Secure your place at the Digiday Media Buying Summit in Nashville, March 2-4
The long, dark night of Flash’s soul just got a little bleaker. Google announced that it’s banning the technology from its advertising network.
Advertisers won’t be allowed to upload display ads using Flash to the Google Display Network beginning June 30 of this year, and on Jan. 2, 2017, the company will stop displaying ads using Flash, essentially eradicating the network of Adobe’s malware-prone software.
Moving forward, Google is telling advertisers to use the safer HMTL5, so they “can reach the widest possible audience across screens.”
Flash has been on the decline for the past several years, with Google being on the forefront of shoving it into a coffin. Last August, Google stopped displaying ads using Flash on its popular Chrome browser, eight months after it made HTML5 videos default on YouTube.
Google isn’t alone in no longer using Flash as Amazon, Firefox and even The New York Times no longer rely on the technology. Even Adobe rolled out a Flash alternative last year, pushing developers to Animate CC, a HTML5-based technology.
More in Marketing
‘Creators as the new storytellers’: Over 10,000 apply to be part of Dick’s Sporting Goods creator program
Dick’s Sporting Goods is boosting its creator roster as it looks to play a bigger role in culture, events and social-media trends.
‘Agentic with a small a’: CMOs are adopting AI more slowly than it’s evolving
And the caution isn’t confined to large language models or flashy generative tools. It bubbles up just as clearly in decisions about agentic workflows.
Digiday+ Research: Brand marketing will be the priority in 2026, after revenues fell short of expectations
Revenues fell short of marketers’ expectations in 2025. But they’ll be working with bigger budgets in 2026, and focusing on brand marketing.