Welcome to the Brief, The Media Leader’s round-up of media news.

What we know so far from the Ipsos Race to Christmas study of festive advertising

Smartclip has released its first portfolio of AI agents for client testing, marking the next phase of its ‘Sidekicks’ agentic AI platform. RTL Group’s adtech subsidiary launches agentic AI embedded directly into its SSP.

2025 was a year of consolidation, innovation and change, and our most read news items reflected an interest in rapidly changing TV and media agency landscapes.

Following along on The Media Leader’s liveblog for coverage of the Future of TV Advertising Global live on the 9th and 10th December.

Samsung Ads and Havas discuss their recent Domino’s ad campaign, the first in Europe to use Samsung Ads’ GameBreaks ad format.

Transport for London (TfL) and Wavemaker UK outline their latest road safety campaign, which coincided with National Road Safety Week.

Last night in front of a full house at Odeon Luxe West End in London’s Leicester Square, Goodstuff became Media Mind 2025 Champions

In a first for the Newsworks Awards, the judging panel of agency and advertiser leaders unanimously agreed to award a prize recognising one entry’s uniqueness, bravery and wider relevance to the media industry

Media planning can feel like an elusive practice to those outside of agencies. In our ongoing series, Generation Media’s Akanksha Sharma takes us through her daily routine.