March 2, 2026 — Criteo announced its role as the first advertising technology partner for OpenAI’s advertising pilot in ChatGPT’s Free and Go tiers, initially in the United States, providing programmatic ad access to its network of approximately 17,000 advertisers globally.
The integration, rolling out in the weeks following the announcement, shifts from OpenAI’s prior direct-sales model and requires a minimum advertiser commitment of $200,000 at a premium cost per thousand impressions (CPM) of $60, comparable to Netflix’s ad tier and three times Meta’s rates.
ChatGPT Advertising Goes Live: OpenAI Partners with Criteo for Programmatic Ads at $60 CPM This March 2, 2026, launch allows 17,000 advertisers access to ChatGPT ad placements in Free and Go tiers (US-only initially), requiring a $200K minimum commitment.[1]
Partnership Details
Ads appear contextually, labeled as “Sponsored” below ChatGPT responses, with basic reporting on impressions and clicks. Agencies including Dentsu, Omnicom, and WPP are involved, following early ad appearances from February 9. The Criteo press release confirmed the pilot’s expansion through this integration.
Criteo CEO Michael Komasinski stated:
We are helping shape how advertising can support discovery… grounded in experiences that are additive, relevant, and built on user trust.[1]
ChatGPT Advertising Goes Live: OpenAI Partners with Criteo for Programmatic Ads at $60 CPM This March 2, 2026, launch allows 17,000 advertisers access to ChatGPT ad placements in Free and Go tiers (US-only initially), requiring a $200K minimum commitment.[1]
Pricing and Performance
The $60 CPM pricing was corroborated across reports, with initial pilots among 500 U.S. retailers showing 1.5 times higher conversion rates from LLM referrals compared to other channels, according to Criteo’s announcement.
Adweek detailed the $200,000 minimum and tier-specific placements. Aggregators like ALM Corp summarized the terms exactly.
ChatGPT Advertising Goes Live: OpenAI Partners with Criteo for Programmatic Ads at $60 CPM This March 2, 2026, launch allows 17,000 advertisers access to ChatGPT ad placements in Free and Go tiers (US-only initially), requiring a $200K minimum commitment.[1]
Industry Coverage and Buzz
Additional outlets including AdExchanger and Digiday covered integration specifics and sales pitches. Recent X posts highlighted ongoing ChatGPT ad testing, with low early click-through rates but industry interest in impacts.[10]
ChatGPT Advertising Goes Live: OpenAI Partners with Criteo for Programmatic Ads at $60 CPM This March 2, 2026, launch allows 17,000 advertisers access to ChatGPT ad placements in Free and Go tiers (US-only initially), requiring a $200K minimum commitment.[1]
ChatGPT Advertising Goes Live: OpenAI Partners with Criteo for Programmatic Ads at $60 CPM This March 2, 2026, launch allows 17,000 advertisers access to ChatGPT ad placements in Free and Go tiers (US-only initially), requiring a $200K minimum commitment.[1]
The story stems from Criteo’s PR, amplified by ad trade publications, with no direct OpenAI statement.