The Current

The biggest changes in advertising are taking place on the open internet, including areas like identity, the future of television, and retail media. The Current, created by The Trade Desk, is a news platform focused on the latest trends in modern marketing. We talk to key figures in the marketing industry to help you understand these major changes, how they are unfolding, and the reasons behind them.

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CTV and retail media push European digital ad spend past €100 billion, as search falters

1 week ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

Europe’s digital ad market has hit a major milestone, surpassing €100 billion in annual spend for the first time last year. The growth was largely driven by connected TV (CTV) and retail media. That shift — outlined at IAB Europe’s Interact conference in Brussels last week — is coming partly at the expense of search budgets, according to Daniel Knapp, chief economist at IAB Europe. The news landed against a backdrop of economic uncertainty.
Empathy at scale: What Headspace and Dotdash Meredith are teaching us about AI

2 weeks ago | thecurrent.com | Ilyse Liffreing

LAS VEGAS — Picture this: It’s the height of the holiday season. A young mom, juggling work, kids, and chaos sees an ad that doesn’t try to be clever — it simply gets her. It acknowledges her stress, offers empathy, and suggests a mental health tool that might actually help. That ad wasn’t dreamed up late at night by a team of agency creatives. It was built by AI. That’s what Headspace and Monks achieved in their latest seasonal campaign.
How U.S. upfront trends look different in the U.K.

2 weeks ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

At this year’s U.S. upfronts, streamers leaned hard on live sports — but that play doesn’t work everywhere. NBCUniversal may have locked in U.S. rights to the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup, but in Britain, major sports rights are already tied up by local broadcasters. That leaves global platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Warner Bros. Discovery with a different challenge: to win over advertisers through standout content, smarter ad tech and stronger measurement.
As tariff concerns grow, brands like Ford and DSW reposition messaging around transparency and value

2 weeks ago | thecurrent.com | Ilyse Liffreing

Volkswagen’s recent TV spot for its all-electric 2025 ID.4 doesn’t just tout performance and design — it has a message tailored to the current moment. The tagline: “Proudly assembled in Chattanooga.” In a political and economic climate where “Made in America” carries growing significance, it’s a strategic pivot designed to signal stability, trust and value. And VW isn’t alone.
NBCUniversal upfront positions Peacock as the live sports streaming leader with NBA deal, new features

3 weeks ago | thecurrent.com | Ilyse Liffreing

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NY —To kick off NBCUniversal’s 2025 upfront, the company’s global ad chief, Mark Marshall, descended from the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall on a bubble-like lift, decked out in a pink blazer — a theatrical nod to its Oscar-winning hit Wicked. “I just want everyone to think about over the next couple weeks when you’re allocating where you’re going to put your dollars,” Marshall joked.
OMR 2025 takeaways: Marketers weigh in on AI automation, performance marketing, and podcasts

3 weeks ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

At this year’s OMR conference in Hamburg — Europe’s largest gathering of marketing and tech leaders — one theme emerged: Advertisers are growing increasingly skeptical of the AI-automated world envisioned by Big Tech. Many are also starting to rethink performance marketing’s outsized role in the mix. From the rising demand for transparency to the growing appeal of podcasts, the mood at OMR 2025 was one of recalibration. Here are the key takeaways.
Will the U.S. Google ad tech ruling set the stage for E.U. action?

1 month ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

European regulators have often set the pace when it comes to reining in Big Tech. Now, after a historic U.S. antitrust ruling, leading European competition lawyers expect the European Commission to underscore that it’s game over for advertising monopolists. “This ruling makes it more likely that the European Commission will seek a structural remedy in its Google ad tech investigation,” says Thomas Höppner, partner at Hausfeld law firm.
Google throws ‘cookies’ to marketers after DOJ’s ad tech ruling

1 month ago | thecurrent.com | Ilyse Liffreing

Just days after a U.S. federal court ruled Google a monopolist in digital advertising — the second time within the last year — the tech giant is walking back a key privacy update in Chrome. Instead of rolling out a new prompt for third-party cookies, Google says users will continue managing cookie settings as they always have. The decision sparked a mix of relief, frustration and no small amount of skepticism across the industry.
Sky Media opens live Premier League matches to programmatic buying for the first time

1 month ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

Sky Media is enabling real time, biddable programmatic buying for live sports — starting with one of the most prized assets in British media: The Premier League. It’s the world’s most famous domestic soccer, er, football league. Sky Media says the move marks the first time advertisers can buy some live Premier League matches programmatically, offering premium, flexible reach across a highly coveted media property.
Spotify launches ad exchange and generative AI ad creator, adopts UID2 in major push for ad dollars

2 months ago | thecurrent.com | Zac Wang

At a glitzy event in New York on Wednesday, Spotify unveiled a raft of new ad tech products and partnerships designed to attract more brand investment in digital audio. Spotify officially announced its own ad exchange, SAX, enabling real-time programmatic bidding on its inventory for the first time.