In today’s Digest, we cover Publicis’ purchase of LiveRamp, Netflix debuting new ad markets, podcast inventory, and vertical video ads. We also discuss WBD betting on agentic advertising ahead of its Paramount merger and AI driving 129% growth for ‘meaningful’ brands. 

Publicis Buys LiverRamp for $2.2bn

Publicis Groupe has announced an agreement to acquire data collaboration platform LiveRamp in a $2.2 billion all-cash transaction. The deal, priced at $38.50 per share, represents a nearly 30% premium on LiveRamp’s May 15 closing price and implies a total equity value of approximately $2.55 billion.

This acquisition marks a major strategic push by the agency holding group to strengthen its data, identity, and AI-powered marketing infrastructure. Publicis plans to use LiveRamp to accelerate "data co-creation," which it views as essential for building smarter, agentic AI solutions for clients and expanding its overall addressable market.

Crucially for the wider ad tech ecosystem, LiveRamp will continue to operate as a neutral and interoperable platform following the acquisition. CEO Scott Howe will remain in charge, reporting directly to Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to customary regulatory and shareholder approvals

Netflix expands ad tier with podcasts & vertical video 

Netflix is expanding its advertising business, announcing plans to roll out its ad-supported subscription tier to 15 additional markets in 2027. The expansion will extend the ads plan into countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, including Austria, Belgium, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and Colombia. 

Alongside the geographic expansion, Netflix is also broadening its advertising inventory following recent product launches such as video podcasts and a new short-form vertical video feed called "Clips". The company confirmed that advertising across podcasts and vertical video formats will become globally available in 2027, strengthening its appeal to marketers seeking broader digital video opportunities. 

WBD bets on agentic ads 

Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled a suite of AI-powered advertising tools designed to make campaigns more interactive, personalised, and measurable across streaming, television, digital, and social platforms. Announced during the company’s upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden, the new offerings include shoppable pause-screen ads and a partnership with Kerv.ai that allows brands to place ads alongside specific scenes within shows and films, rather than targeting only broad genres or audience categories.

Warner Bros. Discovery is also linking its dynamic creative tools to its Brand Block product to better align advertising with the content viewers have just consumed. The company further signalled ambitions to automate ad relevance using AI agents capable of adapting messaging in real time based on audience behaviour and engagement signals.

'Meaningful' brands grow 129% on AI shift 

The rapid acceleration of AI is reshaping the global brand landscape. Brands that are perceived as meaningfully different are significantly outperforming the rest of the market, growing brand value by 129% since 2019, according to Kantar BrandZ . 

Consumers are now interacting with brands through thousands of AI-influenced touchpoints, ranging from personalised content feeds; however, Kantar said brands perceived as meaningful are outperforming competitors.