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Unraveling The Mystery Of PubMatic’s $5 Million Loss From A “First-Price Auction Switch” PubMatic revised its 2024 revenue projections, citing a $5 million shortfall due to Google DV360 shifting to first-price auctions in May. PubMatic had been tagging bid requests as second-price auctions, winning more bids from DV360 as a result. However, DV360’s updated bidding …
Exclusive: Aditude Acquires Hashtag Labs Aditude has acquired Hashtag Labs, merging two ad tech firms that support publisher monetization. The deal, which closed on August 16, reflects publishers’ need for efficient revenue solutions amid growing competition. Hashtag Labs, founded in 2014 by John Shankman, will integrate its technology into Aditude’s platform. Shankman will become Aditude’s …
Don’t Sleep On Maryland’s Strict New Data Privacy Law Since 2018, 19 US states, including Maryland, have enacted comprehensive data privacy laws. Maryland’s Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA), effective October 2025, stands out as one of the toughest. MODPA not only bans the sale of sensitive personal data but also imposes strict limitations on collecting …
How Sell-Side Curation Is Reshaping The Post-Cookie Supply Chain As third-party cookies phase out, sell-side curation is emerging as a key trend in ad tech. SSPs are now leveraging their connections to publisher first-party data to build curated marketplaces, shifting audience matching from DSPs to the sell side. This change reduces DSPs’ control over audience …
SSPs Shake Up Fee Structures for Publishers, Offering Differentiated Access Magnite and PubMatic, two major supply-side platforms (SSPs), are introducing new fees for publishers participating in programs like auction packages and supply path optimization (SPO). Magnite’s fees can range from 4% to 10% above open market rates, while PubMatic offers a subscription service granting publishers …
What’s next for Google after federal judge’s monopolization ruling? A federal judge ruled that Google monopolized search through illegal deals, raising questions about potential consequences, including business overhauls or even breaking up the company. Google plans to appeal, delaying any immediate impact. If restrictions are enforced, competitors like Microsoft’s Bing could benefit, potentially gaining market …
Outbrain confirms Teads purchase in a $1 billion deal Outbrain has confirmed its acquisition of Teads for just over $1 billion, marking a significant merger in ad tech. The deal involves a $725 million upfront payment and a $25 million deferred payment, financed by Outbrain’s cash and $750 million in debt from Goldman Sachs, Jefferies …
Media buyers don’t want to pay extra for publishers’ first-party data Amid the third-party cookie phase-out, media buyers tread cautiously regarding premiums for publisher-offered first-party data and contextual targeting. While some publishers demand $2 premiums, buyers fear overspending. Havas’ Holly Dunn stresses data privacy scrutiny. Epsilon advocates for value-based pricing. Not all see substantial CPM …
Ad tech’s take: early reactions to Google’s third-party cookie demise Ad tech vendors respond to Google’s third-party cookie phase-out, presenting varied perspectives. The Trade Desk anticipates minimal impact, emphasizing the majority of its ad impressions don’t rely on cookies. Unified ID 2.0 adoption among publishers sees a 30% increase in CPMs. Magnite supports Google’s Privacy …
Magnite’s CTV Spend Swelled By 20% In 2023 Magnite’s Q4 2022 revenue report shows CTV’s growing importance, accounting for nearly 40% of business, though CTV revenue itself dipped 2% YoY. Despite this, Magnite saw a 7% YoY increase in revenue to $187 million, with strong performance in DV+ and partnerships with major players like Roku …
Unity Boycott Begins as Devs Switch Off Ads to Force a Runtime Fee Reversal The mobile game developers’ boycott against Unity revolves around their opposition to the company’s plan to implement installation-dependent fees starting on January 1, 2024. They argue that this decision, made without consulting the industry, poses a significant threat to developers, including …
The “New Rules” of Video Stories and Advertising: Q&A with Connatix’s Anthony Gonsalves Anthony Gonsalves, SVP and Head of Global Business Development at Connatix, discusses the evolving landscape of video content and advertising. He emphasizes that all publishers, regardless of their size, should embrace video as it offers a powerful means of engaging audiences and …
How Europe’s New Digital Privacy Act Will Change Big Tech Regulation The European Union’s (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA) recently came into effect, marking a significant development in tech privacy regulations. The DSA is regarded as one of the toughest sets of regulations globally and is distinct from the previous Digital Markets Act, which focused …
The MFA Uproar Puts Curation of Programmatic Advertising in the spotlight The ad industry’s focus on “curation” as a response to the prevalence of low-cost reach has gained momentum due to concerns over made-for-advertising sites (MFAs). The revelation of significant ad spending on MFAs triggered the need for more curated approaches to ad placements. GroupM, …
The name of the game continues to be industry clean up and accountability. GroupM is removing MFAs from its inclusion lists GroupM, has taken a proactive step in standardizing the industry definition for made-for-advertising sites (MFAs) by implementing its own vetting process. It claims to be the first media buying agency to do so by …
