Platforms

Starting last week and into this week, hundreds of court-filed documents have been unsealed in the lead-up to the Google ad tech antitrust trial – and it’s a bonanza.

In today’s newsletter: Google paid $445 million in rebates in 2018; publishers across the ideological spectrum blame brand safety for hurting the media biz; and Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to Congressional Republicans for Meta’s content moderation.

M&A is still hot in ad tech this summer. Plus, Netflix’s upfront results may sound promising, but the streamer still needs to grasp the finer points of the advertising game.

The publication still makes most of its on-site digital revenue from programmatic. But it’s doubling down on direct-sold custom content, especially when it comes to video and social media.

Special guest and prolific ad tech investor Eric Franchi of Aperiam Ventures discusses his firm’s recent bet on attention metrics startup Adelaide. Plus: What’s up with Meta’s new third-party attribution partnerships?

Yahoo DSP has new partnerships with the Planet Fitness media network and Rippl, a co-op of regional grocery and convenience store chains, including Wegmans.

The growth of Walmart’s ads business and third-party marketplace are separate, it says. Plus, Google and Meta’ve been targeting teens for a while.

In today’s newsletter: Digital twins are marketers’ cool new AI tool; Netflix pulls a Prime Video and defaults lapsed subscribers to the ad-supported tier; and California compromises with Big Tech on two journalism bills.

Adelaide used this latest cash injection to boost its valuation to $60 million ahead of an all-stock acquisition of Rita, an Amsterdam-based data marketplace with a focus on the EU.

Publishers are in the business of selling their readers’ attention to advertisers. But in response to consumer preferences and regulatory pressure, publishers should reposition themselves as champions of data dignity.

In today’s newsletter: Google gets hit with another glitch; influencers fight gen AI provisions in their advertising contracts; and political fundraising pivots as social media bars campaign ads.

Since introducing ads two years ago, Netflix’s ad team has clashed with streaming management and studio execs. Plus, “brat” summer is over; “demure” autumn might be next.

Social commerce is already huge in the Asia-Pacific market, and it’s poised to blow up worldwide. Here’s how the success of TikTok Shop forecasts the future development trends of ecommerce and social commerce in the US.

In today’s newsletter: Walmart’s hottest growth drivers are ads and subscriptions; why The Trade Desk’s UID 2.0 could be regulators’ next target; and how the growth of CTV content fortresses is preventing breakout streaming hits.

Meta is working on AI-powered optimization updates to its ads system so advertisers can customize business objectives, measure incrementality and have direct integrations with third-party analytics tools.

A group of 20 web app developers sent a letter to the CMA claiming the regulator’s proposed remedies for increasing competition among mobile browsers do not address barriers to entry for mobile web extensions on iOS and Android.

With a landmark ruling potentially forcing Google to change its business practices, who is actually likely to steal some of its search market share? And what should marketers do about it?

In today’s newsletter: How membership bundles are creating new forms of consumer-facing partnerships; typically unflappable platforms leap to action when billionaires are harmed by bad ads; and X’s GARM lawsuit helped politicize brand safety.

“There are billions of additional screens outside of mobile phones,” says Dan Page, TikTok’s global head of partnerships and new screens. “We want to be in all of them.”

Hope you weren’t waiting to shop for Super Bowl ads – they’re almost sold out. Plus, Apple might be the ad tech dark horse.

Chris Epple, JBL’s VP of marketing, on why TikTok is the brand’s new favorite jam – including to generate sales – and how JBL measures what he calls “quality social engagement.”

The decision by WFA leadership to succumb to Elon Musk’s pressure is disappointing and dangerous – but it presents an opportunity to rethink our industry’s broken approach to brand safety, writes Arielle Garcia.

In case you don’t have time to digest a 286-page legal document, we went through Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling and pulled out a few spicy nuggets for you to chew on.

Although the full revenue impact of Magnite’s exclusive SSP partnership with Netflix hasn’t hit yet, simply announcing the deal “created significant momentum for our business,” Magnite President and CEO Michael Barrett told investors.

Shares of WPP took another thumping yesterday. Plus, advertisers are getting post-lawsuit cold feet about X all over again.

Ad revenue was helped along by 9% growth in unique visitors to the top sites in DDM’s portfolio. Programmatic ad rates were up roughly 36% in Q2, spurred by adoption of DDM’s D/Chipher contextual targeting solution.

Advertising is still Reddit’s meal ticket – but until its ad revenue tops the $2 billion per year mark, it can’t really be considered competitive with other social platforms.

In today’s newsletter: Netflix drops its ad prices to slightly less outrageous levels; X sues GARM, alleging it led an ad boycott for ideological reasons, not brand safety concerns; and how TV manufacturers have laid the groundwork to take ad dollars from streamers and cable.

In today’s newsletter: US rules Google has a monopoly in search, but not search ads; Nvidia’s unreleased AI has been scraping online video from YouTube, Netflix and others; and streaming app Max debuts a new personalized home page.

“Google is a monopolist.” No need to say “allegedly” anymore, because that’s a direct quote from Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling against Google and in favor of the Department of Justice.