The end goal, after the tech details are hashed out, is to bring needed efficiency to the ad-bidding world — and allow the many small players to compete without having one standard imposed from above. That one standard from above, of course, would be via Google. The digital ad system is developing into two camps: Google and everyone else. Google is working to build an end-to-end system, one that is often painted by competitors as “closed.” (Think Apple’s approach with iOS.) Others, including the proposed Microsoft-Yahoo-AOL alliance, are banking on an open approach.
The IAB’s head, Randall Rothenberg, announced the support for the standard yesterday at an OpenRTB Town Hall. (I moderated the discussion.) Participants in the meeting wasted little time criticizing Google for holding back support for the standard. Google group product manager Scott Spencer asserted Google does favor open standards, only it wants the best protocol used. He also noted the meeting was the first time Google was invited.
The skirmishes are part of a bigger game of positioning how the emerging ad-tech landscape will shake out. Another interesting non-supporter of the standard: AppNexus, which is emerging as a force on the bidding landscape. It was a member of the OpenRTB group but then dropped out.
More in Media
News publishers may be flocking to Bluesky, but many aren’t leaving X
The Guardian and NPR have left X, but don’t expect a wave of publishers to follow suit. Execs said the platform is still useful for some traffic and engaging with fandoms – despite its toxicity.
Media Briefing: Publishers’ Q4 programmatic ad businesses are in limbo
This week’s Media Briefing looks at how publishers in the U.S. and Europe have seen programmatic ad sales on the open market slow in the fourth quarter while they’ve picked up in the private marketplace.
How the European and U.S. publishing landscapes compare and contrast
Publishing executives compared and contrasted the European and U.S. media landscapes and the challenges facing publishers in both regions.