Daily News Roundup

The NHL develops new revenue streams; malware makes its way into the programmatic ecosystem; and Target plans to open 30 new locations this year, along with revamping existing ones.

Netflix unveils a conversion API; some publishers are using AI tools to expand their footprints; and CFOs are getting more involved in marketing decisions.

Ad platforms are nixing credit card payments; LLMs are getting really good at unmasking online users; and McDonald’s offers a case study in how not to do organic social media.

Criteo joins OpenAI’s ad pilot; Google considers making its own AI landing pages; and the Supreme Court passes its own judgement (kinda) on AI.

The surveillance state targets state employee’s vehicles; Belgium targets Google’s ad tech business; and brands embrace being targeted by trolls.

The problems with FAST’s rapid growth; streaming viewers get a bot-powered alternative to subscriptions and ads; and IAS uncovers a mobile app fraud network that infected millions of devices.

LLMs now rely on YouTube as a top source for citations – and that includes sponsored creator content. Plus: Generative AI makes it easy for made-for-advertising publishers to expand their playbook.

Buyers dig Netflix’s ad platform changes; OpenTable puts the “restaurant” in “RMN”; and Google and Amazon blame human error even when it’s AI’s fault.

WPP airs some dirty laundry; HubSpot buys itself a media brand; and data centers are more politically unpopular than ever.

What’s the deal with viral apps?; Dentsu and WPP are off of OpenPath; and AI coding has its downsides.

Agentic commerce can’t stop, won’t stop; Perplexity is officially done with its ads business; and AppLovin may launch its own social media platform.

Analog Intelligence The AI marketing boom is here. And not just for auto-generated creative or campaign optimization.  San Francisco is one of the few places (besides airports) filled with B2B advertising on billboards. Good luck relaxing during a stroll with your iced coffee and Tartine pastry on a weekend, because you’ll walk or drive by […]

Why influencer marketing is all the rage; Target forays into ChatGPT ads; and Paramount Skydance’s difficult week.

Twitch gets into pause ads; CEOs would love to stop talking about AI agents; and so would brands and publishers, actually!

Google faces another antitrust investigation; Americans want free, ad-supported news; and the K-shaped economy dings mass-market manufacturers.

TikTok may be doubling down (again) on Shop; bots are scraping content they’re banned from; and Walmart is allegedly selling counterfeit products.

Amazon teases an AI licensing marketplace for publishers; not every country is fine with targeted gambling ads; and YouTube’s ad revenue share isn’t enough for its entrepreneurial creators.

ChatGPT users will start seeing ads this week; is our entire economy structured around bothering consumers?; and the FTC’s investigation into media credibility groups continues.

Wall Street is falling out of love with SaaS; OpenAI has an “ads integrity” unit; and the Super Bowl is getting more personalized.

It’s hard to break into the ad platform big leagues; AI platforms debate the value of ads; and vibe coding isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Has Fox One Won Yet? Fox is still finding its footing in the streaming era. It didn’t operate its own streaming platform until this past summer, with the launch of Fox ONE, and, unlike Disney and NBCUniversal, it lacks lucrative sports rights that help drive viewership. What Fox does have, though, is Fox News.  Roughly […]

Big Tech seems overconfident their ad revenue growth isn’t tied to the economy; Microsoft AI launches a publisher licensing program; and the unique security vulnerabilities of Moltbook’s social media for AI bots.

Q4 earnings reports are heating up; Private equity firms get squeamish; and AI data centers are harder to build than ever.

ICE is going ad tech; Streaming television is more original than ever; and YouTube wants to keep all its data to itself.

All of Cadent’s SSP’s CTV supply paths are now direct; Netflix is thriving on repurposed YouTube content; and the Washington Post continues to struggle.

AI startup Limy raised $10 million in seed funding, with a plan to show brands how AI agents are driving sales for their businesses. Plus: The CMA ruled that Google must give publishers more autonomy over the use of their content.

Big TV’s shift to programmatic brings in the performance brands; Meta rolls out premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp; and Yahoo enters the crowded AI search market.

Democracy dies in darkness, but also in newspaper layoffs; The Trade Desk loses its CFO (again); and start saving up for ChatGPT ads now.

Goodbye for real this time, TikTok ban; Hello to ForbesPredict; and who knows what’s up with Business Insider?

PayPal announced plans to acquire Cymbio, a startup that helps brands improve their presence in AI searches. Plus: Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to do good movie marketing.