Welcome to The Refresh, your weekly download of what actually matters in advertising. Brought to you by Marketecture Media and written by AdTechGod. Every Thursday, we bring you the latest news, commentary, and memes that speak the truth about this industry. If it's happening in AdTech, media, or marketing and it’s interesting, it’ll be here.
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TelevisaUnivision wages war with YouTube (Axios)
Healthcare Adtech Firm DeepIntent Clinches $637M in Funding for AI Product Development (Adweek)
Adalytics Asks Judge To Toss DoubleVerify Suit (Mediapost)
Adtech company PubMatic sues Google over monopoly violations (TechCrunch)
It’s Time to Reevaluate How SMBs Approach Connected TV (Adweek)
Media agencies hope to drive down costs as Walmart opens up DSP roster (Digiday)
Scope3 Lays Off Staff as Part of Shift Toward Agentic Advertising (Adweek)
Netflix and Amazon Team to Turn Streamer's Programmatic Offering Upside Down (Adweek)
Inside United Airlines’ Journey with Mike Petrella from Kinective Media
Mike Petrella, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships at Kinective Media by United Airlines, shares his journey in advertising and media and how Kinective is reshaping traveler commerce. He dives into the power of partnerships, the role of customer choice, and how data and AI are unlocking new ways to engage affluent travelers through a one-of-a-kind commerce media network.
CTV’s Next Chapter: Context, Data, and Real Results
Molly Schultz, EVP of Investment Strategy at IPG Mediabrands, and Field Garthwaite, Co-Founder and CEO of IRIS.TV, join us. The conversation digs into how contextual targeting is reshaping CTV advertising, why data consistency is critical, and how solutions like Acxiom Contextual CTV are unlocking new levels of performance.
Magnite Acquires Streamr.ai to Bring AI-Powered CTV Advertising to Small Businesses
Generative AI has the potential to be transformative in advertising, especially for SMBs that lack the resources of larger brands. By automating creative production and campaign setup, AI lowers entry barriers and allows smaller players to compete in high-growth channels like CTV. That being said, the industry should ensure transparency, creative quality, and ethical safeguards as AI-driven ads become more widespread. This acquisition is a smart move by Magnite that accelerates AI’s practical application in real-world adtech.
AI Crawler Spoofing on the Rise: 1 in 18 Requests Found to Be Fake
It’s frustrating but not surprising that AI crawlers, which were built to make technology smarter and more useful, are already being exploited by bad actors. Whenever something new and valuable enters the scene, someone finds a way to twist it for personal gain at everyone else’s expense. Spoofing legitimate bots not only undermines trust but also forces companies to spend more time and money defending themselves instead of pushing innovation forward.
It’s the same pattern we’ve seen with email spam, phishing, or malware; good tools get abused, and the rest of us pay the price in lost efficiency and added security costs. The challenge now is finding better ways to authenticate real AI traffic so progress isn’t slowed down by those trying to manipulate the system.
Google Ad Manager Pushes Direct Deals, Sidestepping DSPs
Google Ad Manager (GAM) is courting agencies with direct-buying options, which could sideline DSPs like DV360. While Google says it’s about stronger publisher monetization, this decision mirrors SSPs such as PubMatic and Magnite going direct to buyers.
Agencies are split: Some see supply-path efficiency, others doubt value beyond display and video, especially given weak CTV and app support. Competitive pressure from Amazon and The Trade Desk might be driving Google’s strategy, but GAM will need to prove real performance and pricing advantages to win agency budgets.
Is Horizon Media’s DEI Initiative a Mirage?
Horizon Media loves to market itself as a beacon of diversity and inclusion, but if these allegations are true, its “DEI is our DNA” mantra is nothing more than a hollow PR slogan.
A new lawsuit paints a picture of a toxic culture where Black women executives are demeaned, excluded, and then discarded when they dare to challenge bias. Being told to “seduce reporters” or to “serve” fellow leaders is offensive and degrading.
Worse, the accusations point directly at the very top: the founder, CEO, president, and HR head. If leadership is complicit in perpetuating discrimination, then the rot runs through the core of the agency. Horizon can issue all the polished statements it wants, but no amount of industry awards or brand partnerships should shield it from accountability. If the ad world truly values equity, it should hold Horizon’s leadership to the same high standards it claims to celebrate.
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