Usually, at the US TV upfronts — the annual event where the networks showcase their best upcoming programming in the hopes of securing big advertising commitments — the celebrities are the stars of the show. With more money being spent, advertisers are paying closer attention to what data they can use to inform their TV ad buys and prove that TV is powering their sales. It found that taking advantage of a media company's unique upfront data offerings, including retail data, was a top reason for advertisers to buy linear TV or connected TV in the upfronts, cited by 37%. US retail media CTV ad spend will increase by 86.6% this year to reach $4.19 billion, according to Emarketer. And Walmart's recent deal to acquire the TV manufacturer Vizio reflects the growing trend of retail media's convergence with TV advertising.

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Persons: Eric Haggstrom, Dave Morgan, Andrea Montano, there's, NBCU, Mark Marshall, Marshall Organizations: Hollywood, Business, Amazon, TV, CTV, Kroger, Walmart, Netflix Locations: New York