Dive Brief: 

• Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba filed an IPO Tuesday, bringing attention to its blooming ad network. 
• Alibaba could potentially become a direct competitor to U.S. ad networks operated by the likes of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Yahoo. 
• So far, Alibaba's network is focused on helping merchants push products, but it has been built in a way — much like Amazon's network — that would allow it to expand to beyond e-commerce. 

Dive Insight: 

While U.S. ad networks might consider Amazon's ad network a force to be reckoned with, they should also be keeping an eye on Alibaba. Given the size of China's population and Alibaba's global reach, its ad network has serious potential to shake up the industry.