How brands are getting into the TV and movie game as they try to combat ad fatigue

• Movie studios have new competition — from Madison Ave.
• A slew of brands got behind films and TV shows in 2024 as they try to combat ad fatigue.
• Here's what marketers from Walmart to H&R Block say about their approach to the format.

People are increasingly tired of seeing ads, so big brands, from Walmart to Chick-fil-A, have been getting behind filmed entertainment as a way to grab their attention.

Brands' dollars and ability to promote projects have been welcomed by Hollywood, which is still hungry for programming but has less money to buy it.

"Brands, platforms, and partners, they're all open for business more than I've ever seen," said Paul Furia, head of content and creative packaging at ad agency Media by Mother. "Everyone's having conversations."

2024 brought many new iterations of the branded content trend to life.

Mattel's success with 2023's "Barbie" notwithstanding, brands' comfort zones have largely been unscripted formats like documentaries. But 2024 saw some branch out to new formats like reality TV and game shows, which are cheap to make, crowd favorites, and lend themselves to product integration. Brands have also been getting into shoppable shows, a trend that's likely to continue as brands figure out how to get people to buy things straight from their TVs.

Read: Why Brands like Ally and H&R Block are making reality TV-style shows

New players are trying to capitalize. Many Hollywood production companies are actively pitching their talents to brands, from Michael Sugar's Sugar23 to Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment (which produced "The Day Sports Stood Still" alongside Nike) and Anonymous Content. New ones like Sonic Gods Studios are going a step further, using brands to fully finance TV shows from the start.

Top talent are no longer turning up their noses at brand films (or their money). Saint Laurent, for example, paired with Pedro Almodóvar and David Cronenberg to make films.

Read: 13 production companies helping Chase, Pepsi, and more brands make Hollywood movies and TV for streamers like Netflix

Streamers are willing partners in brand films. As streamers increasingly look to ad dollars to become profitable, they're rolling out the red carpet for brands. And brands want the distribution because it legitimizes their projects and helps ensure they get seen (and in some cases, even make a profit). They're also becoming more systematic about tracking measurement and results.

Read: Netflix and Amazon are duking it out over brand partnerships as streaming ads enter a new phase

Read more about how brands and partners are jumping on filmed entertainment:

• Amazon's newest branded entertainment show wants to tie its boxes to 'spreading joy'
• Walmart is betting this holiday movie can get you to spend more