The Current

2 weeks 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.

3 weeks 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.

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.

1 month 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.

1 month ago | thecurrent.com | Chris Stokel-Walker

In the clash of the streaming titans, Netflix notched a public relations win when the Financial Times declared it the victor. The newspaper cites ever-ballooning user numbers, eye-popping share price growth and a constantly increasing share of viewing hours among households. That sentiment may feel especially true in Europe, where traditional broadcasters are largely struggling to compete with global streaming giants.