Ad Tech Explained

Roku’s path to 100 million+ households hinged on one choice: prioritize widespread distribution over premium user experience. For Fox, that strategy is now a multi-billion-dollar differentiator, with their $22B acquisition underscoring the real value—owning a platform that sits directly between viewers, publishers, and advertisers. Why does this matter? Traditionally, media success meant owning the content. But as linear TV wanes, control of distribution, identity, and measurement—assets where Roku excels—has taken center stage. With its deep household penetration and robust first-party data, Roku delivers more than just reach: it enables Fox to strengthen its infrastructure for attribution, cross-channel measurement, and audience insight across properties like Fox Sports, Tubi, and Fox News. Yet, this opportunity comes with substantial challenges. Fox must maintain Roku’s perception as a neutral platform—even as it competes directly with the same publishers and streamers driving inventory through Roku’s OS. In a fiercely competitive and fragmented CTV landscape, preserving this neutrality is critical to sustaining publisher relationships and Fox’s new position. For anyone building or operating in CTV, this move marks another shift in the power dynamic—from content to platforms controlling access, data, and, ultimately, advertising outcomes. https://lnkd.in/eeRhzDEe

Why is show-level data so hard to access in CTV ad buying? In partnership with Gracenote, Ad Tech Explained breaks down the CTV data gap and how new solutions bring clarity to programmatic TV. https://lnkd.in/emtRApXe

In this Ad Tech Explained, we explore how 'agentic' advertising spend could flow from buyers to publishers through two main pathways: direct insertion order workflow automation or agentic programmatic buying. We also discuss the operational challenges and strategic implications of integrating autonomous AI-driven buying processes with existing ad infrastructure, as well as whether agentic advertising represents a new revenue category or an evolution of programmatic demand. https://lnkd.in/eWa-gEkS

Trey Titone shares how his 15-year ad tech career was shaped by three key learning drivers: immersive exposure in startup environments, intentionally expanding his role to tackle new challenges, and creating educational content that reinforced his knowledge. He emphasizes that broad early experiences, purposeful skill growth, and public teaching accelerate mastery and credibility in this complex industry. https://lnkd.in/eyCnk8T2

Less than a month after rolling out ads, ChatGPT has already enlisted Criteo as its first advertising technology partner and could add The Trade Desk next. These moves reinforce that OpenAI is prioritizing partnerships as a fast route to scalable revenue and risk mitigation, key factors for short-term investor confidence, even though building an in-house ads platform must be inevitable. The question for the ad tech ecosystem isn't whether OpenAI will disintermediate partners, it's when. We delve into why in the latest Ad Tech Explained: https://lnkd.in/gQY3-_-z

Programmatic advertising is built upon standardization. But until recently, there was no standard for communicating live event information before an event occurred — until the Forecasting API. Here’s what you need to know. This week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gUpCzgtT

Marketers are stretched in more directions than ever, and relying on a single platform or closed ecosystem is a strategic risk. The Open Garden Framework offers a better path. Ad Tech Explained and AI Digital break down what it is, why it matters, and how brands apply it. This week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gEVtaca7

Podcasts now reach more than half of the overall U.S. population every month. For advertisers, that means podcasting long ago stopped being an “add-on” channel. It’s a mainstream behavior with real scale. The Ad Tech Explained team developed this explainer, in partnership with Triton Digital, to explore the current state of podcasting and what advertisers need to know about making the most of these high-value audiences. This week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gawkjW49

Started in ad tech sales and quickly realized the real pull was the technology behind it. Instead of waiting for permission or a perfect title, the move was to learn fast, get useful, and build credibility through real impact. This series is for anyone building a real career in ad tech and trying to level up without burning out. No theory, no fluff, just hard-earned lessons from the chaos This week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gWTRvUNk

Programmatic buying is getting harder as signals fragment, privacy tightens, and performance pressure rises, which is why programmatic curation is gaining traction as a smarter way to buy media. By combining enriched, privacy-compliant data with quality inventory in curated marketplace deals, marketers can reduce waste, improve performance, maintain greater control, and deliver more relevant experiences without overreliance on cookies or legacy targeting approaches. Read more in the latest Ad Tech Explained, sponsored by Experian Marketing Services: https://lnkd.in/edssBD3n