Hi all, it’s Ronan Shields stepping-in for Lucinda Southern given the eleventh-hour developments in a hectic news cycle over the last 24-hours.

From our coverage as of late, you’ll know by now the third-party cookie (the lifeblood of publisher ad revenue) is not long for the web, leaving the industry scrambling for answers.

The Trade Desk’s Unified ID 2.0 is arguably the independent sector’s leading light having gained the support of media owners including FuboTV and the Washington Post, plus others.

Although, as previously chronicled by my colleague Andrew Blustein publishers have voiced their desire for independent control of how the cookie-less targeting tool will operate.

And today, that call was answered with Prebid, a not-for-profit with the backing of publishers including News Corp. and Insider Inc., was handed control of how it will operate.

Surely, only Big Tech can stop them now, no?

Dramatic News Events

Elsewhere, Google yesterday agreed to pay News Corp. “significant payments” for the inclusion of the publishers’ content in the search giant’s News Showcase offering.

The deal comes as Google faces a legal battle in Australia where lawmakers want the tech giant to pay royalties to publishers for displaying their content.

Meanwhile, also ‘Down Under’, Facebook took the drastic decision to no longer allow Australian users to view or share news articles on the platform in reaction to the same law there.

Google’s olive branch is undoubtedly an attempt at détente ahead of its antitrust travails to come, both in the U.S. and further afield. Although, the strategic rationale for the intransigence of Facebook –  similarly confronted with government scrutiny – thus far escapes my detection.

Thanks for reading, and fear not, Lucinda will be back to bring you the headlines and analysis tomorrow. Ro

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