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AGM Labs: Apex - Unlocking a World of Performance in Travel/Hospitality Marketing

By Christoph Bakke, Senior Director, Programmatic

TL;DR

• "Lilo & Stitch" became the first 2025 Hollywood film to pass $1B at the worldwide box office, cementing its status as the year’s top-grossing Western movie both globally and internationally. (THR)

• OpenAI launched "ChatGPT Agent," an AI tool that can complete complex, multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf. (The Verge)

• CBS announced plans to end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" next year, citing financial reasons. (NPR)

• Apple TV+’s "Severance" earned 27 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, followed by HBO Max's "The Penguin" with 24 nominations. (CBS)

Audiences

• 35% of US consumers reported that they now watch more free ad-supported (FAST) content than they did a year ago, while 29% said they have subscribed to fewer paid services. (Media Play News)

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  For the first time ever, broadcast networks accounted for less than 20% of US TV viewing in June, down 1.6% from May. (THR)

• 31% of US consumers pay for a subscription service across home entertainment, health and wellness, and related services. (Media Play News)

Platforms

• Facebook announced a new algorithm update which will focus on demoting "unoriginal" content in order to boost material from original creators. (Social Media Today)

• OpenAI's ChatGPT was the most downloaded app in the world in June, holding the top spot for a second consecutive month. (AppFigures)

• Meta is testing a new option that enables users to sign up to Threads by using their Facebook profile instead of cross-linking their Instagram account. (Social Media Today)

Content

• The final group stage match of Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 averaged 2.9M viewers on UK channel ITV1, more than double the audience that tuned in to Channel 5 for the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup final on the same day. (Sportspro)

• Americans' time spent streaming TV was up 5.4% MoM in June, which was primarily driven by both a standout month for Netflix, and a seasonal influx in viewing from school-aged audiences. (Nielsen)

• American streaming audiences tuned in to kids' IPs over the first half of this year, with "Bluey" being the most-watched title in the US. (KidScreen)

• "Superman" opened with an estimated $122M to lead weekend box office charts in the US and Canada and an additional $95M in international markets. (Reuters)

• Peacock is raising its monthly subscription prices for both its ad-supported and ad-free tiers by $3 on the successful heels of "Love Island USA" and as NBA season looms this fall. (THR)

Tech & AI

• French AI lab Mistral introduced a range of new features to its Le Chat chatbot, including a deep research mode, that bring it closer to the capabilities of OpenAI and Google. (Tech Crunch)

• Meta has acquired Play AI, a startup that uses AI to generate human-sounding voices. (Tech Crunch)

• In the coming weeks, OpenAI is planning to release an AI-powered web browser of its own to challenge Google Chrome. (Tech Crunch)

Location-based entertainment

• Imax announced tickets for "The Odyssey" will go on sale an entire year before the Universal Pictures' film is slated to hit the big screen. (Variety)

• Mattel announced the launch of UNO Social Clubs across major US cities, complete with themed drink menus and tournament-style play. (Attractions Magazine)

• Electronic music festival "Tomorrowland" will proceed as planned, despite the main stage being destroyed by a fire just one day before 400K people were expected to attend. (Variety)

Travel & hospitality

• After offering the service for more than 20 years, American Express Travel will stop selling flight and hotel packages as of July 31. (Yahoo Finance)

• Japan saw 21.5M visitors in the first half of 2025, a 21% jump from last year and a record high for the period. (Skift)

• AI is rapidly changing travel industry jobs, with travel agencies increasing their tech workforce from less than 2% in 2003 to nearly 7% today. (Skift)

Gaming

• Roblox has launched a new licensing platform to allow easier connections between Roblox creators and IP holders, including Netflix, Lionsgate, and Sega. (IGN)

• Xbox is letting some of its users stream their own Xbox games, including some that are available on console only, directly from the Xbox PC app. (The Verge)

• The 2025 Esports World Cup is in full swing in Saudi Arabia, with more than $70M in prize money up for grabs across 26 esport events. (Variety)