Sign in Subscribe
Data

This week: Courtroom showdowns and crumbling measurement

Digital advertising faces measurement crisis as IP matching fails while legal battles reshape platforms and AI licensing emerges as publishers' new revenue frontier.

Luis Rijo

• 17 min read
IP address network connections showing data matching failures in digital advertising infrastructure
IP address network connections showing data matching failures in digital advertising infrastructure

The digital advertising infrastructure demonstrated serious structural failures this week. Research revealed that foundational targeting methods produce accuracy rates barely exceeding chance, while closing arguments in one of the industry's most consequential antitrust cases arrived with competing visions for restoring competition.

Meanwhile, platforms continued their adjustments to regulatory pressures and competitive dynamics. Display & Video 360 implemented exchange name updates reflecting industry consolidation on November 17, Google integrated Waze inventory into Performance Max on November 6, and Meta enhanced AI optimization systems delivering 29% higher return on ad spend.

Publishers pursued AI licensing arrangements with tech giants, measurement systems incorporated streaming platforms under standardized frameworks, and infrastructure providers expanded real-time optimization capabilities beyond traditional delivery metrics.

IP address targeting collapses under scrutiny

The foundation beneath billions in digital advertising spending fractured when data validation provider Truthset revealed IP address matching produces accuracy rates of 16% for email matches and 13% for postal matches. The research, published November 5, examined records from six major data vendors including 1 billion email addresses, nearly 250 million IP addresses, and 164 million postal addresses.

Truthset analyzed data against verified records from two internet service providers and one large multichannel video programming distributor over a 90-day period between December 2024 and February 2025. The findings emerged from research conducted on behalf of the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement and Go Addressable, an addressable TV trade organization founded by AMC Networks, Comcast Advertising, DirecTV Advertising, DISH Media, and Spectrum Reach.

The accuracy gaps extended beyond simple percentages. Truthset observed minimal overlap between vendors, with more than 90% of linkages unique to one provider, signaling divergent methodologies and criteria. Providers demonstrated inconsistent definitions and formats for timestamping data, creating uncertainty about freshness and reliability. Geographic variation emerged as well, with higher population density states showing slightly higher IP-to-postal linkage accuracy, while states with population centers on borders like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut displayed lower accuracy.

Data vendors frequently assigned excessive IP addresses per household and incorporated stale data to expand data sets, trading accuracy for reach. The most accurate provider performed 4.5 times better than the least accurate, revealing substantial variance within the market.

Scott McKinley, CEO and founder of Truthset, framed the implications starkly. The walled gardens, which lack these matching problems, could capture audiences and associated spending if the open internet fails to address these deficiencies.

The research challenged the advertising industry's reliance on deterministic data that supposedly matches sophisticated targeting attributes to individuals and households. Buyers have operated under assumptions that campaigns reach specific targets, while reality presented considerably more complexity.

Kathryn Barnitt, Truthset's head of data science, alongside her team, applied Bayesian statistical techniques and machine learning to estimate match accuracy. The methodology involved validating vendor data against confirmed records rather than accepting self-reported metrics.

Jonathan Watts, chief operating officer at Go Addressable, characterized the situation as a promise of completely accurate, deterministic data that leads marketers to believe they reach intended targets, though truth proves more complicated. The analysis indicated buyers need education to stop accepting match rates at face value, with substantial provider variation requiring due diligence.

Providers should answer questions about IPv6 collection and inclusion in sold data, timestamping methodologies, refresh frequency, and lookback windows for establishing linkages. Yet obtaining these answers extends beyond technical exercises into existential matters for the open internet's competitive position against tech giants.

Previous PPC Land coverage examined Google Analytics' November 5 infrastructure changes that shifted user-provided data features toward advertising conversion accuracy rather than user session attribution. The modification removed user-provided data as a reporting identity identifier, affecting businesses relying on hashed email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses for analytics purposes.

Antitrust remedies proposals present divergent futures

The U.S. Department of Justice and Google submitted competing remedies proposals on November 3 in the Eastern District of Virginia antitrust case, establishing frameworks for closing arguments scheduled November 17 in Alexandria.

The 44-page DOJ brief outlined structural relief including AdX divestiture and open-sourcing DFP auction logic. The 43-page Google filing proposed behavioral remedies including real-time bid sharing and removing discriminatory practices. The submissions followed an April 17 liability finding and a remedies trial conducted from September 22 through early October.

Judge Leonie Brinkema will evaluate arguments from both sides synthesizing three weeks of testimony and hundreds of exhibits into cohesive narratives about restoring competition. The Justice Department emphasized that only structural remedies satisfy four mandatory objectives of antitrust decrees: unfettering markets from anticompetitive conduct, terminating illegal monopolies, denying defendants the fruits of violations, and ensuring no practices likely to result in future monopolization.

Testimony included publishers such as Daily Mail and WikiHow, ad exchanges Index Exchange and PubMatic, advertisers, and technical experts. The case proceeded alongside broader regulatory scrutiny of digital advertising markets, with the Southern District of New York granting summary judgment to private plaintiffs on October 27 using Virginia findings.

The DOJ case detailed on PPC Land represents one element of enforcement actions spanning multiple jurisdictions and market segments. Google argued its behavioral proposals would restore competition without risks and disruption of forced divestitures, emphasizing that no divestiture has been ordered to remedy product tying and that separating integrated technology assets creates unprecedented complexity.

The company maintained that publishers and advertisers could suffer during transitions, presenting divestiture as unnecessarily disruptive compared to behavioral modifications. The remedy selection carries implications extending beyond immediate parties, potentially establishing precedents for addressing vertical integration and self-preferencing in digital markets.

The timing coincided with other regulatory developments. The October 27 summary judgment in the Southern District of New York allowed private plaintiffs to proceed using liability findings from Virginia, expanding potential damages beyond government enforcement actions.

Platform adjustments reflect industry consolidation

Google implemented three exchange name changes in Display & Video 360 during the week of November 17, reflecting updated branding and partnership arrangements. Magnite Streaming became Magnite SpringServe, Xandr changed to Microsoft Monetize, and Criteo—Commerce Grid updated to Criteo Commerce Grid.

The modifications required advertisers to adjust saved reports, custom dashboards, and automated workflows relying on exchange-level reporting data for optimization decisions and supply path analysis. Exchange Name reporting values automatically reflected new names once implemented across the platform.

The Magnite Streaming to Magnite SpringServe change acknowledged the company's April 23 announcement combining its streaming ad server with supply-side platform capabilities. The unified platform streamlines buyers' connection to 99% of U.S. streaming supply according to Jounce Media's March Supply Path Benchmarking Report, with initial clients including Disney Advertising, LG Ad Solutions, Paramount, Roku, Samsung, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

SpringServe added machine learning capabilities on October 24 to optimize ad pod construction for connected television publishers, reducing redundant bid requests while maintaining yield and competitive separation between brands. The Xandr to Microsoft Monetize transformation followed Microsoft's June 2022 acquisition of Xandr from AT&T and subsequent platform development.

Google regularly updates Display & Video 360 to maintain alignment with industry standards and technological developments. The company announced major reporting changes for Q3 2025 on June 18, which included removal of Nielsen-related metrics, YouTube reporting structure modifications, and cross-platform standardization beginning July 7.

Earlier September 2024 updates included renaming EMX Digital sub-exchange to Cadent Aperture MX, demonstrating ongoing adaptation to industry consolidation and partnership modifications. In June, Google announced comprehensive naming updates scheduled for July affecting references to third-party prebid provider Adloox, which Scope3 acquired on November 4, 2024.

The changes impacted platform interface, API documentation, reporting systems, and Help Center materials across multiple touchpoints requiring coordination among campaign management teams.

Related PPC Land coverage detailed the DV360 exchange updates alongside broader programmatic infrastructure developments affecting supply path optimization and inventory access.

Performance Max expands inventory and transparency

Google announced November 6 that Waze ads joined Performance Max for store goals campaigns in the United States, while channel performance reporting expanded across all campaigns with search partners data forthcoming.

Teresa Chen, Director of Product Management for Local Ads, and Irem Erkaya, Senior Product Manager for Performance Max, attributed the updates to advertiser feedback throughout 2025 driving improvements to the automated campaign type.

Waze integration provides additional inventory for local businesses seeking customers navigating toward physical locations. The navigation application shows sponsored business listings with map pins, ratings, and promotional ad placements, extending Performance Max reach to drivers actively seeking destinations.

Channel performance reporting now covers all Performance Max campaigns, building on beta testing earlier in 2025. The reporting capability will add search partners in coming weeks to both channel visualization interface and channel distribution table, providing visibility into performance across Google's search partner network alongside owned-and-operated properties.

Manager account access represented another enhancement announced November 6. Advertisers using Google Ads manager accounts can access channel performance reports at portfolio level, enabling analysis across multiple client accounts or business units simultaneously.

Google's channel performance reporting emerged as a major transparency improvement announced in April. The feature addressed advertiser concerns about Performance Max's "black box" nature, where campaign managers lacked visibility into which specific channels drove conversions.

The November update extended reporting to all campaigns after initial beta limitations. The reporting includes metrics such as clicks, conversions, conversion value, and cost broken down by individual channels. Advertisers can examine performance across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, Maps, and search partners. The visualization component provides graphical representation of channel contribution to campaign goals, while distribution tables offer detailed numerical breakdowns.

September brought related improvements including search term reports added to Google Ads Editor 2.11 in November, campaign-level negative keyword lists that rolled out in January, and doubled search theme limits implemented in May. These features collectively addressed advertiser requests for greater control and visibility while maintaining efficiency advantages of automated campaign management.

PPC Land's examination of Performance Max updates positioned the changes within ongoing platform development responding to advertiser demands for transparency and control over automated systems.

Meta's AI optimization delivers substantial ROAS improvements

Meta announced November 3 that artificial intelligence optimization systems for app and gaming advertisers improved significantly throughout 2025. Value optimization solutions, also known as "maximize the value of conversions," now deliver 29% higher return on ad spend compared to campaigns optimizing for conversion volume.

The performance gap increased substantially from 12% improvement documented earlier in 2025, signaling accelerated development in Meta's machine learning capabilities. The company also implemented technical changes aligning advertising delivery with mobile measurement partner methodologies, including updated reattribution windows respecting MMP-specific definitions.

The value optimization performance trajectory suggests an accelerating learning curve for Meta's machine learning systems. The 12% ROAS advantage documented in June increased to 29% by November, indicating either algorithmic enhancements, increased training data from growing advertiser adoption, or both.

Major platforms have invested heavily in conversion value prediction models attempting to estimate long-term user value based on limited early signals. These systems enable real-time bidding adjustments accounting for predicted lifetime value rather than just initial conversion events.

The announcement addressed persistent pain points: optimizing for business outcomes rather than vanity metrics, and achieving consistent measurement across platforms and tools. Mobile measurement partner alignment changes included extended exclusion windows from 90 to 180 days, implemented prior to the announcement date.

The improvements apply globally across Meta's advertising platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Audience Network. Mobile measurement partner integrations specifically affect advertisers using AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, and other badged partners for iOS and Android app campaign attribution.

Meta's badged mobile measurement partners include Adjust, Airbridge, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava, Singular, and Tenjin. The company developed these enhancements to help app advertisers optimize campaigns based on specific business outcomes rather than conversion volume alone, addressing the challenge of identifying high-value users before conversion.

Meta deprecated legacy campaign APIs on October 26 for streamlined Advantage+ structure, part of broader platform consolidation efforts. PPC Land's coverage of Meta's AI optimization improvements examined implications for performance marketing campaigns relying on machine learning systems for audience targeting and bid optimization.

Innovid expands conversion signals for real-time optimization

Innovid announced November 5 that conversion signals within Harmony enable publishers and platforms to optimize campaigns in real time based on actual business outcomes rather than traditional delivery metrics. Display & Video 360 emerged as an early adopter of the conversion signals capability.

The development marked significant infrastructure advancement in connecting ad exposure data directly to attributed conversions, addressing a persistent gap between delivery and performance measurement in digital advertising. Conversion signals operate by tying attributed conversions from the InnovidXP measurement platform directly to ad-serving data within a closed-loop process encompassing ad serving, measurement, and optimization.

Guy Kuperman, Chief Strategy Officer at Innovid, explained that for advertisers, the advantage involves acting on what works in real time rather than waiting until campaign completion for performance assessment. The system enables publishers and platforms to optimize against actual business outcomes including purchases, sign-ups, and other conversion events.

The capability builds on the broader Harmony initiative launched in April 2024, which previously introduced Harmony Frequency in July 2024 and Harmony Direct for guaranteed media workflows. Conversion signals operate across connected TV and digital advertising channels through API integrations connecting InnovidXP measurement platform to demand-side platforms and publisher conversion APIs.

Traditional optimization relies on delivery metrics rather than business outcomes, forcing advertisers to wait until campaign completion for performance assessment. Conversion signals enable mid-flight optimization based on actual conversion data, improving both performance and efficiency.

Adobe integrated Innovid into GenStudio platform for campaign activation in October, expanding distribution of Harmony capabilities across creative workflows. The integration positioned Innovid's measurement and optimization systems within broader creative production and activation infrastructure.

PPC Land covered Innovid's Harmony expansion detailing technical architecture connecting measurement data to optimization systems in real time rather than post-campaign reporting cycles.

Streaming measurement integration advances in Germany

AGF Videoforschung announced October 28 that Prime Video's ad-supported video-on-demand content will integrate into Germany's standardized video audience measurement system starting November. The integration marks the first time a Joint Industry Committee worldwide incorporated an international streaming service using server-to-server technology.

The collaboration involves Amazon, Nielsen as technical service provider, and AGF's digital measurement framework. Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf, AGF CEO, characterized integration of an international provider like Prime Video under active measurement via server-to-server integration as a significant milestone.

Prime Video's VoD offerings entered the AGF SCOPE ex-post analysis tool beginning in November, with corresponding adjustments to the AGF videoScope research panel. Passive measurement data became available in September 2024 in AGF REACH PLANNER for strategic planning purposes.

The November implementation provides advertisers with neutrally measured insights supporting strategic planning decisions. International providers joining joint measurement systems strengthens advertising markets through standardization and transparency according to industry associations.

The integration applies to the German market, where AGF Videoforschung operates as the Joint Industry Committee for video audience measurement. Prime Video maintains over 17 million monthly ad-supported customers in Germany, representing substantial inventory entering standardized measurement frameworks.

The integration establishes comparable, neutral measurement standards for international streaming platforms participating in local markets. It addresses advertiser demands for transparent, standardized metrics enabling comprehensive campaign evaluation across fragmented video environments, supporting cross-media campaign standards development.

Amazon enhanced streaming TV ad transparency with show title reports for Prime Video and Freevee in August 2024. The company has pursued multiple initiatives increasing measurement transparency and standardization across its streaming inventory in various markets.

PPC Land's coverage of the Prime Video AGF integration positioned the development within broader efforts establishing neutral measurement standards for streaming advertising across European markets.

AI licensing negotiations accelerate among publishers

News Corp explored potential for multi-licensing LLM portfolio strategy, with sources indicating the media group pursued branching out beyond its May 2024 OpenAI deal reportedly worth $250 million spread over five years. CEO Robert Thomson described the strategy as a "woo and sue" approach in an August earnings call, directly negotiating with LLM players during the window.

Google began AI licensing talks with publishers in summer 2025 but maintained less public visibility than OpenAI regarding partnerships. The company recently worked with publishers on curated "featured notebooks" in NotebookLM, including The Economist's World Ahead 2025 report and The Atlantic's "How to Build a Life" advice series by Arthur C. Brooks.

Thomson's comments regarding AI companies' need to maintain competitive LLMs by gaining access to premium journalism provided fertile ground for publishers' future revenue diversification, signaling media groups like News Corp aren't betting on single LLMs but evaluating whether deals with multiple LLMs make sense.

Aaron Rubin, partner in the strategic transactions & licensing group at law firm Gunderson Dettmer, noted the default expectation is that these deals will be non-exclusive. For publishers, exclusivity wouldn't make sense because it would limit ability to have multiple LLM-driven revenue streams. For tech companies, limiting options to one publisher likewise wouldn't make sense.

Associated Press joined Microsoft's fledgling AI content marketplace on November 6, becoming the latest media company after People Inc. and USA Today Co. to confirm a licensing deal with the tech giant. The news agency revealed partnership with the pay-per-use content marketplace, having signed a deal last week according to Kristin Heitmann, global chief revenue officer of Associated Press.

AP struck its first licensing deal with OpenAI in 2023 and signed an agreement with Google to license AP content to Gemini at the start of 2025. Microsoft's move to create an AI marketplace signaled the market that it respects copyright law and wants to pay for IP it doesn't own, stressed Jason Kint, CEO of publisher trade group Digital Content Next.

The a la carte model of buying piecemeal based on what people want represents experimenting with new marketplace dynamics that's healthy, showing actual bargaining happening between both sides. Whether it works or represents the right model remains to be determined, but publishers interpreted it as welcome signal of intent for how Microsoft plans to pursue AI licensing.

People Inc. struck an AI licensing deal with Microsoft to participate in the tech giant's pay-per-usage AI content marketplace. Microsoft worked with a group of major publishers to plug into its two-sided content marketplace compensating publishers for content use by AI companies and products.

Digiday's examination of Microsoft's AI licensing approach characterized the developments as cementing Microsoft's quiet rise in AI licensing, contrasting with OpenAI's more public partnership announcements. News Corp's multi-LLM licensing strategy received separate coverage detailing negotiations with multiple AI platforms simultaneously.

Reuters experiments with AI video production agents

Reuters experimented with using an AI agent to speed up video production processes. The company hired its first AI video producer this week to help oversee the initiative. Rob Lang, newsroom AI editor at Reuters, identified an opportunity to use agentic AI as a super-charged video editing system.

Reuters currently uses AI tools to create and process video metadata to cut different edits of video coverage. The AI agent would make rough cuts, with humans involved to make decisions on full video edits, such as Reuters' new AI video producer, Enrique Flores Roldan.

The system would help with more basic and time-consuming video edits. Ideally, it would cut together clips taking into consideration continuity errors, such as a subject taking their glasses on and off, or the sun going between clouds impacting the way a subject is lit.

About 60% of Reuters' newsroom uses AI according to Lang. The most "proficient" AI users, making up about 50 to 100 people out of Reuters' 2,500 journalists, use AI to "vibe code" and help with investigative journalism.

The team created a RAG database with its style guide for journalists to ask questions, such as how to spell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's name (Reuters spells it "Zelenskiy"). Lang's team built several AI tools to speed up newsroom production: a "sandbox" where newsroom staff can input prompts with the system creating prompt chains to help with production processes, CMS tools including headline builder and bullet point functions, and another CMS tool creating first drafts of stories by processing press releases and interview transcripts.

Digiday's coverage of Reuters' AI video experiment detailed technical implementation and workflow integration, positioning the development within broader newsroom AI adoption trends across major publishers.

Netflix shifts to Monthly Active Viewers metric

Netflix ads reached more than 190 million global Monthly Active Viewers in October, the company announced at a press roundtable on November 5. VP Mitzi Reaugh explained the new MAV metric represents members who watched at least one minute of ads on Netflix per month, multiplied by the estimated average number of people per household.

MAVs replaced MAUs, monthly active users. Reaugh noted one advantage is that the MAV metric better captures co-viewing behaviors. MAVs also include greater viewership outside of ad-supported plans, like during livestreamed events.

Switching from MAUs to MAVs won't affect how Netflix sells ads, said President of Advertising Amy Reinhard. The goal is being "more transparent and clear about how our audiences are interacting with the service."

The metric change arrived as Netflix continued expanding its advertising business following the ad-supported tier's November 2022 launch. The platform has emphasized scale and audience reach to advertisers while building measurement partnerships and expanding ad format options.

AdExchanger reported the Netflix metrics shift alongside other streaming platform developments, noting the timing as Netflix seeks to strengthen advertiser relationships through improved transparency in audience measurement.

Google Search Console experiences multiple technical issues

Google Search Console encountered several issues throughout November. The platform experienced a bug with its API when filtering on the searchAppearance dimension, occurring when using notEquals or notContains operators that returned rows with excluded values instead of excluding those rows.

Google Merchant Center implemented Smart Cropping that automatically crops product images in Google Shopping if it thinks images will look better in Google Search. Publishers can opt out of the feature through merchant center settings.

Google added a new user agent to the Googlebot's user-triggered fetchers documentation. The Chrome Web Store Google-CWS user agent joined documentation for crawling and indexing purposes.

Google had a few unconfirmed but significant search ranking updates but continued waiting on an official core update through November. Google confirmed a search serving issue early in the month affecting query processing and results delivery.

Search Console released a new query groups report in Search Console Insights. Google expanded AI Mode to more people, with Liz Reid interviewed twice and Robby Stein interviewed regarding search developments and AI integration progress.

Google Voice Search received a significant upgrade, and Nano Banana came to Google Lens for visual search enhancements. On the local side, Google Business API Questions and Answers feature began deprecating on November 3, with the company indicating it's "in the process of updating the Q&A functionality and user experience."

Google AdSense implemented new Authorized Buyers blocking control on November 6, replacing the "Ad networks" blocking control from Brand safety. The company removed the "Automatically allow new Google-certified ad networks" control, with new authorized buyers allowed by default going forward.

Search Engine Roundtable's November Google Webmaster Report compiled the various developments affecting search marketers, noting the lack of official core updates represented unusual pattern compared to typical monthly algorithmic adjustments.

Streaming bundles save subscribers $16 monthly

Streaming services reached price points pushing more people to sign up for bundled subscriptions to save money. In the past six months, 22% of streaming subscribers signed up for bundles, saving them on average $16.32 per month, according to a survey of 2,000 streaming subscribers conducted by subscription tech provider Bango.

YouTube TV generated $10.3 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2025. Roku generated $1.1 billion in platform revenue including ad revenue in Q3 2025. Peacock had 41 million subscribers at the end of Q3 2025, roughly the same as Q2 2025. Fubo had 1.63 million subscribers in North America at the end of Q3 2025. Charter lost 64,000 pay-TV subscribers in Q3 2025. Forty-five percent of Netflix's U.S. subscriber base uses its ad-supported tier.

Tubi's revenue increased 27% year-over-year in Q3 2025. Sling TV will pay $530,000 to settle a children's privacy lawsuit related to its sale of children's personal information and insufficient privacy protections.

Digiday's Future of TV Briefing examined bundle economics alongside subscriber retention patterns, noting increased bundling activity reflects strategic responses to subscription fatigue and price sensitivity among streaming audiences.

Agency M&A activity reaches critical phase

Omnicom Group expected to close its $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group by the end of November. The deal will create the world's largest advertising network by revenues, overtaking rivals Publicis Groupe and WPP.

Omnicom entered the final stage of gaining regulatory approval from the European Union, the last remaining market under review. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission gave the deal final clearance in September, and the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority did so in August.

John Wren, chairman and chief executive officer of Omnicom, stated in a statement that together with IPG, the companies will emerge with the industry's most talented team and a powerful platform designed to accelerate growth through strategic advantages in data, media, creativity, production, and technology. The companies already saw strong momentum with significant new business wins across both organizations, underscoring compelling opportunities the acquisition creates.

The transaction represented the latest in consolidation trends reshaping agency holding company landscape, with scale and capability integration driving strategic rationale. The combined entity will compete for global advertising budgets across multiple disciplines and geographies.

Adweek reported Omnicom's expected November closing amid Q3 2025 results showing 4% revenue growth, positioning the acquisition timeline within broader context of holding company performance and market positioning.

Timeline

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

Week of November 17

November 17 (Scheduled)

  • Closing arguments scheduled in DOJ vs. Google ad tech antitrust case in Alexandria, Virginia

November (Month)