AT&T's acquisition of AppNexus will open up loads of new web inventory and technology pipes to power the telecom's aggressive ambition to challenge not only the duopoly of Facebook and Google but also rival TV networks for ad budgets.

And according to industry experts, we can expect to see similar ad-tech deals in the coming months - although it will be hard to top the size of AppNexus. After a few quiet years of ad-tech acquisitions and rough markets for public companies, expect more acquisitions.

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