April 2025 - Ad Tech on Trial and More

Hey there!

Welcome to this month’s Advertising Digest, where we break down the biggest stories and trends in ad tech, streaming, retail media, and more.

April updates include:

(1) Privacy, Identity & Legal Pressure (Google, Apple, TTD)

(2) Streaming Platforms & Media Power Plays (Youtube, Disney, Spotify)

(3) Retail Media: Tensions and Expansion (Walmart, Lyft)

(4) CTV Supply Paths and Programmatic Consolidation (Magnite, Walmart, Freestar)

(5) Platform Maneuvers in a High-Stakes Market (TikTok, Meta, Apple)

(6) Strategic Acquisitions & Ad Tech Alliances (WPP, Yotpo, Pinterest)

Here’s everything you need to know ⬇️

Privacy, Identity & Legal Pressure

Chrome delays third-party cookie phase-out...again

Google has officially paused its plan to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome, reversing years of privacy-led platform changes. The industry (after spending billions developing replacements) is now left grappling with a still-cookie-dependent ecosystem.

While Privacy Sandbox initiatives like Protected Audiences and Attribution Reporting continue in testing, trust in Google’s timeline has eroded. The abrupt shift reignites frustration among publishers, vendors, and marketers who built products around a now-stalled future.

Apple fined €150M over ATT, accused of self-preferencing

France’s competition authority fined Apple €150 million, arguing that App Tracking Transparency (ATT) unfairly restricts competitors while benefiting Apple’s own ads business.

The ruling repositions privacy not just as a user right but as a commercial advantage - one that regulators are beginning to treat as a competition issue. It could set a precedent for other scrutiny in the EU and U.S., especially as Apple quietly scales its advertising ambitions.

The Trade Desk faces dual lawsuits over UID2 and data tracking

Two class actions in California allege that The Trade Desk’s UID2 and Adsrvr systems violate state privacy laws. Plaintiffs claim the company collects and monetises personal identifiers like email addresses without adequate consent or disclosure.

The legal scrutiny adds pressure to UID2 adoption and raises fresh questions about how deterministic identity will scale amid increasing regulatory risk.

Read more here: "Digest: The Trade Desk faces two Privacy Lawsuits; OpenAI Reduces Model Safety Testing Time" | ExchangeWire

Streaming Platforms & Media Power Plays

YouTube nears media supremacy with $550B valuation

YouTube brought in $54 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to overtake Disney as the top-earning media company in 2025. Analysts note that subscription growth, particularly from YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, is now outpacing ad growth.

MoffettNathanson is urging the company to build a “skinnier bundle” that combines live TV and major streamers like Hulu, Max, and Peacock. If it does, YouTube could reshape how consumers access entertainment...again.

Disney expands its global ad platform across Canada and Europe

Disney’s proprietary audience graph and ad tech stack are now available outside the U.S., with buyers gaining access through The Trade Desk, DV360, and Magnite. The platform also supports programmatic guaranteed deals and automated ad buying for live content across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.

As others struggle to scale, Disney’s international ad ambitions position it as a rare full-stack alternative to Google and Amazon in the premium media space.

Spotify opens ad exchange to Google DV360 and Magnite

Spotify is scaling its ad ambitions by expanding programmatic access through new partners. Google’s DV360 and Magnite can now bid into Spotify’s Ad Exchange, allowing real-time access to music and podcast inventory.

Spotify also launched AI tools that help brands optimize campaigns toward specific performance goals like app installs and site visits. Early click-through rates above 1% suggest that audio may finally be ready for true performance advertising.

Retail Media: Tensions and Expansion

Walmart demands up to 50% more ad spend from brands

Walmart is asking CPG partners to increase their annual retail media investments by 25–50%, according to ADWEEK. But with several brands reporting stagnant performance and plateauing returns, tensions are rising.

Unlike Amazon, which can often tie ad spend to performance across a vast ecosystem, Walmart still lags in attribution and self-serve tools, making spend hikes harder to justify.

Lyft partners with StackAdapt to scale retail media reach

Lyft is taking a novel approach to retail media by leveraging its location, trip, and transaction data to build audience segments. The new StackAdapt partnership brings more demand into Lyft’s growing in-app ad business, which launched in late 2023.

With advertisers ranging from restaurants to national chains, Lyft is betting that mobility-driven audiences offer a fresh alternative to browser-based targeting.

CTV Supply Paths and Programmatic Consolidation

Magnite merges SSP and ad server into unified CTV platform

Magnite is consolidating its CTV business by merging its SpringServe ad server with its streaming SSP. The result is a single platform aimed at reducing latency, improving transparency, and making campaign delivery more efficient for buyers.

This move reflects growing demand for simplified supply chains as buyers look to reduce the ad tech tax and streamline media execution.

Read more: "Magnite Unveils Next Generation of SpringServe, Combining Its Streaming Ad Server and SSP" | Magnite

Walmart Connect pilots Vizio CTV integration

Walmart is now testing the use of Vizio’s smart TV inventory and viewing data for CTV ad targeting. This marks one of the first visible steps from its 2024 acquisition of Vizio and a direct challenge to Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV ad offerings.

By linking Vizio viewing habits with Walmart purchase data, the retailer is offering advertisers closed-loop attribution on the biggest screen in the house.

Freestar triples fill rates via The Trade Desk’s OpenPath

Freestar, a major publisher monetisation platform, reports that integration with OpenPath has tripled fill rates and boosted programmatic revenue by 27%.

The improvement underscores the growing appeal of direct supply paths, but also stokes debate about how much control DSPs should have over inventory access and pricing.

Platform Maneuvers in a High-Stakes Market

TikTok ramps up upfront deals despite looming U.S. ban

TikTok is projecting confidence amid mounting regulatory threats, offering agencies steep incentives, up to 30% discounts, to secure 2025 media commitments. While many advertisers are hedging, the platform’s sales team is moving full speed ahead, especially as upfront negotiations heat up.

For now, the message is clear: TikTok isn’t backing down, and it wants brands to bet on its longevity.

Meta’s FTC antitrust trial begins, breakup on the table

The Federal Trade Commission's case against Meta kicked off in April, arguing that the company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were anti-competitive.

If successful, the case could force Meta to divest one or both platforms, an outcome that would fragment media buying across Meta’s ecosystem and significantly impact how brands plan and execute campaigns.

Read more: "Landmark antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram" | BBC

Apple rebrands “Search Ads” to “Apple Ads”

Apple’s rebrand of its search ad business is more than cosmetic, it signals a broader shift toward ad monetisation across more surfaces. With iPhone sales slowing and hardware margins tightening, Apple appears poised to grow its ad business aggressively.

The company is expected to roll out new formats and placements in 2025, leveraging ATT and App Store data to drive relevance and performance.

Strategic Acquisitions & Ad Tech Alliances

WPP acquires InfoSum to bolster clean room and data solutions

WPP’s acquisition of InfoSum, one of the leading data collaboration platforms, positions GroupM to expand its role in retail media and privacy-safe activation.

InfoSum will remain an independent brand but now reports to WPP’s media unit. This move gives WPP a major clean room asset in an industry where data control and interoperability are increasingly central.

Yotpo buys Coho AI to double down on retention marketing

Yotpo, known for loyalty and review marketing, is sharpening its focus on retention with the acquisition of Coho AI, a CDP that connects behavioural signals to email, SMS, and loyalty programs.

The strategy is clear: shift focus from expensive acquisition toward high-LTV customer nurturing. It’s a sign that performance marketers are leaning into lifecycle value as CACs climb.

Pinterest tests programmatic growth through Index and Criteo

After considering several ad tech acquisitions, Pinterest opted for partnerships instead. It’s now testing deals with Index Exchange and Criteo to diversify demand and expand beyond its direct sales model.

The platform still wants to own the advertiser relationship, but is looking for ways to scale more efficiently without building a full-stack solution in-house.

Last Thoughts

The center of gravity in advertising is shifting, from platforms that sell attention to ecosystems that control data, identity, and infrastructure.

YouTube’s rise to the top isn’t just about content, it’s about owning the pipes, the audience, and the interface.

Meanwhile, clean rooms, retail media networks, and programmatic CTV platforms are all converging on the same goal: a closed loop between impression, action, and attribution.

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See you in June 👋