Truthset Integrates Quality Data Into The Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0

At a time when advertisers are questioning the usefulness of the data they use for targeting connected TV ad campaigns, Truthset and The Trade Desk are working to help reach authenticated audiences. 

Truthset, which validates the accuracy of consumer data, is among the voices calling out the problems with some of the methods used for targeting CTV. In its State of Data Accuracy Report, released in February, Truthset estimated that $7.36 billion of the $38 billion spent on connected TV ads is wasted because many campaigns aren’t hitting the target. 

To give advertisers the ability to improve audience precision (not to mention return on ad spending and ultimately, profitability), Truthset’s Data Rated Audiences are being integrated into Unified ID 2.0, the open-source identifier designed by The Trade Desk.

Buyers using The Trade Desk platform will be able to access Truthset’s data so they can choose the audience segments most likely to match the consumers their clients want to reach.

“This integration is about enabling advertisers to transact on validated audiences,” said Truthset President Gregg Galletta. “By making Data Rated Audiences interoperable with UID2, we’re removing 30–60% of waste caused by mistargeting and ensuring marketers reach real people, on real inventory, with precise accuracy at census scale.” 

While the digital walled gardens, such as Google and Amazon, can target viewers because they have signed-in, authenticated users, many CTV and digital video campaigns rely on probabilistic signals such as IP addresses, hashed email addresses or phone numbers.

Truthset and The Trade Desk said their integration reflects the importance of industry collaboration in building a more transparent and interoperable advertising ecosystem that respects consumer privacy. Combining independent data validation with an open identity infrastructure enables better outcomes for advertisers while reinforcing trust with consumers.

“As the industry moves beyond cookies, accuracy and accountability in audience data matter more than ever,” said Gabe Richman, GM, Global Identity at The Trade Desk. “Truthset’s integration with Unified ID 2.0 brings an added layer of transparency and validation to identity-driven advertising, giving marketers a more durable, privacy-conscious way to activate audiences they can trust across the open internet.” 

Amazon Adds LinkedIn Data to Target Professionals

Amazon Ads and LinkedIn said they are teaming up to enable advertisers to reach professional audiences.

Ad buyers using the Amazon DSP will be able to access LinkedIn Connected TV Ads and the first-party data LinkedIn has from its more than one billion members. 

The LinkedIn data can be used alongside Amazon’s audiences within the same campaign. The business-oriented social network has been offering LinkedIn Connected TV Ads to B2B advertisers for a couple of years.

The announcement comes days before Amazon's upfront presentation on Monday.

"Advertisers are building full-funnel strategies on Amazon DSP, and they want more ways to reach the audiences that matter most for their brands,” said Chris Conetta, director of omnichannel supply at Amazon Ads. “By combining LinkedIn's audiences with the scale and impact of streaming TV, advertisers now have the opportunity to reach B2B audiences alongside Amazon audiences through their Amazon DSP buys." 

LinkedIn’s data on its members includes job title, industry and seniority. Using that data helps advertisers reach business audiences, even when they’re not at the office.

“B2B marketers want to reach decision-makers where they’re spending time–and streaming TV is an essential part of that mix,” said David Roter, senior director and head of global agencies and video solutions at LinkedIn. “This collaboration with Amazon DSP expands how advertisers can buy LinkedIn CTV Ads, while still reaching the buyers that matter most to deliver measurable business outcomes at scale.” 

LinkedIn is part of Microsoft, and the new arrangement expands Amazon Ads’ partnership with Microsoft.

AI Boosting CTV Fraud: DV Report

Artificial intelligence is a real problem for advertisers concerned about CTV fraud.

A new report from DoubleVerify says that it detected 140% more fraud schemes and variants in the first quarter of 2026, compared to Q1 2025. The bad guys are using AI to create bigger and more complete schemes, according to the report.

In unprotected campaigns, fraud can cost about $1.8 million per billion CTV impressions served, and there are trillions of impressions served each year. You can do the math.

“CTV is attracting premium spend and bad actors right along with it,” said Gilit Saporta, VP, Fraud Lab at DoubleVerify. “Our research shows fraudsters are quick to exploit inefficiencies in the ecosystem, using AI and limited transparency to siphon value from advertisers, with tactics that vary by market. Brands need to get ahead of it by eliminating low-quality impressions and focusing investment on inventory with a real chance to perform.” 

The report, Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance, also says that DV uncovered more than 50 distinct CTV bot attacks in 2025.

Buying CTV directly from publishers isn’t a solution. DV found bot activity in multiple direct CTV buys from major global advertisers. In one consumer healthcare campaign, executed using direct deals, 34% of impressions went to bots.

“There’s a perception that direct deals in CTV are fraud-free, but that’s not the case as fraud always finds a way,” Saporta said. “It can exist anywhere inventory is bought and sold. Without independent verification and proactive protections, advertisers risk paying premium prices for impressions that deliver no real value.” 

DV found that 21% of advertisers measure CTV performance using invalid traffic (IVT) or fraud detection as a KPI. While fraud prevention is not a direct measure of performance, it plays a critical role in enabling it, DV said, because fraudulent impressions have no chance to drive outcomes, and exposure to low-quality inventory limits campaign effectiveness.