Each day, New Digital Age gathers the most interesting marketing and ad tech news from around the world…
RETAIL
The Guardian – Phillip Inman, 5th June 2026
UK shoppers return to high street as warm weather brings respite from shadow of war
British Retail Consortium figures show footfall rose in May, with consumer confidence improving after spending squeeze.
CTV
Advanced Television – 4th June 2026
Report: Fragmented Connected TV viewing is the new norm
Fragmentation in Connected TV viewing is not a passing trend – it is the new norm according to Samsung Ads’ annual Behind the Screens report. Audiences are no longer experiencing CTV as a collection of separate services, but as a single, continuous viewing experience across numerous apps – all radiating out from the CTV home screen.
LLMs
ExchangeWire – 4th June 2026
Thrad Launches Four Native Ad Formats for LLM & AI Conversation Environments
The launch reflects a deliberate move away from retrofitted display formats. Rather than adapting banners or pre-roll to conversational interfaces, Thrad’s formats are built for how users actually interact with AI: asking questions in the moment of intent, discovering options through follow-up dialogue, and making decisions in context.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Hello Partner – 4th June 2026
YouTube Affiliate Marketing Booms as Disclosure Standards Continue to Lag, New Research Finds
New academic research suggests that while affiliate marketing is booming, ad disclosure continues to lag.
AI
Digiday – Alyssa Mercant, 5th June 2026
YouTube’s AI remix push exposes a looming reckoning for the creator economy
Late last month, Google plugged its Gemini Omni model into YouTube Shorts’ existing Remix tool, turning it into a way to heavily rework or transform creators’ videos.
EMARKETER – Nate Elliott, 4th June 2026
US AI Advertising Forecast 2026
Most Spending Will Happen Next To—Not Within—AI, as OpenAI Falls Far Short of Its $100 Billion Target.
AdAge – Parket Herren, 5th June 2026
Brands face an AI-era reckoning—take control or trust the ‘neutral’ middle
Publicis’ pending acquisition of LiveRamp poses immediate questions about transparency and competition. However, it also prompts marketers to reassess their ad tech stacks, scrutinizing current partners and practices, and how ready it all is to inform AI-fueled workflows.
MOBILE
Digiday – Ronan Shields, 5th June 2026
By the numbers: Liftoff’s IPO tests ad tech’s mettle on the public markets
Liftoff Mobile’s initial public offering this week, which raised $437 million, representing a stock flotation price of $23 per share, was the latest test of the public market’s appetite for ad tech.
