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As the 2026 Upfront/Newfront season kicks off, we sat down with several senior-level media executives to discuss the evolving landscape of Canadian advertising. This exclusive Q&A series provides an inside look at the new programming, partnerships, and strategic investments shaping the year ahead.
Next in our Talking Upfronts interview series, we sit down with M&K Media's Jill McDonald, President, and Jennifer Young, Director of Video Buying.
Bringing over two decades of experience to the role, Jill is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of industry talent as a part-time professor of media planning and buying at Humber College. Jennifer specializes in translating complex planning strategies into high-impact media execution, ensuring clients maximize audience reach and attention across Canada's rapidly evolving video landscape.
Beyond just more 'premium content,' what structural or technical innovation does a streamer need to show you to win a larger share of your upfront budget this year?
Jill & Jennifer - From our perspective, it really comes down to three key areas.
- First is outcome-based measurement. As buyers, we need to understand not
just delivery, but actual business impact - mid- to lower-funnel attribution,
sales and conversion impact, and how streaming contributes incremental,
deduplicated reach alongside linear. On top of that, we’re looking at brand lift,
search lift, and even attention metrics like dwell time or eye-tracking proxies
to understand how well ads are actually landing. - Second is innovation in ad formats. Streamers need to introduce higher-
impact products that truly capture attention and improve memorability within
the viewing experience, rather than just replicating traditional formats in a
digital environment. - And third is the shift toward interactive and commerce-enabled experiences.
That includes things like shoppable formats, the ability to click via remote, or
QR integrations that allow viewers to take immediate action. Those types of
formats help bridge the gap between awareness and conversion, which is
