Data Chrome kills most Privacy Sandbox technologies after adoption fails Google retires nine Privacy Sandbox APIs following years of development, low uptake, and widespread industry criticism of the cookie replacement initiative.
Search Google expands cannabis advertising pilot to government operators in Canada Google broadened eligibility for its Canadian cannabis pilot on October 15, 2025, allowing government operators alongside licensed producers to advertise.
Retail Google allows physical goods subscriptions in Shopping ads Google announced support for physical goods subscriptions in Shopping ads across eight categories. New feed attributes enable recurring sales models.
Data DoubleVerify expands Microsoft Advertising measurement and automation tools DoubleVerify announced expanded measurement capabilities for Microsoft Advertising inventory with new campaign automation tools on October 15, 2025.
Data Utiq launches brand measurement tool in Germany Utiq introduced Deterministic BrandLift in Germany on October 8, 2025, offering precise campaign measurement for budgets starting at 50,000 euros without cookies.
Retail Amazon begins quarterly tax reporting to Chinese authorities for cross-border sellers Amazon will report transaction data and revenue to Chinese tax authorities quarterly starting October 31, 2025, marking the end of tax gray zones for Chinese cross-border sellers.
Video RTL Deutschland builds dedicated AI infrastructure for Smartclip platform RTL Technology develops standalone server cluster to support Sidekicks agentic AI platform without external cloud reliance, advancing automation across media workflows.
AI California law requires AI to tell you it's AI California's SB-243, signed October 13, 2025, mandates companion chatbots disclose artificial nature to prevent users believing they're talking to humans.
Social Meta pushes spending (5%) on excluded placements for sales and leads campaigns Meta introduces default option to spend up to 5% of budget on each excluded placement in sales and leads campaigns, activated by default unless advertisers manually opt out.
Video YouTube maintains 100,000 subscriber threshold for verification badges YouTube requires channels to reach 100,000 subscribers before applying for verification badges that distinguish official creators from similar names.
Retail Holiday spending expected to reach $890 per person in 2025 survey National Retail Federation survey shows consumers plan to spend $890.49 per person on holiday items, second-highest on record, with tariff concerns driving behavior.
Social DoubleVerify extends brand suitability tools to Meta Threads feed DoubleVerify expands AI-powered brand suitability measurement to Meta Threads feed globally, providing advertisers transparency and contextual analysis.
Display Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) launches for advertising automation Ad Context Protocol introduces unified interface for AI agents on October 15, 2025, enabling cross-platform campaign management through Model Context Protocol.
AI Chinese researchers develop cheaper way to train AI without expensive updates New method costs $18 instead of $10,000 while improving AI performance on math and search tasks.
AI Adobe launches enterprise tool for AI visibility optimization Adobe introduces LLM Optimizer on October 14, helping businesses track and improve their presence across AI-powered search platforms and chatbots.
Social Social media reaches 68.7% of global population as AI use surpasses 1 billion Digital 2026 report reveals 5.66 billion social media users with 259 million new identities added. AI adoption exceeds 1 billion monthly users while ad spend climbs.
AI Statista cuts 80 jobs amid AI-driven data automation strategy Statista CEO announces 80 layoffs as data company shifts toward automation, affecting content team while Q4 2024 growth reached 18% year-over-year.
Display Nativo adds standard display ads to native platform Nativo expands beyond native formats with standard IAB display units, enabling advertisers to manage multiple ad types through single platform announced October 15.
AI Google presents AI Max framework during live stream Google's Toluse Akinlabi discussed AI Max during October live stream, detailing automated features for search campaigns with expanded targeting and text customization.
Video YouTube allows mid-stream switch from public to subscriber-only broadcasts Creators using the platform's Partner Program can now transition live streams to members-only content without ending the broadcast, addressing a frequent workflow limitation.
Retail Topsort acquires Phuzion Media to enter UK retail media market Silicon Valley retail media company Topsort completes first acquisition, purchasing UK firm Phuzion Media for £1.5 billion market entry on October 15, 2025.
AI Skepticism grows over AI shopping agents as ChatGPT checkout launches Independent analyst challenges agentic commerce viability despite ChatGPT's instant checkout, citing consumer behavior and retailer incentives.
Search Google launches AI features for Discover and Search sports updates Google announced two AI-powered features on October 13, 2025: an upgraded Discover feed with preview expansions and a "What's new" sports button for Search.
Search Nano Banana expands to Search and NotebookLM with 5 billion images created Nano Banana image editing model launches in Google Search and NotebookLM on October 13, 2025, bringing Gemini 2.5 Flash capabilities to more platforms after generating 5 billion images.
Search Google introduces sticky sponsored results label and hide ads control Google rolls out grouped sponsored results label with hide ads feature on October 13, 2025. Text ads get single header that stays visible while scrolling across desktop and mobile.
