The ‘C’ In CTV Is For Cart; Held To Account

Recorded: March 25, 2026, 5 a.m.

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The ‘C’ In CTV Is For Cart; Held To Account | AdExchanger

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Home Daily News Roundup The ‘C’ In CTV Is For Cart; Held To Account

Daily News Roundup
The ‘C’ In CTV Is For Cart; Held To Account By AdExchanger

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026 – 12:03 am
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Tap-To-Pay TV
Similar to Walmart and Vizio, Samsung Ads used its time on the NewFronts stage this week to unveil glitzy new features for streaming advertisers. The general idea being to drive performance – and prove it.
Most notably, Amazon’s interactive video ad tech is coming to Samsung TV Plus over the summer via an integration between Samsung Ads and Amazon DSP. In English, Samsung viewers will start seeing “add to cart” buttons near products on-screen that are also sold on Amazon. Brands without Amazon listings can still advertise their products with calls to action, such as “sign up today” or “send to phone.”
“For viewers, this creates a much more engaging experience – and for advertisers, it’s a measurable, scalable solution that generates real results across the funnel,” says Kelly MacLean, VP of engineering, science and product at Amazon Ads, speaking at Samsung’s NewFronts.

Samsung advertisers tapping Amazon’s interactive ad tech will also be able to measure results using Amazon’s shopping, streaming and browsing data within Amazon Marketing Cloud.
Amazon says Samsung is the first device maker other than Amazon with access to its interactive video tech. But given how the “performance TV” hype is pacing, it’s logical to assume their exclusivity won’t last forever.
The Ads-To-Agents Scam
Nowadays, the most pernicious form of ad fraud is less about swiping ad revenue from marketers and more about accessing their platform login credentials.
AdExchanger has covered multiple waves of Google Merchant Center and Google Ads account takeover scams that primarily target agency ad buyers. One con involves purchasing the top sponsored result on Google Search and linking to a fraudulent site that mimics a true Google Ads login page. Some people click on that instead of going directly to the platform URL.
A more recent iteration of this fraud involves gaining access via Gmail ads.
All of this is a preamble to the news that Google Search scammers are now seeking out AI chatbot power users when they search plugins or look for help troubleshooting issues with their agents, 404 Media reports.
The top sponsored link goes to what appears to be a Claude Code Docs page. Anyone who signs in or installs the fake Claude feature potentially hands over the keys to their account. Whoops.
Hopefully, their agent isn’t empowered to spend or do too much on that person’s behalf.
The New News
Younger audiences between the ages of 18 and 24 aren’t just “online natives” anymore; they’re “social natives.”
That’s the main takeaway from new research on the news habits of young audiences, courtesy of the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford. And it should be a wakeup call to news publishers clinging to legacy media models.
Thirty-nine percent of young people now get their news primarily from social media, with roughly a quarter still going to news websites and apps. Only 20% consume news on TV. A decade ago, the percentages for social media and news sites were basically flipped.
When youths engage with news on social media, they greatly prefer individual creators (51%) to traditional news brands (39%).
Young people also have their preferred social platforms for news, with Instagram (30%), YouTube (23%) and TikTok (22%) taking the top spots. All of these platforms have been growing in popularity as news sources for the youth cohort, whereas Facebook has fallen off precipitously over the last decade.
The 18-to-24 demo is also the most likely age group to prefer watching (32%) or listening (16%) to the news – although the plurality (42%) still prefers reading.
But what about AI, you might be wondering? While using AI to access the news was most common among young people, it’s maybe not as popular as you’d expect. Just 13% get their news from AI each week.
But Wait! There’s More!
OpenAI plans to deprecate its standalone Sora video app and refocus on enterprise coding solutions rather than video. [WSJ]
It’s not just Publicis: Omnicom told clients it hired one of the Big Four accounting firms to audit The Trade Desk’s billing practices – although Omnicom notes TTD did pass the holdco’s initial contractual review. [Ad Age]
Be careful with who you let into webinars on Zoom. A company called WebinarTV has been secretly recording them and turning them into AI podcasts. [404 Media]
TikTok is introducing a new “prime time” ad format that shows sequential, time-specific ads to users. [TechCrunch]
The US is building more data centers than office buildings for the first time. [h/t Joseph Politano on Bluesky]
Disney and ABC stand to lose millions in ad dollars if “The Bachelorette” stays canceled. [Adweek]
Intuit beat the FTC in court, ending restrictions on “free” TurboTax ads. [Ars Technica]
Epic Games is laying off around 1,000 employees – roughly 20% of its workforce – after seeing declines in engagement with its flagship game, “Fortnite.” [Reuters]
Business banking platform Slash launched a cashback advance program to help advertisers recoup credit card rewards they lost since Meta stopped allowing campaign payments by card. Lol. [release]
You’re Hired!
OpenAI poaches Meta ad vet David Dugan to build out its ad business. [Adweek]
Hearst Television promotes Christopher Martinez to VP of advanced advertising. [TVTechnology]
33Across appoints Isaac Schechtman as chief product officer. [release]
Nielsen names new leaders for its sports, advertising and publishing verticals. [release]
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The ‘C’ in CTV is for Cart; Held To Account

Kelly MacLean, VP of engineering, science and product at Amazon Ads, highlighted a significant development in Connected TV (CTV) advertising: the integration of “add to cart” buttons directly into streaming video ads. This initiative, spearheaded by Amazon, aims to create a more engaging user experience and provide advertisers with measurable results across the entire marketing funnel. Samsung is the first device maker, outside of Amazon, to gain access to this technology, reflecting the growing importance of performance-based TV advertising. However, given the current hype surrounding “performance TV,” it’s anticipated that this exclusivity won’t endure indefinitely. These interactive video ad capabilities will also allow Samsung advertisers to leverage Amazon’s marketing cloud data—shopping, streaming, and browsing—to refine their targeting and measurement strategies. The core concept reflects a shift toward a more transactional approach within CTV, closely mirroring models established in e-commerce, such as Walmart and Vizio.

Beyond the immediate focus on Samsung, the piece also addresses the growing problem of ad fraud within the programmatic space. A particularly concerning trend involves scammers exploiting AI chatbot assistants – specifically Claude – to gain access to advertiser accounts. This occurs when users seek assistance with troubleshooting agents or plugins, inadvertently handing over credentials to malicious actors. The vulnerability stems from users’ willingness to seek help and confidence in the legitimacy of AI-powered assistance. The fact that scammers initially targeted Claude Code Docs further illustrates the risks associated with trusting AI tools and the potential for misuse of their functionalities. The implications of this fraud are significant, potentially leading to unauthorized spending and compromised account security.

Furthermore, the article details several other noteworthy developments within the digital advertising landscape. OpenAI’s decision to deprecate its Sora video app and pivot towards enterprise coding solutions reflects the company’s strategy to consolidate its resources and prioritize its core business. Omnicom’s decision to engage a Big Four accounting firm to audit The Trade Desk’s billing practices underscores ongoing concerns about transparency and accountability within the ad tech industry. There are also reports of WebinarTV secretly recording and transforming Zoom webinars into AI podcasts, highlighting the increased risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.

Additional key developments include TikTok’s introduction of a new “prime time” ad format, reflecting the platform’s efforts to optimize advertising revenue, and data center trends – specifically, the US’s increased construction of data centers compared to traditional office buildings. The article also covers business-related news, such as Disney and ABC potentially losing advertising revenue due to the cancellation of “The Bachelorette,” and Intuit’s victory against the FTC regarding TurboTax ads, and finally, Epic Games’ layoffs at Fortnite reflecting broader shifts in the gaming industry. Lastly, the launch of Slash’s cashback advance program due to Meta’s changes to campaign payments by card demonstrates the industry’s ongoing response to evolving payment methods and advertiser needs, and concludes with coverage of personnel changes across several major advertising companies, including OpenAI’s poaching of Meta’s ad vet and promotions within Hearst Television and 33Across.