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The EU proposed a fee on small shipments: The new tax would add to the growing challenges facing Shein and Temu.

The news: Gander Social is an upcoming Canadian social platform built on the decentralized AT Protocol, similar to Bluesky. Gander rejects algorithmic feeds, ad surveillance, and dark UX patterns, per Metricool. As an alternative to networks like X, Meta’s Threads, and Bluesky, it offers user-controlled content, privacy by design, and community-first tools—hosted entirely within Canada. It will be available as a closed beta in August. Our take: As algorithmic fatigue and platform distrust grow, demand is rising for community-driven, ad-light spaces. Marketers should watch Gander as a testbed for the next wave of privacy-first, hyper-local platforms.

Publicis purchases influencer marketing platform Captiv8: The deal highlights that marketers are seeing influencers as a must-have for brand growth.

The news: At Cannes Lions 2025, Netflix announced it has added Yahoo’s DSP to its growing list of programmatic partners, joining Google, The Trade Desk, and Microsoft. The expansion boosts flexibility for advertisers targeting Netflix’s 94 million monthly ad-tier users across 12 countries, with new capabilities for first-party data and interest-based buying. Our take: With its Ads Suite now live globally, Netflix is done crawling—it’s competing directly with YouTube and social platforms for CTV budgets. As its per-user ad revenues rebound and its content ecosystem broadens, Netflix is evolving into a full-funnel marketing platform poised to reshape premium video monetization.

A second federal judge says Google is a monopoly: The ruling, targeting Google’s ad servers and exchange, could rewrite the rules of digital advertising.

Businesses could soon plug in budgets and products, and Meta will handle the rest—threatening the role of agencies in the digital ad pipeline.

The news: Adobe and Amazon are redefining how marketers produce video ads by launching new generative AI tools aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. Adobe Express for Ads, unveiled today, supports direct publishing to platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok, while Amazon’s AI video tool can transform product pages into multiple ad variants. These tools cater to resource-limited advertisers seeking scale and performance. Our take: The video ad market is maturing fast—and AI is making it more accessible. As more marketers pilot GenAI tools, early adopters will gain an edge in personalization and efficiency, turning creative experimentation into reliable results.

Amazon debuts three new CTV ad formats: The updates are part of Amazon’s Prime Video ads push and promise to help brands reach highly engaged audiences.

US travel industry digital ad spend will grow by 8.9% this year and 7.9% next year, per our forecast, representing a slow down after years of double-digit growth.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping transform connected TV (CTV) into a performance marketing channel, giving paid search and social media a run for their money. CTV ad spend will reach $32.57 billion in the US next year, and AI is helping to boost its potential for advertisers. Here are three ways AI is doing that.

Digital ad giants beat Q1 expectations, but tariffs, regulation, and slowing growth signal choppy waters ahead. This report breaks down which platforms are thriving, which are stalling, and what’s next for search, social, streaming, and retail media.

Non-endemic advertisers can come from any industry, so looking at total digital ad spend relative to retail media ad spend can provide directional insight into the incremental revenue potential for retailers. Who are the key players? Amazon.

This year, streaming services will finally earn more than traditional TV in subscription revenues.