News and analysis on demand-side platforms, bidding strategy, data quality, and performance optimization in digital media.
7 articles and counting.
Swivel and Olyzon launched live agent-to-agent CTV transactions via AdCP, bypassing DSP/SSP infrastructure entirely. The same week, Basis shipped agentic planning tools and Horizon Media revealed an orchestration layer above the entire stack. Three architectural bets on programmatic's future landed in 72 hours.
Publicis audited The Trade Desk and rivals rushed to pitch alternatives. Four agency buyers surveyed said they changed nothing. The real fight is over margin and infrastructure control, not transparency.
PubMatic's AgenticOS, PMG's Alli Buyer Cloud, and TTD's eroding lock-in are three arrows hitting the same target: the DSP's 10-20% fee layer. Here's what the convergence means.
Four holding companies are now auditing or distancing from The Trade Desk over hidden fees. But the real fight is over something more expensive than a markup: control of the advertiser relationship.
PubMatic and Untapped Growth claim 40-50% supply chain savings through agentic media buying that bypasses DSPs. The numbers look great on the press release. They look different in the Adweek exclusive. Here's what media buyers should actually trust.
A FirmDecisions audit found fee violations. Dentsu, WPP, and now Publicis have all broken from the industry's dominant independent DSP within weeks. This is not a partner dispute — it's a structural reckoning over who controls programmatic's future.
A step-by-step guide to auditing your programmatic supply paths, scoring your SSPs, and cutting the intermediaries that waste your budget. Includes scorecard template and 2026 DSP tool recommendations.