The Big Story

Meta updated its ad platform Wednesday with AI-based buying improvements. Is the company on track to be fully automated with AI by the end of next year?

Amazon is integrating into Prebid. What does this mean for publishers? Plus, are Amazon and Google diverging in their product focus?

Recorded live on the Programmatic IO stage in Las Vegas, the editorial team recaps the trends that dominated our conference: marketers adopting AI and finding truth through measurement.

James Herscher, a Senior Editor known for his insights on marketing dynamics, dives into the transformative impact of AI on GroupM's restructuring. He discusses the looming threat of one-click campaign planning and its implications for agency jobs. The conversation highlights the shifting payment models in advertising, the need for simpler data insights, and the balance between automation and human expertise. As AI reshapes the industry, Herscher emphasizes the evolving landscape for new graduates and the future of marketing roles.

Does a connected TV DSP need lower take rates? Inside the battle among DSP’s to take on The Trade Desk’s dominant market position. Plus: an on-the-ground report from the TV NewFronts.

Emarketer is predicting tariffs could lead to a $2.78 billion to $4 billion decline in linear TV upfront spending, but CTV spending will be flat to up. Emarketer analyst Ross Benes unpacks these findings. Plus: At the Possible conference, optimism reins.

Google’s SSP and ad server businesses have been ruled monopolies. Plus, Google Chrome isn’t going to change its third-party cookie opt-ins, preserving their utility for marketers. Go inside this momentous news.

Temu pulled back on its US ad spend this week, as tariffs loom. Plus, in France, the ATT prompt was deemed anticompetitive and, as a result, will likely need to be changed.

The Trump tariff situation is in constant flux, creating uncertainty that spells doom for any potential growth in US ad spending this year. Plus, how retail media and other emerging channels could be threatened by tariff turmoil.

What’s old is new. Time is a flat circle. Trends are cyclical. Choose your idiom, because this week’s episode grapples with two topics that are back in style (so to speak): bot traffic and the tantalizing dream of scaling programmatic in-game advertising.