Digital identity, Netflix advertising, and a blocked Microsoft acquisition.
Welcome to this month's Programmatic Pulse. In this edition we look at the future of the DSP; the UK blocking Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard; and our new course on digital identity.
TPA Digital and ID5 launch new course: 'An Introduction to Digital Identifiers'
Last week TPA and ID5.io , a leading digital identity provider, co-launched a new educational course designed to help those in our industry to better understand the current and future state of identity in digital advertising.
Over 5 video- and quiz-based modules, ID5 provides a comprehensive review of traditional approaches to identity, as well as in-depth coverage of emerging methodologies in a post-cookie world.
You can learn more about the course and sign up to it here:
Do programmatic buyers even need a DSP anymore?
It's unsurprising to see DSPs trying to offer more direct access to publishers as cost transparency across the programmatic supply chain improves. But with advances elsewhere in the supply chain and changing trends in how programmatic media is bought, Wayne Blodwell (TPA Founder & CEO) explores whether the use cases of a DSP still warrant buyers' investments.
Read Wayne's full article on Linkedin here:
UK blocks Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The move would have given Microsoft ownership of popular titles like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. The CMA cited concerns about reduced innovation and limited options for gamers in the fast-growing cloud gaming business,
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have expressed disappointment and plan to appeal, but the decision could potentially derail the entire takeover, as regulatory approval is required from the US and European Union.
Microsoft already has a significant presence in the gaming market through Xbox, and the proposed acquisition would consolidate a significant portion of the gaming industry under one company. This would give it substantial power over the gaming market, including the ability to control the distribution and promotion of popular titles. Advertisers rely heavily on popular gaming titles to reach a large and engaged audience, and a consolidation of the industry could lead to higher costs and fewer options for advertisers to advertise in these games. Additionally, a consolidation of the industry could lead to less innovation and competition, which could ultimately harm both advertisers and consumers.
The blocked acquisition highlights the increasing scrutiny of large tech companies and their attempts to acquire smaller firms, particularly those in the gaming industry. It also demonstrates the growing importance of gaming as an advertising channel, as advertisers seek to reach younger audiences who are increasingly spending their time playing video games.
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Netflix advertising update
In this recent article, Netflix's VP of Global Advertising, Peter Naylor, dropped a lot of interesting information about the future of Netflix's advertising product, such as the ability to do show level targeting within a series for brand safety reasons (citing the fact episode 1 - 3 might have high sexual content compared to the rest). But perhaps my favourite comment was one which tried to define the difference between his product and linear TV:
"You can call me streaming, you can call me connected TV, you used to call me over-the-top, but the truth is we’re TV. It’s just modern, better TV. And by the way, the audience is expanding, not contracting. It’s young, not aging. It’s the best of TV, so it doesn’t really matter what you call it. It’s just a superior video product."
I couldn't agree more with the definition. From now on I will be using two terms in my broader conversations with advertisers:
Let's hope it sticks.
Adtech Maturity Assessment
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