Digital advertising reaches $700 billion, NVIDIA approaching $5 trillion in value

Industry leaders and specialists from major global media organizations revealed at the “Bridge 2025” Summit that digital advertising—along with AI-powered ad technologies—has soared to nearly $700 billion, compared to just $300 billion for traditional media. They stressed that today’s tech giants have become “nation-sized entities,” with several surpassing $4 trillion in market value, while NVIDIA alone has reached nearly $5 trillion.

The experts participating in “Bridge 2025” emphasized that global media is undergoing the largest transformation in its modern history, driven by the rise of massive digital platforms, the erosion of traditional revenue models, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. These shifts are forcing media organizations to redefine their relationship with audiences and rethink their role in the evolving digital economy.

These insights were shared during the session titled “A Guide to Building Leading Media Brands,” featuring Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and CEO of S4 Capital; Jim Bankoff, Co-Founder and CEO of Vox Media; and Christine Cook, Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg Media. The session was moderated by Hadley Gamble, Senior International Anchor at IMI, as part of the summit held at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, which gathers over 60,000 participants from 132 countries and 430 speakers delivering more than 300 sessions across seven key tracks covering media, technology, content creation, the arts, gaming, marketing, and film production.

Sir Martin Sorrell explained that the advertising market is witnessing an unprecedented structural shift, with digital advertising valued at around $700 billion compared to only $300 billion for traditional media. He highlighted that platforms such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and TikTok capture the majority of this growth, making competition nearly impossible for traditional players operating under legacy models.

Sorrell added that tech companies have effectively become “nation-scale institutions,” with several exceeding $4 trillion in valuation and NVIDIA approaching $5 trillion. He cautioned that artificial intelligence will further increase the influence of these platforms, noting that the world is moving toward “public–private partnership models” rather than rigid regulatory frameworks.

For his part, Jim Bankoff stressed that the biggest challenge for media organizations today is no longer competing with each other, but competing with the broader “content-creation economy,” which attracts audiences through direct, personal engagement. “The bar for success is much higher,” he said. “Media organizations must prove every single day that they deserve the audience’s attention by delivering real value that goes beyond the breaking news cycle and builds a continuous experience.”

He noted that Vox Media adopts a hybrid model that blends digital media with live experiences, citing its expansive podcast network—which includes leading shows such as Pivot, Criminal, and Today Explained—making it one of the largest in the United States. Bankoff emphasized that programs able to form direct audience relationships are the ones resilient to the volatility of platform algorithms. He added that live audience experiences are irreplaceable and cannot be replicated digitally.

Organised by the UAE National Media Office, the BRIDGE Summit 2025 is a global media, content and entertainment event taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from December 8 to 10, 2025.

The summit will bring together more than 60,000 participants — including creators, producers, journalists, artists, investors and policymakers — along with over 400 international speakers and around 300 exhibitors.

Across three days, attendees will join more than 300 sessions, including over 200+ panel discussions, 50+ workshops and interactive events covering seven content tracks: media, creator economy, music, gaming, technology, marketing and visual storytelling.

The summit aims to shape the global media landscape by fostering collaboration, supporting creative talent and enabling new business deals, investments and partnerships across the entertainment and content industries.