MediaAlpha Unveils Open Bidding for Publishers Selling Performance Marketing

MediaAlpha, a pioneer in programmatic platforms for native and metasearch media, launched Open Bidding. Open Bidding is a new offering that brings the transformational yield and operational benefits of header bidding to publishers of vertically-targeted, comparison search media. The first solution of its kind, Open Bidding empowers these publishers of valuable, cost-per-click based performance inventory to create a unified, real-time auction between all current (and future) demand partners, including direct advertisers, ad networks, demand-side platforms (DSPs), and advertising exchanges.

“Through Open Bidding, we are empowering native and metasearch publishers to increase the value of their inventory by simultaneously prioritizing bids from all demand sources on an impression-by-impression basis through an open, transparent auction process”

The tremendous lift in revenue brought to publishers by header bidding and the real-time, simultaneous bidding this programmatic technique enables has been well-documented and established in other digital ad ecosystems such as the display, mobile, and video.

Header bidding enables publishers in these channels to replace a manual, waterfall-based demand management model with a unified, real-time auction between all demand partners. This fosters significantly enhanced competition for their inventory, thus increasing revenue by upwards of 30 to 40 percent.

“Through Open Bidding, we are empowering native and metasearch publishers to increase the value of their inventory by simultaneously prioritizing bids from all demand sources on an impression-by-impression basis through an open, transparent auction process,” said Steve Yi, CEO of MediaAlpha.

Steve added, “This open, unified auction model will finally replace the negotiated demand management model that has persisted in the supply-side of performance media for too long. Not only will publishers benefit from far higher yield and operational efficiencies, but advertisers will be able to attain far greater reach through a smaller number of media buying partnerships.”

Open Bidding provides a unified demand management solution that gives publishers substantially more transparency and control over how their inventory is made available and sold. They can continue to own and manage their existing relationships with demand sources, including direct advertisers and ad networks while maximizing the price paid for their inventory through a real-time auction involving all demand partners. In addition to higher yield, publishers also gain full transparency to precisely what each demand partner is bidding and the winning price, giving them an accurate view of exactly how each demand partner values their inventory.