DMEXCO 2025: How CTV, AI and Retail Media are Shaping the Industry
by Paul Snook
DMEXCO 2025 in Cologne once again proved why it is Europe’s leading digital marketing conference.
With over 40,000 participants, 700+ exhibitors, 17 stages and 1,000+ speakers, the event signalled the continued evolution of the digital marketing space.
The theme this year was “Be Bold, Move Forward.”, there were three areas which dominated the event – Connected TV, AI and Retail Media.
Connected TV
CTV continued to be the hot topic this year at DMEXCO, the Future TV Stage was one of the busiest areas and you could not miss the presence of the US Streamers in this area. Disney and Netflix had two huge areas which dominated the centre of the hall and served an ominous warning to the local DE broadcasters on their vision of the future of TV.
Some key themes that were being explored was the continued fragmentation of the CTV audience, how linear TV and CTV must now be combined together on a media plan to reach almost all audiences, advances in measurement and data are leading to CTV now being considered as a performance channel and the convergence of TV viewership data with retail and transaction insights.
While innovation in CTV is moving fast there are still gaps in how to standardise measurement and guard against ad fraud where further work needs to be done.
AI
AI dominated every hall and keynote. What was striking this year was the move from “what AI could do.” to “what AI is doing now.”
Key AI trends discussed were campaign optimisation, creative generation, content production and personalisation. The use of AI co-pilots and the measurable uplift they can deliver was a key topic too.
Agentic AI also received lots of attention, it was interesting to see tools that act more like partners than assistants, which could have huge potential to disrupt how programmatic media is bought and sold in the future.
Concerns were raised around AI ethics, transparency and data privacy.
Retail Media
Retail Media had an entire hall devoted to it, a clear sign that it is no longer on the periphery of these events. There was also a Retail Media Area summit at DMEXCO which highlighted how retailers are building sophisticated ad ecosystems powered by first-party shopper data.
We heard key talks on how the conversation is moving away from tactical placements to strategic, full-funnel retail media plans that combine onsite, offsite and in-store activations.
There are still challenges over measurement, standardisation and interoperability which need to be resolved, but the appetite for growth is undeniable.
DMEXCO 2025 underlined the convergence of media, data, and commerce.
CTV, AI, and Retail Media are no longer emerging trends, they are core levers shaping the next chapter of digital marketing.
For marketers, the message was clear: those willing to be bold, invest in measurement, and embrace innovation will be best positioned for 2026 and beyond.
If we didn’t get to chat in Cologne, Book in a meeting with Paul to discuss your Programmatic and Connected TV needs here!