AI Featured This week: Platform battles and AI shifts dominate advertising Google, Meta, and AI platforms clash over privacy regulations and advertising control as publishers struggle with AI crawler economics and platforms race to deploy agentic features for holiday shopping campaigns this week.
Data California fines mobile gaming firm $1.4 million for privacy failures Jam City violated CCPA by failing to offer opt-out methods across 21 mobile apps, affecting consumers including minors ages 13-16 without consent.
Data German data protection authorities call for enhanced GDPR protections for children German regulators propose ten amendments to strengthen GDPR children's data protection including consent restrictions for profiling and advertising uses.
Search Google tightens phone number policy to combat fraud in ads Google will restrict phone numbers linked to fraudulent activity from call-only ads, call assets, and location assets starting December 10, 2025, with enforcement escalating over eight weeks.
Social Meta releases 2025 festive season guide with AI campaign tools Meta published comprehensive festive season marketing guidance on November 16, 2025, emphasizing Advantage+ automation and Reels creative strategies for advertisers.
Data Madrid court orders Meta to pay €479 million for GDPR advertising violations Spanish digital publishers win major unfair competition case against Facebook and Instagram over behavioral advertising data breaches from 2018 to 2023.
Search Google updates crawling infrastructure documentation with new technical details Google publishes updated crawling infrastructure documentation on November 20, 2025, adding HTTP caching support details and transfer protocol specifications.
Audio Spotify acquires WhoSampled music database for undisclosed sum Spotify announced November 19, 2025 acquisition of WhoSampled, the community-run database tracking 622,026 samples and 1.2 million songs, bringing music attribution tools to hundreds of millions.
Display Google opens lottery advertising in Puerto Rico effective December 11 Google Ads will accept lottery-courier advertising in Puerto Rico starting December 11, 2025, requiring state licenses and certification from qualifying operators.
Search Google expands offline gambling ad restrictions across 35 countries Google updated its offline gambling advertising restrictions on November 19, 2025, adding 23 countries to the prohibited locations list and clarifying permitted activities.
Data Google Analytics renames cost data import to campaign data import Google Analytics updates feature name to campaign data import on November 19, 2025, maintaining functionality while better reflecting capabilities.
Video Prime Video introduces AI-powered video recaps for season catch-ups Prime Video launches theatrical-quality video summaries using generative AI to help viewers reconnect with shows between seasons, building on 2024's text-based X-Ray Recaps.
Search Adobe acquires Semrush for $1.9 billion to expand brand visibility tools Adobe announced November 19, 2025 it will acquire SEO platform Semrush for $12 per share in a $1.9 billion all-cash deal to address AI search challenges.
Search Google AI agents now book tables as Search Console adds annotations John Mueller announces Search Console annotations on November 17, 2025, while revealing AI Mode's agentic features can "reserve a table" automatically.
Audio SiriusXM launches weekly Serie A soccer show with Italian league SiriusXM debuts "Serie A: Calcio - Made in Italy" on November 20, featuring Adam Summerton and Charlie Stillitano covering Italy's top soccer league weekly.
Video LG Ad Solutions reports 60% growth in home screen advertising placements LG Ad Solutions announces 60% year-over-year increase in advertisers using smart TV home screen placements as viewers spend 10 minutes browsing.
Display DoubleVerify study reveals advertisers face mounting brand suitability concerns DoubleVerify surveyed 22,000 consumers and 1,970 marketers across 21 countries, finding 65% of advertisers express brand suitability concerns in walled gardens.
Search Google Ads introduces original conversion value metric for unadjusted performance data Google Ads adds original conversion value metric showing raw conversion data before value rule adjustments, improving transparency for advertisers analyzing campaign performance.
Display Bangkok Post adopts Taboola's DeeperDive AI search tool for website The Bangkok Post partners with Taboola to implement DeeperDive AI answer engine directly on its site, marking first Southeast Asian deployment on Nov 18.
Video Magnite launches Live Scheduler to streamline live event advertising Magnite introduces Live Scheduler, an industry-first tool for media owners and advertisers to plan, activate, and measure ads around live streaming events starting November 18, 2025.
Video NFL drives broadcast television to highest share in nearly a year Streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and Paramount+ see viewership gains on football game days, according to Nielsen's October data.
AI AppsFlyer releases eight products for measurement and AI automation AppsFlyer announced eight products on November 18 addressing measurement, AI agents, data collaboration, and security for marketing operations.
Retail Amazon's Rufus AI assistant gains memory, price tracking and auto-buying Amazon announced 50+ technical upgrades to Rufus on November 18, 2025, adding account memory, automatic purchasing, price alerts, and visual search features.
AI Amazon deploys generative and agentic AI across shopping platform Amazon reports 250 million Rufus users this year as platform expands AI features including Buy for Me, Lens Live, and personalized recommendations across mobile apps.
Audio Apple unveils most popular podcasts with 2025 year-end charts Apple released comprehensive podcast rankings for 2025 on November 18, revealing listenership patterns and creator trends through localized charts worldwide.
