought FanDuel, Samsung and Ford into its stable of advertisers.

But Reddit isn’t stopping at sports. It sees content licensing as a natural extension of its approach to cultivating community engagement around media properties of all types. And it’s already pursuing similar licensing opportunities with entertainment and lifestyle media brands.

But Wait, There’s More!

New York’s advertising industry may be booming, but Black and Latino workers are still underrepresented. [Marketing Dive]

Still struggling with your PC after Friday’s tech outages? Here’s a fix from Microsoft. [The Verge] 

However, make sure you also watch out for “CrowdStrike Support” scammers. [Wired]

Condé Nast sends a cease-and-desist order to AI search engine Perplexity. [The Information]  

You’re Hired!

Kirsten Flanik, formerly of BBDO New York, joins Revolt as its first North America CEO. [Ad Age]