Ad Tech
Nine national television distributors join forces with OpenAP to standardize industry fragmentation governance
Nine national television distributors (including Paramount, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery) have partnered with OpenAP to launch an industry initiative aimed at connecting first-party data outcomes with advertising campaign exposure data in a standardized way to address fragmentation in cross-distributor outcome analysis. The pilot phase will collaborate with specific advertisers, agencies, and attribution service providers, with results to be shared over the next year. OpenAP will also introduce a unified conversion API and new advertising campaign workflows, with future phases supporting agency-style workflow interactions.
Publicis Groupe Acquires LiveRamp for $2.2 Billion to Strengthen AI Agent Data Capabilities
Publicis Groupe announced the all-cash acquisition of LiveRamp for an enterprise value of $2.2 billion. LiveRamp provides brands with services to connect, manage, and activate data across sources, covering over 25,000 publisher sites and 14 global markets. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, and LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe will continue to lead the company, reporting directly to Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun. Publicis expects to raise its net revenue growth forecast for 2027-2028 from 6%-7% to 7%-8% after the deal closes.
Netflix's advertising business coverage doubles, showcasing new technology and data capabilities
Netflix held its upfront presentation in New York on May 13, announcing that its advertising business geographic coverage has expanded from 12 to 27 countries, and introduced multiple new AI and programmatic advertising features. The company stated it has 250 million monthly active users, with over 60% of new subscriptions choosing the ad-supported plan, and showcased effectiveness data from partnership cases such as Dove and Airbnb.
NBCUniversal Highlights Traditional Media Strengths and Performance at Annual Upfront
NBCUniversal held its annual upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall in New York, centering on a century-long legacy while unveiling new Live Total Impact data, the full rollout plan for Performance Insights Hub, and an agentic AI strategy aimed at helping advertisers optimize buying and measurement across linear and streaming portfolios.