The Big Story

Each week, the AdExchanger editorial team drills into the week's most urgent headlines in digital marketing. Hosted by Executive Editor Sarah Sluis, this podcast gets listeners up to speed on the most pressing news in ad tech and beyond, with key background details and analysis.

Two Types Of AI In Advertising 12/24/2025

Two Types Of AI In Advertising AI is fueling advertising, and AI agents are running ads. As we close out 2025, take a moment to listen to this AdExchanger Talks interview with Paul Longo, GM of AI in ads for advertising, for his POV on both of those topics. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39461970

The GAM Changes On Publishers’ Wish List 12/18/2025

The GAM Changes On Publishers’ Wish List First, CTV: The VAB has a bone with pick with Nielsen about its Big Data ratings, and Pinterest and TVScientific pair up. Then: Google Ad Manager is making changes in the EU, from getting rid of Unified Pricing Rules to integrating with Prebid and sharing more data with publishers. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39461735

Warner Bros., Netflix, Paramount: The CTV Chessboard 12/11/2025

Warner Bros., Netflix, Paramount: The CTV Chessboard Netflix could acquire Warner Bros., unless Paramount swoops in or regulators intervene. How rearranging the streaming leaders could affect the CTV ad business. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39370915

The Incredibly High Stakes Of Black Friday 12/04/2025

The Incredibly High Stakes Of Black Friday Consumer spending on Black Friday Cyber Monday was up 7%. But prices are high, and the most affluent customers are doing the most spending in the US. Plus: the challenges faced by the ad buyers managing campaigns on Meta during Glitchmas. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39277805

The Shifting Dollars Flowing Through Programmatic Pipes 11/19/2025

The Shifting Dollars Flowing Through Programmatic Pipes Inside Omnicom's shift in spend from The Trade Desk DSP to Amazon DSP. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39103560

Yearning For Earnings 11/13/2025

Yearning For Earnings We break down some of the most interesting financial trends coming out of Q3 earnings reports, and what rises to the level of being worth covering in the first place. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/39027235

APIs FTW, But IPs Are TBD 11/06/2025

APIs FTW, But IPs Are TBD New APIs from Roku, Comcast and The Trade Desk are reshaping digital advertising, from self-serve campaign management to cross-platform measurement. But when it comes to identity and targeting, a new study finds that IP address matching is missing the mark. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38940140

The Power of Prebid 10/30/2025

The Power of Prebid With its wide adoption and independent membership, Prebid is powerful. We discuss Transaction IDs and the remedies phase of the antitrust trial with those inside and outside the org to better understand this open-source project. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38847450

Rest In Privacy, Sandbox 10/23/2025

Rest In Privacy, Sandbox Now that the Google Privacy Sandbox is officially gone, we take the time to reflect on the project's complicated legacy (and our favorite memories of the deceased). /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38757190

Prebid, Meet OpenAds 10/16/2025

Prebid, Meet OpenAds Shortly after Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green said the DSP would splinter off from Prebid, he showed up at the Prebid Summit. Then, at ScreenShift, we learn what the TV industry thinks about AI. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38609290

The Trade Desk’s Sell-Side Settlement 10/10/2025

The Trade Desk’s Sell-Side Settlement With its OpenAds wrapper, The Trade Desk is putting roots into ad tech’s sell side. But publishers are wary. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38535325

The Big Story LIVE: AI Unleashed 10/02/2025

The Big Story LIVE: AI Unleashed Live from New York at Programmatic IO, the AdExchanger editorial team debriefs what ad tech’s brightest minds are saying and doing around AI and measurement. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38436310

Calculating The Odds On The Google Spinoff 09/26/2025

Calculating The Odds On The Google Spinoff Will Google need to spin off its ad exchange and ad server? Court is in session in Virgina, with the DOJ and Google advocating for completely different remedies to Google’s sell-side ad tech monopoly. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38367145

What Ad Lawyers Are Saying About AI 09/19/2025

What Ad Lawyers Are Saying About AI Advertising using AI-doctored images could spark legal issues if the images are misleading. Plus: the commerce reckoning. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38275150

AI-Driven Ad Tech Acquisitions 09/15/2025

AI-Driven Ad Tech Acquisitions From a $637 million PE acquisition of healthcare of a DSP to acquisitions of freshly minted startups, there’s been a flurry of ad tech deals this month. And they have one thing in common: AI. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38204040

The Remedies Edition 09/04/2025

The Remedies Edition Google is running a search monopoly, but the remedies are light. How will this decision affect advertisers and competitors? Plus, Google Ad Manager is acting like a standalone SSP, a move that appears connected to the looming remedies phase of Google’s second antitrust case. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38086465

Will AI Companies Pay Publishers? 08/28/2025

Will AI Companies Pay Publishers? Pause ads are going programmatic, as connected TV ad buying becomes more automated. Plus: how publishers are proposing to be compensated by AI companies – and the odds that they’ll receive what they are asking for. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/38003250

Remedying A Monopolistic Ad Server 08/21/2025

Remedying A Monopolistic Ad Server We’ve got the witness list for the remedy phase of the Google antitrust trial, which starts in September. Learn what changes Google could be forced to make to its ad server and exchange in order to make this corner of the ad tech market competitive again. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37904780

When The Trade Desk Dips, Ad Tech Drops 08/14/2025

When The Trade Desk Dips, Ad Tech Drops The Trade Desk has won the battle for supremacy on the open internet, says Needham & Company’s Laura Martin. But it might just be losing the war for the future of the web to walled gardens and AI search. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37826095

Ad Tech Goes To Court, OpenX v. Google Edition 08/07/2025

Ad Tech Goes To Court, OpenX v. Google Edition OpenX filed a lawsuit against Google over its anticompetitive practices. And HyphaMetrics claimed victory against Nielsen in court over a patent lawsuit. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37718390

Not So Long, Solimar 07/31/2025

Not So Long, Solimar Change can be bumpy. From The Trade Desk’s Solimar-to-Kokai transition to Nielsen’s transition to its Big Data + Panel offering, we go inside customers’ challenges with these two transforming platforms. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37620950

Transparent Non-Transparency 07/23/2025

Transparent Non-Transparency Ad agency hold cos have broadcasted their earnings. As AI and acquisitions transform their businesses, there are clear winners and losers. With media as a strong spot, we discuss the paradox of “transparent nontransparency.” /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37527310

Ads To Burn After Reading 07/17/2025

Ads To Burn After Reading Pixels attached to articles explaining a recent health diagnosis – without consent – led Healthline to a record $1.55 million fine for violating CCPA. Plus: the new AI contract. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37440965

Buying Ads In The Rabbit Hole 07/10/2025

Buying Ads In The Rabbit Hole YouTube accounts are uploading recent Hollywood movies, racking up views while advertisers (and sometimes creators) remain in the dark. Plus: Could Cloudflare’s AI bot blockers provide a salve for digital media’s traffic declines? /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37364170

Why The FTC Tied The Omnicom-IPG Merger To Brand Safety 06/26/2025

Why The FTC Tied The Omnicom-IPG Merger To Brand Safety The FTC approved the Omnicom-IPG merger, but with a brand-safety caveat: The agencies cannot create agency-level blocklists of any media that’s political or ideological. With Ad Fontes CEO Vanessa Otero, we unpack the consent order’s ramifications. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37164965

The Human Cannes 06/23/2025

The Human Cannes From Cannes Lions, our editorial team discusses the mix of perspectives on the ad industry’s application of AI: the opportunity, the hesitation and the predictions of how it will disrupt marketing. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/37111715

The Ad Agency Washing Machine 06/13/2025

The Ad Agency Washing Machine In the latest sign of massive change among ad agency hold cos, Mark Read is stepping down as leader of WPP. We unpack the impact of AI on agency hold cos and media, including WPP Media’s prediction that 2025 will be the first year in which the majority of ad spend flows through user-generated content. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/36998945

What Does It Mean To Be All In On AI? 06/05/2025

What Does It Mean To Be All In On AI? Meta updated its ad platform Wednesday with AI-based buying improvements. Is the company on track to be fully automated with AI by the end of next year? /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/36865695

It’s A Wrap On The Prebid Race 05/29/2025

It’s A Wrap On The Prebid Race Amazon is integrating into Prebid. What does this mean for publishers? Plus, are Amazon and Google diverging in their product focus? /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/36771435

Prog IO Live: AI, But With A Human Gut Check 05/23/2025

Prog IO Live: AI, But With A Human Gut Check Recorded live on the Programmatic IO stage in Las Vegas, the editorial team recaps the trends that dominated our conference: marketers adopting AI and finding truth through measurement. /episode/index/show/thebigstory/id/36690290

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