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Media in 2025: defined by abundance, driven by algorithms

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Media
WARC releases The Future of Media 2025 highlighting trends in media planning, advertising investments and the media ecosystem
16 January 2025 – WARC’s latest forecasts show that global advertising spend surpassed $1trn for the first time in 2024, and is expected to grow 10.7% this year, to a total of $1.08trn. Global ad spend has more than doubled over the last decade, growing 2.8x faster than global economic output since 2014, with more media channels available to marketers than ever before.

The Future of Media 2025 report takes a look at how the endless optionality within the media ecosystem creates new opportunities for marketers to drive effectiveness and deliver growth. It looks at how Google search is being disrupted by social and retail platforms, as well as the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI), and finally, the developments within the retail media and commerce sector and how advertisers can adjust to an environment where commerce is increasingly ‘everywhere’.
Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, says: “Today, media is so vast, so complex, and so changeable, that it can be difficult for brands to make sense of it all. As we reach the midpoint of the decade, this is also the most exciting time to be a media planner.“Digital advertising has matured beyond direct-response to support brand-building and long-term effectiveness, advertisers are focusing more on quality over cost when deciding which media environments to advertise in, and signal fidelity is improving thanks to the growth of AI-powered media solutions and an influx of retail media and commerce media networks.“With this report we aim to help marketers navigate these challenges and opportunities as we explore the three key trends set to shape the media and advertising environment this year.”The key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2025 are:Planning in an era of abundanceMedia diversity brings new opportunities for brands to drive growth over the short- and the long-term using smart combinations of different media channels.Planning holistically and choosing the right combination will be different for every brand and vary by context and objective. Media quality, reach and price, will be critical in helping planners determine the optimum stack for brands.As spend and sentiment shifts to channels like social, influencers, podcasts and gaming, new tactics for brand building are emerging. Advertisers are adapting campaigns for platforms where attention is more fleeting, and lots of little exposures need to work together to improve brand outcomes.Across channels like search and social, advertisers will be required to adapt campaigns to fit the preferences of algorithms. This may mean adopting new methods and processes, or putting more trust in AI systems to automate parts of campaign management – even if this means sacrificing autonomy and control.New challenges and opportunities in searchThis year, more than $220bn will be spent on generic search globally, per WARC forecasts, with Google taking more than 80% of the share. However, social media is rivalling Google as the young people’s search platforms of choice for brand discovery.The future of search appears to be about intent rather than information, supported by sophisticated uses of AI.Developments in AI are leading traditional search providers and new entrants to compete to “identify consumer intent in ever more granular ways”. Access to these insights should help brands build a more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of audience behaviours, leading to more personalised and relevant communications.AI-driven search requires a rethinking of search engine optimization (SEO). In the near future, brands may need to optimise messaging and content to ensure they are visible and represented favourably in AI-based search results.This approach – which some are calling Large Language Model Optimisation (LLMO) – will require a different set of skills and processes compared to traditional SEO.Brands may need to adopt more diverse search strategies to account for the growing fragmentation of search experiences across retail and social platforms and variables such as audience, type of search and category.Retail growth fuels commerce media expansionCommerce is increasingly everywhere. Retail media is expanding, reaching $154.8bn in advertising spend globally in 2024 with a further 14.8% rise expected in 2025, per WARC Media. New commerce media platforms are launching, and social commerce is continuing to grow rapidly.Commerce media is becoming the infrastructure that underpins the entire digital advertising ecosystem, and offers brand building potential. Many retail and commerce media platforms now sell ads that allow advertisers to reach consumers across the purchase journey, from awareness all the way through to conversion.Advertisers will need to weigh up these opportunities carefully, supported by holistic measurement that allows them to show the impact of commerce on long-term brand and business metrics.New entrants may struggle to win spend from incumbents. Advertisers already admit to feeling overwhelmed by the number of options available in the commerce space and highlight a lack of standardisation across platforms as their biggest challenge with retailers. In the short-term, this may curtail the growth of new entrants as advertisers prioritise working with just a few large and established networks.Retail spending puts brand budgets at risk. Many advertisers appear to be divesting from traditional advertising channels to spend more on lower-funnel ads on retail media networks. Advertisers should protect traditional advertising budgets to avoid falling into a vicious cycle of weakening their brand, while raising the cost of driving performance on retail media properties.The Future of Media 2025 is based on data and insights from WARC, including WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit global survey of 1000+ marketing executives, and external research. It is part of WARC’s Evolution of Marketing programme helping marketers address major industry shifts to drive effective marketing, and follows the recent publication of WARC’s The Voice of the Marketer 2025The Marketer’s Toolkit 2025 and The GEISTE report.WARC members can read the full report. Complementing The Future of Media 2025 and associated reports, are a series of podcasts.

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Liberia to Preview Next Oil & Gas Licensing Round Strategy at Houston Investor Day

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The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority will host operators, investors and partners in Houston on August 19 to preview future licensing opportunities and showcase the exploration potential of its offshore basins

HOUSTON, United States of America, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) will present its strategy for the country’s next offshore licensing round at Liberia Investor Day Houston on August 19, bringing together international exploration companies, investors, service providers and energy leaders to discuss the next phase of Liberia’s upstream development.

Hosted in partnership with Energy Capital & Power, the event will provide a platform for the LPRA, led by Director General Hon. Marilyn T. Logan, to outline Liberia’s regulatory framework, investment priorities and plans to attract new participation across the country’s offshore sector. Discussions will focus on upcoming licensing opportunities, exploration prospects and the subsurface data supporting future investment decisions.

Liberia’s offshore sector is entering a new phase of exploration activity, with renewed international participation and a growing pipeline of opportunities. Following the award and ratification of eight Production Sharing Contracts in 2025, Liberia has re-established itself as a frontier exploration destination, with international operators advancing work programs designed to further evaluate the country’s petroleum potential. TotalEnergies is progressing exploration activities that include offshore geochemical surveys, 3D seismic acquisition and seabed mapping, while Oranto Petroleum has also signed contracts to explore Liberia’s offshore.

At the Liberia Investor Day Houston, the LPRA will provide industry stakeholders with insight into the priorities shaping the next licensing round, including the anticipated process, qualification requirements, available acreage and access to technical data. The engagement will give prospective investors a clearer view of Liberia’s exploration landscape and the opportunities emerging across its offshore basins.

The event will also facilitate direct dialogue between LPRA and the global upstream community, connecting companies with policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in shaping Liberia’s next chapter of petroleum development.

As exploration companies continue to seek new frontier opportunities, Liberia Investor Day Houston will highlight the role of regulatory certainty, data availability and strategic partnerships in unlocking long-term investment across Liberia’s offshore sector.

Registration is now open for attendees. Companies interested in Liberia’s emerging offshore opportunities are invited to join LPRA, investors and upstream leaders in Houston for insights into the country’s licensing strategy and exploration outlook. For more information contact info@energycapitalpower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 

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Beyond Stabroek: Guyana’s Offshore Basin Attracts New Wave of Exploration Investment

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As ExxonMobil advances appraisal activity in Stabroek and new operators target frontier acreage, Guyana is attracting global capital and building a diversified offshore portfolio designed to sustain long-term growth

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Guyana’s transformation into one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers is entering a new phase, with a growing network of IOCs expanding exploration activity across the country’s offshore basin. Beyond the landmark discoveries that first put Guyana on the global energy map, new drilling campaigns and licensing partnerships are creating a broader exploration ecosystem designed to support long-term production growth.

At the center of this momentum is ExxonMobil’s continued exploration and appraisal activity in the prolific Stabroek Block. The company has submitted a proposal for a 35-well exploration and appraisal drilling campaign, expected to run from 2028 through 2033, pending regulatory approval. The program would build on more than 30 commercial discoveries already made in the block, with drilling activity focused on evaluating new prospects and appraising existing discoveries to support future development opportunities.

Exploration activity is also extending into Guyana’s frontier acreage, with ExxonMobil advancing drilling operations at the deepwater Canje Block. The company has deployed the Noble Stena Carron drillship for exploration activity, highlighting continued industry interest in evaluating Guyana’s underexplored offshore potential beyond the established Stabroek Block.

Guyana’s strong exploration outlook comes as the country’s economy continues to benefit from rapid oil sector expansion, with hydrocarbons expected to remain a key driver of exports, government revenues and economic growth. As production scales up, attracting additional investment across exploration, services and infrastructure will be critical to supporting the next phase of development.

That momentum is being reinforced through partnerships established under Guyana’s 2023 offshore licensing round. A consortium comprising TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy and Petronas is advancing exploration activities in Block S4 under a five-year production sharing agreement signed with the government in late 2025. The award represents one of the first major outcomes of the licensing round and demonstrates continued international confidence in Guyana’s offshore resource potential.

Beyond the largest operators, a diverse group of companies is also expanding activity across Guyana’s offshore basin. Eco Atlantic is advancing exploration at the Orinduik Block; CGX Energy and Frontera Energy are progressing work in the Corentyne Block; Occidental is evaluating opportunities in the Roraima Block; while Ratio Guyana and Cataleya Energy hold interests in the Kaieteur Block. Together, these partnerships are broadening Guyana’s exploration landscape, increasing competition for acreage and creating opportunities for future discoveries.

As Guyana transitions from an emerging producer to a global energy hub, the next challenge will be converting exploration success into sustainable investment, local value creation and regional growth. These opportunities will be explored at Caribbean Energy Week 2027, held under the theme “Unlocking the Caribbean Energy Corridor: Oil, Gas, LNG & Investment for a New Global Hub.” Bringing together governments, IOCs, investors and technology providers, the event will examine how Guyana’s expanding partnerships can accelerate offshore development, strengthen regional energy cooperation and attract the capital needed to support the Caribbean’s evolving energy landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Energy Capital & Power Establishes London Entity, Expanding Global Platform for Energy and Mining Events

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The move strengthens ECP’s presence in the UK and Europe, and its ability to connect African and South American markets with global investors

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 6, 2026/APO Group/ –International events company Energy Capital & Power (ECP) (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com) has officially established its UK entity in London, marking a milestone in the company’s growth strategy and reinforcing its ability to deliver world-class energy and mining events and campaigns in the UK and Europe.

By establishing a presence in a key hub like London – the pre-eminent energy and mining finance center – ECP actively shapes the global energy conversation. The expansion positions ECP to better serve clients, partners and investors seeking to develop business opportunities between Africa, Europe, the Americas and energy markets worldwide.

Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital

The milestone comes as ECP strengthens its reach through a series of investment platforms that connect global capital to energy and mining projects. These include the Venezuela Energy Week London Showcase on July 30 – with over 300 delegates registered – and the annual Invest in African Energy Forum, held in Paris as the premier event connecting global investors to Africa’s energy transformation.

ECP hosts high level summits and investor conferences in leading energy and minerals producing countries in Africa and South America, including: Venezuela Energy Week; Angola Oil & Gas; MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power; African Mining Week; Libya Energy & Economic Summit; Congo Energy & Investment Forum; South Sudan Oil & Power; and Caribbean Energy Week. The company has hosted investor forums and supported licensing round roadshows in Houston, London and Paris since 2016.

“Opening our UK company brings ECP closer to key investors in the global energy finance capital,” states CEO James Chester. “Having a permanent presence in London further cements our footprint in Europe, enabling us to fulfil our mission to bring minerals and energy investment to diverse global markets.”

With teams located across Africa, Europe and the Americas, ECP has long-facilitated strategic engagement, market intelligence and industry convening, uniting investors with leading energy and mining projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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