Ad Ops
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Inside the Buy Side
Black Excellence in Digital Media & Advertising: 2025 Leaders to Watch
In honor of Black History Month, AdMonsters celebrates Black professionals shaping the future of digital media, advertising, and ad tech. From driving innovation to championing diversity, these leaders are making an impact far beyond the industry.
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Decoder
Why Comcast’s Universal Ads Will Actually Work
Comcast’s Universal Ads is set to reshape premium video buying by centralizing access to top media companies with advanced tech and seamless automation. Here’s why it’s different—and why it might just work, according to Casey Saran is co-founder and CEO of Spaceback.
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Behind the News
Regulating the Press? The FCC’s Targeted Investigations Raise Alarms
The FCC’s latest investigations into media companies, led by Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr, have raised alarms about press freedom. Targeting DEI programs at select organizations while ignoring others, the probes appear less about regulation and more about exerting political pressure. With NPR, PBS, CBS, and others under scrutiny, experts warn this could be a step toward weakening independent journalism—echoing tactics used by authoritarian regimes.
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Behind the News
DOGE’s Unfettered Access to PII Prompts Legal Challenges
DOGE reportedly pulled financial, employment, and tax data from multiple agencies without public disclosure—privileges no business or federal agency would be allowed. Its unchecked access to personal data is under legal fire, facing lawsuits from privacy advocates and state attorneys general. Will the courts or Congress step in?
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AI
How Collaboration is Redefining the Buyer/Seller Relationship in 2025
While RTBDAY ’25 may have been a buy-side event, there were many takeaways for the sell-side. And if there was one theme weaving through the day that might have been subtle, it was that no one is winning alone anymore. The event highlighted the power of partnerships in navigating AI, measurement, ecommerce, and privacy shifts. Here are seven takeaways publishers need to know now.
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AI
Happy Ever After or a Deal with the Devil? Why Ten-Year Ad Tech Contracts Set a Dangerous Precedent
Many publishers are in a period of acute financial vulnerability, making them ripe for exploitation. Unscrupulous ad tech companies have leveraged these hardships to lock publishers into restrictive 10, 15, or even 20-year contracts.
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AI
Real Threats to Publisher Pageviews—and How to Combat Them
Generative AI, ad blockers, and platform shifts are chipping away at publisher pageviews and revenue. Explore the top threats publishers face today and the strategies they need to defend their audience and future-proof their business.
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Inside the Buy Side
SSP Curation: The Fix That Could Break the System
SSP curation is being touted as the next big solution for publishers and advertisers—but is it just the old ad network model in a shiny new wrapper? As curated deals bundle premium inventory with lower-tier content, publishers risk losing control while advertisers demand more transparency. Here’s what’s at stake.
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AI
From Teacher to CMO, Stephani Estes Is the Head of the Class
This year, we at AdMonsters are honored to announce Stephani Estes as a Keynote Speaker for the Sell Side Summit, held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 9-11, 2025. We caught up with Estes to talk about her career journey and what keeps her invested and motivated to succeed.
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Behind the News
The Super Bowl LIX Ad Playbook: Data, Dollars, and the Shifting Rules of Engagement
Super Bowl LIX went beyond the splashy commercials to showcase a live experiment in how the ad ecosystem is shifting. Armed with data from AD-ID, EDO, XR, Zappi, AdImpact, and expert insights from industry leaders like Amy Leifer of DIRECTV Advertising and Sarah Lewis of ShowHeroes, we dug into this masterclass outlining advertising’s next moves, from data-driven playbooks to creative gambles that either scored big or fumbled hard.
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