The Trade Desk has announced a definitive agreement to acquire digital advertising data company Sincera. Sincera helps advertisers evaluate the quality of data provided by publishers and thus more accurately assess the value of ad impressions. With the integration, The Trade Desk will also be able to show publishers the data signals most valued by advertisers.
Sixty-three percent of marketers surveyed by Mediaocean picked gen AI as the consumer trend to watch in 2025. CTV and social video came a close second and third with 56% and 51% respectively. Unsurprisingly, the Mediaocean survey concurred with IAB Outlook that marketers will prioritize digital channels this year.
Meta has enthusiastically ditched U.S. fact-checking in favor of right-wing-friendly “community notes”. But a spokesperson said on Monday that it will keep fact checkers active outside of the U.S., possibly because European regulators are more opposed to misinformation than the current U.S. regime. On the other hand, Google has told the European Commission that it will pull out of existing voluntary fact-checking commitments before these become legally required.
It’s one year since Google started showing ads in its now-familiar AI Overviews. They’ve now added them to AI Mode, a newer option that handles more complex queries. AI Mode will also offer a bespoke shopping experience, with agentic AI to track price and purchase when it fits your budget.