Dec 11, 2018 - Economy

Mobile ad tech is out, TV ad tech is in

Sara Fischer

Mark Zuckerberg looks at his phone. — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg checks his phone. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Two years ago, every tech platform was pushing to explain how great their ad tech was ahead of the Q4 holiday season. This year? Crickets.

Why it matters: Amid privacy concerns, tech companies have been less forward about all of the ways they target users online.

Case-in-point: A new New York Times investigation shows how dozens of apps collect, analyze and sell users’ anonymous location data to third party companies, although the data is anonymous in theory.

The other side: That hasn't necessarily been the case for TV ad tech giants, who are pushing to find innovative ways to make boring TV ads more relevant.

AT&T and Hulu are both planning ad products for their streaming services that will activate when users hit pause on their favorite shows during bathroom or snack breaks, Variety's Brian Steinberg reports.

Go deeper: Americans don't trust tech companies on data privacy

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Mobile ad tech is out, TV ad tech is in

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