MediaMath and PubMatic join forces to expand media buying ecosystem in Asia

MediaMath has tied up with PubMatic to make the latter's ad supply in Asia available to MediaMath buyers. This is done through MediaMath's omnichannel media buying platform SOURCE, which will see PubMatic bringing added display, mobile, and connected TV inventory from a roster of publishers across Southeast Asia including LINE, KLY, Detik.com, Kompas Gramedia, ABS-CBN, and Sanook. 

Launched in 2019, SOURCE is MediaMath's digital media ecosystem that aims to be transparent with advertisers and help them optimise their media-buying strategies. According to PubMatic, publishers have been asking for increased transparency, and brands and media buyers want better insights into the inventory they are acquiring. 

"We hope this could increase demand from media buyers that want to transact with platforms that are transparent and provide marketers with more trust and peace of mind when transacting in programmatic media environments," PubMatic's spokesperson said.

According to Viktor Zawadzki, general manager EMEA and APAC of MediaMath, the partnership with PubMatic moves it a step closer to achieving its goal in APAC. "The future of the open internet needs to be built around radical transparency and improved performance for all participants. MediaMath launched SOURCE as part of a broader drive to align the industry around these imperatives," he added. Zawadzki also said that partnerships with like-minded partners such as PubMatic, which is focused on helping publishers maximise revenue, are "critical to this momentum". 

Sudipto Das, vice president of advertiser solutions, APAC at PubMatic said: “Together with MediaMath, PubMatic is aimed at driving results for buyers and increasing revenue and opportunities for publishers." Das added that at a time when focus is honed in on making ad spend and content investment work smarter and harder, this partnership intends to help PubMatic grow the addressable pool of marketer spend in the programmatic channel. 

Aside from its partnership with PubMatic, MediaMath also said it will continually expand SOURCE’s supply chain ecosystem with new solutions and advertising opportunities. In December, MediaMath announced the global availability of the SOURCE digital media ecosystem, delivering upon the promise it made one year ago to develop a fully accountable, addressable and aligned digital media supply chain by the end of 2020.

Separately last April, MediaMath reportedly laid off 8% of its employees and also implemented a 10% salary cut amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Its president, Konrad Gerszke, was also quoted to taking steps to build up its position for the long haul. This includes shifting the focus of its recruitment efforts to "critical positions only", cutting expenses and compensation, as well as decreasing roles "as necessary", he reportedly said. 

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