Does the “D” in DSP actually stand for “disintermediation”?
On Wednesday, demand-side platform Viant announced an expansion of its supply-path optimization (SPO) solution for connected TV ad buying.
The program, which rolled out earlier this year and is called Direct Access, has 20 CTV publishers on board, up from six at launch.
Its purpose is to help advertisers work more directly with publishers so they can cut down on costs, particularly the much-loathed ad tech tax, said Tom Wolfe, Viant’s SVP of business development.
If a DSP going direct to publishers sounds familiar, that’s because The Trade Desk is doing it, too, with its OpenPath product. Meanwhile, supply-side platforms, including Magnite and PubMatic, recently released products that give buyers more direct access to inventory.
Be direct
But Viant’s intention is not to cut out SSPs, Wolfe said.
Viant can best serve the interests of advertisers by giving them the option to access inventory directly, he said, and publishers benefit by being able to maximize their yield.
Direct Access now represents more than 75% of CTV supply. Viant declined to name specific publishers that are part of its SPO program.
Viant also shared that its SPO tech now has Prebid certification, which it expects will help convince more publishers to sell through Viant.
Although CTV is its biggest channel and the main focus of its Direct Access program, many publishers that work with Viant also have display inventory. Wolfe declined to share the exact split between Viant’s CTV and display business.
Viant has already seen an increase in ad spend from existing brand clients since launching Direct Access, said Wolfe, and it hopes expanding the program will attract new advertisers.
For example, in addition to lowering the ad tech tax, a direct link to publishers helps advertisers save money by making sure they aren’t bidding against themselves for inventory. That happens when inventory resellers farm out the same publisher bid requests to multiple supply-side platforms and DSPs.
Setting priorities
As a DSP, Viant has to put the needs of advertisers first, but going direct can be a win-win for buyers and sellers, Wolfe said.
Direct relationships with buyers ensure that more ad dollars make it to the publisher instead of being siphoned off by resellers, he said, which is why “publishers can stand to gain some efficiency by working directly with DSPs.”
And “on behalf of our advertisers, our job is to get as close to the supply as possible,” Wolfe said, which means “strengthening our [ad buying] product for advertisers through relationships with publishers.”
Viant intends to incorporate the remaining 25% of its CTV supply into Direct Access in the near future.
“But we don’t intend to build technology for the sell side,” Wolfe said. “At this time,” he added.
