Key takeaways
- Adobe projected $9.9 billion in U.S. online spending during Amazon’s October shopping event, across retailers rather than Amazon alone.
- OpenAI announced visual ads for ChatGPT, with U.S. testing scheduled to begin later this month and expanded measurement tools already announced.
- Paramount completed its Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition under the Skydance name, bringing approximately $80 billion in net debt and expected layoffs.
- Apple’s iOS restrictions are disrupting programmatic advertising, while separate planned Mac controls address AI agents’ access to private data.
- Menlo Ventures forecasts $100 billion in online sales influenced or completed by AI agents over the next year. Among AI users, 41% have tried an agent and 24% use one regularly.
- Smaller agencies are using AI to expand their services and output, although greater productivity does not automatically mean better client results.
- Google and the Department of Justice remain divided over implementation and enforcement details in the ad tech case, with no set timeline for a final order.
- Walmart Connect expanded partnerships with Spotify, Yahoo DSP, and Warner Bros. Discovery to connect more media exposure with Walmart sales.
What’s moving the digital advertising world this week
A shopping event approaching $10 billion, a major media merger closing, and a forecast that AI agents could influence $100 billion in online sales. This week brought movement across commerce, AI, and consolidation.
OpenAI is adding visual advertising to ChatGPT. Apple is tightening access to consumer data. Walmart is extending its shopper audiences into more television and audio inventory.
For advertisers, the question is how these changes affect discovery, campaign measurement, and where the next customer comes from.
Here’s what you need to know.
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days was projected to drive nearly $10B in online spending
What the projections say
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days ran October 6 and 7. Ahead of the event, Adobe projected $9.9 billion in U.S. online spending, up 9.2% from the previous year.
That figure covers spending across U.S. online retailers during the event. It is not a forecast of Amazon’s sales alone.
Adobe describes October’s shopping event as an industrywide moment, with competing retailers offering discounts and consumers spending ahead of the main holiday season. The nearly $10 billion figure remains a projection, rather than a confirmed result.
What it means for advertisers and retail media
- Holiday demand can arrive well before Black Friday.
- Amazon ads need competitive offers, available stock, and clear product pages.
- Other retailers can reach shoppers comparing prices across stores.
- October campaign results can guide Q4 promotions and budgets.
OpenAI announced visual ads, but marketers want proof before committing bigger budgets
What OpenAI announced
OpenAI announced a new visual ad format on October 5. Initial U.S. testing will begin later this month during image generation for ChatGPT users on Free and Go plans.
The ads will be labeled and separate from the generated image. OpenAI says advertising will not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
The company also expanded conversion and attribution partnerships, including LiveRamp, AppsFlyer, and Triple Whale. It is exploring incrementality experiments and developing brand suitability evaluation pilots with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.
Where marketer confidence stands
OpenAI shared early partner findings, including WeightWatchers’ attributed acquisition cost coming in 15.3% below its blended paid search benchmark. That is an encouraging reported result, but it does not establish how the new visual format will perform.
EMARKETER recommends keeping initial investment experimental until ChatGPT demonstrates consistent outcomes.
Our takeaway for advertisers: define success before testing. Compare acquisition costs, conversion quality, and incremental sales against existing channels. A platform can offer better measurement tools without yet proving that every advertiser should move more budget there.
The Paramount and WBD merger closed, bringing $80B in net debt and expected layoffs
What the deal looks like at close
Paramount completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6. The combined company now operates as Skydance, bringing together assets including CBS, CNN, HBO Max, Paramount+, and major film studios.
Variety reports approximately $80 billion in net debt. The company targets more than $6 billion in annual cost savings within three years and plans to unify its streaming services over time.
Its leaders have also acknowledged workforce changes. Layoffs are expected, although the company has not disclosed their full extent.
What it means for the ad market
- Advertisers could access a larger content portfolio through more coordinated ad packages.
- Sales systems, inventory, and measurement will take time to integrate.
- Media buyers should watch for changes to sales contacts, packages, and reporting.
- Combining streaming services could affect audience overlap, reach, and frequency.
- The value for advertisers will depend on how well the combined offering works.
Apple’s privacy changes are restricting ad tech access and raising new questions about AI agents
What Apple changed
AdExchanger reports that Apple’s iOS 27 update blocked certain programmatic vendors from collecting data or serving ads through affected browsers. Named companies include The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, and ID5.
The report describes a broader, dynamically managed list of vendors that could face restrictions. It does not establish that every company on that list is actively blocked.
Separately, Apple announced planned changes to Full Disk Access on Macs. These will require more explicit user action before apps receive broad access to private information, with Apple citing growing risks from autonomous AI agents.
What it means for mobile advertising
- The iOS changes affect programmatic advertising access.
- The planned Mac changes address apps’ access to private device information.
- Advertisers should check delivery and measurement impacts with their technology partners.
- Brands should strengthen customer relationships built on consent.
- AI shopping tools may create new opportunities, but access to consumer data will remain limited.
AI agents are projected to influence $100B in online sales over the next year
What the forecast says
Menlo Ventures forecasts $100 billion in online sales from agentic commerce over the next 12 months.
Its definition includes purchases that an AI agent influences or completes, including research and affiliate attribution. The forecast therefore extends beyond fully autonomous checkout.
The study also found that 41% of AI users have tried an AI agent and 24% use one regularly. Those figures describe AI users, rather than all consumers, and agent use is not necessarily shopping use.
What it means for brands and media buyers
Our interpretation: brands need to make their products easier for both shoppers and AI systems to evaluate.
Clear specifications, current pricing, availability, delivery information, and credible reviews can help an agent compare options against a customer’s requirements.
Generative engine optimization, or GEO, has a commercial purpose when it helps qualified shoppers discover a relevant product. But visibility alone does not establish sales impact.
The opportunity is worth preparing for while measuring actual referrals, conversions, and customer behavior.
AI is helping smaller ad firms expand their capabilities
What the reporting shows
Performance Marketing Insider highlighted smaller agencies using AI to optimize content and organize media buying.
One example is Push AI Marketing. Founder Robert Nance estimates that his agency produces about five times as much work while investing approximately 25% more time overall. It has also expanded client programs to include GEO.
Nance explicitly described those figures as workload and output estimates. They are not measured increases in client revenue or campaign performance.
What it signals for the industry
- AI can make more work possible within smaller client budgets.
- Boutique agencies can expand research, content production, and campaign planning.
- More output is valuable when it is accurate and supports client goals.
- Smaller teams can offer broader services, but results remain the strongest proof of value.
Google and the DOJ filed proposed final judgments, with enforcement details still unresolved
Where the case stands
Google and the Department of Justice filed competing language for a final remedies order in the ad tech antitrust case. Judge Leonie Brinkema has no set timeline for resolving the remaining disputes.
According to AdExchanger, both sides broadly agree on core measures, including connecting AdX to Prebid, accepting bids from rival publisher ad servers, and offering DFP and AdX through separate contracts.
Implementation remains contested. The DOJ wants key integrations completed within six months; Google seeks 12 months. The parties also disagree over international timing, publisher data access, and the compliance monitor’s authority.
What the outcome could mean
The latest dispute concerns how effectively the measures will operate, rather than a new choice between behavioral remedies and a breakup.
For publishers, integration and data access could make competing tools easier to use. For advertisers, the practical impact will depend on implementation and enforcement.
The details matter: a requirement to support competition has less value if access arrives slowly or compliance is difficult to verify.
Walmart Connect is expanding retail audiences and sales measurement across TV and audio
What the partnerships add
Walmart Connect announced expanded partnerships with Spotify, Yahoo DSP, and Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6.
Through Walmart DSP, advertisers can use Walmart audiences and sales measurement across Spotify audio, video, and display formats.
The Yahoo DSP integration, supported by Magnite, is moving into Alpha and expanding beyond VIZIO to additional CTV publishers. The WBD offering combines streaming with selected live linear inventory, enabled through FreeWheel.
Why it matters for retail media
- Walmart is connecting purchase data with more TV and audio inventory.
- Advertisers have more choice over how they access Walmart audiences.
- Retail media’s value depends on connecting audience targeting with measurable sales.
- Advertisers should check how purchases are attributed and whether campaigns generate additional sales.
- Strong measurement helps brands make more confident budget decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days and how much does it generate?
Prime Big Deal Days is Amazon’s two-day fall shopping event, held October 6 and 7 this year. $9.9 billion in online spending across U.S. retailers during those two days, up 9.2% from last year.
What are OpenAI’s visual ads and how do they work?
Visual ads are a new ChatGPT ad format that uses imagery to show products and services. They will first be tested inside ChatGPT’s image generation feature, labeled and kept separate from generated images, with a group of U.S. advertisers starting later in October.
What does the Paramount and WBD merger mean for advertisers?
The merger brings major television and streaming properties under Skydance. It could support more coordinated advertising packages, but buyers should watch how inventory, sales teams, and measurement are integrated.
How is Apple restricting ad tech access to consumer data?
Reported iOS changes restrict some programmatic vendors’ ability to collect data or serve ads through affected browsers. Separate planned Mac safeguards will require more explicit permission for broad device access, addressing risks associated with AI agents.
What are agentic AI purchases and why do they matter for brands?
Agentic commerce involves purchases influenced or completed by AI agents acting for consumers. Brands need accurate, accessible product information so agents can evaluate their offerings against a shopper’s requirements.
What is Walmart Connect’s retail media strategy?
Walmart Connect is linking Walmart shopper data to premium TV, audio, and CTV inventory through partners like Warner Bros. Discovery, Spotify, and Yahoo DSP. The goal is closed-loop measurement that ties ad exposure to purchases.
That’s Your Week in Digital Advertising
AI is changing how products are discovered and how agencies work. At the same time, media consolidation and expanding retail partnerships are bringing more content, audiences, and purchase data together.
For brands, the priorities are practical: make product information easy to evaluate, test emerging channels with clear goals, and understand how media investment connects to sales.
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