Deals & Moves

Activision Blizzard launched its in-game advertising division to bring branded content and ads into popular gaming franchises. The division aims to create non-intrusive advertising experiences within games like Overwatch and Call of Duty, expanding the gaming advertising market.

Foursquare acquired location analytics company Placer.ai to strengthen its position in location intelligence and foot traffic attribution for advertisers. The combined entity creates a comprehensive location data platform serving retail media and out-of-home advertising clients.

GumGum raised $75M in Series E funding to expand its contextual advertising and intelligence platform as the industry shifts away from third-party cookies. The funding supports AI-powered contextual targeting technology and international expansion.

Experian acquired identity resolution company Tapad to strengthen its cross-device and identity graph capabilities. The acquisition enhances Experian's ability to provide deterministic and probabilistic identity matching for advertisers in a privacy-first environment.

Independent SSP Sharethrough acquired Canadian ad tech company District M to expand its supply-side platform capabilities and geographic reach. The combined entity strengthens its position as an independent alternative to Google and other large SSPs.

PubMatic launched Activate for Publishers, a unified identity solution that helps publishers onboard and activate first-party data across programmatic channels. The platform integrates multiple identity frameworks including Unified ID 2.0 and ID5.

Amazon acquired the Sizmek Ad Server and related ad serving technology from Vector Capital to enhance Amazon Advertising's capabilities. The acquisition provides Amazon with enterprise-grade ad serving technology for agencies and large advertisers.

Viant Technology appointed Tim Vanderhook as CEO, succeeding his father Chris Vanderhook who became Executive Chairman. Tim previously served as COO and led Viant's DSP and identity graph development, including the Viant Household ID.

Pinterest launched Performance+, an AI-powered automated campaign management suite that optimizes targeting, bidding, and creative for performance advertisers. The platform uses machine learning to automate campaign setup and optimization across Pinterest's visual discovery platform.

Albertsons Media Collective partnered with Disney Advertising to integrate retail purchase data with Disney's streaming and linear TV inventory. The partnership enables closed-loop measurement for CPG brands advertising across Disney properties.

Yahoo launched Yahoo Ad Tech, a unified supply-side platform combining its DSP and SSP technologies into a single omnichannel solution. The platform aims to simplify programmatic advertising for publishers and advertisers across display, video, native, and CTV formats.

Snap launched its Snap Ads API, providing programmatic access to Snapchat's advertising inventory for demand-side platforms and agencies. The API enables automated campaign management and real-time bidding for Snap's AR and vertical video ad formats.

Albertsons Media Collective partnered with Roku to launch shoppable TV advertising, allowing viewers to add products directly to their Albertsons cart via their Roku remote. The integration connects CTV advertising with direct e-commerce conversion.

Taboola acquired commerce content monetization platform Skimlinks to expand its e-commerce advertising capabilities. Skimlinks automatically converts product links into affiliate links, adding commerce monetization to Taboola's content recommendation platform.

Google acquired select advertising technology assets from Rapsodo to enhance its sports advertising capabilities. The acquisition aimed to strengthen Google's position in sports-related advertising and audience targeting for athletic brands.

Walmart Connect formed a strategic partnership with TikTok to enable shoppable video ads directly linked to Walmart's e-commerce platform. The integration allows TikTok users to purchase Walmart products without leaving the app, combining social commerce with retail media.

Yahoo launched ConnectID, a proprietary identity solution designed to replace third-party cookies across its publisher network. The solution leverages Yahoo's authenticated user base to provide deterministic identification for advertisers while maintaining user privacy controls.

Kroger Precision Marketing launched its Private Marketplace (PMP), enabling programmatic access to Kroger's retail media inventory through preferred deals. The PMP allows agencies and DSPs to access Kroger's first-party shopper data for programmatic campaigns across display, video, and sponsored products.

Pinterest launched its API for Shopping, enabling retailers to programmatically manage product catalogs, shopping ads, and commerce features at scale. The API provides automated catalog updates, dynamic product ads, and integration with e-commerce platforms for seamless shopping experiences.

Roku acquired programmatic advertising technology assets from Dataxu to enhance its OneView ad platform capabilities. The acquisition brought advanced bidding algorithms and campaign optimization technology to strengthen Roku's position in CTV programmatic advertising.

Amazon officially launched Amazon Ad Server, its own ad serving technology to compete with Google Ad Manager. The platform enables publishers to manage direct-sold and programmatic inventory while accessing Amazon's demand sources and measurement tools.

Spotify acquired audiobook distributor Findaway to expand its audiobook offerings and advertising capabilities. The acquisition positioned Spotify to develop new advertising formats within audiobooks and compete with Audible while creating new inventory for audio advertisers.

CVS Media Exchange launched its self-serve programmatic advertising platform, enabling healthcare and wellness brands to directly access CVS's retail media network. The platform provides automated campaign management, real-time reporting, and access to CVS's pharmacy and health data for targeting.

The Trade Desk launched Galileo, a next-generation identity resolution platform combining UID2 with AI-powered identity graphing. Galileo provides improved cross-device identification and measurement capabilities for advertisers navigating the cookieless future while maintaining privacy compliance.