Ad Industry Must Speak Same Language Before AI Takes Over: IAB’s Jamie Finstein
Ask five advertising executives to define connected television, streaming video and digital video, and you may get five different answers, six competing acronyms and a request to schedule a follow-up meeting.
The industry’s increasingly creative approach to terminology has made comparing video inventory a challenge for advertisers and publishers. Now that artificial intelligence is preparing to handle more media transactions, the confusion threatens to become automated.
Jamie Finstein, vice president of the Media Center at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), thinks it’s time everyone agreed on what they’re buying and selling. Speaking with Beet.TV editorial director Lisa Granatstein at the IAB Podcast Upfront, she discussed efforts to standardize video terminology, bring order to the convergence of connected TV and commerce media and address emerging challenges in live streaming.
Agents may add to confusion
IAB’s initiative to redefine media types aims to establish a common language for an increasingly fragmented video ecosystem.
“You ask five different people what video means, what streaming means, what CTV means, you’re gonna get five different answers,” Finstein said.
The distinctions become particularly confusing when consumers switch devices. A viewer might begin watching a streaming service on a television and continue on a smartphone. Advertisers and publishers must then determine how to classify that inventory and compare it with other advertising opportunities.
The problem goes beyond semantics. Inconsistent definitions can complicate media planning, inventory evaluation and transactions between buyers and sellers.
The arrival of AI agents makes standardization even more urgent. As autonomous systems begin negotiating and executing media transactions, they will need consistent definitions to interpret inventory accurately.
“If we as humans can’t speak the same language, how can we expect the agents to be able to speak the same language?” Finstein said.
IAB developed the standard with input from streaming platforms, agencies and brands. The organization also considered future advertising environments, including wearable devices that could introduce yet another collection of formats requiring names, classifications and presumably a fresh round of industry meetings.
When two fragmented ecosystems collide
If the video advertising business seems complicated, combining it with retail media offers an excellent opportunity to make things worse.
Commerce networks and retail media networks increasingly offer video advertising, while streaming platforms are developing partnerships that incorporate retailers’ customer data.
“So, you put one fragmented ecosystem together with another, and it’s just a mess, to be quite honest,” Finstein said.
The rapid proliferation of partnerships creates difficult choices for advertisers. A consumer packaged goods company might want to prioritize a retailer carrying its products, while another advertiser may find different types of shopper data more useful.
Marketers must also evaluate which platforms offer the most relevant audiences and how effectively those platforms can measure campaign results.
IAB is developing best practices to help advertisers navigate the convergence of connected TV and commerce media. The guidance will address data selection, platform evaluation and measurement, particularly as more advertising activity takes place within relatively closed ecosystems.
The goal is to help marketers make informed decisions rather than simply add another retail media network to a media plan because someone presented an impressive slide deck.
Live streaming gets a bigger role
Looking ahead to 2027, IAB’s Media Center is focusing on three priorities, with live streaming among the most prominent.
Live programming is expanding beyond traditional broadcast networks into streaming platforms and other digital environments. That shift creates opportunities for advertisers, publishers and demand-side platforms, although the technology supporting live advertising still presents challenges.
AB Tech Lab has introduced LEAP, the Live Event Ad Playbook, to address technical issues associated with delivering advertising during live events outside conventional broadcast environments.
Finstein said IAB’s Media Center will focus on the commercial considerations, including how advertisers should evaluate live streaming when allocating their budgets.
“So, we on the IAB side wanna think about what makes sense from a business perspective when advertisers are thinking about where to put their next dollar,” Finstein said.
Live events can attract audiences at specific moments, making them valuable to advertisers seeking timely engagement. But the growth of streaming distribution also raises questions about inventory availability, execution and how buyers should compare opportunities across platforms.
Following the money through the supply chain
Another priority is improving transparency in the advertising supply chain, an issue that has persisted despite the industry’s impressive ability to produce software designed to explain its own software.
“There needs to be more transparency around how an ad gets from point A to point B,” Finstein said.
Advertisers increasingly want to understand the intermediaries, processes and costs involved in delivering their campaigns. Supply-path transparency can help buyers evaluate how inventory reaches them and whether their media spending is being used efficiently.
Finstein said IAB members have specifically requested more clarity about these transactions, making transparency a central consideration as the industry evolves.
The broader challenge connects all three areas of IAB’s agenda. Video advertising is spreading across more devices, platforms and commercial environments while automation is making buying decisions increasingly complex.
Without consistent terminology, better guidance and greater visibility into transactions, the industry risks building a highly automated marketplace in which nobody can agree on what’s being bought. At least the machines will be able to argue about it faster.
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage of the 2026 IAB Podcast Upfront. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
Ask five advertising executives to define connected television, streaming video and digital video, and you may get five different answers, six competing acronyms and a request to schedule a follow-up meeting.
The industry’s increasingly creative approach to terminology has made comparing video inventory a challenge for advertisers and publishers. Now that artificial intelligence is preparing to handle more media transactions, the confusion threatens to become automated.
Jamie Finstein, vice president of the Media Center at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), thinks it’s time everyone agreed on what they’re buying and selling. Speaking with Beet.TV editorial director Lisa Granatstein at the IAB Podcast Upfront, she discussed efforts to standardize video terminology, bring order to the convergence of connected TV and commerce media and address emerging challenges in live streaming.
Agents may add to confusion
IAB’s initiative to redefine media types aims to establish a common language for an increasingly fragmented video ecosystem.
“You ask five different people what video means, what streaming means, what CTV means, you’re gonna get five different answers,” Finstein said.
The distinctions become particularly confusing when consumers switch devices. A viewer might begin watching a streaming service on a television and continue on a smartphone. Advertisers and publishers must then determine how to classify that inventory and compare it with other advertising opportunities.
The problem goes beyond semantics. Inconsistent definitions can complicate media planning, inventory evaluation and transactions between buyers and sellers.
The arrival of AI agents makes standardization even more urgent. As autonomous systems begin negotiating and executing media transactions, they will need consistent definitions to interpret inventory accurately.
“If we as humans can’t speak the same language, how can we expect the agents to be able to speak the same language?” Finstein said.
IAB developed the standard with input from streaming platforms, agencies and brands. The organization also considered future advertising environments, including wearable devices that could introduce yet another collection of formats requiring names, classifications and presumably a fresh round of industry meetings.
When two fragmented ecosystems collide
If the video advertising business seems complicated, combining it with retail media offers an excellent opportunity to make things worse.
Commerce networks and retail media networks increasingly offer video advertising, while streaming platforms are developing partnerships that incorporate retailers’ customer data.
“So, you put one fragmented ecosystem together with another, and it’s just a mess, to be quite honest,” Finstein said.
The rapid proliferation of partnerships creates difficult choices for advertisers. A consumer packaged goods company might want to prioritize a retailer carrying its products, while another advertiser may find different types of shopper data more useful.
Marketers must also evaluate which platforms offer the most relevant audiences and how effectively those platforms can measure campaign results.
IAB is developing best practices to help advertisers navigate the convergence of connected TV and commerce media. The guidance will address data selection, platform evaluation and measurement, particularly as more advertising activity takes place within relatively closed ecosystems.
The goal is to help marketers make informed decisions rather than simply add another retail media network to a media plan because someone presented an impressive slide deck.
Live streaming gets a bigger role
Looking ahead to 2027, IAB’s Media Center is focusing on three priorities, with live streaming among the most prominent.
Live programming is expanding beyond traditional broadcast networks into streaming platforms and other digital environments. That shift creates opportunities for advertisers, publishers and demand-side platforms, although the technology supporting live advertising still presents challenges.
AB Tech Lab has introduced LEAP, the Live Event Ad Playbook, to address technical issues associated with delivering advertising during live events outside conventional broadcast environments.
Finstein said IAB’s Media Center will focus on the commercial considerations, including how advertisers should evaluate live streaming when allocating their budgets.
“So, we on the IAB side wanna think about what makes sense from a business perspective when advertisers are thinking about where to put their next dollar,” Finstein said.
Live events can attract audiences at specific moments, making them valuable to advertisers seeking timely engagement. But the growth of streaming distribution also raises questions about inventory availability, execution and how buyers should compare opportunities across platforms.
Following the money through the supply chain
Another priority is improving transparency in the advertising supply chain, an issue that has persisted despite the industry’s impressive ability to produce software designed to explain its own software.
“There needs to be more transparency around how an ad gets from point A to point B,” Finstein said.
Advertisers increasingly want to understand the intermediaries, processes and costs involved in delivering their campaigns. Supply-path transparency can help buyers evaluate how inventory reaches them and whether their media spending is being used efficiently.
Finstein said IAB members have specifically requested more clarity about these transactions, making transparency a central consideration as the industry evolves.
The broader challenge connects all three areas of IAB’s agenda. Video advertising is spreading across more devices, platforms and commercial environments while automation is making buying decisions increasingly complex.
Without consistent terminology, better guidance and greater visibility into transactions, the industry risks building a highly automated marketplace in which nobody can agree on what’s being bought. At least the machines will be able to argue about it faster.
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage of the 2026 IAB Podcast Upfront. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
