Welcome to the first Olympics in the live sports era of the streaming wars.

French advertisers eye the opportunity of a century in Paris 2024

During the Green Media Summit in New York last week, ad industry professionals expressed that a more sustainable future may require regulation and peer pressure.

The ad industry grapples with going green

B2B brands are becoming more consumer-like and leaning on live sports to reach their audiences.

Why are so many B2B firms sponsoring the Olympics?

More than 14,000 people attended the inaugural Web Summit Qatar in February 2024 to hear about the Middle East’s digital transformation.

The AI revolution is coming for advertising: Top takeaways from Web Summit Qatar 

In today’s marketplace, women are still very much underrepresented in ads, despite holding the majority of spending power.

What brands can learn from Stanley and the buying power of women

To engage with fans during the 2024 Super Bowl, brands innovate across channels as viewers turn to new ways to watch the game.

For the 2024 Big Game, brands go omnichannel and fans stream

A slate of augmented and mixed-reality devices could bring disruptive innovation to the smartphone and the advertising ecosystem it supports.

Mixed reality is the next shiny thing for marketers, but some remain cautious

Disney will roll out its audience graph in all international markets where Disney+ with ads exists, the company announced at the CES.

The ‘unrivaled’ move you might have missed from Disney’s early upfront at CES

President & CEO, Index Exchange

Managing Director, Uplift Campaigns

COO, Flashtalking by Mediaocean

General Manager of Data Partnerships, The Trade Desk

VP Product, The Trade Desk

Chairman and CEO, InfoSum

Co-founder, CEO, Attain

GVP, strategy and business development, Oracle Advertising

SVP sales and partnerships at Experian

Executive Vice President, VAB

Executive Director, Partnerships & Business Development, S&P Global Mobility

Co-Founder & CEO, Mediavine

VP of strategy and partnerships, Intent IQ

VP of ad technology and programmatic revenue, Advance Local

SVP, Product, The Trade Desk

Chief Client Officer, The Trade Desk

CEO, Founder & Chairman, The Trade Desk

Chief Revenue Officer, Snopes.com

Chief Product Officer, Experian Marketing Services

Senior Director of Content Programming and Strategy, Tubi

CEO & founder, AJL Advisory

Co-founder and CEO, ID5.io

SVP, Product Sales and Strategy, Nielsen One

partner, Bully Pulpit Interactive

Head of Brand Media, PMG

Global Solutions President, Circana

VP, General Manager; CVS Media Exchange (CMX)

VP U.K., The Trade Desk

Co-Founder and CEO, PubMatic

Research Director - Consumer Research Lead, Ampere Analysis

EVP of Business Development, iSpot.tv

CMO, Iris.tv

SVP of technology, The Trade Desk

Chief Strategy Officer, The Trade Desk

Chief Executive Officer, LiveRamp

COO, Paramount Advertising

Senior Director, European Identity, The Trade Desk

Managing Director, Exverus Media

Chief Commercial Officer, The Trade Desk

SVP of Activations and Addressability, LiveRamp

VP Inventory Development, The Trade Desk

Writers

Is interoperability the key to winning the cookieless race?

The open web vs. the walled garden: Is interoperability the key to winning the cookieless race?

What’s at stake? Only the future of European media.

European broadcasters are reinventing themselves for the future of TV

Big tech is battling journalism over proposed legislation in California that would force companies like Google to pay to carry links to news articles.

Big Tech and journalism battle over proposed legislation in California

Green media is all about delivering digital advertising more efficiently toward a carbon neutral future

What the Tech is green media?

Political media buyers need to think beyond microtargeting that simply matches the voter file and embrace a more layered approach to programmatic to reach new voters.

How political media buyers misuse programmatic

Super fans shape much of their identity around their favorite movies, music and more. Advertisers could benefit from getting to know their fandoms.

Understanding fandoms could be key for streaming and advertising strategies

Streaming services can build audience engagement through content, leveraging machine learning and data, and by improving the advertising experience on their platforms.

Streaming platforms have attracted vast audiences. Now we need data to keep them engaged.

Political advertising experts say there’s a lot that brands across sectors can learn from how political campaigns operate.

Taking a page out of the political playbook: What marketers can learn from 2024 presidential campaigns

Connected TV (CTV) and other digital platforms are poised to take 28 percent, or approximately $3.5 billion, of U.S. political ad spending in 2024.

U.S. political ad spend on digital projected to jump 156 percent over last presidential election year

Bully Pulpit Interactive's Mike Schneider shares his take on where innovation throughout this election cycle will be focused.

A brand marketer’s guide to victory in a U.S. presidential election year

Publishers and ad-tech platforms are making it easier for political ad buyers to reach audiences wherever they’re watching.

For political campaigns, candidates opt for an increasingly digital campaign trail

Tracing back the evolution of political advertising, from Eisenhower to Biden. Political campaigns have swung from radio ads to big data and connected TV.

For Context: The Evolution of Political Media

As political ad spending hits record highs in the U.S. for the 2022 midterm election, a new study by The Trade Desk and Morning Consult shows the impact of targeted steaming ads in battleground states.

How a surge in targeted political ads during the midterms impacted battleground states

Of the record $9 billion being spent on political ads for the midterm election, roughly $1 billion is being directed toward connected TV.

From sea to streaming sea: CTV to reach 17 percent of U.S. midterm ad spend

Political strategists share how they campaign in the ever-changing world of digital advertising on The Current Podcast

The Current Podcast: Senate Leadership Fund's Billy McBeath and Bully Pulpit Interactive's Mike Schneider

Senate Leadership Fund’s Billy McBeath and Bully Pulpit Interactive’s Mike Schneider sound off on political ads from across the aisle

NBCUniversal and the Olympics are evolving with viewers. Advertisers are responding with $1.2 billion in ad commitments and counting.

The Olympics’ role in culture is evolving, and advertisers are moving with it

Record March Madness ratings is putting women’s basketball in the spotlight, and advertisers are taking notice by increasing their media spend.

March Madness just proved the power and scale of women’s sports. Advertisers are watching.

DRAX Direct streamlines access to Disney’s streaming advertising business with The Trade Desk, as advertisers increasingly lean into connected TV (CTV).

Disney streamlines access for advertisers, aiming to automate 75% of ad revenue

NBCUniversal is opening up Peacock ads to be purchased programmatically for all streamed 329 Olympic events this year.

The ‘crème de la crème’: 2024 Paris Olympics goes programmatic on Peacock

A recent survey suggests many sports fans in the U.S. care more about their favorite sport than anything else on TV, even in the offseason.

How streamers are keeping sports fans satisfied even in the offseason

Even in a year when Barbie dominated the box office, new data shows how women are still underrepresented in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera.

Hollywood is leaving money on the table by not marketing more movies to women

During this year’s Forward ’24 event, advertisers shared how they are leveraging live sports as it moves into streaming.

How streaming is changing the game for live sports and advertisers

Some ad industry forecasters just increased their projections for this year, suggesting optimism around political spend, the Olympics, CTV, and other factors.

What’s driving the rosy outlook for the U.S. ad industry this year?

Premium streaming services are showcasing their benefits for advertisers with authenticated audiences as Generative AI surges on the likes of YouTube and TikTok.

As AI junk floods YouTube and TikTok, premium content could prove its value for advertisers

Thanks to advances in AI’s analytical power, the technology has the potential to cut down browsing time for viewers on streaming platforms.

Don’t know what show to stream next? AI can help

Or, how some news publications are looking to the future by turning to advertising and niches.

The great restructuring of digital news media

The electronics giant saw a major improvement in online to offline sales attribution after implementing a custom solution leveraging Unified ID 2.0 (UID2).

How Samsung Electronics Canada is 'future-proofing' its business with UID2 as cookies crumble

PepsiCo’s strategic use of decisioned buying boosts brand presence and finds success in India’s CPG marketplace.

PepsiCo boosts brand presence and finds success in India’s diverse CPG market

Connected TV (CTV) is picking up steam as a way to get more small, local and regional businesses to advertise, especially programmatically.

Why streamers like Disney, NBCUniversal and Paramount are courting small businesses

As retail media evolves beyond retail networks, many in the audio industry see an opportunity to strike a harmonious relationship that could benefit both parties.

Audio and retail are getting in tune with one another

Measurement is becoming a bigger factor in the upfronts as networks’ authenticated ad space matches up with retailers’ verified buyers.

Retail data is entering the upfronts as measurement gets more important

A wave of retail data is sweeping Europe, with advertisers increasingly relying on it amid cookie deprecation and an evolving regulatory landscape.

Retail data has taken over Europe. Now what?

More and more people are engaging with sports around the world, and brands can capitalize on these fans’ newfound interest.

It’s not just Swifties: There are more sports fans, and brands see a way to score

Advertisers lean on first-party data, retail data, shoppable ads and more to earn a spot on Christmas wish lists.

First-party and retail data will be tested this holiday season as cookie sunsetting approaches

From connected TV to digital out-of-home to audio, DTC brands are finding new ways to reach their customers.

DTC brands increasingly see the advertising opportunity on the open internet

Marketers are zeroing in on Gen Z this holiday shopping season, as Adobe estimates record discounts and spending on smartphones.

2023’s top holiday shopping trends: Record discounts, mobile spending, and the Gen Z effect

Marlow Nickell, co-founder and CEO of Grocery TV, joins Asking for a friend to discuss in-store lift.

Asking for a friend: What is in-store lift?

President and CEO of Volta, Brandt Hastings, joins Asking for a friend to explain place-based media.

Asking for a friend: What is place-based media?

Unilever Head of U.S. Media Investment and Partnerships, Aaron Sobol explains green media and what the industry can do to increase sustainability efforts.

Asking for a friend: What is green media?

McDonalds' Alison Ciccione joins The Current's Asking for a friend to explain the magic behind leveraging first-party data

Asking for a friend: How do I activate first-party data?

Mark Jablonowski, CTO and president of politics and public affairs at Optimal, explains the basics of geofencing and how it allows for specific measurement.

Asking for a friend: What is geofencing?

Scott Ensign, chief strategy officer at Butler/Till, discusses building a digital-first strategy and the advantages to digital media.

Asking for a friend: What is digital-first strategy?

Ander Lopez Ochoa, EMEA head of Kenvue, breaks down supply path optimization (SPO) and its importance for marketers.

Asking for a friend: What is SPO?

Jimmy Spano, EVP and head of Dentsu media sports, joins Asking for a friend to discuss how brands can get the most value out of live sports.

Asking for a friend: Where is the most value in live sports?

Andy Barr

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The Readout

The most critical innovations in advertising are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place.

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Office Hours

Marketers are not surprised. Many are preparing for a post-cookie future already.

Marketers unfazed as Google delays cookie deprecation for third time

In this election year, discover the latest topics and trends in political marketing as a new era of digital-first advertising is emerging.

Political

You’ve reached the end of the open internet! <br/> (Or at least the end of our search results.)

As Generative AI rises and Google deprecates third-party cookies, digital news outlets have an opportunity to create more direct relationships with readers.