Every month the Together team highlights five media stories from New Zealand and globally that shaped the month. Then we throw in one media idea we love. December closed the year with platform power moves, tougher regulation conversations and more signs that AI is becoming embedded infrastructure. For NZ marketers, these shifts hint at what 2026 media planning needs to prepare for.
Google tests real estate listings – search edges closer to the transaction
Google quietly began testing native home listings within Search in the US. The results surface property details, images and pricing directly in results rather than sending users out to portals. Unsurprisingly, the US real estate industry, especially aggregators, are uneasy. Comparisons are already being drawn to what happened to travel aggregators once Google Flights and Hotels matured.
For marketers, this is a familiar playbook. Google is once again exploring collapsing the funnel, keeping users inside its ecosystem for longer and testing inserting paid placements at moments of peak intent.
While this isn’t live in NZ, it’s a reminder of a direction of travel. If Google proves it can own discovery and comparison in high-value verticals like property, we could anticipate similar moves in categories like automotive or services. For NZ aggregators or NZ brands that rely heavily on aggregator partnerships and organic search, the reminder is to keep investing in brand salience. When platforms compress choice, the brands or destinations that are already known tend to win, even when the interface changes.
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros Discovery – scale becomes survival
The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery by Netflix would be one of the biggest media mergers in history, combining Netflix’s global distribution and data muscle with WBD’s deep IP vault across film, sport and premium TV, including HBO.
At a global level, this appears to be about economics. Content costs keep rising, subscriber growth is slowing, and advertising is now central to the streaming model. Owning more franchises, libraries and production capability gives Netflix revenue hedges, greater leverage with advertisers and stronger reasons for households to keep paying.
Closer to home, the implications for Sky NZ could be significant. Sky’s long-standing HBO output deal has been a cornerstone of Neon’s premium positioning, giving it exclusive local access to series like Succession, The Last of Us and House of the Dragon. A Netflix-WBD tie-up raises obvious questions about whether those rights remain licensed out market by market, or whether Netflix ultimately pulls HBO content back into its own global ecosystem.
In the short term, contracts are likely to be honoured, and Sky has publicly downplayed immediate risk. But strategically, the direction is clear. A vertically integrated Netflix has far less incentive to wholesale its most valuable IP to third-party platforms in small markets. Over time, this could weaken Neon’s differentiation and increase pressure on Sky to either pay more for premium content, pivot harder into sport and local originals or lean further into aggregation and advertising-led growth (or all of these).
For marketers, this reinforces a theme we’ve already seen this year: the AV market is consolidating fast. Fewer, larger players will control more premium content, richer data and more sophisticated ad-tech. Early local partnerships, test-and-learn deals and a clear view on which platforms will still have unique inventory in 18-24 months will be critical.
Australia’s under-16 social media ban begins – regulation gets real
Australia’s world-first ban on under-16s accessing major social platforms came into effect this month, forcing Meta, TikTok, Snap and others to implement age-gating and verification systems.
Enforcement is complex, age verification raises privacy concerns, and young people may find workarounds. Age enforcement relies on successive validation methods rather than mandatory digital ID, with strict limits on how verification data can be used. So the move is designed as harm reduction, not digital prohibition. But culturally, the signal is loud: might the era of platform self-regulation be coming to an end?
NZ Education Minister Erica Stanford immediately confirmed plans to follow Australia’s lead and legislate a similar under-16 ban, with the Prime Minister publicly committing to action before the next election.
For NZ marketers, the implications are material. If under-16s become structurally harder to reach on mainstream social platforms, youth strategies will need to rebalance. Expect greater emphasis on creators operating in compliant environments, sport, gaming, streaming, music, retail media and real-world experiences. Measurement and targeting norms will also tighten, with increased scrutiny on age assurance, creative appropriateness and platform accountability.
There is also a brand risk lens. As social media is reframed as a developmental and public health issue, brands seen to be ignoring context may face reputational blowback. The safer path is proactive: audit youth reach, stress-test media plans against potential regulation and invest in environments that parents, regulators and young people themselves see as additive rather than extractive.
In 2026, the question will not just be: “Can we reach them?” But: “Should we, and how?”
Disney partners with OpenAI – AI meets IP royalty
Disney’s partnership with OpenAI, granting access to parts of its vast IP library to help train and inspire AI tools, is a landmark moment for generative AI and media owners. It signals a shift from outright resistance to controlled collaboration.
For Disney, this is about influence and protection. By working with OpenAI, it has a seat at the table on how iconic characters, stories and worlds are represented in AI-generated outputs. For OpenAI, it brings legitimacy and premium creative input.
For marketers, this partnership hints at the next phase of AI-powered creativity. Not generic outputs, but brand-safe, licensed IP-rich environments where AI can accelerate production without eroding brand equity. We can expect more major publishers and studios to follow suit. The opportunity for brands is to start experimenting with AI in ways that are additive to storytelling, not shortcuts that dilute it.
NZ Government procurement rules update – local ecosystem gets a lift
The fifth edition of the NZ Government Procurement Rules came into effect this month, with clearer guidance on supporting local capability, fair pay, sustainability and broader public value outcomes.
While this may sound procedural, it has real implications for agencies, production companies and media partners working on government-funded campaigns. The directive is clear: transparency, local investment and long-term capability building matter as much as price.
For marketers, particularly in the public and quasi-public sectors, this reinforces the need to think beyond short-term efficiencies. Procurement is increasingly a strategic lever, shaping the media and creative ecosystem itself. Agencies that can demonstrate genuine local economic impact, diversity and sustainable practices that benefit Aotearoa will be better placed.
Media idea we love: Denmark’s rolling papers campaign against drug driving
At a time of year when drug driving peaks, a Danish anti–drug driving campaign has taken a brilliantly simple insight and turned it into a media-first idea: printing road safety messages on rolling papers, placing them directly into the hands of the audience most at risk.
Why we love it:
In-the-moment precision. This is not about mass reach, but relevance. The message appears at the exact moment of behaviour, not hours later in a feed.
Medium as message. The rolling paper is not just a placement, it’s the creative device. No heavy production, no wasted impressions.
Earned amplification. The idea travelled far beyond Denmark because it was smart, human and unexpected, proving that well-judged context still beats brute-force scale.
A strong reminder to end the year on: great media ideas do not always need more tech or more budget. They need better judgement.
