- Why OUTFRONT Invested $20 Million In AdQuick (Hint: It’s About More Than Money)It’s a bucolic scene: the out-of-home views framed by the clouds. But, actually, it’s a programmatic UI play. That’s regarding the recent $20 million investment outdoor media giant OUTFRONT made in digital out-of-home (OOH) DSP ... read more
- Beyond Automation: How AI Is Rewiring Control In The Ad Tech StackThe advertising industry is full of noise about AI making buy-side and sell-side processes more efficient. That framing is convenient, but it misses a broader point. Speed and effectiveness are easy to celebrate. Power dynamics ... read more
- Jeff Green On Why Everyone’s Up OpenPath’s Pipes; Amazon Sues Perplexity’s Shopper BotJeff Green doubles down on OpenPath's value; Amazon wants Perplexity to disable agentic shopping; and the creator economy takes on political fundraising. The post Jeff Green On Why Everyone’s Up OpenPath’s Pipes; Amazon Sues Perplexity’s ... read more
- Inside Amazon’s effort to shape the AI narrative on sustainability and ethicsArtificial intelligence has a trust problem and companies — particularly those like Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI and others — are facing an uphill battle trying to solve it. Amazon made more deliberate efforts late last month to ... read more
- Media Briefing: In the AI era, subscribers are the real prize — and the Telegraph proves itThis week’s Media Briefing dives into Axel Springer’s acquisition of The Telegraph, breaking down what assets are more valuable and how it positions the publisher for growth in the U.S. and the AI era. ... read more
- Furniture.com was built for SEO. Now it’s trying to crack AI searchThis story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail In the early days of the internet, owning a domain like Furniture.com was the digital equivalent of beachfront property. If shoppers were looking for a ... read more
- How medical creator Nick Norwitz grew his Substack paid subscribers from 900 to 5,200 within 8 monthsNick Norwitz graduated from Harvard Medical School last May. By January, he had already grown his paying Substack subscribers nearly 500 percent, taking the total to 5,200, while registered readers jumped 362 percent to 42,000. ... read more
- Meta's Moltbook Acquisition Teases A Fully Automated FutureMeta has invited Moltbook cofounders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr to join the tech giant's AI research division with the goal of devising "new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses," a ... read more
- America’s Strategic Oil ExportsThanks to Paul Ryan’s 2015 deal, U.S. crude is helping the world. ... read more
- Political Commentator, Lawmaker Press Challenge To Minnesota's 'Deep Fake' BanElon Musk's X is also challenging the law, which prohibits "realistic" deep fakes of politicians. ... read more
- Meta Launches Scam Detection, Parent-Linked WhatsApp AccountsMeta has announced parent-linked WhatsApp accounts for pre-teens, as well as new scam-detection tools across its Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger apps. ... read more
- FTC Revisits 'Click-To-Cancel' RulesThe FTC is once again considering whether to issue rules that could make it easier for consumers to cancel recurring subscriptions for cable television, gyms, newspapers and other products and services. ... read more
- Iran Names Amazon, Google, Microsoft As 'Legitimate Targets'Offices and infrastructure of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have been declared "legitimate targets" for attack by Iran's government based on the conflict with the U.S. and Israel, according to media sources. ... read more
- Iran Names Amazon, Google, Microsoft 'Legitimate Targets'Offices and infrastructure of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have been declared "legitimate targets" for attack by Iran's government based on the conflict with the U.S. and Israel, according to media sources. ... read more
- The Missed Opportunity In Performance TV: Long-Term Brand-BuildingTV advertising has traditionally been about brand awareness, with success measured in reach. As TV has transformed into a digital asset, it’s become easier for marketers to measure short-term impacts like sales and sign-ups. However, ... read more
- Ogury’s Nicolas Bidon: Don’t Use AI to ‘Automate the Complexity’Industry leaders risk falling into the trap of leveraging artificial intelligence to automate existing complexity rather than using it to simplify and extract clearer signals from increasingly noisy media landscapes. “One thing I’m hoping is ... read more
- Marriott’s Monique Perlmutter: 75% of Travelers ‘More Open to Discovery’ During Travel Moments
- From rented audiences to engaged communities: Why participation is the new moat for publishersMark Zohar, President and CEO, Viafoura For more than a decade, digital publishers have had to make a trade-off regarding social media. Social platforms promised reach, scale and frictionless distribution. In exchange, publishers ceded control ... read more
- Layoffs hit LADbible Group’s social video team amid slower user-generated content growthLADbible Group is cutting approximately a dozen staffers on its social video team based in Manchester, in the U.K. This comes after a round of layoffs to the social video team in London last fall, ... read more
- Google Releases 'Merchant Center' For All Agencies In U.S., CanadaAgencies provided feedback that made the interface easier to bring on clients, optimize product listings across Google, and drive consistent shopping campaigns. ... read more
- New York Bill Would Force Social Media Companies To Limit Online FraudNew York is considering a bill that would make social media companies responsible for limiting fraud, theTimes-Union reports. The SAFE Platforms Act would mandate that social media firms would improve the ability of users to report fraud, ... read more
- West Virginia Bill Would Limit State Use Of Ad Agencies That Utilize Trust Rating ServicesWest Virginia is getting close to passing a bill that would limit state contracting with ad agencies that use services that rank media outlets by accuracy and bias, the Herald-Star reports. The House Judiciary Committee ... read more
- March Madness Sponsors Are Already Off The BenchState Farm, Degree and ESPN launch campaigns ahead of bracket season. And the crowd's already getting sweaty. ... read more
- How Realtor.com Is Using AI Creative To Expand Its Ad FootprintRealtor.com is working with AI marketing startup BrandComms.AI to generate ad creative more quickly and across a wider array of channels. The post How Realtor.com Is Using AI Creative To Expand Its Ad Footprint appeared ... read more
- How Molson Coors Keeps Creative Effectiveness On TapFor MolsonCoors, creative effectiveness is about more than just generating buzz. Ad creative needs to boost sales and improve brand health. Who cares how funny or award winning a piece of creative is if it’s ... read more
- Warner Bros. Deal History: Storylines Are Not Happy EndingsBusiness deals for Warner Bros. are not uplifting movie-like stories to recite. ... read more
- Nicole Kidman Is An Italian-American Coroner In 'Scarpetta'The drama seems forced in the new coroner-detective drama "Scarpetta" starring Nicole Kidman in the lead role as a crack coroner in northern Virginia. ... read more
- Open CTV Buying? Context Is Key, Not Just High 'Completion' RatesAn analysis found the "majority of impressions available for purchase lack program, and episode level information, genre classifications, quality, ratings." Research was conducted by Peer39, which specializes in pre-bid targeting/post-buy analysis. ... read more
- Healthy Growth In The Age Of AIRoughly a year ago, not a single Thorne customer answered with “AI engine” when asked in a post‑purchase survey where they had first heard about the vitamin, supplement and wellness brand. Today, roughly 5% of ... read more
- Are TV Pharma Ads Really Targeted?; Turning Back The TikTok ClockA Drug You Can’t Quit It’s not just you – there are more pharma ads on TV these days. (Sorry, RFK, Jr.!) But the explosion of streaming ads for the treatment of rare maladies suggests ... read more
- The in-house entertainment studio is having its social media team momentIn-house entertainment studios are the new social media team. Social media consultant and author of newsletter Link in Bio Rachel Karten flagged it last week after spotting a job post: Gap is hiring a vp ... read more
- AI surfacing is messy: Data shows publisher visibility and traffic often misalign
- Future of TV Briefing: OpenX adds attention targeting for CTV ads backed by TVisionThis week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at a new ad targeting option for CTV advertisers wary of people staring at their phones while an ad airs. Paid attention Netflix’s AI acquisition, Netflix’s Amazon ... read more
- Best Buy wants to be the hub for AI-powered hardware like glasses, laptopsThis story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail. Best Buy is positioning itself as the place where people go to shop for AI-powered everything. The tech retailer is looking for growth, as its ... read more
- Opera, Ballet Companies, Even 'SNL' Respond To Timothee ChalametChalamet's remarks that "no one cares" about ballet and opera led the Seattle Opera to offer a discount for using the promo code TIMOTHEE. ... read more
- Subaru Customers Redeem Social Impact GiftsThe national customer appreciation giving program lets customers choose either a mission-aligned product or direct the gift's value to charity. ... read more
- YouTube Brings AI Likeness Detection To Journalists, Civic LeadersYouTube has expanded the application of its likeness-detection tech to a small group of government officials, journalists and political candidates to protect the identities of reporters and civic leaders against misleading AI-generated content. ... read more
- Enough About AI Slop, What About Human Slop?The only thing worse than AIs hallucinating false facts about human behaviors is humans hallucinating false facts about AI behaviors. Today's post is about a prime example of that: a new global research study from ... read more
- YouTube's 2025 Ad Revenue Surpasses All Major Hollywood Studios: ReportYouTube now ranks as the world's largest media company, beating out Disney, Paramount, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery in total ad revenue intake for 2025, according to a new report from financial research firm MoffettNathanson. ... read more
- YouTube Surpasses Combined Ad Buys Of Disney, Paramount, NBC, WBDYouTube now ranks as the world's largest video media company - beating out Disney, Paramount, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery in total ad revenue for 2025, according to a new report from MoffettNathanson. ... read more
- Judge Bans Perplexity's Shopping Agent From Accessing AmazonPerplexity likely violated a 40-year-old anti-hacking law by accessing Amazon users' accounts without Amazon's authorization -- even though the company had users' permission, a federal judge ruled. ... read more
- Judge Bans Perplexity Shopping Agent From AmazonPerplexity likely violated a 40-year-old anti-hacking law by accessing Amazon users' accounts without Amazon's authorization -- even though the company had users' permission, a federal judge ruled. ... read more
- Meta Passes EU Digital Services Tax To AdvertisersMeta Platforms will add "location fees" to ad buys targeting users in six countries beginning July 1, passing on the cost of Europe's digital services taxes to advertisers. ... read more
- theSkimm Founders Tease Next New Act: 'A Lot'Nearly a year after selling TheSkimm to Zifff Davis' Everyday Health Group, the co-founders of the innovative email newsletter publishing platform aptly teased a new venture vis a vis a mass email. ... read more
- Virginia AG Petitions To Enforce Social Media Time LimitsThe law "strikes a careful balance between access to social media and overuse," the attorney general argues in papers filed Monday with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. ... read more
- Advertisers Should Think Of Video Holistically. Consumers Already Do.Consumers today switch between screens and viewing interfaces to seamlessly view content. Now it’s time for advertisers to catch up to this convergence, so they can make ad experiences better, – not worse. “Somewhere out ... read more
- WPP Media’s Adam Shlachter: Gaming ‘Might Be Ultimate Environment’ for Retail MediaSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Gaming environments provide real-time, in-the-moment opportunities that could represent retail media’s ideal application, enabling brands to connect shopper behavior with gamer mindset during specific game states and moments of need. ... read more
- Ad Industry Needs Standards Before AI Agents Start Buying Media: IAB Tech Labs’ Anthony KatsurSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — As artificial intelligence begins creeping into media buying, Anthony Katsur, chief executive of the IAB Tech Lab, has a simple request for the advertising industry: slow down and agree on ... read more
- PMG Repositions As 'Engineered For Impact'In its rebrand, featuring a newly redesigned website, tagline and mission statement letter from founder George Popstefanov, the agency says data no longer is enough in an era of everything AI. ... read more
- Credle Named This Year's Lion Of St. MarkThe Cannes Lions award recognizes Credle's illustrious career and contribution to the industry that started with an internship at Omnicom's BBDO New York and has spanned more than 40 years. ... read more
- Walk With Me, Talk With MeBeing physically in step with another person turns out to be a very effective creative incubator. ... read more
- Google To Add AI Voice-Overs To Performance Max Video AdsGoogle will add AI-generated voice-over capabilities to Performance Max video ads using ad headlines and descriptions, but there's an opt-out deadline for marketers working for brands that do not want to participate. ... read more
- Stagwell Shares Jump 20% On Positive Earnings ReportDigital transformation was a key growth driver last year, up 9.2% on an organic basis, while marketing services (including creative advertising) were up 4.6%. ... read more
- Concerns Arise Over Local Ad Inventory With NFL, Other Sports League DealsIt's a different story for the NBA, NHL, and MLB with the slow demise of regional sports cable networks like Main Street Sports Group (formerly the Diamond Sports Group's Bally Sports RSNs). Station groups have ... read more
- How Programmatic – And AI – Took Over The 2026 Winter OlympicsNBCU used this year’s Olympic Winter Games to lean further into programmatic buying for live sports at scale. NBCU also made Olympics inventory available through Comcast’s Universal Ads self-serve platform for the first time and ... read more
- Fox Touts 'Really Healthy' Pre-Upfront Ad MarketFox News Media has seen seven quarters in a row of ad-revenue growth, with "high single-digit increases in national rates at Fox News," says Fox Corp. President and COO John Nallen, president. For the rest ... read more
- Conservative Media Reporters Ask Court To Restore Their Press PassesThree conservative media figures have have sued the Legislature and the Capitol Correspondents Association, claiming they were arbitrarily denied access to the House earlier in the legislative session, Courthouse News Service reports. They include radio host ... read more
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin Shutting Down Its Local Programming ArmOshkosh Media, a government-run programming producer based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is shutting down on May 15 -- ending more than 20 years of local programming, WBAY reports. Government meeting broadcasts will shift to the city’s website ... read more
- Oshkosh Media, Wisconsin Shutting Down Its Local Programming ArmOshkosh Media, a government-run programming producer based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is shutting down on May 15 -- ending more than 20 years of local programming, WBAY reports. Government meeting broadcasts will shift to the city’s website ... read more
- YouTube Tops Disney As The Biggest Media Company In The WorldYouTube became the world’s largest media company in 2025, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The Google-owned media company generated $62 billion in revenue last year, placing it ahead of The Walt Disney Co.’s media business -- ... read more
- Why OpenAI Needs to Partner First.bh__table, .bh__table_header, .bh__table_cell { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; } .bh__table_cell { padding: 5px; background-color: #FFFFFF; } .bh__table_cell p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family: 'Helvetica',Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; } .bh__table_header { padding: 5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; } .bh__table_header p ... read more
- Noise Media Wins U.S. Remit For Indian MotorcycleNoise Media said the appointment marks "a significant expansion" of its presence in the American market. ... read more
- Nothing Sunny About Hulu Dramedy 'Sunny Nights'"Sunny Nights" is a dark, violent, seedy show about desperate people at the end of their ropes. ... read more
- Tech Lab Proposes Machine-Readable Tag Allowing LLMs To Crawl ContentThe new IAB Tech Lab framework, unveiled this morning, recommends publishers utilize the new tag to authorize AI systems and bots to access their content. ... read more
- The Boring Infrastructure That Could Make Agentic AI Happen For Ad TechFor all the talk about AI transforming marketing, many brands still wait weeks just to push a single audience from a CRM into paid media – a lag that’s hard to square with the rise ... read more
- How to Protect Ukraine and the Middle EastPut the Peace Act on the House floor for a vote. ... read more
- Behind NYT’s First Foray Into In-Game AdvertisingCrossplay is NYT's first two-player game, and marks the first time that users will see ads within the game experience itself. The post Behind NYT’s First Foray Into In-Game Advertising appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more
- The Amazon Ads Spigot; Has Claude Earned Its Newfound Consumer Trust?Amazon’s Fire TV redesign is extra friendly for ads; Anthropic benefits from its newfound spine; and the children yearn for the malls. The post The Amazon Ads Spigot; Has Claude Earned Its Newfound Consumer ... read more
- OpenAI is b building the ad tech stack it’s currently borrowingOpenAI may be cosying up to ad tech vendors to get its ads business off the ground, but they’re already a means to an end – the real goal is for OpenAI to own the ... read more
- Target CEO says ‘busy families’ will be company’s focus as it seeks growthThis story was first published by Digiday sibling ModernRetail One of the key messages from Target as it looks to turn around its sales slump under new CEO Michael Fiddelke is that it has sharpened ... read more
- Ad Tech Briefing: Embattled, embittered and determinedAd tech executives were keen to quell fears about their companies’ prospects amid the ongoing AI disruption, as Wall Street analysts peppered them with questions about declining revenue returns. Related Insights ... read more
- TikTok after the legal fight and why it’s coming for Meta’s ad dollarsSubscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify If it seems like TikTok has been quiet post-ban threats, that’s because it has. But make no mistake —quiet doesn’t mean silent. Since its legal woes have been resolved, and ... read more
- GEO hype busted: How it differs (and how it doesn’t) from SEOGEO is an acronym now flooding many media execs’ inboxes, as vendors fall over themselves to capitalize on the wave of interest. Short for “generative engine optimization,” a growing number of vendors are pitching their ... read more
- Gen Z May Be 'Over' TikTok, Report FindsA Harris Poll report reveals that an increase in advertising, influencer culture and privacy concerns are beginning to diminish loyalty among Gen Z TikTok users. ... read more
- McDonald's Launches Reality-TV-Inspired CampaignFast-food giant McDonald's is turning an order kiosk into a confessional. In four cities, consumers who share first-job stories will receive gift cards. ... read more
- Bluesky's Jay Graber Steps Down As CEOJay Graber will fill the role of chief innovation officer in order to make room for "a seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution." Toni Schneider, former CEO of Automattic and partner at True Ventures, ... read more
- ChatGPT More Likely To Criticize Brands Near PurchaseGoogle AI Overviews and OpenAI ChatGPT have very different ways to evaluate, characterize and criticize brands in query results, especially as consumers near the point of purchase. ... read more
- Social Media Researchers Sue Trump Admin Over 'Campaign Of Censorship'The administration is unconstitutionally targeting green card holders and other noncitizens for criticizing content moderation on X, a new lawsuit claims. ... read more
- NewFronts Arrives Earlier as Media Buyers Plan Year-Round: IAB’s Craig ColemanMedia buyers who like a little extra time to plan their video budgets may want to circle the calendar early this year. The IAB NewFronts is moving up the schedule, arriving in March with a ... read more
- AI Is Moving Fast but Work Still Gets Done in the Present: Hearst’s Lee GarfieldSAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – At an industry event where conversations often drift toward what advertising might look like in five or 10 years, Lee Garfield is urging people to slow down and look at ... read more
- ‘Neuro Contextual’ Ads Offer Relief From the ‘Intrusive’ Retargeting TrapAre you haunted by the ghosts of products past? Most consumers recognize the phenomenon of searching for a product only to be followed by advertisements for that specific item for weeks afterward. While this behavioral ... read more
- Judge Advances Google's $135M Settlement Over 'Hijacked' Cellular DataIf finalized, the settlement will resolve a 2020 lawsuit alleging that Google misappropriated Android users' cellular data allowances. ... read more
- X Teases Automated Product Links Within Feed PostsLast week, an X user promoted Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink directly in a feed post, hinting at a potential rollout of a new automated ad format for the platform. ... read more
- TV Still Rules Purchase Funnel, Even For People Who Swear They Only Watch StreamingTelevision remains the most influential ad channel at every stage of the purchase funnel, from awareness to purchase consideration. ... read more
- The Best Way To Embrace Convergent TV? Break Down The Silos Between Linear And StreamingMarketers who want to remain competitive need to reexamine the way they view, plan and measure performance across video and streaming platforms. If they’re still debating programmatic vs. direct or linear vs. streaming, then they’re ... read more
- Understanding MCP, The ‘Universal Adapter’ For AI In AdvertisingIf there are two things ad tech isn’t short on, it’s acronyms and, more recently, AI product demos. But MCP – short for Model Context Protocol – is more than another TLA (sorry, three-letter acronym) ... read more
- Former Google Exec Brings AI Data Concepts To Agency BoathouseBrands are seeking cross-channel data analysis that provides a real consumer perspective. This could be within reach, based on unique ideas from Boathouse Chief Strategy Officer Sonia Chung. ... read more
- All Of Nielsen's Horses And All Of Nielsen's Men"The buying season coming up is probably as nervous a market as we have ever seen,'' a top media buyer told "The New York Times," citing a big shift in Nielsen's ratings methodology. The exec, ... read more
- War Isn't RealAI-generated footage and viral misinformation are reshaping how the world experiences the war around Iran. ... read more
- AI-Driven Software Startup Mega Raises $11.5 Million In Funding To Help SMBs Drive SalesMega’s software tools aim to take some of the work out of the user’s hands by automating brand's strategy development, execution and reporting. The post AI-Driven Software Startup Mega Raises $11.5 Million In Funding To ... read more
- Google Head Of Search Nurtures Human Reasoning, ThinkingDoes Google prohibit reasoning skills or teach humans to think? As AI takes hold, Liz Reid, VP/head of search at Google, has some strong ideas on the subject. She has been working at Google for ... read more
- The 'Truth' Of Paramount's CNN Takeover?Paramount Skydance has an answer as to what will happen when it takes over CNN and combines it with CBS -- truth and trust. Considering recent moves, is it something consumers and advertisers might need ... read more
- A+E Bringing Home The Bacon With Upfront Program PlansA-listers teaming up with A+E next season include Kevin Bacon, Ted Danson and Tom Selleck. ... read more
- Horizon, Carat Test New Consumer Intelligence CapabilityThe capability is being developed via a partnership between Slightly and Vurvey Labs that builds people models and AI personas. ... read more
- The Privacy ‘Zealots’ Were Right: Ad Tech’s Infrastructure Was Always A RiskI’ve been saying for years that addressable advertising was a strategic mistake. Not because targeting shouldn’t exist, but because building an ecosystem dependent on granular identity, location trails and behavioral signals was always going to ... read more
- Media Buying Briefing: Overheard at DMBS Spring 2026: AI from the top to the bottom of agenciesAnother Media Buying Summit is in the books, having just wrapped last Wednesday in Nashville. And while some terrific speakers took the stage, once again it’s the Town Halls that reveal some of the greatest ... read more
- Meta’s measurement and attribution updates are welcomed, but not ground-breaking, ad execs sayMeta has made changes to its measurement and attribution. Ad buyers say: it’s about time. Last week, Meta announced that it was redefining click-through attribution to enable more consistency with third-party reporting tools, and rebranding ... read more
- Long-form creators eye taking over TVs – and chasing bigger brand budgetsLong-form creator shows are landing on TVs, and Spotter, a creator growth platform that provides services and capital to facilitate growth and YouTube revenue share, wants brands to follow — but ad budgets are still ... read more
- ‘Brand safety is moving from fear to curiosity’: Zefr’s Raddon on content-level accreditation – and what it exposes about the industryFor years, brand safety was a fear business. The pitch was simple: something terrible could appear next to your ad, and without the right protection, your brand would pay the price. It worked, because the ... read more
- How AI could disrupt retail media’s $38 billion search ad marketIf OpenAI’s latest moves indicate anything, LLMs are positioning themselves to be the go-to stop for searching and shopping. Between shopping integrations and ad product rollouts, AI chatbots could rattle retail media networks’ hold on ... read more
