Almost half of consumers uncomfortable with brands using AI influencers
Almost half (46%) of consumers say they are uncomfortable with brands using AI influencers on social media, with another 34% stating that it depends on the campaign. Just one in four (23%) are comfortable overall.
Over half (55%) of consumers say they are more likely to trust a brand committed to using “human-led” content on social media, versus those deploying AI.
While there is mistrust over the idea of AI influencers, the creator marketing ecosystem is one many consumers don’t understand more generally. Only 23% of all consumers are very confident in their ability to tell the difference between a sponsored post and a non-sponsored post from an influencer on social media. Half (50%) say they are somewhat confident.
Just under a third (32%) of consumers say they have bought something through an influencer’s sponsored post over the last 12 months. That figure rises significantly among Gen Z (53%) and millennials (48%).
Source: Sprout Social
Women’s Euros generates $44m in sponsorship revenue
The Women’s Euros generated $44m (£32.5m) in sponsorship revenue across 20 partnerships this year, according to research from GlobalData.
This figure represents a 144% uplift on the previous Women’s Euros in 2022, which generated $18.1m (£13.37m). This indicates the growing brand interest in the women’s game, even compared to 2022.
As well as a significant uptick in sponsorship revenue from this year’s tournament, broadcasters also saw increased revenues. Broadcast revenue across the tournament hit an estimated $99.54m (£73.52m), marking a significant 142% increase in value from Euro 2022, which stood at $41.03m (£30.30m).
The total prize money for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro was €41m (£35.37m), which is more than double the €16m (£13.79m) in 2022, and a fivefold increase from the €8m (£6.90m) awarded to teams in the 2017 edition of the tournament.
Source: GlobalData
Over half of football fans say high ticket prices are diminishing their enjoyment
As the Premier League kicked off this weekend, research finds the high cost of football fandom may be dampening love for the game.
According to research from LiveScore, over half (53%) of fans believe high ticket prices are diminishing their enjoyment of football. Over four in five (81%) agree tickets are not good value for money.
The cost of enjoying football on TV is also often considered prohibitively expensive by fans. This season it will cost Premier League fans, on average, £966.38 to watch their team on TV, according to the research. One in 10 fans say they rely on free highlights or illegal streams to watch football. Over a third (37%) say they miss matches entirely due to a lack of relevant TV subscriptions.
Source: LiveScore
More than a quarter of social media users watching YouTube more than a year ago
More than one in four (28%) UK social media users say they use YouTube more than they did a year ago, according to YouGov’s annual media consumption report.
YouTube saw the biggest increase in use across all social media platforms, ahead of Instagram (25%) and TikTok (21%). Among Gen Z, this rises to 38% of respondents who report using YouTube more than a year ago.
Zooming in on the past month, 65% of all social media users have watched YouTube, rising to 80% among Gen Z. The platform’s appeal is not confined to younger demographics, with a majority of Baby Boomers (53%) saying they used YouTube in the past month.
According to the research, 20% of Gen Alpha (aged four to 15) open the YouTube app first when they switch on the TV. It is now the UK’s second most-watched media service, behind only the BBC.
Overall, 70% of respondents to YouGov’s study used social media in the past month, rising to 81% among Gen Z and millennials.
By comparison, 63% watched streaming content and 59% watched live TV. Netflix leads among on-demand TV viewers (77%), followed by Amazon Prime Video (60%) and Disney+ (38%).
Source: YouGov
Over two-thirds of B2B budgets flat or down
A new study from consultancy firm Forrester Research finds two-thirds (69%) of B2B events leaders have seen budgets remain flat or decrease in 2025.
Of the 269 marketing professionals surveyed for Forrester’s Global State of B2B Events 2025 report, 38% say their budgets have remained flat since 2024, 4% have seen budgets decrease by 1%-4%, 11% have seen them decrease by 5%-10% and 16% have seen budgets fall by more than 10%.
The number of B2B event leaders saying event budgets are increasing has fallen by three percentage points from 32% to 29% of respondents.
B2B organisations are also now choosing to spend more of their event budget on hosting their own events (53%) instead of attending third-party events (47%).
Similarly, events leaders are prioritising smaller events (those with less than 200 guests) than putting on a larger event (those with more than 200 guests) in an effort to save costs.
Smaller in-person events were the fastest growing event type in 2024 and they continue to make up a large part of the events mix in 2025, with 59% of enterprises planning to run more. On the other hand, the number of organisations planning to run more large events is down 12% since last year.
Source: Forrester Research
