Google Delays Pixel Blocking; AOL Restructuring O&Os

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Google Ad Tech: All Or Nothing?

Remember that big to-do in which Google wanted to muzzle pixel-firing for DMP-DSP hybrids by Jan. 1? Well, that deadline has been pushed to end of March, which should please the vendors who felt January was a bit soon. But the bigger point, according to Digiday, is that this move further underscores the way in Google is trying to strong-arm advertisers to buy using the Google tech stack. Digiday also ran a story earlier this month about Google pushing YouTube inventory at CPG giant Mondelēz, at TubeMogul’s expense. If these reports are accurate, it seems Google will have its way only if advertisers let it. Digiday reports Kellogg doesn’t buy from YouTube “because it does not allow third parties to measure the effectiveness of ads there.” AdExchanger sources, however, claimed some powerhouse advertisers have forced Google into using third-party measurements on YouTube.

AOL Cleans House

Sources tell TechCrunch that its parent company is planning a reorg that will take the form of layoffs and website closures. The impending cuts will further focus its business on ad tech, content operations and video. AOL-owned TechCrunch is not privy to corporate-level decisions, but sources say the restructuring will unfold in the coming weeks. During the company’s Q3 2014 earnings call, CEO Tim Armstrong hinted that AOL would look for “an increase in the value and growth of our global content brands by simplifying the portfolio of brands and increasing our share of video and mobile in key content areas.”

Platisher Paradox

As new media companies struggle for scale and traditional media companies strive to stay abreast of digitial, the divide between publisher and platform continues to blur. “Making these hybrids work over the long term is difficult, because their incentives work against each other,” writes independent journalist Lydia Laurenson for Harvard Business Review. As proof, Laurenson points to Say Media, which sold off its publishing properties last year and repositioned as a tech platform. “The conclusion we’ve come to, and one lots of media companies wrestle with is, do you build brands or do you build platforms,” wrote Say Media CEO Matt Sanchez at the time. “Those two are just completely different world views.” More.

Short Form Rising

ABI Research reports that OTT content from subscription services like Netflix and Hulu continues to generate the most revenue for advertisers, but short-form content is heating up. According to the findings, overall online video will rack up an estimated $56 billion by 2019 and short-form content could grow in kind, to a projected $13 billion. “Multi-channel networks that work with content contributors and advertising agencies targeting services like YouTube are finding suitors and partners among some of the largest industry players in video,” said Practice Director Sam Rosen. Advanced Television has more.

APAC Booming

Ad tech firm Adknowledge is partnering with Axiata Digital Advertising to expand its presence in APAC’s $47 billion digital ad market. Axiata Digital Advertising is a subsidiary of telecom firm Axiata, and the partnership is mobile-first. “The immediate target markets are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and India,” explained Adknowledge CEO Ben Legg, but India will follow. “India is already number two in terms of digital advertising after Indonesia and given the growing penetration of smartphones, this market is set to expand further.” Read on via The Economic Times.

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