Behind Headlines: 180 Seconds in Ad Tech — Names & Blames

Hey there! This is Ari at Sharethrough. In this episode I'll be giving you a quick recap of what happened the week of October 25th in ad tech, in 180 seconds. Let’s go!

First up, Mark Zuckerberg has been hinting at a new parent company name for Facebook. All in an effort to move away from being associated with the platform and it’s plethora of lawsuits,   and heading towards the future it's trying to build. On Thursday, Zuckerberg announced the official name of the parent company. That future? The metaverse (AKA virtual reality). The new name? “Meta”. Facebook will remain, but simply as an app in their portfolio, and their Oculus Quest (VR headset) will become “Meta Quest''. Otherwise, it’s business as usual for Facebook. Sorry, I meant Meta. (Source: The Verge)

Secondly, in a heated back-and-forth between Google and Roku, Google recently decided to pull YouTube off of Roku devices. The arguments began in 2019 when Roku claimed that Google demanded access to users' search data, and to prioritize YouTube in users’ search results. Google said “no we didn’t”, but Roku revealed an email from Google asking for just that, and more. This argument has caught the ears of congress, who are now trying to keep Big Brands at bay through antitrust laws. (Source: CNBC)

Speaking of, Roku is rolling out new features that make it easier for advertisers to access insights into which shows users are watching. Earlier this year, Roku acquired Nielsen’s Advanced Video Advertising business in an effort to bolster its own ad business. Now advertisers can measure channel performance across multiple screens in a user’s home, like computers, mobile, and TV. Ad performance isn’t measured quite yet, but Roku is providing advertisers with demographic data aplenty. (Source: Gizmodo)

But while one platform adds data another takes it away. Firefox says it’ll be releasing Global Privacy Controls in the next couple of months or so. What this means is that users will be able to tell companies to not “sell their data”. Normally, companies could choose to ignore this, except for in California thanks to the California Consumer Privacy Act. But as more states start to roll out their own similar consumer privacy laws, companies will have no choice but to comply. While this is a more privacy-centric move for users, it will hurt advertisers who relied on that third-party data. (Source: Washington Post)

Lastly, In a recently un-redacted lawsuit, it’s revealed that Google has been slowing down non-AMP ads with an artificial one-second delay. Which in turn slows down header bidding, allowing ads bought from Google’s buy side to gain preferred access. Google has also been working with the other tech companies like Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft, on how it can stall consumer privacy efforts. While Google denies these claims as “baseless”, it seems to be a case of “do as I say, not as I do”. (Source: AdExchanger)

Thanks for tuning in! For more in-depth information or to subscribe to these weekly updates, check out the links in our blog. This has been Ari at Sharethrough for our weekly 180 second-recap in Ad tech. See you next week!