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.
The article discusses the media investment choices Indian brands will face in 2026, specifically contrasting Connected TV (CTV) and mobile advertising. It focuses on the strategic decision of where to allocate ad spends as CTV gains momentum while mobile retains its dominance in India.
Samba TV launched Project Gravity, an independent data activation platform designed for advertisers and data owners. The platform enables onboarding and activation of first-party data across Google DV360 and other platforms. The focus of this new offering is to provide a neutral solution for data utilization in advertising.
Omdia forecasts that global connected TV (CTV) advertising revenue will nearly double within the next five years. The report specifically projects that Google, Amazon, and Netflix are expected to control half of this market by 2030.
Bell Media has entered into a strategic agreement with TELUS to extend its Connected TV live advertising capabilities into Western Canada. This expansion will activate new advertising inventory across CTV platforms.
PubMatic Inc, an ad-tech firm, is focusing on its connected TV (CTV) initiatives, particularly in Japan. This comes as investors monitor the performance of its sell-side platform.
Google has introduced Universal Cart, a feature that allows users to add products to a single cart from across Google services, including YouTube, with checkout via Google Pay or merchant sites. This initiative also integrates Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) into advertising campaigns, including Shopping ads on YouTube DemandGen, and includes BNPL options from Affirm and Klarna. Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair, Shopify, Fenty, and Steve Madden are named as early adopters.
This article from the AWS for M&E Blog details how users can monetize their live streams by utilizing Amazon IVS Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI). It focuses on the technical capability to insert ads into live video. The post serves as a guide for implementing this monetization feature.
AI-personalized streaming ads are currently transforming connected television marketing, evolving traditional video commercials into interactive, behavior-driven experiences. The article states that this technology is already being implemented.
DoubleVerify has expanded its integration with LinkedIn to provide global post-bid measurement across the LinkedIn Audience Network. This enhancement aims to give advertisers increased visibility into their campaigns on the platform.
This article discusses The Trade Desk's strategy to position retail media as a significant long-term growth driver, aligning with advertisers' increased focus on data-driven marketing. The company aims to capitalize on this shift by leveraging its platform to connect advertisers with retail consumer data for targeted campaigns.
Equativ has launched its retail media offering in the U.S., expanding its global footprint. The company, an independent end-to-end media platform, aims to cater to the growing retail media market.
Dr. Augustine Fou, an ad fraud measurement expert, explains the complexities of ad fraud within the digital advertising ecosystem, highlighting how fake websites and bot traffic generate fraudulent ad revenue, particularly in programmatic advertising. He details that AI's impact on ad fraud is incremental, primarily aiding in faster content generation for 'made for advertising' (MFA) sites rather than fundamentally altering the nature of fraud. Fou advises marketers to maintain independent measurement tools and not rely solely on platform reports to detect discrepancies and minimize losses to ad fraud.
Vevo has expanded its partnership with advertising intelligence provider DISQO, naming DISQO as its preferred brand outcomes measurement partner in the US. This collaboration aims to enhance Vevo's ability to measure the effectiveness of its advertising campaigns.
VAUNET, the German Media Association, forecasts a 4.3% growth in advertising revenues from TV, video streaming, and audio media in Germany for 2026. This growth prediction highlights the increasing importance of these digital platforms in the German advertising market.
Google announced several AI-powered advertising updates at its I/O 2026 conference, focusing on integrating AI into ad insights, campaign optimization, and new ad types. Key updates include tools to track brand mentions in AI responses, integrate Meridian insights into Google Analytics 360, and new ad formats for AI-generated search results, alongside enhancements for YouTube promotions. These changes aim to leverage AI to provide marketers with better targeting and optimization capabilities across Google's platforms.
Brands are advised to move away from direct, high-pressure sales tactics on TikTok in favor of native, user-generated content (UGC) style storytelling to achieve better engagement and return on investment. TikTok's own creative guidance and data suggest that authentic, creator-led content, amplified through paid distribution, outperforms hard-sell approaches by retaining audience attention and trust.
PwC's Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025-2029 forecasts the US OTT market will grow at a 5.9% CAGR from US$61.9 billion in 2024 to US$112.7 billion by 2029, maintaining its position as the world's largest OTT market. The report also projects strong growth for the US internet advertising market at an 8.5% CAGR to reach US$389.1 billion by 2029, with connected TV (CTV) advertising outpacing overall growth, and highlights AI's increasing impact on various E&M sectors.
OpenAI has begun testing ads in ChatGPT for users on the Free and Go plans in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Ads, which will not influence ChatGPT's answers and appear below responses, are contextually matched to chat threads and can be personalized based on user settings, with paid tiers remaining ad-free.
TikTok announced new advertising solutions at its TikTok World '26 summit, including TopReach Creative Sequencing for combined high-visibility ad placements and Branded Buzz to facilitate creator collaborations for large-scale campaigns. The company also introduced Creator AI Search for finding talent, integrated Dreamina Seedance 2.0 AI video model into TikTok Symphony, and expanded its Smart+ and GMV Max optimization tools. Additionally, TikTok unveiled new on-platform advertising experiences for travel, entertainment, and gaming, such as TikTok Growth Max and TikTok GO Ads.
Transmit.Live highlights its platform for live media monetization, leveraging AI (MomentAI) to detect high-impact moments in live content and automate ad insertion. The platform offers proprietary in-stream ad formats, an agentic marketplace for real-time ad negotiations, and tools to extend ad inventory beyond original stream viewers, aiming to increase revenue for live publishers, particularly in sports.
Magnite highlights its partnership with Cake. Shop, an independent agency, enabling more efficient streaming TV ad activation and direct connection to broadcasters through Magnite ClearLine. This collaboration aims to help independent agencies scale their streaming TV advertising efforts while maintaining control and transparency.
Hotstar has launched a self-serve advertising platform for the Indian market, enabling advertisers to plan, buy, and measure campaigns on its streaming service. The platform offers capabilities like audience targeting with over 1000 cohorts, campaign creation tools, budget control starting at ₹50,000, and comprehensive reporting.
Media agencies are adapting their ad tech strategies by moving closer to supply-side platforms, a shift driven by the potential of AI to alter traditional business models. This change is reshaping how programmatic advertising operates within the industry, as agencies seek more direct access and control over ad inventory.
Publicis Groupe's acquisition of data software company LiveRamp is anticipated to revitalize mergers and acquisitions activity within the ad tech sector, following a slow first quarter. This deal is specifically noted for its potential impact on the competitive landscape.
This article discusses three distinct trends: PubMatic's analysis on the impact of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) budgets, the increasing share of digital video in US TV and video ad spend, and the growing adoption of AI video tools by brands.
DSPolitical and FreeWheel have formed a partnership to enable political campaigns to target voters with more precision via connected TV (CTV) advertisements. This alliance aims to provide campaigns with enhanced targeting capabilities for their political messaging.
ITV has officially launched its live broadcast addressable advertising product, Live Addressable+, following an announcement. The new product is currently undergoing a beta trial in partnership with Omnicom.
MINT Square, a programmatic advertising specialist, has partnered with the Alliance of Media Independents (AMI) to make programmatic advertising more accessible to independent agencies in the UK. This collaboration aims to provide AMI's member agencies with greater access to MINT Square's programmatic capabilities and expertise.
Dr. Augustine Fou explains how Artificial Intelligence is contributing to the industrial-scale expansion of ad fraud, detailing practices like fabricated performance metrics and spoofed supply paths. The discussion highlights how current ad systems allow significant 'take rates' and markups, resulting in publishers receiving a fraction of the advertiser's bid. Fou suggests that increasing bids often benefits intermediaries rather than improving inventory quality.
Chalice AI, an AI media decisioning company, announced a partnership with Equativ, an independent media platform, to integrate Chalice AI's containerized AI technology into Equativ's programmatic advertising stack. This collaboration aims to provide enhanced AI-driven ad curation and activation capabilities across the open internet, including CTV and video.
Looper Insights published an article detailing its 'Who Holds The Power in Sports Rights in 2026' report, based on a survey of 52 senior executives from leagues, broadcasters, streaming services, and distribution partners. The report analyzes how negotiating leverage, deal architecture, and direct-to-consumer ambitions are expected to evolve in the upcoming sports rights cycle. Key questions addressed include the future of negotiating power, market fragmentation, rights fee growth, and the extent of direct-to-consumer strategies by rights holders.
Omdia projects that global Connected TV (CTV) ad revenue will reach $81 billion by 2030. The research firm also forecasts that Amazon, Netflix, and Google will collectively capture half of this CTV ad market.
Netflix's 2026 Upfront focused on the growth of its advertising business, announcing expansion of its ad-supported plan to 15 new countries starting in 2027 and reaching over 250 million global monthly active viewers. The company detailed enhancements to its Netflix Ads Suite, including new planning tools, expanded programmatic capabilities for pause ads and live content, and broader adoption of AI for media planning, ad optimization, and personalized ad loads. Netflix also unveiled its content slate for 2026 and beyond, including new series, films, and expanded live sports offerings like the NFL.
The article discusses that many brands undervalue YouTube creator partnerships despite the platform's ability to drive trust and conversions. It identifies brands' difficulty in benchmarking success on YouTube as a key factor.
Global, a media and entertainment group, announced its plan to directly sell premium advertising across its YouTube content network. This move aims to monetize its expanding presence on the platform.
Netflix will introduce advertising in Ireland starting next year as part of an expansion into 15 new countries. The streaming service stated its intention to bring ads to these new markets.
Netflix has announced that its ad-supported streaming tier has reached 250 million viewers. This figure highlights the growth of its hybrid monetization strategy and expands its advertising reach.
Netflix is expanding its ad-supported tier by introducing podcast inventory and vertical video ad formats. Separately, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is exploring "agentic advertising" as a new ad monetization strategy.
Hershey's Reese's brand executed an interactive advertising campaign on Roku, leveraging Instacart targeting to drive new buyers and snack purchases. This initiative highlights innovative consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketing in the streaming video advertising space.
Publicis Groupe acquired LiveRamp for $2.5 billion in an all-cash deal, paying a 29.8% premium. This acquisition integrates LiveRamp's RampID and clean room network into Publicis's existing ad tech ecosystem, affecting the identity and activation infrastructure for programmatic advertising, and prompting other holding companies to re-evaluate their identity strategies.
TikTok Shop has established a US joint venture with Oracle and Silver Lake, holding 80% American ownership, and rolled out five new seller tools in the US and a Local Feed in the UK. The platform also replaced its Violation Points model with a Creator Health Rating system, integrated AI Dubbing for shoppable videos, and identified Beauty & Personal Care, Womenswear & Underwear, Sports & Outdoor, and Health & Wellness as dominating or fast-growing product categories.
Smart TV manufacturers are integrating advertising directly into home screens, streaming apps, and recommendation interfaces. This strategy leverages viewer data to increase advertising revenue, boosting profits for TV makers.
YouTube's Upfronts event featured creators such as MrBeast and Alix Earle presenting to advertisers. This indicates YouTube's ongoing integration of creator-led content into traditional advertising frameworks.
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (ZETA) is positioning its AI-powered marketing cloud to replace legacy marketing technology stacks. This move aims to leverage deterministic consumer intelligence in the evolving advertising landscape.
Brand spending on social video is growing, with a significant factor being the amplification of influencer video content on platforms. This practice contributes to accelerated social video spending.
CMI Media Group's Jon Miller stated that pharmaceutical brands are not fully leveraging the "halo effect" of CTV advertising. He emphasized that CTV provides an environment similar to traditional TV while offering advanced targeting and measurement capabilities, urging pharma to integrate CTV into their media mix more strategically.
Netflix announced its 2026 Upfront, detailing the expansion of its ad-supported plan to 15 new countries starting in 2027 and revealing that its ad-supported tier now reaches over 250 million global monthly active viewers. The company also highlighted new ad inventory and brand partnership opportunities, advanced AI-driven advertising tools, expanded programmatic capabilities, and a robust content slate for 2026 and beyond, including new series, films, and live events like additional NFL games and the Westminster Dog Show.
Index Exchange announced programmatic support for pause ads across streaming platforms including DIRECTV Advertising, Foxtel, Philo, and Plex. This new capability allows marketers to programmatically access non-intrusive ad inventory that appears when viewers pause content, aiming for greater standardization and efficiency in streaming ad formats.
Retail media, spearheaded by Amazon and Walmart, is increasingly capturing TV advertising spend by leveraging smart TV infrastructure. Amazon utilizes AI-powered intelligence and new ad inventory in its pitches to TV ad buyers, while Walmart has partnered with Vizio to make joint offerings.
Amazon held its 2026 Upfront event, showcasing new advertising capabilities like "Dynamic TV Creative" for interactive video ads on Prime Video, which personalizes ad elements based on viewer shopping behavior and journey stage. The event also highlighted Amazon's broad entertainment offerings, including live sports, new Amazon MGM Studios content, Twitch, and "The Oprah Podcast" joining the platform, all integrated with its authenticated audience graph for advertisers.
