Reflecting On 2024 – Expert Insights on the Programmatic Industry
As the digital advertising landscape continues to evolve, programmatic advertising remains at the forefront of innovation, shaping the way brands…
There are several Supply-Side Platforms on the market that publishers can choose from. Each works slightly differently, uses different optimization methods, and has access to different advertisers. Which are the top SSPs in 2021, depending on Geo/Region and Inventory type?
Supply Side Platforms (or SSPs for short) are used by digital publishers to sell ad inventory programmatically. These platforms are also referred to as ad exchanges (although SSPs and ad exchanges were developed separately in the Programmatic ecosystem, nowadays, from the publishers’ perspective, they are almost the same entities, and the names ‘SSPs’ and ‘ad exchanges’ are frequently used interchangeably). Examples of SSPs include Xandr (formerly Appnexus), Index Exchange, Pubmatic, Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project), GumGum, and many others.
SSPs are connected to different DSPs (Demand Side Platforms that give digital advertisers access to the publisher’s ad space and enable programmatic buying) and transact on behalf of publishers.
What are the main differences between SSPs?
Some of the main differences between SSPs include:
The UX: some platforms offer very comfortable UX so that publishers are able to spend a minimum time using their platform;
Reporting options: some SSP platforms offer advanced reporting options, providing publishers with more insights about the value of their inventory for particular Advertisers (good examples here are AppNexus/Xandr & Pubmatic), while other platforms offer more basic reporting, with data only on the impressions and revenue. Another key aspect is the discrepancy in the standardization of reported metrics. For example, some SSPs report ad request data under different nomenclature, so it may pose a challenge for publishers to combine data from different SSPs;
Possibility of setting up private deals – enabled by platforms such as Adform, Sovrn, AppNexus/Xandr, OpenX, and others;
Ability to serve particular formats such as outstream (e.g., AppNexus/Xandr, Magnite/Rubicon, OpenX, Teads) or native ads (e.g., AppNexus/Xandr, Teads);
Integration/plugging options: some SSPs that don’t require header bidding – they can be set in, e.g., waterfall, and some that do require header bidding or Open Bidding;
Finally, the costs: some SSPs charge a single flat rate fee, while others charge higher fees for the open auction and lower fees for PMP, PD, and PG deals, etc.
Most used SSP platforms
According to the latest Advertiser Perceptions SSP Report, the top ad exchange partner for 51% of polled publishers was Google Ad Manager. However, since GAM is also an ad server, this article will focus on non-Google demand platforms. In second place is Amazon Publisher Services, with 10% of publishers listing it as their top partner.
Amazon was also the second most popular SSP according to Statista’s 2020 survey, carried out among digital ad sales and operations professionals. As of May 2020, 46% of the polled publishers worldwide stated that they used Amazon demand. The top 5 platforms also included OpenX (35%), Verizon Media (26%), Rubicon (26%), and Index Exchange (25%):
How to choose the best SSP for your inventory and business model?
Publishers typically use multiple ad exchange platforms (Supply–Side Platforms). According to the latest reports, there are six SSPs on average. However, this number is said to continue to increase thanks to Header Bidding (especially with the increased popularity of server-side solutions that support using several SSPs with no impact on page latency). The idea behind using a substantial number of platforms is to achieve greater demand, which, however, can vary depending on the exchange.
Before choosing the right Supply-Side Platforms, it’s a good idea to compare a number of them, as SSPs tend to perform differently based on the geolocation of the user or the type of inventory.
The top SSPs 2021 per Geo/Region
SSPs with a global demand perform well regardless of the user’s GEO (that is the case with Google AdManager or Amazon). This applies especially to Tier 1 traffic with high eCPMs. Below we have compiled a general guide to top-performing SSPs per region.
Western Europe: Xandr/AppNexus, Next Millennium
DACH region: Adform, Improve Digital
France: Criteo, SmartAdserver
The UK: Teads, Magnite/Rubicon Project, OpenX, Xandr, Criteo, TripleLift, Alternatively, Just Premium is a smaller player that might be worth looking into, thanks to their interesting ad formats and demand.
Central Europe: YOC (Germany & Poland), eTarget (Slovakia), ConnectAd (Baltic countries)
The U.S.: Xandr/AppNexus, Oath (Verizon Media), Magnite/Rubicon Project, Pubmatic, Sovrn, 33across, 152Media, TripleLift
LATAM: RTB House, OFT Media, Xandr/AppNexus, Magnite/Rubicon Project, DistrictM, Pubmatic, TripleLift, Sovrn, Smart Adserver
Top SSPs 2021 for your inventory type
For In-app (plugged via Open Bidding), the Supply-Side Platforms showing good performance levels, especially in the French, German, Polish, and Czech markets, are: Smaato, TripleLift, and OpenX.
Video SSP top pics are: ViddyAd, Teads, Unruly, FreeWheel, SpotX, Telaria, Xandr/AppNexus, Oath (Verizon Media), OpenX.
Desktop/mobile SSP ‘must haves’ include the platforms with global demand, such as: Xandr/Appnexus, Magnite/Rubicon Project, Pubmatic + regional ones.
Eligibility requirements for Publishers to use Supply-Side Platforms
Usually, the SSPs require a certain volume of traffic to accept a publisher. Publishers must also meet SSP policy requirements (mostly related to content quality). Accessing platforms with strict whitelisting criteria and only accepting Publishers generating a certain number of ad requests may be time-consuming. To avoid going through a complicated application process, publishers may team up with Publishing Partners such as Yieldbird (we can support you by providing extra demand from multiple ad exchanges either with a standalone QuickWrap tool to manage Header Bidding or as a part of full stack Yield Management).
This way, you can test additional Supply-Side Platforms much quicker and increase demand in your Header Bidding without signing separate contracts with every bidder. If you’re looking for recommendations on which of the top SSPs 2021 are worth testing, we will be happy to contact you for a chat!
