Ad tech rebuilt itself around identity resolution and clean rooms once third-party cookies disappeared. Coverage here spans SSAI, programmatic CTV, ad-supported tier economics, frequency capping, and the measurement approaches replacing the old playbook.
PwC forecast projects global E&M revenues to reach $4.2T by 2030, with AI-powered ads eclipsing consumer spending in 2026. Advertising is the fastest-growing segment at 5.6% CAGR, while OTT revenue shows 6.1% CAGR despite subscription fatigue, driving consolidation and ad-tier expansion, with OTT ad revenue projected to grow at 9.4% CAGR.
This article analyzes the trend of major industry players (e.g., Fox acquiring Roku, Walmart buying Vizio, The Trade Desk launching Ventura OS) consolidating control over TV operating systems to capture viewer data and ad delivery, shifting focus from content to the screen itself.
Publicis Groupe's planned acquisition of ad-tech firm LiveRamp is prompting advertisers and agencies to seek alternative independent data connectivity providers, spurring opportunities for cloud-native identity and activation platforms like Hightouch and MadConnect. Industry executives anticipate a fragmented replacement landscape of interoperable identity graphs, cloud-resident collaboration tools, and possible further M&A.
Omnicom Media and NBCUniversal are co-developing a dynamic contextual advertising solution for CTV that uses NBCU's show metadata at the episode and scene level, paired with Omnicom's audience data, to optimize in-flight creative relevance. The beta product aims to be available in the U.S. by end of 2026.
AdExchanger reports on Google testing 'Strongest match' or 'Strong match' labels on search ads to highlight relevance for high-intent queries, while also noting the growing competition between legacy media and Big Tech for streaming ad revenue and attention. The article covers multiple ad-tech developments, including Google's new search ad labels and a partnership between Albertsons and Criteo for ads within AI shopping bots.
ZeroGPU released specialized small language models for ad tech, focusing on content classification, intent classification, and moderation, aiming to reduce costs compared to general-purpose LLMs. AI monetization platform Dappier reported a 50% reduction in expenses after transitioning tasks from frontier models to ZeroGPU's CPU-run models, achieving sub-50ms response times.
PubMatic has launched a Creator Marketplace to provide independent creator media companies with access to programmatic and agentic AI advertising demand. The platform features MeatEater as its inaugural launch partner and utilizes FreeWheel's infrastructure to integrate creator inventory into programmatic CTV auctions.
Samsung Ads has partnered with ad-tech provider Publica to manage programmatic unified auctions and server-side ad insertion (SSAI) on its Samsung TV Plus service. The integration implements advanced ad pod decisioning and competitive separation tools designed to align CTV advertising more closely with linear TV standards.
Spanish broadcaster Atresmedia has partnered with Publica to integrate a unified auction solution for its CTV advertising inventory. The solution leverages server-side ad insertion and advanced pod decisioning to enable linear-style controls for programmatic advertisers.
Publica has unveiled an A/B testing tool designed for connected TV (CTV) publishers to improve ad yield. The tool enables testing of specific bidder parameters including bid floors, ad durations, and podded requests compatible with OpenRTB 2.6.
Publica, a CTV ad server acquired by Integral Ad Science, has appointed Steph Miller as its new commercial director for EMEA to lead international market expansion. The company also introduced Platform Connect, a tool that allows streaming publishers to manage and scale audience extension strategies using their existing ad server infrastructure.
Comcast has expanded its Universal Ads self-service platform into the UK, allowing small and medium-sized businesses to purchase premium TV ad inventory across Sky, ITV, and Channel 4. The platform uses an API-first approach and integrated pixel-based measurement tools to bridge the gap between traditional broadcast advertising and social-style digital workflows.
Xumo has expanded its contextual advertising capabilities through new integrations with Gracenote and IRIS.TV. The partnership combines Gracenote’s content metadata with IRIS.TV’s AI-powered frame-by-frame analysis to improve programmatic ad targeting and brand suitability across Xumo's FAST inventory.
DoubleVerify has identified a network of over 200 AI-generated websites that mimic reputable publishers to siphon ad spend through programmatic channels. In response, the company has updated its ad-verification platform with new AI-based avoidance technology to help advertisers block these specific automated inventory sources.
DoubleVerify has launched two new automated brand-safety categories: a 'Highly Illicit: Do Not Monetize' filter for content flagged by experts like NCMEC, and a 'P2P Sharing and Streaming' avoidance tool. These features are designed to help advertisers block ad delivery on high-risk domains and P2P platforms that may host illegal content.
DoubleVerify has introduced Profile Feed exclusion lists for TikTok's owned inventory and is expanding its post-bid ad verification services to the TikTok Pangle ad network. These tools are designed to provide advertisers with increased brand suitability and viewability measurement across TikTok's mobile-first video ecosystem.
DoubleVerify has launched 'DV Authentic AdVantage,' an automated pre-bid solution for walled garden video environments. The tool utilizes automated daily updates to manage brand suitability inclusion and exclusion lists, which the company reports reduces campaign activation time by 90%.
DoubleVerify has identified a sophisticated iOS ad fraud scheme dubbed 'SkyWalk' that uses a framework called UniSkyWalking to load hidden websites within mobile games. The scheme circumvents Open Measurement SDK detection by misrepresenting in-app traffic as web traffic to generate fraudulent ad impressions.
DoubleVerify has introduced three AI-powered suitability categories—Sensitive Breaking News, Current Events, and Opinion & Editorial—designed to help advertisers target news inventory more effectively. The company claims these tools can reduce news blocklisting by up to 42% for advertising clients.
DoubleVerify has introduced a new suite of AI verification tools, Agent ID Measurement and AI SlopStopper, designed to identify and block synthetic traffic from AI bots. The company claims these bots account for up to 15% of ad clicks in unprotected media, which can distort engagement metrics and inflate costs.
A federal judge in California has ruled that ad tech company PubMatic must face a class-action lawsuit alleging that it illegally collected and shared consumer browsing data for ad-targeting purposes. The court rejected PubMatic's argument that its tracking and data-compilation practices constitute routine commercial behavior.
Warner Bros. Discovery has partnered with AWS to implement agentic AI across its advertising infrastructure. The initiative aims to unify linear and digital ad operations into a single platform capable of autonomous forecasting, real-time optimization, and cross-platform campaign measurement.
Teads has launched CTV Ensemble, an advertising suite designed to unify home screen and in-stream video inventory into a single workflow for cross-screen performance campaigns. The suite incorporates creative optimization, program-level targeting, and attention measurement tools from partners including Lumen and TVision to drive measurable, lower-funnel outcomes on connected TV.
DirecTV executive Matthew Van Houten discusses the push for industry-wide standardization of native CTV ad formats and the adoption of conversion APIs for better performance measurement. The company is actively integrating server-to-server data solutions and AI-driven infrastructure to bridge the gap between television and performance-oriented digital advertising.
Instagram is testing a new horizontal video format for its smart TV applications, beginning with Samsung devices and expanding to Fire TV and Google TV. This initiative seeks to increase long-form content engagement and allow the platform to compete more effectively for connected TV (CTV) advertising revenue.
Channel 4 has expanded its programmatic advertising capabilities through new integrations with Amazon Ads, FreeWheel, PubMatic, Hawk, and Yahoo. Separately, research from Owl & Co. estimates the 2025 global podcasting market at $7.3 billion, highlighting the rising importance of video-based podcast distribution.
Samsung Ads has integrated Amazon Ads' interactive video technology into the Samsung TV Plus FAST service, enabling shoppable features via remote control. The partnership allows advertisers to leverage Amazon's purchasing signals for targeting and conversion tracking on the platform.
PayPal Ads is focusing on the cross-platform integration of its shoppable CTV and web ad products, leveraging its proprietary transaction data for enhanced measurement and identity. The approach aims to reduce advertiser friction by enabling direct purchases within ad creatives, demonstrating positive return on ad spend for retailers like Adorama and Best Buy.
The IAB Tech Lab has launched the Agentic Advertising Management Protocols (AAMP) to standardize how AI agents interact with existing programmatic frameworks like OpenRTB. Industry stakeholders are increasingly testing agentic workflows for deal execution, predictive ad-load management, and metadata enrichment to improve operational efficiency in streaming advertising.
Walmart Connect and Vizio have debuted a shoppable ad model on the WatchFree+ streaming service, integrating branded content with direct retail purchasing. The platform, powered by Vizio’s infrastructure and Walmart’s retail media network, aims to merge storytelling and commerce by targeting major retail shopping events.
OpenX, a supply-side platform (SSP), launched OpenX IQ, an AI and machine learning suite designed to give ad buyers greater control and performance in programmatic media workflows, including CTV. The suite leverages supply-side data for inventory quality scoring, audience modeling, and predictive attention and performance modeling.
Hearst Television partners with Viamedia.ai to deploy the Parrot Ad Decisioning System for household-level dynamic ad insertion across select local broadcast stations, using MediaKind's advertising software for last-mile delivery. The integration aims to boost addressability and monetizable impressions by approximately 25%.
Mobile app operations startup Kinoa Labs has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Transcend Fund to expand its predictive AI platform. The company provides algorithmic tools for user retention and dynamic monetization targeted at gaming and streaming app operators.
UPROXX TV, Comscore, and Warner Music Group released a study indicating that premium music video content on YouTube generates significantly higher viewer attention and engagement metrics than user-generated content. The data demonstrates that this content category is driving substantial viewership on connected TV for younger demographics, positioning it as a distinct media planning segment for advertisers.
Former Apple engineers have launched ZeroSettle, a new SDK that enables mobile app developers to route in-app purchases through direct billing systems to bypass standard application store commissions. The service provides a Merchant of Record model and entitlement synchronization, targeting the $150 billion in-app purchase market unlocked by recent regulatory rulings.
Asda has announced a partnership with Amazon Ads to bring the Amazon Retail Ad Service to the UK market starting in Q4. This integration will enable brands to use Amazon's ad-tech tools to target audiences across Asda's digital grocery and George e-commerce platforms.
REI removed an Instagram advertisement after Meta's automated generative ad tool produced inaccurate product imagery by adding extra handlebars to a bike. The incident highlights emerging brand-safety challenges for advertisers using platform-level generative AI tools that auto-enroll users and alter creative assets.
Major media agencies and publishers, including WPP, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, are adopting agentic AI to automate ad planning and buying across linear and CTV. The shift is supported by emerging industry protocols like AdCP and ARTF, which aim to standardize communication and data governance between buyer and seller agents.
Industry analysis suggests the 2026 FIFA World Cup will serve as a major testing ground for infrastructure improvements in addressable, shoppable, and data-driven advertising across streaming platforms. Broadcasters and streamers are currently focusing on latency management and identity resolution to support these personalized interactive fan experiences.
Advertisers and ad tech executives are reportedly pressuring Netflix to provide more granular IP address data to improve geotargeting and cross-platform measurement. The lack of standardized granular data is leading some marketers to reallocate programmatic spend to other streaming platforms with more robust attribution capabilities.
Samsung Electronics Canada legal counsel Sahil Razdan discusses using established privacy-by-design frameworks as the foundation for AI governance in the company's ad-tech and smart TV divisions. Razdan also highlights his work with IAB Canada in setting industry-standard contracting terms for AI across the digital advertising ecosystem.
Samsung and InMobi-owned Glance have partnered to integrate a generative AI-powered shopping platform into the Tizen OS on Samsung smart TVs. The rollout targets smart TV models manufactured in 2020 or later, enabling viewers to navigate and purchase products directly via voice commands.
Spotify CPO Per Sandell discusses the industry-wide lag in audio ad spend, attributing it to historical fragmentation and measurement challenges. To address this, Spotify is scaling its first-party ad infrastructure and leveraging generative AI to automate ad creative production and improve inventory monetization.
Shopify has introduced a new tool called Campaign Autopilot to automate budget allocation across several advertising platforms including Google, Meta, and others. The company is simultaneously expanding its ad-serving ecosystem by partnering with ChatGPT, Pinterest, and Microsoft Monetize while maintaining a model that avoids taking a commission from ad spend.
Advertisers and ad-tech firms are pressuring Netflix to provide more granular IP address data to support better geotargeting and cross-platform measurement. While Netflix maintain its use of deterministic identity signals, some buyers have reportedly reallocated programmatic budget to other streaming platforms that share more comprehensive data.
Samsung Ads has integrated Amazon Ads' interactive video technology into its Samsung TV Plus FAST service, enabling shoppable ad experiences for viewers. The feature allows brands to drive purchases directly via remote control, leveraging Amazon's shopping-specific signals and functionality within the FAST environment.
PubMatic has introduced a new Creator Marketplace designed to connect independent content creators with programmatic and agentic AI advertising demand in the CTV space. The platform integrates partnerships with Holmes Media and FreeWheel to provide the ad-serving and technical infrastructure necessary for programmatic monetization of creator-led inventory.
Meta is launching an AI-powered creative solutions suite, integrating its platform with WPP Open, and consolidating its creator marketing tools into a single hub. These updates feature automated video translation, expanded text generation for advertisements, and integrated performance analytics for brand-creator partnerships.
The IAB Tech Lab has proposed an update to the OpenRTB SupplyChain v1.1 object intended to provide buyers with greater transparency into the technical routing entities of programmatic ad bid requests. The proposal aims to enable advertisers to audit not only financial payment flows but also the specific technical infrastructure, such as SSAI platforms and wrappers, involved in the transaction lifecycle.
Research from Wunderkind, in partnership with OpenGlass and TVision, indicates that programmatic CTV pause ads deliver nearly double the attention of standard 60-second video formats. The study, analyzing various verticals including automotive and technology, suggests pause ads are highly preferred by viewers and significantly drive actionable engagement like QR code scans.
