Programmatic marketing faces several challenges, yet remains a crucial revenue stream for publishers. According to Digiday+ Research surveys conducted biannually among publisher professionals, a significant majority of publishers generate income from programmatic ads, although the percentage has slightly declined over the past year.
Key Findings
Revenue from Programmatic Ads:
- Q1 2024: 82% of publishers reported earning at least some revenue from programmatic ads.
- This is a decrease from 87% six months prior and 85% a year ago.
- One-third (33%) of publishers stated that a large or very large portion of their revenue comes from programmatic ads, up from 29% in Q3 2023.
Future Focus on Programmatic Business:
- 53% of publishers plan to significantly focus on building their programmatic business in the next six months, up from 41% six months earlier.
- 33% will place a large focus, and 20% a very large focus on programmatic ads. Only 7% will focus very little, and none will focus a small amount.
Lack of Focus on Programmatic:
- 18% of publishers are not focusing on their programmatic business at all, up from 9% in Q3 2023 and similar to 16% in Q1 2023.
Revenue Sources
- Open Market vs. Direct-Sold Programmatic Ads:
- 54% of publishers earn a large or very large portion of their programmatic revenue from the open market, consistent with previous years.
- Only 17% earn a large or very large portion from direct-sold ads, down from 24% in 2023 and 34% in Q3 2022.
- The percentage of publishers earning no revenue from direct-sold or open market programmatic ads has increased to 20% in Q1 2024, compared to lower percentages in previous years.
These findings highlight the ongoing importance of programmatic ads to publishers' revenue streams, despite some fluctuations and challenges in the market.
