Meta shared a six-month update on its Bulletin platform for independent writers, which rolled out in June. Bulletin debuted with 12 writers in June, and it is now up to more than 115 writers and publications. More than one-half of creators on the platform have tallied over 1,000 free email subscribers, with several reaching 5,000…
Instagram: How to Embed a Profile on the Web
Instagram introduced the ability for users to embed their own public profiles and other users’ public profiles on external websites. When a profile is embedded on an external website, it will show a preview of six of the user’s most recent images. Our guide will show you how to embed an Instagram profile on desktop….
AT&T Sells Xandr to Microsoft
Microsoft will acquire AT&T’s ad-tech business, Xandr, subject to regulatory reviews, bolstering the tech firm’s connected TV advertising capabilities. Financial details weren’t released. Top line Xandr operates a full ad-tech stack, including both demand- and sell-side platforms, plus its ad server, as well as other features. This tech complements Microsoft’s advertising offering and aims to…
Microsoft buys Xandr, ending AT&T’s ad tech bet that never really paid off
To say that it’s been widely understood that AT&T was looking to offload Xandr, the outcome of its 2018 AppNexus purchase, for some time would be an understatement, at the very least.
And with the news that Microsoft has bought Xandr for an undisclosed fee, this deal represents the close of another chapter of one of the most iconic names in ad tech. Microsoft’s purchase of Xandr is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory reviews, with Mike Welch, Xandr evp and GM, claiming his outfit’s technology can help accelerate Microsoft’s digital advertising and retail media capabilities.
Similarly, Mikhail Parakhin, president of web experiences at Microsoft, said in the same statement that he hopes to shape the digital advertising marketplace, “into one that respects consumer privacy preferences, understands publishers’ relationships with consumers and helps advertisers meet their goals.”
Several suitors were in the running
Microsoft was an early-stage investor in AppNexus and formed several key strategic partnerships with the outfit prior to its 2018 sale to AT&T, albeit, it faced some competition to purchase the ad tech assets from the telco in recent months with InMobi hotly tipped in the race.
Xandr offers, what is in effect, a modular ad tech stack with a host of tools that serve both the buy- and sell-side of the market with the company concentrating the bulk of its efforts on weaning publishers off Google’s lucrative ad stack under its AppNexus guise.
Several sources told Digiday, that during the protracted run-up to the most recent announcement, a number of suitors, including a rival sell-side ad tech player that was newly endowed with public funds following an initial public offering, kicked the tires of Xandr.
One source even told Digiday that there were internal discussions at Comcast about a potential approach for Xandr, but formal negotiations never materialized.
Xandr’s rollercoaster fortunes
The deal rounds off the latest flurry of mergers and acquisitions in the sector with notable end-of-year deals including Criteo’s purchase of IPONWEB for $380 million, plus GumGum buying Playground xyz, many of which were fueled by the spate ad tech companies going public over the last year such as Outbrain’s $55 million purchase of Video Intelligence.
In mid-2021, Axios reported that Xandr’s ongoing sale process was taking place as “losses mount.” One source with knowledge of its 2020 financials described them as “not pretty” to Digiday, a key reason why AT&T struggled to find a buyer in the early days of its sale exploration.
For some, the bifurcation of Xandr and AT&T’s premium media assets (a process that will take place as part of the creation of Discovery-WarnerMedia) makes it an undifferentiated asset with its “Community Garden” offering widely acknowledged as a disappointment.
Although, sources within Xandr are keen to highlight how its revenues have seen something of a resurgence in 2021 with the company reportedly eyeing $1 billion worth of spend, across linear and CTV.
Where did it all go wrong?
Compare this to three years ago when the vast majority of AppNexus revenues were generated by display ads, albeit sources told Digiday the ad tech company’s margins have thinned in recent years especially as advertisers demanded more robust transparency from transactions on the platform.
Some interpret AT&T’s divestiture of Xandr as indicative of a wider trend whereby U.S. telcos — which spent big on ad tech when we consider that the AppNexus purchase arrived soon after Verizon stitched together AOL and Yahoo — turn their back on the space.
Why are telcos turning their backs on ad tech after making such strategic investments? Well, the answer is simple, ‘internal politics’.
Privacy woes temper telcos’ media ambitions
Telcos are, after all, primarily companies that rely on subscription-based where margins dwarf those earned off the back of a media buy.
Last year saw a change in leadership at the very top of AT&T as Randall Stephenson — the CEO who oversaw the telco’s purchase of WarnerMedia and Xandr — was replaced by John Stankey with the new chief executive deeming investments in media as underserving the company’s shareholders. Then there are the ever-growing privacy concerns with Verizon’s early ambitions for Oath heading south soon after Hans Vestberg took the reins at the telco in 2018 with such concerns believed to be at the core of its downfall.
After all, we need only look at the recent $2 million fine slapped on OpenX after the Federal Trade Commission ruled that it violated elements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act as a demonstration of the jeopardy that many ad tech companies face.
Key departures
Xandr also suffered from a number of key senior departures with AppNexus’ talismanic CEO Brian O’Kelley exiting just weeks after the sale to AT&T was completed. Further still, the 2020 exit of the (then) Xandr CEO, and architect of the telco’s ad tech project, Brian Lesser led many to start questioning the sustainability of its ambitions.
Soon after his departure, it was announced that Xandr would be rolled into WarnerMedia, but it was understood that difficulties integrating the two outfits soon led to the abandonment of this project.
A project that the sale of Xandr to Microsoft effectively bookends, and now the industry awaits Microsoft’s renewed charge into ad tech.
The post Microsoft buys Xandr, ending AT&T’s ad tech bet that never really paid off appeared first on Digiday.
Announcing Digiday Media’s 2022 event schedule
Over the past two years, we’ve brought together the Digiday community through in-person summits, virtual workshops and everything in between. And with each new iteration of the pandemic, we learned something about connecting like-minded peers – face-to-face, over Zoom or otherwise.
As we head into 2022, there may be more obstacles in bringing media and marketing leaders together physically but regardless of the setting, we’re better than we’ve ever been at connecting them and we’ve created unique new ways of doing it.
Learn more about some of what’s new and what to expect next year below and make sure to view the full schedule.
- Commerce Week and TV & Entertainment Week. New week-long tentpole events spanning all of Digiday Media’s brands offer attendees the chance to go even deeper on key topics with everything from in-person gatherings to virtual forums to panel discussions and cocktail hours.
- Virtual, hybrid and in-person gatherings. In-person summits provide unique face-to-face networking opportunities. Can’t travel? Join us virtually to connect with an influential group of your peers.
- A full slate of events. You can once again expect mainstay events like the Glossy E-commerce Forum and Digiday Publishing Summit Europe in 2022 as we return to a full complement.
- More networking. Whether you’re joining us virtually or in-person, keep an eye out for even more features and opportunities to help you connect with peers.
We hope you’ll consider joining us — in-person, virtually or both. If you’re interested in saving on passes for in-person events, we’re offering 10% off the price of two or more passes through the start of next year. Contact us here to learn more.
Check out the full list below or learn more here and let us know if you have any questions.
2022 Digiday Media Events
CMO Summit presented by Digiday, Glossy and Modern Retail | January 25-26 | Virtual
Digiday Media Buying Summit | March 7-9 | New Orleans, LA
Digiday Publishing Summit | March 28-30 | Vail, CO
Modern Retail DTC Summit | April 5-7 | Palm Springs, CA
Digiday Media Presents: Future of TV Week | April 18-21 | Hybrid
Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit | May 4-6 | Palm Springs
Glossy Fashion & Luxury Summit | May | Miami, FL
Digiday Media Presents: Commerce Week | June 6-10 | NYC/Hybrid
Glossy E-Commerce Forum, part of Commerce Week | June 9 | NYC
Publisher Strategies Forum UK | June | London
Publisher Golf Outing UK | June | London
Digiday Publisher Retreat | July
CMO Summit presented by Digiday, Glossy and Modern Retail | September
Digiday Publishing Summit | September | Miami, FL
Glossy Pop Week | September
Digiday Media Buying Summit | October
Digiday Publishing Summit Europe | October
Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit | November
Digiday Gaming Forum | November
Glossy Beauty x Wellness Summit | November
Digiday Gaming Forum | November
The post Announcing Digiday Media’s 2022 event schedule appeared first on Digiday.
Xandr, Formerly AppNexus, Is Now Formerly AT&T, After Its Acquisition By Microsoft
AT&T has sold its ad tech business Xandr to Microsoft. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition marks the end of a painful and unsuccessful run for the one-time leader of the programmatic industry, AppNexus, which was rebranded Xandr but never found a home within the AT&T organization. Former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson… Continue reading »
The post Xandr, Formerly AppNexus, Is Now Formerly AT&T, After Its Acquisition By Microsoft appeared first on AdExchanger.
Princeton Apologizes For Controversial ‘Secret Shopper’ Privacy Study
Princeton University has cut short a privacy study that involved sending potentially misleading emails to a host of website operators, including nonprofits and small bloggers.
Instagram Sues Analytics Company Social Data Trading Over Alleged Scraping
The Hong Kong-based company Social Data Trading allegedly scraped data from Instagram and used the information for a paid analytics service, Instagram claims in a new lawsuit.
Volkswagen, Waze Partner To Add EV Chargers To Map
As part of the launch, Waze users can also change their car icon to a Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV.
New Crypto Coin Spawns ‘NFT Bots,’ Can Be Used To Reward Consumers In Loyalty Programs
NFT Bots enable users to monetize algorithms by trading them through a marketplace, creating a potential new form of promotion.