Google also made news when it lost its second major legal case for monopolistic practices, a loss that is expected to “‘reshape’ digital advertising,” said Sean Cunningham, President and CEO of the VAB. “It also gives marketers the chance to let Google know that the end of opacity in their video advertising practices should fall next,” adds Cunningham. “While marketers know that the depth and breadth of Google’s non-transparency in video advertising is not (yet) a crime, now is the time to say, ‘it ought to be’ and demand and end to the industry’s double standards in transparency, that dynamic certainly needs ‘re-shaping’ as well.”

In our last Google item of the day, the company says it will no longer support or release software updates for the first and second generation Nest Learning Thermostats. “As we look at what it takes to support your energy needs going forward, it has become increasingly challenging to continue to update these products given the early hardware,” said Google in a blog post. “So we made the difficult decision that starting October 25, 2025, Nest Learning Thermostat (1st gen, 2011), Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd gen, 2012), and Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd gen, Europe version, 2014) will no longer receive software updates. You will no longer be able to control them remotely from your phone or with Google Assistant, but can still adjust the temperature and modify schedules directly on the thermostat.”

Instagram Edits, a new app that helps users create videos for social posts, had over seven million downloads its first week, making a far bigger splash than its competitor, ByteDance’s CapCut did at launch in 2020. Edits is available to download on both Android and iOS, and is free to use.

DAZN has launched Scores, a stats engine tailored to each user’s preferences, providing insights and real-time scores. Scores covers soccer matches around the world, allowing DAZN’s registered users to follow clubs and competitions for free on DAZN’s platform. The product is fully integrated, providing registered users with a frictionless entertainment experience as they explore DAZN’s content, products and services. “Scores is a strategic addition to DAZN’s ecosystem of content, products and services,” said Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group. “It will provide users with an enriched entertainment experience and increase the discoverability of DAZN’s entire offering, while boosting loyalty, frequency and retention.”

Streaming isn’t just an alternative to traditional TV – it’s the primary way Americans watch video content, according to Adtaxi’s “2025 Streaming TV Survey.” The report indicates 70% of US adults select a streaming service as their default viewing choice. Findings include:
– 64.8% of US adults watch video content on smartphones or mobile devices, making it the most popular screen for streaming. Consumers now use an average of three different screens to watch content.
– The average household subscribes to 3.3 paid streaming services while also using 2.7 free, ad-supported platforms.
– While streaming dominates, some viewers hold onto traditional TV for live events like sports and news. However, just 7.1% of Americans report no digital consumption at all.
– The average household now spends roughly $50 per month on streaming subscriptions.“
As of 2024, streaming TV had fully crossed into the mainstream. For advertisers, it’s no longer a complementary channel to broadcast and cable—it’s the foundation of any media plan built to reach today’s audiences,” said Adtaxi Director of Research Murry Woronoff. “For 2025 and beyond, brands must lead with digital-first, video-centric strategies to capture attention, drive engagement, and influence purchase decisions across every generation.”

Canela Media announced the launch of Club Canela, an integrated in-app streaming rewards program to create a deeper connection with Canela.TV users, as well as provide new opportunities for brands. McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company are onboard as Club Canela’s launch partners. “This initiative represents a unique opportunity for The Coca-Cola Company to further strengthen our already successful partnership with Canela Media,” said Stephanie Eaddy, Head of Cultural Marketing in North America. “Club Canela is an innovative program designed to foster deeper connections with audiences as they engage with the content they love, offering The Coca-Cola Company’s brands, like Gold Peak, an enhanced platform for more meaningful and lasting engagement.”

Rockbridge Growth Equity has sold GSTV, a video network available at fuel and convenience retailers, to MidOcean Partners, but will retain a minority stake. “Through our partnership with the GSTV team, we successfully transformed the business to realize new opportunities in an evolving media landscape,” said Brian Hermelin, Managing Partner and co-founder of Rockbridge. “Rockbridge understood that advertisers need new channels to reach today’s consumers, and GSTV has delivered a captive audience that we believe has more potential to grow. We look forward to supporting the GSTV and MidOcean teams as the Company embarks on its next chapter.”

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LG Ad Solutions and AdGood announced a strategic partnership to make premium CTV advertising more accessible to nonprofits by leveraging unsold streaming inventory. The partnership is “a huge moment for the streaming industry,” said Kris Johns, CEO of AdGood. “By donating their premium inventory, LG Ad Solutions is setting the standard for how CTV can be a force for social good. This is about more than just advertising—it’s about empowering nonprofits, elevating awareness in local and national markets, and making a real difference.”

BrightLine has introduced a new offering, DynamicAI, an AI learning engine designed to optimize the performance of engageable CTV ads in real time. Powered by real-time engagement data, the DynamicAI engine continuously re-sequences product combinations, keeping the best-performing items front and center throughout the campaign. “We already know interactive ads prove their value, as they deliver nearly 40% lift in brand recall. DynamicAI is our latest step in taking performance to the next level to better understand and engage with audiences,” said Rob Aksman, President and Co-Founder of BrightLine. “In an industry where AI is often more of a buzzword than a proven tool, we are focused on delivering real, meaningful outcomes.”

Music video network Vevo has launched a new suite of data-driven products. With Vevo Evolve, marketers can plan, measure, and activate advertising campaigns on all Vevo inventory, including mobile, desktop, and CTV. “The continued growth of a converged digital video and TV media market shows no signs of stopping,” said Rob Christensen, EVP, Global Sales, Vevo. “In time for this 2025-2026 Upfront season, we’re making it easier for advertisers to manage their spend across our premium music video inventory at scale.”

Sell-side advertising company Magnite introduced the next generation of its SpringServe video platform, a CTV/OTT solution combining its SpringServe ad server with the advanced programmatic capabilities of the Magnite Streaming SSP. Initial clients will include Disney Advertising, LG Ad Solutions, Paramount, Roku, Samsung, and Warner Bros. Discovery. “As the CTV space matures, there’s a significant opportunity to enhance the advertising process for media owners and buyers,” said Sean Buckley, President, Revenue at Magnite. “We’re building this next generation of SpringServe specifically to help our clients and partners stay ahead of these emerging opportunities.”

Experian and Media.net are collaborating to bring together two data sets: real-time contextual search intent and rich audience data. Unlike keyword-based contextual solutions, Media.net’s approach uses real-time search insights combined with full-funnel advertiser performance data to better understand audience intent. “By integrating Media.net’s search-driven intent signals with Experian’s audience intelligence, we’re delivering a unified targeting solution that combines precision and performance – empowering advertisers to reach the right audience at the right time in the right environment,” said Vaibhav Arya, CEO at Media.net.

TV outcomes company EDO is launching Engaged Audience Planning, aimed at helping convergent TV marketers optimize media plans for both reach and outcomes within their existing planning solutions. The interoperable offering delivers an automated, scalable way for advertisers to test various investment scenarios and fine-tune their strategies before committing to a final media plan. Powered by vertical AI, EDO uses syndicated data to analyze ad-driven consumer engagement behaviors such as brand searches and website visits across all linear and streaming TV.

Cadent has launched The Cadent Platform, a unified advertising system that brings AI-powered predictive intelligence to all stages of advertising, from audience planning to media activation to outcome measurement. “Today’s advertisers require more than delivery — they demand real outcomes from their advertising spend,” said Nick Troiano, CEO of Cadent. “The new Cadent meets that demand by putting the most advanced predictive models in the market at the center.”

Teads, the omnichannel outcomes platform, announced an immersive way for advertisers to reach audiences on exclusive experiences at incremental moments of high attention. CTV HomeScreen enables advertisers to place content directly on the first screen consumers see when turning on their connected televisions. “By placing high-impact native ads directly on smart TV home screens, we provide brands with premium, brand-safe placements that capture superior attention at the moment of content discovery,” said Jeremy Arditi, Co-President, Chief Business Officer of the Americas. “This approach ensures brands own the first moment on TV screens, maximizing both visibility and engagement in an uncluttered environment.”

Cable & Broadband Standouts is back, and we’re spotlighting the pros who didn’t just show up in Q1—they came to make an impact. Whether they’re steering high-profile projects or powering progress behind the scenes, these are the people redefining what it means to lead in our industry.

Got someone on your team who’s already making 2025 their year?

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Dr. Phil’s MeritTV has struck a strategic partnership with madSense to create Merit Pulse, an AI targeting platform that converts live social‑media topic engagement scores from Dr. Phil’s Merit TV assets into cross‑platform ad placements on Merit TV’s linear, FAST, app, social and podcast outlets.

Brand performance company LoopMe is collaborating with carbon intelligence platform Cedara to help brands and agencies reduce the environmental impact of their campaigns. This is achieved through comprehensive carbon emissions measurement for campaigns and Private Marketplaces (PMPs), allowing clients to understand and address their current carbon footprint, supported by placement and delivery optimization to remove high carbon-emitting inventory and ensure more environmentally friendly campaigns.

Lockr, by Viant, has expanded its audience integration management platform, giving publishers a single point of access to alternative identity solutions. With the addition of Viant Household ID, Yahoo ConnectID, First-ID, The Trade Desk’s EUID, and Criteo HEM, Lockr now supports five of the top seven most absorbed IDs, representing over 70% of industry adoption, according to recent Sincera data.

StreetMetrics, provider of OOH advertising measurement solutions, and OOH data and technology platform Accretive have partnered to create a unified planning and analytics solution. “This partnership enables us to create a single source of truth across all facets of OOH media planning, performance, and attribution,” said Drew Jackson, CEO of StreetMetrics.