Deals & Moves

Independent ad tech platform Adform was acquired by a private equity consortium led by Oaktree Capital Management in a deal valued at approximately $800M. The acquisition provides Adform with capital to compete against larger platforms while maintaining independence from walled gardens.

Ad verification leader DoubleVerify acquired AI-powered bidding optimization platform Scibids for $125M. The acquisition adds advanced machine learning capabilities to DoubleVerify's measurement and optimization suite, enabling predictive performance optimization for programmatic campaigns.

Axel Springer acquired Politico for approximately $1 billion, expanding its digital media portfolio and advertising reach in the U.S. political news market. The acquisition strengthened Axel Springer's position in premium digital content and high-value advertising inventory targeting policy makers and business leaders.

GroupM launched its addressable TV platform Finecast in the United States after success in Europe. The platform enables advertisers to target specific households with TV ads across connected TV and linear television, representing a major expansion of programmatic TV capabilities.

Yahoo launched Yahoo DSP, a unified demand-side platform combining its acquired ad tech assets including Verizon Media DSP and BrightRoll. The platform offers omnichannel programmatic buying across display, video, native, and CTV inventory with advanced targeting capabilities.

Omnicom Media Group launched Omni, an operating system designed to orchestrate marketing across channels using AI and machine learning. The platform integrates data, planning, activation, and measurement capabilities across Omnicom's agency network and represents a major investment in unified marketing technology.

Interpublic Group fully acquired Acxiom's marketing services business for $2.3 billion after previously owning a majority stake. The acquisition consolidates IPG's data management and identity resolution capabilities as the industry transitions to privacy-first advertising.

Walmart Connect launched its API for programmatic access to advertising campaigns, enabling automated bidding, campaign management, and reporting for advertisers and agencies. The API opens Walmart's retail media network to programmatic integration with third-party platforms and tools.

Amazon launched Sponsored TV, a self-service advertising solution that allows brands to create and run streaming TV campaigns across Prime Video, Freevee, and Fire TV. The product brings Amazon's performance advertising approach to connected TV with automated campaign creation and optimization.

GroupM launched GroupM Nexus, a global trading and technology unit that consolidates programmatic buying, data, and technology across its agency network. Nexus represents a major restructuring of GroupM's ad tech operations to create unified buying capabilities and negotiate better terms with media owners.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.