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IGNITION ZEITGEIST
Ignition Zeitgeist is a handy resource for staying ahead of the cultural curve, covering the latest trends in entertainment, tech and marketing. Delivered straight to your inbox, Ignition Zeitgeist is designed for everyone who wants to stay informed, but only has time for the headlines. Whether it's the latest industry flash-in-the-pan, intriguing augurs of genuine cultural and societal change or the latest ephemeral viral sensation... Ignition Creative has you covered.
Trending… news to be aware of
Trending 1: Uefa Television Rights Up For Grabs
The what… Europe’s leading football clubs are reportedly targeting annual revenues of at least €5bn (£4.3bn) from television rights for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League in the upcoming cycle — a potential 10% rise from their current value.
Fresh legs... Uefa targets streaming giants for next TV deals
Back of the net… The impact of TV rights on football club valuations
Fan favorites… Most popular football clubs on YouTube and Twitch
Trending 2: Secret Cinema Sold To Ari Emmanuel’s Mari
The what… The newly launched global events and experiences company has acquired TodayTix from private equity firm Great Hill Partners. TodayTix, whose brands include TodayTix, Secret Cinema, LondonTheatre, and Show-Score, has over 20 million members across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, along with partnerships with 10,000 theaters.
Someone must have told him… Secret Cinema company is bought by Hollywood power broker
Do you want to know a secret… Everything you need to know about Secret Cinema
Gold in them there venues… Experiential entertainment is having a gold rush, but commercial success is far from certain
Trending 3: Netflix To Stream Podcasts
The what… Netflix is officially entering the podcast business: the streaming giant has signed a deal with Spotify to deliver a selection of top original podcasts. Industry reports suggest that Netflix is also in conversations with other podcast platforms.
Hear and see what’s next… Netflix to stream selection of Spotify video podcasts
Hear and watch anywhere… Netflix and Spotify deal indicates a new era for video podcasts
Hearing a lot about podcasts?... The podcast market in 2025
Trending 4: Stranger Things Heads To Cinemas
The what… The popular Netflix series is set to premiere its final season this November. It’s been confirmed that the season will be released in three volumes, with the runtimes for the first instalment recently revealed. In addition, it was recently announced that the finale will also debut in over 350 cinemas in the US and UK.
Turning things upside down... ‘Stranger Things’ finale to be shown in US cinemas
Mind flaying stuff... Everything we know about ‘Stranger Things’ season 5
The final battle?… New darker ‘Stranger Things’ replacement becomes a streaming sensation
Trending 5: Gamestop And The Console Wars
The what… After the announcement that Halo: Combat Evolved will be released on PS5 alongside Xbox Series X|S and PC, iconic retailer GameStop has leveraged its position as a “neutral entity” to officially declare the decades-long console wars over. The declaration was picked up by a number of media outlets and also the White House.
Strategy Evolved… GameStop declares the console wars officially over with Halo on PS5
Infinite Credits… GameStop stock jumps after White House reposts console wars declaration
Commander In Chief… Trump and GameStop trade ‘Halo’ and console war memes
Trending 6: Halloween Celebrations 2025
The what… Halloween is increasingly becoming a useful barometer of pop culture fandom with costumes noticeable being influenced by the biggest entertainment properties. 2025 was no different, with Demon Hunters making its presence felt amongst party goers and trick or treaters. Reports also suggest that spending on Halloween is increasing, but it appears that little of this money was spent in cinemas over the spookiest weekend of the year.
Frightgeist… Most searched-for Halloween costumes
Raiding the blood bank… Spooky spending creeping in weeks before Halloween
Monitoring… news to keep an eye on
Monitoring 1: Entertainment / Video Game Crossovers
The what… With 40+ video game based movies currently in development and a string of recent success stories to prove the model, we’re excited to see our two favourite sectors collide and are eagerly watching to see if these crossovers can continue to realise their potential. In this section we also cover video games based on entertainment IP.
News: Steven C. Miller to direct ‘Finding Frankie’ video game adaptation from ‘Mortal Kombat’ producer
Monitoring 2: AI Marketing
The what… Where to start… AI is already having a tangible influence on the entertainment and creative sectors, with the potential for greater impact yet to come. Ignition Zeitgeist will tease out the latest meaningful developments and noteworthy uses.
News: GROK Wikipedia rival
Monitoring 3: TikTok
The what… It’s been hard to escape the existential drama concerning the future of TikTok in the US. With an array of high profile suitors waiting in the wings and a change of administration, it feels like there are lots of twists and turns to come.
Insight Of The Week
The team at Big Games Machine have pulled together a must-read report on where and why gamers are spending their money in 2025. A small selection of key takeouts can be seen below.
Toys & Collectables are #1: Toys and collectables (29% of gamers) emerged as the most frequently purchased item, outpacing both Board Games (27%) and Card/Party Games (24%).
Spending Correlates with Time: The more time gamers play, the deeper their engagement and spending on other hobbies. Interest in Sci-Fi/Fantasy literature, for example, jumps from 22% (casual) to 50% for those playing 20+ hours a week.
Platform Predicts Passions: Consumer spending habits are platform-specific—data reveals Nintendo Switch owners spend significantly more on collectables, Xbox users focus on tabletop games, and Steam Deck users are super-fans of Kickstarter campaigns.
Future Growth is Strong: Nearly 40% of gamers anticipate increasing their spending across geek culture hobbies over the next 12 months.
Source: Big Games Machine (Gamers and Geek Culture: What Gamers Spend On and Why 2025)
Don’t Believe Everything You See On The Internet…
A video depicting what was claimed to be the world’s first “skyscraper stadium” in Saudi Arabia recently racked up over 50 million views and garnered attention from global news outlets.
The clip appeared to showcase the design of the Gulf nation’s NEOM Sky Stadium which is planned to soar 1,000 feet above the ground, seat 46,000 fans, and serve as one of the venues for the 2034 World Cup in the Middle East.
But the viral video wasn’t an official release from Saudi Arabia or the developers behind the project; it was created in just two minutes by 34-year-old Liam Hawes from East Sussex for a bit of fun. Learn more here.
Ads We Love
Doritos is leaning into 1980s nostalgia with a Stranger Things collaboration ahead of the show’s final season, premiering this December. The campaign features digital ads, celebrity cameos, fan interactions, and eerie “Upside Down” glitches—all presented in the style of a Hawkins-themed telethon.
At the heart of the promotion is a hotline, 1-855-4-HAWKINS, first hinted at on bags of Doritos’ new Pizza x Cool Ranch flavour. The number quickly drew thousands of curious callers, and now fans can leave messages of support for Hawkins. Selected recordings will be shared on Doritos’ social media channels and even displayed on major billboards. 80s icons involved in the activation included David Hasselhoff, Paula Abdul and ALF. Learn more here.
And Finally
In keeping with the theme of 80s nostalgia, we had a huge amount of fun working with PLAION REPLAI on social, print and trailer assets for their latest launch - THEC64 MINI Black Edition. Watch our launch trailer here.
