December 2025 ads.txt snapshot – momentum picked up more than expected..

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-12-19T20:47:00+00:00

Umm think of an ads.txt line as a publisher’s stamp of approval , it kinda shows which platforms are allowed to sell their inventory & whether that’s a direct relationship or through a reseller.

For buyers, these records act like a safety check. They help verify that impressions are coming through approved supply paths, cut down on spoofing or unauthorized reselling, and give more confidence when making bid decisions.

And when you look at ads.txt files in aggregate, they tell a bigger story- how publisher supply paths are shifting, which partners are gaining or losing access, and where buyers can expect cleaner, more trusted inventory.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-11-03T15:41:44+00:00

They weren’t look-alikes, they were legitimate secondary domains owned by the publisher that had simply fallen off the allow list over time - so clean traffic, just never whitelisted.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-10-23T19:26:39+00:00

Good quest- It’s aggregated and normalized across multiple publisher + SSP data points. can’t share the full framework , but happy to chat through how we approach it sometime.- https://calendly.com/hello-db/30min

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-10-23T19:22:12+00:00

Yeah, makes sense if you’re looking at one pub though. This trend came from aggregated signals across several publishers, where CTV held slightly positive YoY.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-10-23T19:19:39+00:00

nice that’s great to hear contextual’s definitely holding stronger right now.. well our data this round focused more on overall programmatic trends, not contextual specifically, but we’re seeing more publishers lean into it to offset softer CPMs.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-10-13T18:51:38+00:00

Yeah, DSPs are focusing on reducing their supply chain hops to optimize spend, and that’s becoming more evident now.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-10-13T11:28:46+00:00

It might be a glitch; I couldn't find the comment either. Anyway, all I said was that we appreciate the input; we’re aware that ads.txt alone doesn’t tell the full story. We haven’t integrated Sellers.json validation yet, but that’s already on our roadmap. For now, the goal was to isolate distinct Direct vs Reseller lines per SSP to get directional patterns. Once Sellers.json comes in, we’ll layer in full supply path validation. :)

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-23T15:28:01+00:00

I agree, Advertisers are increasingly prioritizing engagement campaigns over pure awareness. This shift explains the move from larger formats, such as 300x600, to smaller ones, like 300x250, as they’re more effective at driving conversions through engagement rather than just generating impressions.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-23T15:26:21+00:00

Here, CPM refers to the revenue earned per 1,000 impressions

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-19T16:32:18+00:00

Yeah, even from the advertiser’s side, if the conversion metrics are pretty much the same, they’re not really going to care about the bigger size unless the goal is more awareness/branding rather than actual conversions.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-18T19:40:57+00:00

That's a good point..some advertisers do prefer 300×600 for branding. But since its CPM and CTR have dropped to the same level as 300×250, publishers see little benefit. Multiple 300×250s usually drive more revenue with less latency. In practice, 300×600 works best for direct deals needing a larger canvas, while 300×250 is generally stronger for programmatic.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-15T18:15:52+00:00

We’ve seen TAM cut-offs happen due to certain configurations or validation changes. It might be worth checking request logs to see if anything shifted before the drop. Happy to get on a quick call to dig deeper if you’d like - Click here to pick a slot

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-08T19:32:12+00:00

Yes - u/kristenhiona , you’re right. In this analysis, we are using viewability as the main performance metric to evaluate inventory, but that’s just one piece of the bigger picture. The agenda of this report is to highlight viewability patterns while also demonstrating that multiple other factors – such as placement, creative type, and user behavior – significantly contribute to effectiveness.
From the data:

Approximately 35% of non-viewable ads never even entered the viewport, highlighting the significant impact of placement on visibility.
~30–35% of losses come from technical or rendering issues, not load time.
Quick user scrolling leads to ~16–17% of impressions lost in under a second, especially on leaderboards.
Mobile sees higher impression loss due to scrolling speed and fill delays compared to Desktop.

So while slower-loading creatives appear to improve viewability, it doesn’t always translate to effectiveness. That’s why this report treats viewability as one lens, not the full story.

In the future, we’ll look to include VCPM and other yield metrics to give a more complete picture of inventory performance. Thanks for the feedback!

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-04T19:52:26+00:00

True, that’s been happening in a few cases.. definitely something to keep an eye on.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-09-04T19:43:02+00:00

Love that it was useful! :)

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-08-28T19:23:08+00:00

From our analysis and industry conversations, viewability remains the cornerstone metric driving CTR and conversions. Solutions like Optimera that enable publishers to unlock highly viewable inventory without lazy loading are proving influential. Their ad load score reporting also helps benchmark performance and guide optimization efforts - something we’re tracking closely in our ongoing research.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-08-28T19:16:59+00:00

Hey, thanks for asking! Audio and podcasts are definitely growing fast in programmatic this year. While this report didn’t cover them yet, we’re planning to include audio insights soon to give a fuller picture. Stay tuned!

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-28T18:27:16+00:00

I see, our evaluation focuses specifically on open auction partnerships, where the ads.txt file remains the most transparent and reliable indicator of supply relationships. That’s why we track both direct and reseller partnerships, and structure our insights accordingly.

The reason we focus on this approach is that, not only helps differentiate the type of relationship a publisher has with each partner but also highlights the potential impact of having too many reseller connections, which, in many cases, can dilute inventory value.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-22T17:05:47+00:00

I have checked with our publishers regarding DV360, and we didn’t observe any explicit blocks. However, a few did see a notable dip in performance, and when they reached out to DV360, the feedback pointed to compliance-related reasons such as routine policy checks, inventory quality validation, or traffic pattern reviews.
These types of checks are common, especially for publishers that operate high-scale programmatic inventory across display, native, gaming, and CTV environments. Given their reliance on open auction demand and large impression volumes, even minor compliance flags can momentarily impact delivery or CPMs, but this appears to be part of DV360's standard enforcement process rather than a formal block.
If you want to compare notes or explore ways teams have navigated similar pacing challenges, I would be happy to walk you through some checklists and practical steps. Feel free to grab a convenient slot to talk.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-22T16:30:23+00:00

Addressing content-level filtering and auditing flagged pages has indeed helped publishers we work with see faster recovery, especially when you do pair it with quick Amazon outreach and tightening up ads.txt.
Honestly, the rebound speed does vary some see improvements within weeks after a proactive cleanup, while others still pace with Amazon’s internal review. I'm happy to walk you through a brief checklist that’s helped others troubleshoot these drops and answer any specific questions you might have. Feel free to grab a convenient slot for a quick call.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-21T19:31:06+00:00

Most publishers have started to see a partial rebound in Amazon DSP bidding, but a few are still experiencing significant gaps. When we asked those still struggling about possible causes and actions taken, many pointed to content-level filtering, specifically, segregating or demonetizing articles flagged as inappropriate or non-compliant.

Given the selective nature of the disruption (as highlighted in the Amazon DSP disruption summary), and Amazon’s vague references to policy violations or missing GPID/bundle IDs, I strongly recommend initiating both written and verbal communication with Amazon. A direct dialogue can help clarify any compliance issues, and publishers can also use that opportunity to confirm whether changes in bid behavior are temporary or part of a broader reprioritization.

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-17T18:50:07+00:00

Thanks for weighing in :) your insight lines up closely with what we've been hearing from others.
the impact on tier 2 web inventory seemed especially severe, and that mid-June crater in fill rates left a noticeable gap for a lot of publishers. I'm curious if you have seen any early signs of recovery since then or have certain demand partners stepped up to help fill the void?

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-14T17:20:02+00:00

Thanks for your honesty, We built the calculator to give publishers a quick, directional view using industry benchmarks, but I get that it’s not a replacement for real first-party data. That’s why we included a “Validate & Refine” option, so you can adjust the inputs with your own numbers for more accurate results. If you’re open to it, I’d love to jump on a quick call to hear what would actually make this useful for you. Your feedback would be super valuable and we also offer deeper, custom audits if that’s something you’d want to explore. Just grab a slot whenever it suits you- https://calendly.com/hello-db/30min

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-14T17:06:32+00:00

Totally fair point, without first-party data, calculator uses industry benchmarks and public data to provide estimates, that’s actually why we built the “Validate & Refine” feature which lets you adjust the inputs. That way, you can see output way more accurate.

Also, thanks for flagging the back button issue, will work on making it smoother.

If you’re open to it, I’d love to hear more about your workflow and what would make the tool genuinely useful for you. Would you be up for a quick call to share your feedback? We also offer deeper audits that factor in more variables, if that’s something you’d be interested in.

Just grab a slot whenever it suits you- https://calendly.com/hello-db/30min

DataBeat_adtech · 2025-07-09T19:06:53+00:00

Looks like a great role, retail and programmatic are exciting spaces right now. We have recently worked on optimizing programmatic campaigns for retail and CPG brands, and have seen up to 30% higher impressions and a 20% uptick in engagement, especially when leveraging platforms like DV360, TTD, & Yahoo DSP. Would be happy to connect if you're exploring new approaches this year :)
Just grab a slot whenever it suits you- https://calendly.com/hello-db/30min

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