The Refresh News: March 10 - T-Mobile, Alternative IDs & The AdTech Land Grab
Mar 10, 2025
auto_awesome
This week, big moves in ad tech are shaking things up! T-Mobile expands its ad business by acquiring Blis, focusing on privacy and omnichannel strategies. Viant's purchase of Lockr aims to boost publishers' use of first-party data with alternative IDs. Publicis strengthens its market position with the acquisition of Lotame, bringing in 4 billion consumer profiles. Plus, the challenges surrounding scaling identity solutions in ad tech take center stage. Finally, the implications of Google’s ongoing legal battles are explored!
04:18
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
T-Mobile's acquisition of Blis underscores the importance of privacy-centric advertising as it leverages first-party data from 130 million subscribers.
Viant's acquisition of Lockr illustrates the industry's shift towards using first-party data for alternative IDs, enhancing publishers' monetization strategies amidst growing competition.
Deep dives
T-Mobile's Strategic Shift in Advertising
T-Mobile's acquisition of Bliss marks a significant move towards leveraging privacy-centric advertising solutions. By focusing on digital environments such as CTV and audio, T-Mobile aims to maximize the value of its first-party data from approximately 130 million subscribers. This approach provides advertisers the opportunity to engage with consumers effectively through relevant, real-time ads. T-Mobile's emphasis on connecting advertisers with its rich data set reinforces its intent to emerge as a powerful player in the advertising space.
The Evolving Landscape of Audience Data
Viant's acquisition of Locker highlights the ongoing changes in how audience data is utilized in programmatic advertising. By facilitating the integration of first-party audience data into multiple alternative IDs, Locker enables publishers to enhance their monetization strategies. Viant's focus on household-level identity through their Household ID and other alternative identifiers reflects the industry's shift towards data ownership by the sell side. However, the increasing competition among ID providers raises concerns about achieving scalability with any single identifier.
1.
Shifts in Advertising Technology: Acquisitions and Data Dynamics
In this episode of The Refresh, Kait from Marketecture breaks down the biggest ad tech news of the week, covering major acquisitions that are reshaping the industry. As the trend of every company becoming an ad tech company continues, we dive into the latest moves from T-Mobile, Blis, Viant, Lockr, Publicis, and more.
This week’s highlights:
T-Mobile acquires Blis – Expanding its ad business with a privacy-focused omnichannel platform
Viant acquires Lockr – Helping publishers integrate first-party data into alternative IDs
Publicis acquires Lotame – Strengthening its data dominance with 4 billion consumer profiles
The rise of alternative IDs – The challenges of scaling identity solutions in ad tech
Google & the DOJ – What’s next for Chrome & Android?