DIGIDAY+ MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
‘CPC pain is real’: One year on, Google’s AI Max has pushed up search budgets – and costs
Advertisers are devoting more cash to search due to rising costs and zero-click traffic concerns.
OpenAI's ads program matures
Media
From ad tech tax to AI data brokers: the new middlemen keep 100%, publishers say
For some publishers, third-party content scraping lands as an even bigger affront than the ad tech tax they’ve spent years navigating – not a share of the pie, but the pie itself.
The state of generative AI in the creator economy
A look at how the creator economy is using generative AI, from workflow help to identifying partnerships in DMs.
Taboola’s next act: an AI answer engine for publishers
HuffPost UK, Reach and USA Today Co. are rolling out Taboola’s AI-powered answer engine to boost engagement.
Marketing
TikTok recreates its ads for billboards through Vistar partnership
Partnering with Vistar Media, TikTok is rebuilding — not repurposing — ad creative for OOH, with tight control over branding and execution.
OpenAI starts laying foundations for ChatGPT ads in EU
Updates to the company’s conversion pixel signals a consent-first approach to ads in Europe, shaped by stricter EU privacy rules.
Baller League’s creator strategy: reach is not the same as fandom
Baller League’s growth strategy: build fandom first, sell franchises second.
Future of TV
Future of TV Briefing: Ad tech’s pod bidding push moves CTV toward advancing the live sports ad model in 2026
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how ad tech companies including Comcast’s FreeWheel, Index Exchange and The Trade Desk are preparing CTV’s programmatic supply chain for upgraded auction dynamics amid an influx of live sports ad inventory.
Pinterest debuts audience extension offering on CTV
Advertisers can now purchase Pinterest audiences on third-party properties via its TV Scientific offering.
Meta eyes CTV expansion to fuel its next wave of ad growth
Meta is looking to extend its performance advertising offering onto the biggest screen in the home.
Media Buying
Media Buying Briefing: Rival trade bodies emerge to contend programmatic’s future
Agentic media planning and buying could shake up programmatic media. But old politics and new ambitions are dividing key players into camps pursuing consensus – or disruption.
Future of Marketing Briefing: YouTube’s creator data play is an on-ramp, not a destination
YouTube is giving brands something they’ve been asking for. The question is whether getting it makes them want something it can’t yet provide.
The Rundown: Google expands AI Max as automation shifts upstream
Google issues AI Max updates come as parent company Alphabet boasts Q1 revenues of $110 billion.
Annual research reports
Podcasts
Research
Overall, the marketers who are incorporating AI into their workflows are seeing the benefits of the tech, but issues with trust and complexity are proving to be barriers to widespread adoption among marketers.
Overall, the marketers who are incorporating AI into their workflows are seeing the benefits of the tech, but issues with trust and complexity are proving to be barriers to widespread adoption among marketers.