Smaato

Digital Bash: Programmatic by d3con

Digital Bash – Programmatic by d3con is a digital, April 30, 2024 event hosted by OnlineMarketing.de focusing on programmatic advertising trends and technologies for 2024. The program features speakers from JENTIS GmbH (server-side tracking), ad agents GmbH (DV360 and KPI optimization), MINT (AI and automation for marketing workflows), FRAMEN (programmatic DOOH and real-time data targeting), and StackAdapt (multi-channel audience delivery), with Natascha Ehlers hosting the opening and closing segments. The day includes sessions on data privacy, agile workflows, and how to leverage AI to improve performance. Attendees can access the event for free via a digital link. The agenda spans sessions from 09:00 onward, covering measurement, full-funnel strategies, and attention metrics, all aimed at elevating automated advertising campaigns.

Verve Group acquires Smaato

Verve Group, a privacy-first omnichannel advertising platform, announced the acquisition of Smaato through a subsidiary of its parent company Media and Games Invest SE (MGI). The deal values Smaato at $170 million and will see MGI acquire 99.99% of Shanghai Yi Qiu Business Management Co., Ltd. from Shanghai Qiugu Investment Partnership; the purchase price will be paid entirely in cash. The transaction is expected to close within two months subject to regulatory approvals. Smaato, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Hamburg and San Francisco, operates in Mobile Ad Tech and has expanded to a self-service platform for publisher monetization. The combined Verve Group and Smaato aim to reach roughly two billion users globally across mobile web, in-app, desktop, DOOH and connected TV, complementing Verve's omnichannel platform. Verve previously acquired Beemray to boost contextual targeting and introduced ATOM for anonymized in-app targeting.

Verve Group Acquires Smaato SSP

Verve Group, the ad-tech unit owned by Media and Games Invest (MGI), announced it is acquiring Smaato, a mobile sell-side platform, in a deal valued at about $170 million. Smaato’s revenue last year was just over half of Verve’s and is expected to grow 18% this year to €39 million. The acquisition strengthens Verve’s mobile offering and expands MGI’s Asia presence, where Smaato has grown since its 2016 acquisition by Shanghai Qiugu Investment Partnership and Shenzhen QS Funds Management. The move supports MGI’s broader strategy to build an omnichannel programmatic SaaS platform across the media value chain, complementing Nexstar’s LKQD platform and other past buys like PubNative and Beemray. Smaato has invested in omnichannel capabilities, including an OTT solution launched in March, and its SaaS segment posted a 117% revenue increase last year. Remco Westermann, CEO of MGI, said the deal could yield cost and revenue synergies and bolster Verve’s global ad-tech leadership.