Below is a roundup of last week’s notable industry news, with summaries and our opinions. We finally might have a resolution on the horizon for TikTok!? And, another BIG win for Amazon…

Netflix to sell ads through Amazon’s DSP🔒
Source: Ad Age
September 10th, 2025

Summary: Netflix and Amazon are becoming unlikely business partners in advertising, despite being fierce streaming competitors. Amazon's DSP will now have access to Netflix's premium ad inventory, making Amazon a go-to platform for brands wanting to buy ads across virtually all major streaming services.

Netflix has been building its own ad server since initially launching with Microsoft in 2022 and now partners with multiple DSPs, including Google's DV360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo. Amazon joins this roster as Netflix pushes to double its ad business this year, with the streaming giant expected to hit $2B+ in US ad revenue, per eMarketer.

For Amazon, Netflix represents the final major piece of the streaming puzzle. Amazon's DSP already has deals with Disney, Roku, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery—plus its own Prime Video inventory. This gives Amazon's DSP major reach across the streaming ecosystem.

The numbers show why this matters: Netflix commands 8.8% of US TV viewing time, second only to YouTube, while Prime Video holds 3.8%, according to Nielsen. Amazon generated $15.7B in ad revenue in Q2, up 22% year over year, partly driven by DSP and connected TV growth.

Both companies will use clean rooms and data collaboration to help advertisers optimize performance across their combined inventory in a privacy-safe way. The new service will be available in the US, UK, France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and other markets in Q4.

In related news, Amazon continues to bolster its DSP beyond CTV, announcing an expanded integration with SiriusXM that gives advertisers better targeting and analytics on streaming audio inventory.

Opinion: The Amazon wins keep on coming. Getting Netflix—a direct streaming competitor—to plug into its DSP is a statement to the entire industry: Our ad demand is now indispensable. Even our biggest consumer-facing competitors NEED us to prop up their ad businesses.

This Netflix deal represents a final piece to Amazon's CTV story. They already had Disney and Roku. Now with Netflix on board, Amazon can offer advertisers true one-stop shopping across premium streaming inventory (OK, fine, they don’t have YouTube, and that’s big, but they’ve got everything else!). And they can layer in all the juicy purchase data and closed-loop measurement as well. Along with Google (for YouTube), Amazon has essentially become a “must-buy” for streaming television ads. No one else (sorry TTD) currently sits in that “must-buy” category.

Meanwhile, Netflix is following Disney's playbook: maximize the value of your own premium content through ad tech partnerships and skip the operational nightmare of building, or even white-labeling, transactional ad tech. Even if it means striking partnerships with competitors. Doesn’t seem like Netflix will be buying a DSP any time soon.

Speaking of a mature market, Judge Mehta's toothless remedies in the Google search case—letting them keep Chrome and Android while politely asking Google to share search data once in awhile—sent a clear signal that aggressive, dare we say, monopolistic, platform expansion is okay again. Amazon watched Google get a slap on the wrist for being a convicted monopolist and thought: Our turn. Seems like big tech and walled gardens will continue to rule digital advertising for years to come.

But will there be a passing of the torch? Amazon has already surpassed Google in open web CTV monetization, the fastest-growing segment in digital advertising. Google’s ad tech business may not be long for this world, depending on the outcome of their ad tech antitrust case. Google’s search business is eroding due to the growth of AI, and due to retail search on platforms like Amazon. 

So, we must ask: Is Amazon the next Google?

Magnite Becomes Third SSP in Two Months to Sue Google Over Antitrust Allegations🔒- The industry's largest independent SSP joins OpenX and PubMatic in filing federal lawsuits against Google, alleging the tech giant unlawfully monopolized the ad exchange and publisher ad server markets, Adweek reported. Magnite's 81-page complaint claims Google forced advertisers using Google Ads to buy display inventory exclusively through AdX, manipulated auction pricing to favor its own platforms, and implemented schemes like "Project Poirot" that reduced bids on impressions coming through competing exchanges. The lawsuit draws from the DOJ's landmark antitrust case that resulted in a federal judge ruling that Google operated an illegal monopoly in ad tech. Magnite says Google's anti-competitive practices cost them scale and over 100 jobs through layoffs while forcing strategic shifts, all of which Google maintains are "meritless."

Google Search Ads 360 Adds Criteo As First On-Site Retail Media Supply Partner - The partnership allows Google search advertisers to buy sponsored product listings across Criteo's network of 200+ retailers and ecommerce merchants, extending traditional search campaigns to retail sites. For Criteo, the deal opens access to previously unreachable spend from large brands that don't typically have dedicated retail media budgets, AdExchanger reported. These advertisers may lack traditional retail media budgets but possess all the necessary assets like product catalogs and pricing feeds. The partnership is seen as the first step in what could be a broader enterprise arrangement between Criteo and Google's ad business, with potential expansions to Google DV360 and other marketing platform tools. Interesting to see Criteo go outside its own walls to seek demand from a major competitor like Google for its prized retail media inventory.

Healthcare Ad Tech Firm DeepIntent Clinches $637M in Funding for AI Product Development🔒- Private equity firm Vitruvian Partners now has a majority stake in DeepIntent, a healthcare-focused DSP. DeepIntent serves 19 of the top 20 global life sciences companies, helping pharma and health brands like AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson execute marketing campaigns against custom audience segments of patients and healthcare practitioners using health-related data. The company will use the funding to incorporate generative AI tools within its tech stack. Healthcare advertising is tricky due to strict regulations and complex patient privacy requirements. DeepIntent's massive funding round suggests investors believe AI can solve some of healthcare marketing's biggest challenges—compliance, targeting, and measurement. Who knew a niche, vertical-specific DSP could be worth so much?

Rembrand Merges With Spaceback to Build AI-Powered 'Ad Factory'🔒- The cash-and-stock transaction combines Rembrand's virtual product placement technology with Spaceback's ability to transform social media content into video and TV ads. CEO Omar Tawakol says the goal is to help brands "move at the speed of culture" by creating video ad experiences that feel more like content than traditional ads. In an example of what’s possible, Rembrand created a virtual product placement for a popular music video. The artist then shared a social media post about it, which Spaceback turned into a targeted ad, creating a seamless brand experience from content to campaign. The merger expands their advertiser base from serving the top 30 brands to the top 5,000, with the combined platform operating under the Rembrand name while retaining all 75 employees. Creative + AI for the win!

Vimeo to be acquired by Bending Spoons in $1.38B all-cash deal - Bending Spoons, one of Europe's largest mobile app developers, wants to further its investments in the US and expand Vimeo’s offerings, which include self-serve and OTT/Vimeo Streaming product lines. The acquisition, expected to close in Q4, comes as Vimeo has lost nearly 90% of its market value since spinning off from IAC in 2021, prompting leadership to explore strategic options. Bending Spoons has a track record of post-acquisition cost-cutting, having laid off 75% of WeTransfer's staff and most of the staff at Evernote, while also implementing restrictions on Evernote's free tier after its 2022 acquisition. TechCrunch reported the acquisition will take Vimeo private and delist it from public exchanges.

FTC probes Google, Amazon for allegedly misleading advertisers - The FTC is investigating whether Google and Amazon have been playing hide-and-seek with ad pricing details, looking into Amazon's auction process and Google's alleged “stealth” price hikes. 

The Trade Desk Stock Sinks After Morgan Stanley Downgrade🔒- Morgan Stanley slashed The Trade Desk's price target from $80 to $50, Adweek reports, citing slowing CTV growth and Amazon's aggressive DSP expansion. Shares fell nearly 11%.

Apollo Explores Sale of Internet Pioneer AOL🔒- Apollo has been receiving interest in AOL, which could sell for around $1.5B. 

Dentsu grows programmatic know-how with Index Exchange, Chalice AI - The agency holding company is combining Index Exchange's supply-side infrastructure with Chalice's AI bidding technology to create automated programmatic capabilities for clients across Europe.

With GAM Going Direct To Buyers, SPO Is The New Normal - Is Google preparing for an antitrust-related spinoff or is this just part of the industry trend of SSPs going directly to the buy side?

Meta Has New Tools For Brand And Performance Goals, With A Focus On AI (Of Course) - Meta launched Reels trending ads to help brands show up next to popular creators, claiming 20% higher brand awareness. 

Trump signs memo to crack down on direct-to-consumer pharma ads - The memorandum isn't quite a ban but does go after companies for targeting ads on social media and digital platforms without proper disclosures, CNBC reports.

Adobe Announces General Availability of AI Agents for Businesses to Transform Customer Experience Orchestration - Adobe’s new AI agents automatically manage customer experience workflows across multiple channels and applications. 

Cognitiv Dives Deeper Into Contextual Advertising With Updated ContextGPT Tool - The AI DSP’s updated ContextGPT analyzes webpage content, images, and video context to determine optimal ad placement and creative selection. 

Meet the Impressive Growth Stock That's Up More Than 700% Since IPO and Is Poised to Join the S&P 500 - AppLovin joins the S&P 500 on Sept. 22. Although recent reports suggest short sellers are targeting the company again, Jim Cramer has high hopes for the stock, calling it a "mini-Google." The company is now worth more than $200B. 🤯🤯🤯

Rolling Stone Publisher Sues Google Over AI Summaries🔒- Penske Media alleges that Google's AI Overviews are stealing its content and killing traffic. Just like every publisher, they’re stuck in the classic catch-22…

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