Deals & Moves

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.

Albertsons Media Collective launched its proprietary clean room solution enabling brands and agencies to securely match and analyze first-party data with Albertsons' retail data. The platform addresses privacy concerns while enabling advanced measurement and targeting for CPG advertisers.

Instacart expanded its advertising offerings with Storefront Ads, allowing CPG brands to create custom branded storefronts within the Instacart app. The new format provides immersive brand experiences and direct product discovery beyond traditional sponsored product placements.

Havas acquired French data science and AI consultancy Ekimetrics to strengthen its data analytics and AI-driven marketing capabilities. The acquisition enhances Havas's ability to deliver data-driven advertising solutions and advanced analytics to clients across its global network.

Stagwell acquired Code and Theory, a digital-first creative agency, to expand its digital experience and commerce capabilities. The acquisition strengthens Stagwell's ability to deliver integrated marketing, e-commerce, and advertising technology solutions to enterprise clients.

Data management platform Permutive raised $75 million in Series D funding to expand its privacy-first audience platform for publishers. The funding supports development of cookieless targeting solutions and edge computing technology that processes data on users' devices rather than in centralized servers.

Criteo acquired IPONWEB, a leading programmatic infrastructure provider, to accelerate its commerce media platform strategy. The acquisition brought advanced DSP, SSP, and data management capabilities to Criteo's commerce media offering, enabling it to power retail media networks at scale.

Taboola completed its merger with ION Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company, to go public on Nasdaq. The transaction valued the content recommendation platform at approximately $2.6 billion, providing capital for expansion in the native advertising and content discovery market.

Outbrain went public through a SPAC merger with CC Neuberger Principal Holdings II, valuing the content discovery platform at approximately $1.25 billion. The public listing positioned Outbrain to compete more effectively with Taboola in the native advertising space.

Smart AdServer merged with DynAdmic and LiquidM to form Equativ, creating a unified independent ad tech platform. The merger combined SSP, ad serving, and mobile capabilities to compete more effectively against Google and other major platforms in the European market.

Dentsu completed the full integration of Merkle, originally acquired in 2016, making it the core of its data and technology offering. The move consolidated Dentsu's customer experience management, data analytics, and performance marketing capabilities under the Merkle brand.

WPP's GroupM merged Essence and MediaCom to create EssenceMediacom, a new media agency combining digital-first expertise with traditional media buying scale. The merger created one of the largest media agencies globally with enhanced programmatic and performance marketing capabilities.

Omnicom acquired Flywheel Digital, a leading commerce media platform specializing in retail media management, for $835 million. The acquisition strengthened Omnicom's retail media capabilities, particularly for managing campaigns across Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and other retail media networks.

Snowflake launched Media Data Cloud, a specialized data collaboration platform for advertising and media companies. The platform enables secure data sharing and clean room functionality, partnering with InfoSum, LiveRamp, and Habu to provide privacy-safe audience targeting and measurement.

Walmart Connect reached over $3 billion in annual advertising revenue, establishing itself as the third-largest retail media network in the US after Amazon and Instacart. The milestone reflects rapid growth in retail media and Walmart's successful expansion of its advertising business.

Viant Technology acquired Adelphic, an independent omnichannel demand-side platform, to enhance its programmatic advertising capabilities. The acquisition strengthened Viant's DSP technology and expanded its customer base in the connected TV and digital advertising markets.

Snowflake launched its Advertising Data Cloud, a purpose-built solution for the advertising industry to enable data collaboration and measurement. The platform allows advertisers, publishers, and data providers to securely share and activate data while maintaining privacy compliance.

InfoSum, a data collaboration platform for advertising, raised $15M in Series B funding to expand its privacy-first data connectivity infrastructure. The funding supports growth in helping brands and publishers connect first-party data without sharing raw data.

Albertsons terminated its planned $24.6 billion merger with Kroger after federal and state courts blocked the deal on antitrust grounds. The cancellation has major implications for retail media, as the combined entity would have created the second-largest retail media network in the U.S.

LiveRamp launched its Clean Room as a Service offering, enabling brands, publishers, and platforms to create custom data clean rooms for privacy-safe collaboration. The solution addresses the industry's need for secure data matching and measurement in the post-cookie era.

Scibids, an AI-powered advertising optimization platform, raised $14M in Series A funding. The platform uses custom AI algorithms to optimize programmatic bidding strategies, helping advertisers improve campaign performance across DSPs.