Connect with execs from The New York Times, TIME, Dotdash Meredith and many more
iSocket is one ad tech startup banking on simplicity. Its BuyAds platform wants to marry advertisers directly with publisher inventory. It is currently used by more than 600 websites and claims a growth rate of 10 percent per month.
The devil is in the details, of course, and the company may face challenges in the future from a market crowded with rapidly cloning real-time bidding products. That doesn’t mean that they will be able to get their hands on premium inventory, but it doesn’t take a genius to imagine that premium private exchanges and publishers can make multiple deals with RTB solutions that appeal, for whatever reason, to blue-chip buyers.
More in Media

YouTube’s AI slop crackdown has creators concerned, marketers cheering
Despite the potential crackdown, both creators and marketers broadly view YouTube’s updated policies as a positive move. They believe it indicates that the platform is paying attention to the ways creators are using AI — and that it’s open to AI tools that don’t result in the propagation of so-called “AI slop” videos.

Jargon buster: The key terms to know on AI bot traffic and monetization
Here’s a breakdown of the emerging vocabulary of AI-media economics, what these terms mean, and why they matter now.

Digiday+ Research: Publishers identify the top trends among Gen Z readers
Gen Z makes up a very small percentage of publishers’ readership, but those Gen Z audience members are consuming their news anytime, anywhere.