Gracenote vs LiveRamp

Index Exchange CEO: Sell-Side Innovation, CTV Transparency, AI Agents

In an interview with ADZINE, Andrew Casale, CEO of Index Exchange, discusses the evolution of programmatic advertising. He argues that sell-side innovation, including modeling and containerization, is increasing complexity but also value. Buyers can now run their own models on the sell-side, democratizing decision-making. Casale addresses the black box concern, noting that while the internal logic of buyer models is opaque, the platform observes their actions. He highlights the shift towards modular infrastructure, with Index enabling data providers and DSPs to run modules on its cloud. Regarding CTV, Casale emphasizes the need for more transparency, noting that while genre data is increasingly available, show and episode data remain limited due to legal and distribution issues. He discusses the evolution of pod serving and the role of agentic advertising, distinguishing between workflow automation and impression-level decisioning, which remains the domain of mathematical models. Casale sees AI agents as useful for automating manual tasks but not as a revolution that will shift power from walled gardens.

• Andrew Casale, CEO of Index Exchange, discussed sell-side innovation, CTV transparency, and AI agents in an interview.
• Index Exchange processes around 20 million requests per second.
• Most of Index Exchange's CTV supply includes genre data; show and episode data are often kept for direct deals.

CTV Show-Level Data Glut Fails to Deliver Optimization Control

While CTV buyers increasingly demand show-level transparency, a new IAB report shows 43% lack confidence in inventory. Despite progress in show-level reporting, true program-level optimization remains elusive. Publishers and exchanges offer data, but limitations persist: incomplete bidstream signals, "unknown" titles, and lack of scaled optimization solutions. Privacy laws like VPPA, combined with household-level data, complicate sharing. Linear TV offers program-level control by design, while CTV faces a gap between reporting and active optimization. Buyers can receive post-campaign reports but can't programmatically target individual shows at scale, except via programmatic guaranteed deals. The industry is working toward compliant, scaled optimization, but meaningful progress is still needed.

• 43% of CTV buyers have little or no confidence in the inventory they buy (IAB).
• Major exchanges do not offer scaled show-level optimization as a standard product.
• One top-five streamer's SSP integration prevents pulling show-level reporting.

Gracenote expands AI product roadmap with sports MCP server, entertainment SLM and agents

The expansion comes as companies adopt general-purpose LLMs to improve viewer experiences, guide content decisions and streamline operations.

Liquid Death Media Chief Seeks LiveRamp Alternative Post-Publicis Deal

Liquid Death's chief media officer, Benoit Vatere, is seeking an alternative to identity graph provider LiveRamp following Publicis Groupe's acquisition. Vatere stopped using LiveRamp in early August, citing concerns that Publicis, which works with competing brands like Evian and PepsiCo, could gain access to Liquid Death's customer data and buying patterns, potentially using them to benefit competitors. He is particularly wary of data being used to train Publicis's AI tools. Vatere rules out other holding company-owned solutions (e.g., Omnicom's Acxiom, WPP) for the same reason. He is considering independent providers but insists on contractual clauses that terminate the relationship and delete data upon any change of ownership. The LiveRamp contract expires at the end of the year. Analysts note that clients generally worry less about privacy and more about structural neutrality. Competition for alternatives from Snowflake or Databricks is emerging. Publicis downplays the defections, as non-Publicis business accounts for only about 5% of LiveRamp's revenue.

• Liquid Death stopped using LiveRamp in early August 2026, after about 18 months of usage.
• Publicis Groupe closed its $22 billion acquisition of LiveRamp; the deal faced FTC scrutiny with a 5-year oversight.
• Liquid Death's LiveRamp contract expires at the end of 2026, and the company is not large enough to build its own identity graph.

Publicis ownership of LiveRamp splits marketer opinion

Publicis Groupe's $2.2 billion acquisition of LiveRamp has raised significant concerns among marketers and rival agencies about data neutrality. Prior to the deal, LiveRamp's independence was its key advantage, providing neutral infrastructure for brands, publishers, and retailers. Now, with Publicis ownership, incentives may shift, potentially compromising trust. The FTC imposed a 5-year ban on certain data use to protect customers, but loopholes remain. Rivals like WPP and Omnicom are pursuing alternative identity solutions, and clients are exploring options like InfoSum or Real ID. Meanwhile, LiveRamp's RampID remains a leading alternative ID, and its OpenAI partnership adds value. The acquisition occurs amid broader industry shifts toward probabilistic and contextual targeting, and Apple's restrictions on identity resolution. Data autonomy is becoming a critical battleground in AI-driven marketing, and CMOs are advised to be cautious about entrusting proprietary intelligence to a company owned by a major holding group.

• Publicis Groupe closed its $2.2 billion acquisition of LiveRamp on Nov. 2, 2026.
• FTC imposed a 5-year data use ban on Publicis/LiveRamp to protect customers.
• LiveRamp's RampID is a leading alternative ID, and it became OpenAI's first conversion API partner in June.

8-K Financial Filing Analysis for LiveRamp (2026-11-02)

On November 2, 2026, LiveRamp Holdings, Inc. completed its acquisition by MMS USA Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Publicis Groupe S.A., pursuant to the merger agreement dated May 16, 2026. Under the terms of the transaction, Covey Merger Sub, Inc. merged into LiveRamp, with LiveRamp surviving as a wholly owned direct subsidiary of MMS USA Holdings. Outstanding shares of LiveRamp common stock were converted into the right to receive $38.50 per share in cash. Consequently, trading of LiveRamp's common stock was suspended on the New York Stock Exchange prior to market open on November 2, 2026, and the company is deregistering its shares under the Exchange Act. All existing board members and executive officers departed their roles at the effective time, with Merger Sub's leadership assuming control.

• LiveRamp was acquired by MMS USA Holdings, Inc. (Publicis Groupe) for $38.50 per share in cash, resulting in the company becoming a wholly owned private subsidiary.
• Common stock was halted and delisted from the New York Stock Exchange prior to market open on November 2, 2026, with Form 25 filed and Form 15 pending to terminate SEC reporting.
• Chief Product Officer Matt Karasick received an aggregate retention award of $1,625,000, payable 30 days post-closing subject to executing a new employment agreement by November 30, 2026.