Vevo closes upfront season with AI-powered push into culture and commerce

Vevo closed out the final upfront of the year with a major pitch to Australian marketers, unveiling its new AI-driven ad suite, Vevo Evolve, and positioning music fandom as one of the most powerful commercial levers heading into 2026.

Announced at its Sydney showcase led by Rob Christensen and Tim O’Connor, Vevo Evolve gives brands new ways to target, optimise and measure campaigns across the company’s vast premium music video network, which reaches 11.74 million Australians each month.

O’Connor said music continues to outpace almost every other cultural force in Australia.

“Music isn’t just music, it’s culture,” he said. “It sits at the centre of what people wear, share and celebrate, and with 11.74 million Australians watching the Vevo network each month, we’re the place to connect with people around this passion.”

Vevo Evolve: connecting brands to culture

The new Vevo Evolve suite combines contextual insights, AI-built audience segments and predictive modelling to help brands match creative to cultural moments across Vevo’s ad-supported network. Advertisers can access more than 700 contextual targets and hundreds of privacy-compliant, intent-based segments across CTV, YouTube, mobile and FAST.

SEE MORE: How fandom has transformed live music

“Brands need partners who understand the full campaign journey - from creative and targeting to outcomes like trust,” Christensen said.

“With Vevo’s premium music video library and the launch of Vevo Evolve, marketers have a brand-safe environment to drive both connection and performance.”

Fandom meets commerce

Vevo used the event to spotlight new research showing the scale of fandom in Australia. According to its Fandom = Cultural Currency report, 97% of Australians identify with a fandom and 89% say music plays a defining role in who they are — slightly more than sport (88%).

Vevo says two in three fans are more likely to buy from brands advertising around their favourite music videos, reinforcing the link between cultural alignment and commercial impact.

“Fandom isn’t about entertainment, it’s about identity,” O’Connor said. “We have no off-season because music culture never stops. When brands meet fans in these moments, that’s when culture ignites.”

Vevo positioned its network as the largest premium ad-supported video environment in Australia, reaching more people than the ad-supported BVOD market (9.2 million) and surpassing Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Kayo.

On YouTube, Vevo remains “the primetime of the platform,” with its library of more than 1 million music videos reaching nearly 58% of YouTube’s audience despite representing less than 0.1% of its global video library.

Advertisers can buy Vevo inventory via direct, programmatic, sponsorships or always-on campaigns. All programmatic spend on Vevo also counts towards Google VIP commitments, while FAST supply has grown 60% year on year through partnerships with Foxtel and Samsung TV Plus.

“As linear declines and streaming fragments, advertisers need scale that still feels relevant,” O’Connor said. “We’re helping brands buy culture on their own terms in the environments audiences trust most. Culture moves fast - and with Vevo, your brand doesn’t just keep up, it leads.”