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.
System1 has launched Test Your Ad Screen, an AI-powered tool designed to help marketers screen up to 100 long-form creative assets simultaneously. The platform uses a database of 18 million human emotional responses to provide directional diagnostics on commercial impact before marketers commit to deeper human research.
Colgate-Palmolive and eMarketer analysts identify data silos and poor campaign discipline as primary drivers of fragmented retail media experiences. The report emphasizes the need for improved frequency capping and better data integration between brands and retail media networks to reduce consumer friction.
A report from consumer insights platform Attest indicates that a majority of viewers in the US and UK disengage from non-skippable ads by muting or second-screening. The data suggests that brands should prioritize completion and recall metrics over forced-view formats, while noting high adoption of ad-supported tiers across all income levels.
The Trade Desk reported $13.4 billion in gross spend for fiscal 2025, highlighting its role as a major programmatic DSP. The article contrasts this model with Criteo's commerce-focused approach, providing a framework for streaming executives to evaluate ad-tech partners based on campaign objectives and data incentives.
Samsung Electronics America and Smartify Media have launched Samsung VXT Ads, a programmatic advertising integration for Samsung's commercial display CMS. The partnership allows screen owners to monetize their displays by accessing national programmatic demand directly through the VXT platform without requiring additional hardware.
Max Kelvin, Director of Media at Guerillascope, discusses the shift in agency models toward AI-driven creative analysis and the risks of procurement-driven reliance on principal media. He emphasizes the need for evidence-based differentiation in CTV and a focus on business growth metrics over simple efficiency.
A report from CreatorIQ surveying over 5,000 creators indicates that follower count remains the primary metric for determining creator income, despite brand claims of prioritizing audience fit. The findings suggest that brands are increasingly repurposing creator content for paid media channels, with 67% of creators earning less than $10,000 annually.
Vistar Media's Lucy Markowitz discusses the importance of early inventory planning and authentic storytelling for brands during major global sports events. The interview highlights how the digitization of out-of-home advertising enables marketers to integrate real-time data and interactive elements into live sports viewing experiences.
SeenThis has launched an open-source framework called High-impact.js in partnership with Madington to standardize premium video delivery across the open web. The company is also shifting its focus toward attention-based metrics through a partnership with Lumen Research to move beyond traditional impression-based advertising.
iProspect EVP Emily Anthony discusses the need for creative distinctiveness as programmatic automation reaches 76.3% of U.S. ad spend. Dentsu is addressing this shift by deploying agentic AI systems like dentsu.connect and Idea Builder to integrate creative production with media buying and first-party data.
The IAB Tech Lab has finalized an extension to the OpenRTB protocol that enables programmatic buying for retail product listing ads. This standard addresses historical latency and creative assembly challenges by introducing a prodfeed object, allowing retailers to open their closed sponsored product auctions to third-party demand platforms.
Prebid.org has appointed OpenX CTO Joel Meyer as its new chairman following a recent leadership transition. The organization is focusing on integrating agentic AI protocols and maintaining open-source header bidding tools to support publisher monetization amid evolving programmatic sales models.
Berlin-based startup Kazimi has raised €2.2 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round to develop cryptographic tools for detecting mobile bot fraud. The company, founded by former Adjust executives, aims to provide app developers with verified first-party data to improve marketing analytics and AI-driven decision-making.
Major advertising platforms including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are increasingly removing manual bidding controls in favor of automated, seller-side discretion. Simultaneously, measurement capabilities are fragmenting due to technical logging errors, privacy-focused regulatory interventions, and the emergence of AI-mediated ad delivery that lacks standardized attribution.
Amazon Shopping Video head Julie Haleluk discusses the strategic role of live commerce as a high-intent conversion tool that integrates real-time streaming with shoppable carousels. The interview highlights how brands can leverage live content to bridge the gap between social media product discovery and final purchase on the Amazon platform.
Kroger Precision Marketing has integrated its first-party grocery purchase data into TikTok's self-serve advertising platform to help brands target creator-led content. The initiative aims to reduce sales leakage by connecting social media discovery with verified retail transaction signals.
AI shopping startup Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates, is under investigation for allegedly using 'cookie stuffing' to fraudulently collect affiliate commissions on sales it did not facilitate. The company, which raised $43.5 million, has disabled the features in question and is facing potential legal scrutiny regarding wire fraud.
DuckDuckGo has enabled YouTube video ad blocking by default for its desktop and iOS browsers, utilizing open-source filter lists from uBlockOrigin. This development may impact ad-tech inventory availability and CPM dynamics for advertisers on the YouTube platform.
YouTube's August 2026 chart data reveals significant territorial fragmentation, with 958 of 1,112 charting tracks appearing in only one national market. The analysis highlights a measurement gap for media buyers following YouTube's exit from Billboard charts and the rise of Shorts, which lacks public view counts despite reaching revenue parity with long-form video.
Programmatic advertising now accounts for over 90% of US digital display spending, with platforms increasingly prioritizing CTV inventory and first-party data strategies. The market is shifting toward unified ad-tech solutions that consolidate mobile, video, and CTV buying to mitigate the impact of declining third-party cookie reliance.
SportsNet Pittsburgh has extended its broadcast agreements with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins while reporting a 150% year-over-year increase in paid subscribers. The network attributes its growth to direct-to-consumer streaming adoption and the implementation of dynamic ad insertion technology.
Measured's Q1 2026 analysis of 148 advertisers indicates that CTV delivers a median incremental ROAS of $1.38, noting that platform-reported data often inflates results by 2x. The report advocates for geo holdout testing as a causal measurement method to calibrate media mix models and improve budget allocation.
Amazon is expanding its Creator Services initiative to integrate content from platforms like Twitch and YouTube with its e-commerce infrastructure. The program aims to provide brands with scalable ad buying and closed-loop measurement tools by leveraging the connection between creators and their fan communities.
Ad Age's analysis of Q2 2026 earnings indicates that while ad tech firms like Magnite, PubMatic, and Criteo are integrating AI into their infrastructure, these technologies have yet to significantly impact bottom-line revenue. The report highlights a disconnect between high-level AI investment and measurable ROI, noting that agentic AI currently handles only a small fraction of total media trading transactions.
VaynerMedia's analysis highlights a growing disconnect between marketing efficiency metrics and actual business growth, noting that 85% of digital and CTV ads fail to reach active attention thresholds. The report identifies systemic issues in the media ecosystem, including significant ad spend on inactive CTV screens and made-for-advertising sites, and advocates for a shift toward creative-led, attention-based advertising models.
TikTok is reportedly developing a peer-to-peer payment feature for direct messages to expand its financial services ecosystem. This move follows the company's recent applications for financial licenses in Brazil and aims to integrate payments directly into its existing social and e-commerce platform.
StackAdapt released a global report surveying 500 marketing professionals, revealing that while 90% use AI, only 50% trust autonomous AI systems. The findings highlight a significant 'delegation gap' driven by concerns over brand risk, data quality, and a lack of transparency in automated decision-making.
Bleecker Street’s filmed version of Hadestown: The Musical has grossed $20.7 million, setting a record for live theater captures. The success of the Crosswalk division's event cinema model demonstrates a strategy of using limited theatrical windows to drive subsequent premium VOD and physical media sales.
YouTube is offering exclusivity payments to top creators to prevent cross-posting to Netflix, while Walmart announced plans to integrate Sam’s Club data into its Scintilla analytics platform by 2027. These developments reflect ongoing efforts by major platforms to secure exclusive content and consolidate retail media data networks.
Discord has launched Play Quest+, an event-based ad format that utilizes its Social SDK and Events API to track in-game actions for performance-based marketing. The feature debuts with Electronic Arts' Battlefield 6, marking a strategic shift for the platform toward lower-funnel advertising as it prepares for a potential IPO.
Xbox is testing an ad-supported game streaming model that utilizes pre-roll advertisements to lower entry costs for users. This experiment reflects a broader industry shift toward hybrid monetization models within premium gaming and streaming ecosystems.
eMarketer forecasts that US connected TV (CTV) ad spend will reach $36.95 billion by 2026, maintaining its position as the largest global market. While the US leads in total volume, emerging markets including India, Brazil, and Spain are projected to experience significantly faster year-over-year growth rates.
Vantage Chief Strategy Officer Drew Cashmore discusses the necessity of composable architecture and standardized APIs for retail media networks. He argues that retailers must prioritize connective infrastructure over simple media sales to overcome system fragmentation.
Group-IB research has identified two sophisticated fraud networks, GoldBull and CoinLure, that utilize deepfake advertisements and coordinated WhatsApp groups to execute pump-and-dump investment scams. The report highlights how these networks leverage industrialised infrastructure and synthetic media to target retail investors, contributing to billions in annual losses.
Netflix announced a 2026-2027 roadmap for its Mexican market, introducing AI-powered ad formats like Pause Ads and new in-house measurement APIs. The platform also confirmed exclusive streaming rights for the Concacaf Nations League Finals and Gold Cup in Mexico.
Nielsen is implementing seven methodological updates to its Big Data + Panel currency on August 31, 2026, including new wearable-based co-viewing measurement and adjustments to universe estimates. The changes aim to improve accuracy across linear and streaming platforms, though the company has explicitly stated that these updates do not guarantee higher ratings for media sellers.
Amazon DSP is partnering with iHeartMedia to integrate U.S. broadcast radio into its omnichannel advertising and measurement platform by 2027. The initiative aims to provide granular attribution for broadcast radio exposure alongside digital audio, podcasts, and connected TV to enable full-funnel performance tracking.
Nielsen is updating its Big Data + Panel TV currency methodology on August 31, incorporating wearable device data for co-viewing and refined machine-learning models. These adjustments aim to improve measurement accuracy for Hispanic households and ACR data sources ahead of the new broadcast season.
Researchers from IIT Gandhinagar and IIT BHU have introduced GenR, a three-stage AI framework that utilizes StyleGAN3 for blind face restoration without requiring paired training data. The system is capable of reconstructing degraded facial images in approximately 30 seconds, with potential applications in forensic analysis and media preservation.
The linear TV advertising industry is shifting toward 'DDL 2.0,' a model that uses APIs and agentic transaction architectures to automate planning and execution. This transition aims to bring digital-style performance targeting and optimization to traditional linear television audiences.
Media agency Butler/Till and iHeartMedia have executed the first agentic AI-powered media buying campaign for streaming audio and podcasts. The campaign achieved a 42% increase in efficiency compared to traditional benchmarks while shifting more inventory into high-value mid-roll placements.
Google has released version 25.1 of the Google Ads API, which introduces 24 new conversion lift metrics, brand sentiment insights, and loyalty tier segmentation. While the update provides programmatic access to previously siloed measurement data, several key features remain restricted to allowlisted accounts.
The article argues that the disparity between social media's ad spend and its actual media consumption time is driven by superior, platform-owned attribution infrastructure rather than true performance. It highlights the need for independent, cross-platform measurement to accurately assess the incremental value of advertising across fragmented CTV and social environments.
Justin Jefferson, an analyst covering media spend, reports that marketing investment as a percentage of revenue declines from 20% to 2% as brands scale past $1 billion. The analysis suggests that shifting budgets toward CTV, linear, and audio channels provides better long-term growth compared to over-reliance on bottom-of-funnel digital search channels.
A new market report projects the global hybrid OTT monetization sector will grow to $22.39 billion by 2031, driven by the expansion of ad-supported tiers and FAST services. The analysis identifies fragmented ad-tech stacks and cross-platform measurement gaps as primary operational challenges for streaming operators.
Flightpath has launched 'Automation Playbooks' to help publishers manage ad delivery issues and undocumented bugs within Spotify's Megaphone platform. The report also highlights YouTube's recent changes to view metrics and growth in the Irish podcast advertising market.
Google has updated its IMA DAI SDK for iOS to include native support for skippable ads when using HLS Interstitials. The update allows developers to manage skip button rendering, user interactions, and event tracking directly through the SDK.
A report from iSpot.tv and Tubular Labs highlights that pharmaceutical brands are heavily concentrating ad spend on CTV and news programming, while telehealth brands are increasingly leveraging YouTube Shorts for high-volume engagement. The data indicates a shift in media strategy as pharma advertisers balance traditional linear reach with digital-first social video platforms.
FutureSports has partnered with CME Group to launch team-specific indices that allow stakeholders to trade futures contracts based on on-field performance metrics. The platform aims to provide broadcasters, sponsors, and other industry participants with a financial tool to hedge against risks associated with team performance and viewership fluctuations.
Magnite released a proprietary study of 835 US live streamers, reporting that viewers tolerate an average of 8.7 minutes of ads per hour and that 69% of CTV live viewing involves co-viewing. The research highlights the growing importance of shoulder content and shoppable ad formats in programmatic CTV strategies.
