This week’s round-up of the latest mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and account moves includes Integral Ad Science with Meta’s Threads, NetRefer and Casumo, plus Magnite and Walmart
Deal Desk rounds-up the latest moves across the global affiliate and digital marketing industry and why it matters.
This week, Integral Ad Science expands its content block list to include Meta’s Threads; NetRefer renews partnership with Casumo; and Magnite builds on its Walmart Connect partnership.
Integral Ad Science builds content block list to include Meta Threads
Integral Ad Science (IAS) is expanding its AI-powered Meta content block list solution to include Threads.
The move aims to help advertisers with brand protection, while also taking advantage of the 400 million monthly active users on Threads.
The new capabilities will allow advertisers to apply customised controls so that brands can align content block lists with their own suitability and context requirements.
Lisa Utzschneider, chief executive of IAS, said, “Our AI-driven, content-level analysis empowers advertisers to drive performance and confidently scale their investments on social platforms with trusted, third-party, independent solutions.
“We continue to innovate and deepen our relationships with global partners like Meta to provide end-to-end campaign support for advertisers, ensuring they can avoid unsuitable content and maximise their campaign effectiveness.”
Leaders take
Transparency and brand safety is a growing concern for marketers using social media and this move helps address that. It builds on IAS’s relationship with Meta, where it already provides content block list optimisation, total media quality (TMQ), brand safety and sustainability measures for advertisers across Facebook and Instagram.
By expanding it to Threads, advertisers can streamline the automatic protection process. It also gives the option to independently validate content block lists with full transparency and the ability to optimise campaigns in real-time.
Casumo renews affiliate partnership with NetRefer
Sportsbook and online casino operator Casumo has renewed its longstanding partnership with NetRefer – an AI-driven affiliate marketing platform.
The pair have worked together for 14 years, which Amanda Camenzuli, NetRefer’s lead on account management said is a “strong reflection of the trust and collaboration built between our teams”.
Madeline Liautaud, head of affiliates at Casumo, said: “Over the years, NetRefer has consistently provided the reliability and flexibility we need to manage affiliate performance across multiple markets.
“It’s reliable, it handles huge amounts of traffic without breaking, and most importantly, our affiliates trust the data. In this industry, if your partners don’t trust your tracking, you don’t have a business.
“Tools like NetRefer CoPilot AI and the Report Builder have also helped streamline day-to-day operations by making data more accessible and easier to work with, allowing our team to focus more on optimisation and strategic decision-making.”
Leaders take
Casumo has relied on affiliate marketing – largely through its partnership with NetRefer – to scale its business over the past decade. Part of its success is because NetRefer has continued to evolve as an affiliate platform over the years with enhanced report and traffic quality tracking through its BI Analytics solution, the Report Builder and intelligence assistance via NetRefer CoPilot AI. It’s no surprise then that Casumo is sticking with the adtech.
Magnite builds on its Walmart Connect partnership
Walmart Connect has introduced more flexible ways to buy offsite retail media through its partnership with Yahoo DSP, beginning with Vizio inventory to be made available via Magnite’s platform.
This move also expands on Walmar’s partnership with Magnite to give advertisers enhanced access to its audiences and use closed-loop measurement when buying media.
Adam Roodman, general manager, Yahoo DSP, said: “By making Walmart Connect’s audiences and measurement available for activation to buyers in the Yahoo DSP, we’re reducing friction in the buying process and making it easier to plan, activate, and measure campaigns that drive both reach and real sales impact.”
Sean Buckley, president, revenue and market strategy, Magnite, added: “This integration brings Walmart Connect’s powerful commerce signals closer to the supply, enabling advertisers to make smarter decisions with a more streamlined workflow, improved inventory access and better signal fidelity.
“Through Magnite, buyers have the flexibility to activate via their preferred certified DSP, creating a cleaner, more scalable path for commerce-driven campaigns across omnichannel environments.”
Walmart Connect plans to launch additional partnerships, including more Yahoo DSP integrations and capabilities.
Leaders take
This is retail media at scale. This expansion from Walmart offers a flexible model that reduces workflow duplication and helps marketers streamline activation. At the same time, it provides access to Walmart’s first-party data through a Walmart-controlled data enablement solution.
Meanwhile Magnite’s supply-side tech can support audience decisioning across multiple DSPs through the same Walmart-controlled data enablement model. Coupled with its closed-loop measurement, this approach could help advertisers scale campaigns more efficiently while maintaining a clearer connection between media exposure and actual Walmart sales outcomes.
Other notable deals
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has joined Time2Play in an official partnership, which will see expert knowledge and insights delivered through the publishing platform. The Gentoo Media owned platform will publish football analysis, transfer news, and match predictions written by Romano as the FIFA 2026 World Cup approaches.
Pennsylvania Lottery has appointed Merv Marketing Studio, part of Merv Digital Solutions, to provide digital marketing staffing support. The staff augmentation engagement includes team members with unique expertise in PA iLottery customer relationship marketing (CRM), retention marketing, promotions and bonuses, data analysis, and affiliate marketing strategy, who will assist the Lottery with its digital marketing initiatives.
Former chief executive of WPP Mark Read is to launch a conference called Prompt. The event aims to bring together start-up companies and investors involved in artificial intelligence with business and marketing leaders.
E&B Holdings has acquired independent media shop Spirit Media Scotland. E&B Holdings was founded by former MediaCom executives Danny Donovan and Jamie Venerus, who will serve as joint chief executives.
Talent firm PLG will merge with Gersh’s You First division to introduce Gersh Football – with over 100 clients from 28 different countries ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The division will represent stars like Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alexia Putellas – with Tyler Alexander-Arnold heading up the UK division.
Expedia Group will be moving its advertising arm under the umbrella of the company’s global marketing organisation. This will put the department under the management of chief marketing officer, Jochen Koedijk.
Honda Motor Europe has appointed WPP Media’s EssenceMediacom as its lead media agency across Europe, following a competitive tender supported by MediaSense. The new partnership spans Honda Motor Europe’s automobile, motorcycle, marine, power products, and corporate communications divisions across 16 European markets and pan-European activity.
