OpenAI’s ads business hits Europe at the six month mark

August 19, 2026 OpenAI will begin serving ads to people using ChatGPT across 31 European markets on Monday (August 24), including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The timing lands at the six month mark for OpenAI’s ads business. Advertisement Top Story Marketing on Platforms OpenAI’s ads business hits Europe at the six month mark OpenAI will begin serving ads to people using ChatGPT across 31 European markets beginning August 24. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Advertising’s most comprehensive and accurate signal is hiding in plain sight. Many purported paradigm shifts have come and gone. While most are simply old ideas with new packaging, there’s a genuine signal front and center that the industry has consistently underutilized: carrier data. Partner insights from Blis. Recognize the companies and campaigns shaping the future of digital media. Your last chance to save on Digiday Media Awards entries is Sept. 25. Showcase the innovative companies, campaigns and teams modernizing digital media, and join past honorees including The New York Times, People Inc. and PopSugar. Gain recognition for the work moving the industry forward. What makes agentic commerce so important now? Up to $385 billion in U.S. e-commerce spend could be influenced by AI agents by 2030, according to Morgan Stanley. That means purchase decisions will increasingly be made by AI agents. Partner insights from Talon.One. MEDIA & PLATFORMS Marketing on Platforms DiVine, Vine's spiritual successor, won't rule out ads The app has a strict ‘no AI content’ rule, and company isn’t ruling out advertising. Marketing on Platforms OpenAI builds offerings on consent as it expands ChatGPT ads to Europe The company’s new EU privacy policy goes live “later this month”. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM OPTABLE How agent-ready publishers set themselves up for long-term success To adopt agentic AI at scale, organizations need to prioritize critical areas of agentic readiness. Publishers who have invested in identity infrastructure for privacy compliance are already ahead, as agent readiness and identity readiness are the same project. A MESSAGE FROM GOOGLE How publishers can strengthen connections with advertisers in the AI era Today’s audiences are highly decentralized — searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping across a spectrum of platforms. To maximize yield across this complex landscape, publishers must clearly demonstrate the unique contextual value of their properties and audiences. Get the insights THE BUSINESS OF AI Gaming & Esports As AI automates everything, The Atlantic is building games by hand The Atlantic is bucking the AI automation trend with a new trivia game handcrafted by “Jeopardy!” champion and senior editor Drew Goins. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BLOCKBOARD Has programmatic video reached a turning point? With brands under pressure to prove every dollar is working, marketers are increasingly holding their programmatic partners accountable for driving hard outcomes and incremental results. Advertisement DIGIDAY + Member exclusive Future of TV Briefing: YouTube Shorts gains ad dollars but needs to crack social budgets This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at advertisers’ spending on YouTube Shorts inventory as the platform raises the revenue-sharing threshold for creators. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PAYPAL ADS The leader of a friend group is the influencer who moves money Social influencers change what people think. But another kind of influencer — the leader of the friend group — is visible only in payment data and changes what people spend. That’s the audience worth competing for. ICYMI Agency Culture New court filings detail how WPP’s turnaround stalled — from the inside Inside WPP’s unravelling: what 13 former execs told lawyers in a wrongful termination suit. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy