So much for all the hype around programmatic TV. The Wall Street Journal reports that advertisers are still buying most TV ads using traditional methods vs. programmatic means. "Basically, very few TV ads were bought and sold using any of the more digital advertising-like tactics the TV business has gradually been trying to adopt. Most of the big upfront ad deals this year were done the old fashioned way—with people negotiating prices and ad schedules with other people, using classic broad targeting parameters such as adults between the ages of 18 and 49. Buyers and sellers say this was largely …

Bots, and the AI technologies that drive them, are making huge leaps forward in sophistication and reach, according to a report in TechCrunch. Facebook and Telegram recently added bot APIs to their platforms, and Apple Messages will soon allow third parties to plug in, too. "While bots had previously been limited to very specific requests, such as checking a balance or flight status, next-generation AI, like the recently unveiled  Viv, will better understand context and integrate with a host of services — including programmatic advertising."

"Verizon Communications Inc. is about to double the size of its toehold in digital advertising with the purchase of Yahoo! Inc. Even so, the wireless company will still be a distant No. 3 behind Google and Facebook Inc. in the $187 billion market. Verizon could announce an agreement to buy Yahoo’s internet business for about $5 billion in the next few days, according to people familiar with the situation. A deal would advance Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam’s plan to make Verizon a powerhouse in mobile media... 'The idea that buying Yahoo somehow positions Verizon to compete against Google and …

AOL has gone all in on programmatic advertising and is trying to bring programmatic to television. It's already piloting efforts in Australia and Canada to aggregate and sell ad blocks across multiple networks, targeting specific audiences. Tim Mahlman, president of AOL Platforms, tells Forbes that the company has spent $500 million on the technology so far. "In the digital media sphere, more than two-thirds of advertisements are currently purchased programmatically, typically in real-time auctions, allowing marketers to target ads to the audience they’re seeking, and publishers to optimize their inventory. For consumers, it should mean advertisements that will …

MediaLink offers an interesting conversation about marketing automation trends between Jay Sears, Senior Vice President Marketplace Development of Rubicon Project, and Matt Spiegel, Senior Vice President/General Manager Data and Technology Solutions at MediaLink:  SEARS: With regards to advertising automation, what are the three biggest trends you expect to impact companies in 2016? SPIEGEL:

1. Use of audience intelligence for optimization and addressability in linear TV
2. Ability to understand consumer behaviors across devices
3. Faster feedback loop of media performance tied to business metrics -- including “offline” metrics

SEARS: With regards to advertising automation, what are the three most overblown topics …

Spotify, the music-streaming service, on Wednesday said it partnered three large programmatic trading platforms--AppNexus, Rubicon Project, and The Trade Desk--to create an online “real-time bidding environment.” The programmatic platforms will allow advertisers to customize their audio spots for listeners in real-time, depending on whether they are commuting, exercising, partying, or just relaxing. Spotify also olled out a global ad-buying feature that allows advertisers to buy 15- and 30-second audio spots that target Spotify’s over 70 million non-paying users. The company will also give advertisers access to demographic data it collects from its users, including their age, gender, location, language, and …

The use of predictive analytics, which helps marketers use customer data to offer improved personalization and targeting, is gaining traction among marketers and agency professionals. Data from eConsultancy and RedEye, a marketing automation firm, shows that 40% or more of client-side and agency professionals are using predictive analytics or have set aside a budget to implement the discipline in the next year, according to an eMarketer article. Most of the participants polled said they hope to boost revenue and customer engagement by using predictive analytics.

Digital research firm eMarketer forecast that more than 20% of Internet users in the U.K. will use ad blockers in 2016, reaching 27% by 2017. And while mobile ad blocking isn't as common as desktop in the U.K, according to eMarketer, a May 2016 report from PageFair and Priori Data showed that this phenomenon is growing globally.

Wal-Mart Store Inc.’s data chief is leaving the retailer to join Neuster, a consumer data and analytics company, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Venkat Achanta will join the Sterling, Virginia-based Neustar in the newly created role of chief data and analytics officer, the company announced this week. Neustar collects and analyzes massive amounts of consumer data to sell security and marketing services. Achanta, who has more than 20 years of experience in data science and analytics, previously held positions at AIG, Capital One, and Experian.

The decade-old podcast industry is bringing in more listeners who tune in on their mobile devices and in their cars. But advertising growth has been stymied by issues related to audience measurement and the podcast world is grappling with the same phenomenon rampant in rival media--ad-skipping, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. "Apple, Inc., which accounts for the bulk of most podcasters’ audiences, allows listeners to skip ahead by increments of 15 seconds on its podcast application. Other podcast apps, such as Spotify AB and Stitcher, also feature a skip button. ...Podcast companies say that …