Connect+ February 5, 2026

Checkout DCW Media’s all new Digital Connect+, in which we’re taking a look at better TCV/OTT targeting and reporting, AI’s impact on holiday shopping in 2025, innovative broadcast TV packages, and dynamic Out-of-Home that’s tied to real-world conditions.

Platform Updates:

Our people-based CTV capabilities just got even stronger. In addition to first-party, opt-in audience targeting, DCW can now activate ads using AI-informed metadata that pairs relevant creative with the most appropriate streaming content. This enhanced contextual targeting is fully reportable, allowing advertisers to see how content alignment influences post-view conversions. This capability is powered by our partnership with Viant and its recent acquisition of IRIS.TV. The result is more precise CTV and OTT delivery with clearer performance insight. Looking to take your streaming campaigns to the next level? Let’s talk about how this approach can elevate your next CTV strategy.

The retail media landscape is changing rapidly, and AI is playing a growing role. A recent study found that AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot drove 693% more traffic to retailers during November and December 2025 compared to the previous year. Beyond volume, quality improved as well, with AI-referred traffic 31% more likely to convert than non-AI sources. More than half of this AI-driven traffic originated from higher-income states. In response, DCW now offers Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) alongside traditional SEO. AEO focuses on structuring and optimizing content so AI assistants can surface relevant brand mentions directly within user responses. If you’re looking to increase visibility and drive stronger conversion behavior from AI-powered discovery, we’re ready to help.

Local broadcast is being reengineered around calendar-driven demand spikes. Station groups are increasingly packaging inventory around predictable moments such as tax season, open enrollment deadlines, spring retail resets, and regional events, rather than relying solely on fixed weekly schedules. These event-aligned broadcast packages allow advertisers to concentrate reach during short, high-intent windows without committing to extended flights. For categories including financial services, education, healthcare, and retail, this approach creates a more efficient way to deploy broadcast dollars with tighter timing and reduced waste. DCW structures these calendar-driven buys to align messaging with real-world decision cycles and local market behavior.

Out-of-home is beginning to transact against real-world conditions through AI-driven environmental triggers. A new class of OOH deployments is moving beyond time-based rotations into condition-responsive delivery, where creative is dynamically served based on live inputs such as traffic congestion, weather severity, air quality, crowd density, or transit delays. By ingesting municipal data feeds and sensor networks, these placements adjust messaging in real time to match situational context, not just location. Creative can automatically shift during traffic slowdowns, severe weather, or transit disruptions, moments when dwell time and attention increase. This evolution positions OOH as a situational medium, not just a spatial one. DCW can selectively deploy these capabilities in dense urban markets to increase attention quality without expanding unit counts or flight lengths.