Vinted among companies in coalition launching European Media Marketplace open web initiative
A coalition of media owners, data companies, telcos, retailers, marketplaces and advertising technology partners have announced the launch of the European Media Marketplace, a new initiative focused on how advertisers, agencies and publishers activate campaigns and connect across Europe’s premium open web.
The first founding members, including T Advertising Solutions (part of Deutsche Telekom), Equativ, Experian, lastminute.com, leboncoin and Kleinanzeigen (part of Adevinta), Orange Advertising (Orange France), Vinted, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone are teaming up to address the fragmentation of media buying, audience data and activation across countries, channels and platforms.
The marketplace connects media owners, first-party data and AI powered activation through a single interoperable framework. Built on sovereign technology said to be already operating at scale, it, according to a press release, “unlocks the collective strength of Europe’s open web while preserving the independence, control and value of every participating partner”.
Through a single access point, advertisers and agencies can activate campaigns across Connected TV, video, display, native, and retail media, reaching audiences consistently across publishers, channels, devices and markets. Unlike closed ecosystems, the European Media Marketplace is designed to be collaborative, privacy safe, interoperable and publisher friendly. Partners retain full control over their inventory, data and commercial strategy, while advertisers benefit from streamlined activation, greater transparency and stronger campaign outcomes, those involved claim.
They add that, by reducing unnecessary intermediaries and creating more direct connections between advertisers and audiences, the marketplace is designed to return more value to Europe’s sovereign media and data ecosystem (including publishers, CTV platforms, broadcasters, telcos, retailers and data owners) while giving brands access to trusted audiences in premium environments across the open web.
"For too long, buying media across Europe has required navigating dozens of disconnected platforms, fragmented data sources and complex activation paths," says Arnaud Créput, CEO at Equativ. "The European Media Marketplace creates a new way forward. By bringing together premium media, trusted data and AI powered activation within a single framework, we are unlocking the true scale and value of Europe’s open web. Our ambition is not simply to make media buying easier, but to make Europe’s premium digital.
"Every day, millions of people across 25 markets in Europe use Vinted to buy and sell second-hand fashion and consumer goods. This gives us a unique understanding of our members and their needs across Europe. Joining the European Media Marketplace as a founding partner lets us turn that insight into measurable, transparent value for brands while keeping our members' data under our own governance,” says Satya Vinnakota, Business Director of Ads, Vinted
The European Media Marketplace will initially launch across the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, with further expansion planned. Advertisers who have registered their interest are gearing up to launch omnichannel campaigns across Europe through the initiative, starting in September.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Retail media will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
