The Trade Desk Announces First Wave of OpenAds Publishing Partners – Supporting a Healthier Digital Media Supply Chain

Key Terms

programmatic technical

"Programmatic" describes the automated process of buying and selling financial assets or advertising space using computer systems and algorithms. It allows transactions to happen quickly and efficiently, often without human intervention, similar to how vending machines dispense snacks automatically. For investors, programmatic methods can lead to faster decision-making and more precise targeting of opportunities, potentially enhancing overall investment performance.

ROI financial

Return on investment (ROI) measures how much money an investor makes or loses relative to the amount they put in, expressed as a percentage. It helps compare the efficiency of different investments—like checking which of several gardens produced the most fruit for the seeds planted—so investors can decide which opportunities deliver the best payoff for the risk and capital they commit.

Leading publishers AccuWeather, The Arena Group, BuzzFeed, the Guardian, Hearst Magazines, Hearst TV, Newsweek, People Inc., and Ziff Davis among first to support

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Trade Desk, a leading global advertising technology company, today announced broad support from publishing partners for OpenAds, a new auction environment that enables a direct, high-integrity, and transparent option for publishers and sellers. Leading publishers AccuWeather, The Arena Group, BuzzFeed, the Guardian, Hearst Magazines, Hearst TV, Newsweek, People Inc., and Ziff Davis are among the first publishers to announce their support for OpenAds.

As more advertisers fully embrace programmatic advertising, they are demanding digital advertising auctions that prioritize transparency, visibility, and signal. OpenAds is designed to deliver a high-integrity and transparent auction and, in doing so, incentivizes healthy supply chain dynamics across the advertising technology ecosystem.

“OpenAds represents a major advance in how our industry thinks about a clean and transparent supply chain, starting with the auction,” said Will Doherty, SVP, Inventory Development, The Trade Desk. “Innovative partners, including our launch publishers, all agree this technology benefits buyers and publishers by helping advertisers understand what they are buying and the audience they are reaching with the best signal possible.”

Quotes from Supporting Publishers:

“One of the biggest challenges in programmatic is understanding where value is lost between buyers and publishers,” said Megan Hong, Senior Director of Partner and Yield Management, The Arena Group. “OpenAds brings much-needed transparency to the auction, especially around fees and reseller activity, which helps us better understand how our inventory is actually being bought.”

“Congratulations to The Trade Desk on its new OpenAds product, which offers advertisers exceptional ROI and the opportunity to reach premium audiences,” said Dave Strauss, VP of Revenue Operations and Strategy, the Guardian. “It means the highest bid wins in a transparent, auditable auction environment that publishers can independently verify. The Guardian is excited to be a part of that strategy.”

“Hearst Magazines’ early support for OpenAds underscores our commitment to transparent, high-integrity auction mechanics that benefit the entire ecosystem,” said Scott Both, VP of Programmatic Monetization & Operations, Hearst Magazines. “Building on OpenPath, OpenAds advances buyer transparency while reinforcing the value of premium publisher inventory.”

“We believe that transparency is key to the future of programmatic monetization,” said Nate Ryckman, Senior Director, Programmatic Strategy, Hearst Newspapers & TV. “Partnering with The Trade Desk on products like OpenAds helps in fairly representing the scale and impact of our high-quality journalism.”

“At People, we have proven over time that better ads, on the best brands, drive better outcomes for advertisers,” said Patrick McCarthy, SVP of Programmatic Monetization, People Inc. “We believe having a more transparent advertising supply chain benefits everyone and we’re happy to partner with The Trade Desk’s OpenAds to prove that premium transparent advertising can drive efficient premium outcomes.”

“Ziff Davis has always been at the forefront of innovation in digital publishing,” said Mark Obermoller, VP Programmatic Strategy and Yield, Ziff Davis. “OpenAds represents a step forward for advertising online, helping ensure more efficiency and accountability in programmatic.”

OpenAds will continue its development and rollout in 2026. For more information, visit www.thetradedesk.com.

About The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk™ is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit thetradedesk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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Press Contact:

Patrick Wentling

Communications

PR@thetradedesk.com

Source: The Trade Desk