Each day, New Digital Age gathers the most interesting marketing and ad tech news from around the world…
CTV
MediaPost – Wayne Friedman, 14th July 2026
IAB: 2026 Digital Video Ad Spend +11%
Connected TV (CTV) ad spending is projected to grow 11% to $29.3 billion this year — a slight drop from last year’s 12% gain — according to a new IAB report.
New York Times – NYT Reporters, 14th July 2026
Twelve states have sued to block Paramount’s planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, California, New York and Washington.
Marketing Dive – Peter Adams, 14th July 2026
Advertisers don’t trust CTV inventory despite climbing spend: IAB
“Where is my ad actually running?” is a more common refrain in the industry even as U.S. investments in CTV are forecast to rise 11% in 2026.
HFSS ADS BAN
The Grocer – Ian Quinn, 15th July 2026
MPs demand FSA-led crackdown on HFSS loopholes
Ministers should close ‘glaring loopholes’ in the new junk food advertising ban, which MPs said allow junk food brands to continue advertising unchecked
City AM, Ali Lyon, 15th July 2026
Activist investor pushes for M&C Saatchi break-up in ‘next year’
The investment firm pushing to break up M&C Saatchi has predicted that the advertising agency will not exist in its current structure within a year, in a move that would see one of Britain’s most well-known advertising agencies depart from the stock exchange.
Retail Insight Network, Mohamed Dabo, 15th July 2026
US retail sales extend growth streak as June spending rises
US retail sales continued to grow in June, marking a ninth straight month of gains as consumers maintained spending despite ongoing economic uncertainty.
Retail Insight Network, Mohamed Dabo, 15th July 2026
New EU rules change how retailers manage unsold stock
The European Union is introducing new sustainability requirements that will change how retailers handle excess inventory, returns and end-of-season products.
PUBLISHERS
Digiday – Jessica Davies, 15th July 2026
Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 as AI search choked the open web
Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 of 2026 as AI era, zero‑click search choked the flow of traffic to news and other open‑web sites, according to new U.S. and U.K. benchmarking data from Ozone, shared exclusively with Digiday.
AI
EMARKETER – Marisa Jones, 14th July 2026
Meta’s AI ad tools are creating new risks for marketers
As Meta pours billions into AI, brands are grappling with faulty AI ad tools that produce confusing, misleading outputs, according to advertisers and agency execs that spoke to Business Insider.
