In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: tech start-ups Gojek and Tokopedia merge to create “GoTo”; Google’s vice president of government affairs and policy urges the Biden administration to work more closely with the EU; and games developer Tripledot Studios raise USD $78m in a Series A funding round.   Gojek and Tokopedia merge to create “GoTo” Indonesia-based tech start-ups Gojek and Tokopedia are reportedly in the final stages of a USD $18bn (£13.1bn) merger. The deal, which is expected to close later this month, [...]

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In this article written exclusively for ExchangeWire, Jonas Jaanimagi (pictured below), technology lead at IAB Australia, explains how the IAB Tech Lab will help the industry rid itself of rogue programmatic traders. The mechanics of automated digital advertising are regularly compared to financial markets, and in some aspects that analogy can hold true. The main distinctions lie in the levels of regulation that are in place in finance and which are regularly reviewed and upgraded, whilst programmatic digital advertising remains self-regulated. [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Singapore “super app” Grab go public in the US via a record-breaking SPAC deal; media firms Univision and Grupo Televisa merge to build the US’s largest Spanish-language player; and the Biden administration add 7 Chinese supercomputer developers to the US’s blacklist.   Grab go public in largest ever SPAC deal Singapore-based start-up Grab will go public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The “super app”, which is yet to turn a profit, will raise USD $4.5bn (£3.3bn) [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Microsoft purchase AI and voice tech firm Nuance for USD $16bn; China ban mobile apps from collecting “excessive” levels of users’ personal data; and daily app usage leaps 30% compared to 2019, finds a study from App Annie.   Nuance acquired by Microsoft for USD $16bn Nuance Communications, an AI and speech technology company, are set to be taken over by Microsoft. The USD $16bn (£12bn) purchase reflects the US-based tech heavyweight’s plan to bolster their cloud-computing offering for [...]

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Following the detailed discussions at the recent MadTech Japan event, ExchangeWire speaks to Alfonso Asensio, Regional Director – Japan, Oracle Advertising, to discuss alternative forms of marketing and the role of technology providers in JAPAC markets as we enter the cookieless future. What are the key alternative targeting solutions for JAPAC marketers going forward in the absence of third-party cookies? What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of these? What we are seeing now is not a cookie versus no cookie situation [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: US-based streaming service Roku have announced plans for their own advertising brand studio; mobile ad tech firm Digital Turbine acquire Fyber; and News Corp sign a 3-year contract with Facebook’s News scheme.   Roku launch an advertising brand studio US-based streaming service Roku have set up their own advertising brand studio, which will produce advertisements and TV programmes tailored to marketers. A relatively new venture for streaming services, with only fellow streamer Hulu announcing the creation of their [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: a group of 15 US attorneys general have updated their antitrust lawsuit against Google to extend their claims to the Privacy Sandbox; ByteDance expands to Singapore as Chinese companies move to the “neutral city” to meliorate global regulators’ privacy concerns; and UK consumer spend on at-home entertainment spend reaches a record high in 2020.   US antitrust suit targets Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox Antitrust regulators in the US are taking Google to court over their plans to replace third-party [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: analysts predict that Disney will become the world’s biggest streaming company by 2024; the Wikimedia Foundation, have launched a new commercial product that will charge Big Tech for using Wikipedia content; and Australia records lower ad spend during the start of 2021, with digital proving a welcomed exception.   Disney to beat Netflix to title of world’s biggest streamer by 2024 Disney is expected to usurp Netflix as the world’s most popular streaming service. The forecast comes after [...]

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With projected spend of almost USD$17bn (£12.2bn / JP¥1.82tn) in 2021, digital advertising is big business in Japan. Like any business with significant investment on the line, advertisers want to make sure their dollars are well spent, and that their ads appear in a high-quality environment. Brand safety and suitability, as well as the desire to ensure ad spend is not siphoned away by fraud, have always been important to brands. However, the disruptive events of 2020, from the global pandemic [...]

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In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates in ad tech from around the globe. In this edition: digital video advertising blooms in Australia; the Canadian government announces plans to introduce a news media remuneration law; Facebook restores news sharing in Australia; and Alphabet are reportedly in talks to bring Google News back to Spain.   Digital video advertising investment surges 41% in Australia Investment in digital video advertising surged 41% in Australia during Q4 2020, reaching AUD $642.7m (£361.2m) by [...]

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