"The model can't hold." The rise in the number of publisher content studios obscures just how hard the business is, due largely to high costs and intensified competition.

Melding content and commerce seemed like an unbreachable challenge to many publishers. Some publishers have found that the solution is to keep commerce and editorial independent of each other, while encouraging cross-pollination.

Old themes like fraud, brand safety and transparency were given new urgency among top advertisers at British trade body ISBA's annual conference on Wednesday.

Industry groups have made a big push to prioritize viewability, but some marketers say it's a red herring -- and the bigger scourge remains bot traffic.

Credit where it's due: Credit bureaus, including FICO and TransUnion, are developing new scoring models based on a broader set of consumer spending data.