Magnite ClearLine

Goodway Group has reduced the number of SSPs it works with from about 20 at the end of 2024 to just single digits today.

GAM’s dinner with ad agencies sparked speculation that Google is preparing to spin off its bundled SSP and ad server as a remedy to its ad tech monopoly. But Google says it’s just part of the trend of SSPs going direct to buyers.

Magnite’s SpringServe deal illustrates why SSPs need a video ad server; Google grapples with AI search’s impact on publisher traffic; and Anthropic’s AI assistant is a law enforcement snitch.

Streaming TV advertisers are still unsatisfied with the level of transparency from publishers in the ad buying process. So Rain the Growth Agency created its own way to get more transparency into CTV buys.

Although the full revenue impact of Magnite’s exclusive SSP partnership with Netflix hasn’t hit yet, simply announcing the deal “created significant momentum for our business,” Magnite President and CEO Michael Barrett told investors.

For Magnite, the biggest growth opportunity lies in supply-path optimization. The trade-off is the pressure to differentiate itself from other supply-side platforms competing for agency deals.

Total ad spend from deals transacted through Magnite’s platform topped $5 billion for the full year, representing nearly 20% YOY growth, while full-year CTV ad spend was also up 20%.

Since advertisers now treat connected TV more like a digital performance channel, expect programmatic CTV demand to keep ramping up – including in the open exchange.

2023 saw SPO become further cemented in the strategies of DSPs and SSPs for capturing market share. But the long-term trend might see SPO become the default for programmatic advertisers.

Magnite increased its purchase data reservoir through a partnership with Attain, a purchase data company. But the data upgrade is restricted to ClearLine.

Supply-path optimization conjures an image of SSPs and DSPs dueling it out to each render the other obsolete. But it’s actually not that dramatic.

In addition to buy-side integrations, content curation, proprietary ad formats and flexible pricing models are also helping set SSPs apart.

Cutting out hops in the supply chain means skipping over a DSP or an SSP – especially for video inventory. Plus, inside Cadent’s bid for bankrupt SSP EMX.

CEO Jeff Green pushed back against the idea that DSPs are increasingly competing with SSPs and vice versa, saying it was a fabrication of the trade press.