The Big Story

One reason regulators are paying more attention to data privacy? Their constituents care about this "kitchen table" issue. We open with insights from attending a duo of privacy conferences this week, the IAPP summit and IAB Public Policy & Legal event. Then, we turn to how retail media is mashing up with sports, opening up new opportunities across media and ad tech.

The NewFronts, digital video's week of splashy sales pitches, is in full swing. Our reporters share what they learned on the ground. Plus: What can ad tech learn from Data, a new off-Broadway play?

Principal-based buying is on the rise, and it's causing conflict between agencies and ad tech partners. Plus: What are sell-side agents, and how could they help publishers?

2026 is the year CTV will bridge the gap between branding and performance. Fresh off the Convergent TV World event, our team discusses the rise of performance TV, shifting live sports rights and the impact of M&A on the streaming experience in this future-facing episode.

Sarah Caputo, founder of Fraction Method and former agency and brand executive, brings programmatic ad and pricing expertise. She explores tensions around The Trade Desk’s fees and transparency. Topics include layered and predictive clearing charges, how OpenPath affects agencies and publishers, and ways the company could simplify pricing and restore buyer trust.

The strategic value of commerce data continues to rise, as Infillion snaps up Catalina. Then, a court filing reveals where agencies spend clients' money.

The Winter Olympics show us how far streaming live sports has come – and also how much linear viewership remains. Plus: CPGs are pulling back on ad spend, as they steer through economic challenges and the ripple effects of policy decisions.

OpenAI launched ads this week, making ChatGPT the newest canvas for advertising. But not before its biggest competitor, Anthropic, lambasted the decision in a Super Bowl ad.

Lindy Johnson, Head of Programming for Convergent TV World and Programmatic.ai with deep publisher industry experience. They explore publisher strategies like licensing, discoverability and deals with platforms. Conversations cover automation boundaries, AI crawlers and ad visibility. They discuss publishers diversifying into newsletters, apps and events and experiments with server-side solutions and measurement testing.

Prebid is on a roll. It will take charge of a seller agent, part of AdCP. Amazon's integration with Prebid is in beta. But there's one sticky point: Microsoft is not going to cache video ad creatives anymore, leaving publishers scrambling for an alternative.