Why Google’s ad business escaped a breakup

September 03, 2026 Google’s immunity to breakup is starting to feel inevitable. Another attempt to force one has been written off. That’s despite the world’s largest advertising business being judged to have built that dominance on an illegal monopoly over online advertising. TOP STORY Google on Trial Why Google’s ad business escaped a breakup The reasoning behind the latest decision to spare Google a breakup Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Join us Oct. 26–28 in Newport Beach for three days of actionable insights, valuable connections and candid conversations about what’s next in media buying. Connect one-on-one with leaders from Digitas, Assembly, Omnicom and more. Your last chance to save on your pass is Sept. 14. Advertisers are taking different approaches to CTV incrementality. When measurement frameworks don’t suit specific channels, campaigns that are working get defunded and campaigns that aren’t get scaled. Partner insights from Moloco. Gone are the days when creative and analytical were considered opposites — marketers need to be both. Data helps teams understand what’s working, but creativity is what makes people care. Partner insights from Contentful. MARKETING Member exclusive Media Briefing: What to expect at the Digiday Publishing Summit, September 2026 edition Here’s a sneak peek at the topics that will be discussed onstage during the Digiday Publishing Summit, September 2026 edition. Retail Media Rewritten Ace Hardware adds weather-triggered programmatic ads to retail media strategy This story was originally published on sister site, Modern Retail. Almost one year into its existence, Ace Hardware’s retail media network, RedVest Media, just announced a slate of new features for advertisers as part of an upfront event last week. The new features include incrementality measurement functions for off-site media; social amplification and influencer marketing […] PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL How marketers are connecting content to business impact Marketers have more content, more tools and more channels than ever — but turning that into consistent, measurable performance is still a work in progress. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NEXXEN Where CTV’s performance opportunity becomes clearest CTV’s value lies in its ability to target audiences more precisely, test across more inventory and evaluate performance with the same discipline marketers expect from digital channels. Advertisement IYCMI Google on Trial Google’s ad tech empire faces its moment of truth Judge Leonie Brinkema now contemplates a forced divestiture, a decision that could reshape how the open web is monetized. Google on Trial Google’s ad tech antitrust remedy phase explained -- and where the Judge might land Unfortunately, Digiday wasn’t in the courtroom (we’ve got day jobs) but we’ve been trading notes with people who were. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM TALON.ONE 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. Member exclusive Ad Tech Briefing: A Google breakup sounds ideal, but the realities are much more complicated The key question are: whether the medicine will be worse than the illness, and is the a case of too little too late? Google on Trial The Rundown: Google’s legal woes with ad tech rivals Teads files suit against Google’s ad tech suite, warns investors of potential retaliation, as industry awaits a looming remedies ruling in Google’s antitrust trial. 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