Media experts at the Bridge 2025 Summit revealed in Abu Dhabi that, thanks to AI-driven advertising tools, digital advertising has reached almost $700 billion. This is more than twice as much money as traditional media, which was $300 billion. The industry leaders noted that the major tech firms have become “national-sized” entities, with some exceeding $ 4 trillion and NVIDIA nearing $ 5 trillion.
The speakers at the summit emphasized that the global mediascape is undergoing its greatest transformation in decades. This is fueled by massive digital platforms and the rapid adoption of AI. Media organizations are being prompted to reconsider audience engagement and their role within a shifting digital economy.
Hadley Gamble, Senior International Anchor at IMI, moderated the session, “A guide to building leading media brands”. It featured Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and CEO of S4 Capital, Jim Bankoff, Co-Founder and CEO of Vox Media, Christine Cook, Chief Revenue Officer for Bloomberg Media. Over 60,000 participants from 132 different countries attended the summit. 430 speakers spoke in more than 300 sessions on topics such as media, technology, gaming, marketing and content creation.
Sir Martin Sorrell has noted that there is a structural change in the advertising industry, where platforms such as Google, Meta and Amazon are gaining the most growth. Traditional media, however, continue to struggle with their legacy models. He called tech companies “nation-scale institutions” and warned that AI would further increase their dominance.
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Jim Bankoff said that the media industry is now competing not only with other companies but also with the content creation economy, where audiences are rewarded for their loyalty through engagement. Vox Media’s strategy combines live events with digital content, such as a podcast network that features The Pivot and Crime. It also includes a large, multi-platform, digitally-based podcast network, which showcases Today explained. This approach illustrates the importance of Direct Audience Connections within a rapidly changing digital environment. Bankoff said that Live experiences are irreplaceable in a world increasingly dominated by digital technology.
