In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Beeswax acquires ad tech start up MediaGamma as it focuses on building its programmatic offering; Buzzfeed puts its German offices up for sale; and FreeWheel gets set to release its unified programmatic platform. Beeswax acquires MediaGamma in a bid to bolster its programmatic offering New York-based Beeswax has bought ad tech start-up MediaGamma for an undisclosed sum. The purchase bucks the trend of many ad tech players, with many reported to be shedding personnel in response to [...]

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The term ‘ad network’ surfaces a lot of ill-feeling when discussed at conferences or in the trade press – its reputation has been besmirched by consistent bad behaviour over two decades. Programmatic ad tech vendors built market share in the 10s, by promising to remove ad networks from the supply chain. The irony here of course is that the majority of these ad tech vendors offer a managed service and happily accept IOs.  But things are about to change for the [...]

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In today’s ExchangeWire new’s digest: WeChat limits third-party app access to user data; US search ad spend could fall by 29% in Q2; and Beachfront Digital and Amobee partner to integrate video-on-demand into programmatic. WeChat limits third-party app access to user data WeChat, the Chinese all-in-one app, has limited access to sensitive user data to only a select few developers. The move comes in response to violations of the tech giant’s user privacy regulation, according to WeChat, including a reported 3,252 attempts [...]

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In this exclusive article written for ExchangeWire, Stephen Byrne (pictured below), regional VP at smartclip, discusses whether programmatic advertising currently has a targeting problem, despite it supposedly being the primary advantage to the channel. Successful digital video advertising is based on many factors: creative ideas, high-quality environments and innovative formats are all equally important. But the first question should always be: Who do I want to reach? Based on data and automated targeting, this is where Programmatic Advertising thrives – at [...]

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In this exclusive interview, Luke Fenney (pictured below), vice president, publisher sales, international, Index Exchange, speaks with ExchangeWire on the future of the programmatic industry, and what the various underlying fluctuations affecting the sector mean for all players involved. Which channels are set to benefit most strongly from prioritisation of data-driven thinking? How can these be incorporated into existing “programmatic models”, and by contrast where does programmatic need to adapt to the channel in building a full media-buying strategy? Over the last [...]

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In a climate of ever-increasing regulatory pressure, and with the impending future of a cookie-less world, it is important that we in the digital advertising industry review our relationship with data and evaluate how we can improve on our understanding of this deep and complicated resource. The introduction of GDPR and the ICO’s recent focus on data compliance has made the processing of data in digital advertising an extremely important and increasingly complex operation. As we move away from the intricacies [...]

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In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the European region – in this edition: GumGum announces USD$22m (£17m) funding round; Verizon Media partners with VIOOH; Rakuten launches Rakuten Advertising; Yieldbird to invest €1.5m (£1.2m) in ADXo solution; and Trade House Media integrates with The Media Trust. GumGum announces USD$22m (£17m) funding round GumGum, Inc., an artificial intelligence company specialising in solutions for advertising and media, announced today that leading global marketing executive Lisa Licht [...]

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Writing exclusively for ExchangeWire, Richard Foster (pictured below), CRO of InfoSum, discusses how the digital advertising ecosystem can rebuild after the tectonic shift in the viability of the third-party cookie. Proving that its privacy mission isn’t just talk, Google has taken its first major step towards blocking third-party cookies. In its latest policy update, Chrome 80 will stop supporting cross-site sharing, unless cookies are flagged in line with the SameSite internet standard. On the surface, this move is about online security and [...]

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In this exclusive article written for ExchangeWire, Paul Evans (pictured below), B2B strategy and marketing consultant, discusses why the moment is right for the independent advertising ecosystem to embrace its own independence, champion relevance, and collectively re-imagine the future makeup of programmatic. The meaning of independence “2020 will see a re-think of programmatic”. The first of Ciaran O’Kane’s predictions for the new decade “had me at hello”, and now that we’re just a month in to 2020, this statement could not have [...]

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Following the launch of DAX across out-of-home (OOH) and audio, ExchangeWire speaks to Oliver Deane (pictured below), director of commercial digital at Global, to discuss the implications of the move for both channels, including how programmatic should be accurately defined in the context of OOH. ExchangeWire: What does the launch of DAX into digital outdoor mean for buyers? Oliver Deane: Essentially, DAX broadens the inventory pool for those buying outdoor. I went to an OOH industry event at the back-end of last [...]

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