A recent revisit of the K2 Report on media agency practices reveals a mixed progress report for marketers. According to Digiday, more brands have taken steps to update their media agency contracts, reflecting growing awareness of past issues around rebates and opaque fee structures. This shift signals a positive move toward greater transparency in media buying relationships.

However, the same update shows that fewer marketers have revised the language surrounding “principal media” in those contracts. This omission leaves many vulnerable to unintended applications of principal media arrangements—where agencies act as principals in media purchases, potentially retaining rebates or incentives without full disclosure to the advertiser.

For content creators who manage brand partnerships or rely on media agencies for campaign execution, this gap poses real risk. Outdated principal media verbiage can allow agencies to benefit financially from media spend in ways that aren’t always clear to the brand, undermining trust and ROI measurement.

The K2 Report originally highlighted these practices as areas needing contractual clarity. While progress has been made on broader contract updates, the persistence of legacy principal media clauses suggests that marketers may be addressing symptoms without fixing the root contractual exposure.

Creators and marketing teams are advised to review not just their overall agency agreements, but specifically the sections defining agency role in media transactions. Ensuring that principal media is either eliminated or clearly defined with full pass-through of incentives can help prevent unintended financial leakage and strengthen accountability in media partnerships. As media budgets grow more complex, precise contract language remains a foundational safeguard.