Media Briefing: The ‘SaaS-pocalypse’ is spreading to publishers

This week’s Media Briefing explores how the “SaaS-pocalypse” is reaching publishers, as AI coding tools make it easier and cheaper for media companies to build their own apps and workflows — and entering into “build versus buy” discussions around paying for software vendors.

  • Publishers are vibe coding their way into the “SaaS-pocalypse” debate
  • The Economist is putting more reporters in front of the camera, New York Times exec changes in product, data and AI, and more.

Publishers are vibe coding their way into the ‘SaaS-pocalypse’ debate

The “SaaS-pocalypse” — the idea that AI makes it easier and cheaper to create custom software tools — has largely been framed as a threat to the tech industry. Now, the concept is creeping into “build versus buy” conversations happening within publishers.

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OpenAI builds tool to track whether ChatGPT ads convert

OpenAI is building the ad measurement infrastructure that would let it compete for performance budgets, not just brand spend. 

The AI company is working on a conversion tracking pixel — the same type of tool that sits invisible on millions of sites and tells advertisers exactly what happened after someone saw their ad, according to code shared and reviewed by Digiday by someone who has access to it.

It is the latest sign of how quickly OpenAi is building out its ad infrastructure: last week, code reported by AdWeek pointed to upcoming support for conversion-based campaigns. Now there is evidence of the measurement layer needed to make them meaningful. When a user clicks on ads inside ChatGPT and then completes an action on an advertiser’s site — say, signing up to something, making a purchase or even booking a trip — the pixel fires, sends data back to ChatGPT and closes the loop. OpenAI knows the ad worked. The advertiser can prove it. 

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