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.
Yahoo DSP has launched its Agent Network with 23 initial ad tech partners to integrate AI-powered tools across audience targeting, creative, and measurement workflows. This initiative leverages Yahoo's \"Yours, Mine and Ours\" AI strategy, prioritizing interoperability and open integrations over closed-loop proprietary tools.
Databricks has launched CustomerLake, an AI-agentic Customer Data Platform embedded within its Lakehouse platform to unify automated marketing and data operations. This solution challenges standalone CDP giants like Salesforce, Adobe, and Twilio Segment by enabling native data governance and eliminating the need for data duplication. The platform aims to streamline complex customer data workflows, which are critical for streaming media personalization and ad-targeting strategies.
Adobe has partnered with The Trade Desk to integrate Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform with The Trade Desk's Raw Event Data Stream. This collaboration enables brands to enrich their first-party profiles with impression-level programmatic advertising signals and automate audience activation using Unified ID 2.0 framework across CTV and other digital channels.
NBCUniversal and Target have launched 'Shop What Happens,' a weekly shoppable digital series streaming on Peacock, YouTube, and TikTok. The initiative integrates interactive shopping features, utilizing QR codes for CTV screens and text-to-shop or click-to-shop functionality for mobile viewers to purchase featured Target products.
MNTN has integrated its Connected TV advertising platform with HubSpot, allowing B2B marketers to feed TV ad interaction data directly into CRM workflows. The integration enables tracking of TV ad exposure down to individual contacts to provide search- and social-style performance attribution for video campaigns.
Claritas has partnered with Comcast Advertising to integrate its demographic and behavioral audience segments into Comcast's AI-powered Outcomes+ solution. This integration allows marketers to build, activate, and measure campaigns across premium video within a single streamlined workflow, utilizing Claritas' identity graph of over 600 million connected devices.
Telemundo's 2026 World Cup coverage has driven record Spanish-language advertising sales, with combined revenues for Fox and NBCUniversal projected to reach $850 million. To capture this demand, Telemundo has enabled programmatic ad buying for the tournament for the first time while prioritizing stream integrity by refusing to cut to commercials during hydration breaks.
Chalice AI is integrating its containerized AI bidding models directly into Equativ's platform to enable real-time impression scoring and programmatic bid optimization. The partnership expands adoption of the IAB Tech Lab's Agentic Real-Time Framework (ARTF), helping advertisers deploy custom AI models without platform lock-in.
At the Cannes Lions 2026 festival, the advertising and media industry is shifting its focus from generative AI experimentation to demanding measurable ROI and practical workflow orchestration. Major holding companies like Publicis and WPP are working to monetize their massive AI infrastructure investments, while ad-tech vendors navigate identity resolution, signal loss, and the preservation of platform neutrality.
The Audio Measurement Protocol (AMP) task force has proposed a new cross-platform measurement framework designed to standardize podcast ad-performance tracking across publishers. While the standard aims to unlock programmatic ad spend, industry analysis suggests it may exacerbate a margin squeeze for independent creators facing high multi-format production costs. The shift highlights a growing divide where the top 10 percent of network-backed shows capture over 95 percent of total podcast ad revenue.
Smartly has partnered with Roku to integrate its creative advertising and campaign management platform with Roku Ads Manager via a direct API connection. The partnership enables advertisers to easily extend existing social media advertising assets and performance strategies directly onto the Roku CTV platform. This integration aims to streamline hybrid social-CTV creative workflows and performance measurement.
Nano Interactive's Chief Revenue Officer Niall Moody highlights the effectiveness of real-time contextual ad targeting over traditional user-identity profiles during major events like the World Cup. This privacy-first approach analyzes active user behavior, device, and viewing environments to help brands like McDonald's and Coca-Cola run tailored campaigns based on temporary consumer moments.
Executives from Xperi/TiVo, Stingray, and Magnite speaking at the StreamTV Show's TVREV Summit highlighted automotive screens and autonomous vehicles as the next major growth sector for video distribution and ad monetization. The discussion emphasized early rollouts with automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, alongside development in alternative formats like ambient TV programming and interactive home-screen ads.
Sinclair has made a strategic investment in computer-vision AI startup IRCODE to deploy dynamic interactive and shoppable TV capabilities across its local stations. The rollout begins in Salt Lake City and Austin in July 2026, allowing viewers to scan on-screen broadcast content and ads using their smartphones to retrieve info, purchase products, and provide advertisers with first-party attribution data without QR codes.
JioStar CEO Kevin Vaz announced plans to build interactive commerce as a third core revenue stream to supplement advertising and subscriptions in the Indian market. The strategy leverages integrations with third-party apps during live sports and on-screen shopping features. Vaz also highlighted JioStar's technology investments, including an OpenAI partnership, AI-driven discovery, and its integrated microdrama tab Tadka.
A survey by subscription bundling platform Bango reveals that roughly half of young US sports fans are increasingly replacing live games with highlights, clips, and social updates. The study highlights significant subscription fatigue, with over 70% of viewers aged 18-34 needing multiple paid services to follow their teams and nearly 40% viewing piracy as the best access method.
AWS and NVIDIA have released a joint technical reference implementation for programmatic advertising, enabling real-time AI agents to run within the auction path using NVIDIA GPU-accelerated containers on AWS. Built around the IAB Tech Lab's Agentic Real-Time Framework (ARTF) and NVIDIA Triton Inference Server, the solution enables DSPs and SSPs to run neural network models for bid price optimization and audience targeting without violating strict auction latency budgets.
Ad-tech measurement platform Pixalate has launched its OpenEPG Index, a monthly ranking tracking programmatic ad spend and reach across over 5,000 streaming TV shows in the U.S. The initial data shows a surprising skew, with mobile (small screens) accounting for approximately 70% of both audience reach and programmatic ad spend compared to 30% for connected TVs.
Sinclair Broadcast Group has made a strategic financial investment in interactive television tech company IRCODE to launch interactive ad formats. Beginning in July, viewers in Salt Lake City and Austin will be able to use Sinclair's local station apps to scan TV screens using IRCODE's image-recognition software to interact with advertisements and content without QR codes.
Gracenote and PubMatic have announced a strategic partnership to integrate Gracenote's content metadata and real-time live sports scheduler data into PubMatic's programmatic platform. Running on the IAB Tech Lab's Agentic Real-Time Framework, the integration aims to bridge the CTV content signal gap by enabling advertiser-selected inventory to be matched with verified episode-level data at-auction.
TelevisaUnivision is addressing a projected 50% undercount of Hispanic audiences by third-party measurement systems by building its own proprietary U.S. Hispanic household graph. The first-party database merges internal and external data signals to give advertisers more precise targeting capabilities across its streaming platforms and live sports broadcasts.
Video advertising platform Pixability has launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP)-enabled agent for YouTube ads, allowing clients to integrate its proprietary video intelligence data into their own AI platforms. Tested by advertising agency PMG, the integration allows natural language queries to bypass traditional, manual API steps, reportedly reducing campaign planning time by 25% to 30%.
Independent agency Goodway Group reduced its programmatic SSP partners from around 20 to single digits through its Goodpath supply-path optimization (SPO) initiative, developed alongside Jounce Media. The strategic consolidation, which integrates direct paths like The Trade Desk's OpenPath and Yahoo DSP's Backstage, shifted 28% more ad spend to working media and lowered CTV, online video, and audio CPMs by up to 40%.
Ad-tech startup Precise.ai has secured $7 million in seed funding to commercialize its "decisioning economics" platform. Led by CTV ad-tech veterans, the company aims to ingest log-level programmatic data to help buyers audit the specific performance and cost contribution of individual targeting elements, bid modifiers, and supply paths.
Nielsen discusses the definition and importance of DMAs (Designated Market Areas) for marketers, advertisers, and broadcasters in the U.S. DMAs are proprietary geographic regions used for television viewing measurement, advertising planning, and media buying. The article highlights their continued relevance in the digital age for targeted advertising, optimized media buying, budget allocation, and performance measurement.
Nielsen details its television and streaming ratings system, explaining how it measures viewership to inform programming and advertising decisions. The article outlines how Nielsen combines panel data and big data, adapting its methodologies to account for the complexities of on-demand content and diverse viewing devices in the streaming era. This system is crucial for networks and advertisers in the US to make informed decisions and set industry standards for ad rates.
AWS MediaLive provides detailed procedures for enabling SCTE 35 message passthrough or removal across various output groups including Archive, HLS, and CMAF Ingest. This functionality allows precise control over ad marker delivery within streaming workflows. The article outlines configuration steps for different output types.
Ionic Studios and Questar Entertainment Group have formed Ionic Questar Holdings, a joint venture to operate GoTraveler, North America's largest travel FAST channel. The partnership leverages Ionic's ad operations and distribution infrastructure with Questar's content library and brand to expand platform reach and attract direct travel advertisers. This move aims to capitalize on projected growth in US FAST audiences and digital travel ad spend.
Irdeto published an article detailing how streaming fraud often exploits legitimate access methods like device compromise and session abuse. The company advocates for a precise, integrated, and actionable anti-fraud model to protect content and revenue without disrupting legitimate viewers. Irdeto specifically highlights its Control’s Anti-Fraud management features as a solution for operators to address these challenges.
The Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) business is growing rapidly, but many channels attract fewer than 6,000 viewers per hour, leading to over-inventory and repetitive advertising. This issue, termed "zombies" by Fastmaster, negatively impacts viewer perception of both ads (76%) and platforms (70%). The article suggests advertisers should prioritize quality over quantity in ad placements.
Media Partners Asia (MPA) forecasts the APAC screen economy will reach $200 billion by 2031, with monetization shifting from traditional subscriptions and linear ads to retail media and commerce. The transition highlights pressing regional trends including connected TV (CTV) fragmentation, shoppable TV integrations, and the challenges of multi-platform measurement.
A report from Nielsen's Gracenote emphasizes a persistent 'CTV Data Gap' where 95% of programmatic traders cite the lack of show-level content data as a primary barrier to increasing CTV spend. Despite commanding over 20% of media consumption time, CTV only captures 7.7% of total ad spending, a disparity compounded by high CTV bot fraud rates. The report highlights the need for standardized content intelligence to provide the transparency required to transition linear TV ad budgets to streaming platforms.
Ad-tech platform Magnite has joined the Databricks CustomerLake ecosystem as an initial launch partner. The collaboration aims to streamline audience activation and identity solutions natively within Databricks for mutual publisher and advertiser clients.
Google will integrate AI-generated voice-overs into its Performance Max video ads, utilizing advertiser headlines and descriptions for silent or music-only videos. This automated feature aims to increase creative testing volume for advertisers, with an opt-out option available. The technology uses Google's latest large language models and generative AI to create realistic spoken audio tracks.
HireClix has expanded its Employer Brand Network with a new Connected TV (CTV) advertising solution, enabling employers to run recruitment marketing campaigns directly on major streaming platforms. This solution allows companies to target passive candidates on services like Netflix and Hulu through highly targeted video ads. The offering aims to help organizations build awareness of their employer brand using consumer advertising tactics in streaming environments.
MiQ has launched its AI-powered programmatic media platform, Sigma, in Latin America to help advertisers manage fragmented data across various digital channels. The platform has successfully supported over 40,000 campaigns globally, generating $2.22 in value for every $1 invested by advertisers. Sigma offers capabilities like Watching Intelligence for video consumption analysis, Browsing Intelligence, and an AI-driven analytical model called Total Measurement.
FreeWheel's 2025 report highlights streaming comprising 47.5% of multiscreen TV viewership and a 21% year-over-year increase in programmatic advertisers. The article details how programmatic advertising and AI are simplifying TV ad buying for a fragmented audience, with FreeWheel's technology acting as a central hub for ad decisioning and delivery. Interoperability and the use of Generative AI for ad creative are also noted as key developments.
Channel Factory's Nate Turner argues that political advertisers need to move beyond simple impression counts and prioritize contextual ad placement. He emphasizes the importance of measuring contextual resonance, attention quality, and persuasion lift to amplify ad messages rather than just avoiding unsuitable content. Turner believes that better ad adjacency will lead to more effective campaigns and better-informed voters.
Kristi Argyilan, global head of advertising at Uber Advertising, discussed her career journey from retail media at Target and Albertsons to defining "delivery media" at Uber. Her work focuses on leveraging first-party data and contextual moments to build advertising propositions for the streaming industry. Uber Advertising recently launched new capabilities, including Uber Intelligence with LiveRamp and JourneyTV Presents with premium content partners, expanding their advertising offerings.
EA is launching a dedicated ad platform, EA Advertising, to integrate in-game ad experiences in titles like Madden NFL and The Sims, following a broader trend of video game companies seeking ad revenue. The platform will sell ad experiences visually similar to real-life sports sponsorships, such as in-game billboards and branded uniforms, alongside standard display banners during gameplay.
CIMM has released a "Quality Matters" white paper that provides a framework for evaluating video ad quality, aiming to create a shared language for buyers, publishers, and platforms. The initiative promotes treating media quality as a measurable input for buying, pricing, and optimization decisions, moving beyond simple pass/fail filtering. The paper suggests three principles to reshape video ad buying: recognizing quality variations within channels, using quality to influence pricing, and measuring both short-term and long-term value.
Papa Johns partnered with NBCUniversal and Instacart to target streaming ads on NBCU platforms like Peacock, leveraging Instacart's first-party grocery data. The campaign aimed to reach consumers when their fridges were likely empty, serving custom creatives with QR codes to drive incremental sales. This marks the first time Instacart's data was used for a non-CPG brand on NBCU's streaming inventory for behavioral targeting.
The article discusses the mobile advertising market, highlighting its growth to $288 billion in 2021, a 26.6% increase from the previous year. It defines mobile advertising as programmatic advertising running on mobile devices, emphasizing advanced targeting tools and various ad formats. The piece also indicates it will present a list of top mobile advertising companies.
A study by Ledger Bennett and StackAdapt revealed that 77% of B2B marketers believe AI scrutiny in RFPs is inadequate, with over 60% unable to distinguish genuinely useful AI capabilities from hype. The research also highlighted challenges in cross-channel measurement and a lack of unified reporting, leading to dissatisfaction with the current B2B RFP process. Marketers emphasized the need for more integrated partners, transparency in AI benefits, and simplified measurement approaches.
Adwave outlines four strategies for converting Connected TV (CTV) ad impressions into sales, including QR codes, branded search, pixel retargeting, and synchronized social media campaigns. This guide aims to help streaming video professionals bridge the "conversion gap" between CTV ad exposure and consumer action. The article provides a sequencing playbook and measurement approach for these conversion paths.
Harmonic has launched new in-stream advertising capabilities within its VOS360 Ad SaaS, enabling premium ad inventory for live sporting events. This technology integrates server-side, targeted ads with formats like double box and L-shape squeeze, boosting publisher revenues and advertiser reach. The ads are blended and rendered into standard streaming formats and delivered via CDN, with the in-stream Ad Creative Format transparent to the video player on the client side.
Entravision's programmatic ad platform, Smadex, experienced a 204% revenue growth to $154.6 million in Q1 2026, making the ad-tech segment the majority of the company's total revenue. The article highlights how this fast-growing, profitable ad-tech business is overlooked due to its embedding within a traditional Hispanic broadcaster, presenting a mispricing opportunity in the market. It argues that market analysts focusing on broadcasters are missing the significant value of the ad-tech component.
Walmart Connect is expanding its retail media offering by integrating its audience data into YouTube's streaming inventory via Display & Video 360. This allows advertisers to target Walmart audiences more precisely across connected TV (CTV) environments using real purchase data. The move broadens Walmart Connect's video footprint and aligns with the trend of retail media networks extending shopper data to the broader open web and CTV ecosystem.
Reddit's research, commissioned with TransUnion and Samba, indicates that Media & Entertainment (M&E) ad campaigns on its platform achieve an average $6.85 return on ad spend (ROAS) and an 18% incremental tune-in lift for content. The study highlights Reddit's effectiveness across the ad funnel, outperforming other paid social platforms in ROAS and driving increased viewership and retention for exposed households.
Overall Connected TV (CTV) interactive ad engagement significantly declined by half year-over-year to 0.92% in Q1 2026, according to BrightLine data. This drop suggests viewer fatigue and advertiser oversupply in interactive CTV ad units. The trend impacts how advertising engagement should be measured, moving towards outcomes and attention rather than mere clicks.
James Varndell · Bitmovin
