Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
Up To BAT
The programmatic market in China grew roughly 49% to $16.7 billion in 2017, according to new figures released by eMarketer. Almost 80% of programmatic spend in China went to mobile. Programmatic’s share of display spend in China is 60%, which still trails the US (78%). Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent dominate the Chinese programmatic market, with more than half of all media deals processed through their platforms, compared with the 36.5% of buys executed through other real-time exchanges. “Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent – the so-called BAT companies – will continue to dominate the programmatic advertising landscape as consumers spend more time on their digital platforms.” More.
Oh Noto!
The nest just got a little emptier at Twitter with the resignation of COO Anthony Noto, who’s taking over the CEO role at online lender SoFi. Noto’s departure is a blow for Twitter, which was finally winning over investors with signs of user growth and potential profitability. Wall Street doesn’t like C-suite musical chairs, and Twitter has seen an exodus of leaders in the past two years. COO Adam Bain and CTO Adam Messinger both left in 2016. Noto, who served as the NFL’s CFO before joining Twitter, was deeply involved in Twitter’s investments in live video, including its deal to stream “Thursday Night Football.” Members of the Twitter executive team will take on Noto’s responsibilities for the time being. Recode has more.
Agency Fraudsortium
A consortium of 28 fake ad agencies were behind a massive fraud push last year that led to 1 billion impressions delivered to consumers, Ars Technica reports. The fraudsters used Twitter, LinkedIn and fake websites to develop legitimate relationships with ad platforms, enabling them to reach 62% of the ad-supported internet on a weekly basis, according to research from security firm Confiant. The ads initiated mobile redirects that led to malicious software and tech support scams. Such forced redirects are an increasingly popular scheme among fraudsters. More.
The Criteo Corps
Ad tech vet Mike Peralta, who served as CEO of the now-defunct DSP AudienceScience (read AdExchanger coverage) during its heyday as a tech provider for P&G, has joined Criteo as EVP of central sales and operations. Peralta, the former CRO of MediaMath and COO of early ad net Magnetic, is charged with growing Criteo’s commerce marketing business and will report directly to COO Mollie Spilman. Peralta is also tasked with rolling out a new incentive management platform for Criteo, and integrating the company’s brand solutions into a larger global organization. Release.
But Wait, There’s More!
- Facebook Watch Isn’t Very Watchable – Slate
- WPP Consolidates Five Branding Agencies Into Superunion – WSJ
- Snapchat Test Lets Some Accounts Share Stories Outside Its App – Bloomberg
- Digital Verification Provider SheerID Inks $18M Series B – release
- Google Gets Into Audiobooks As Rivalry With Amazon Heats Up – Reuters
- Once Cozy With Silicon Valley, Democrats Grow Wary Of Tech Giants – NYT
- Brands Face Customer Loyalty, Engagement Shifts – MediaPost
- YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV Disclose Subscriber Numbers – CNBC
You’re Hired!
- Head Of Facebook’s AI Research Steps Into New Role – Quartz
- Facebook CMO Gary Briggs Is Leaving The Company – Recode
