Observed Signal · Nov 8, 2025 · Technical Release · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
APIs Shine as IP Targeting Fails to Deliver
APIs have long been the backbone of ad tech, but a new study undercuts the reliability of IP-based targeting, arguing that IP addresses remain a weak anchor for identity. The Big Story spotlights API-based self-serve platforms from Roku and Comcast and The Trade Desk’s PDP API, a deal-enforcing tool designed to improve automated provisioning and enforce commitments. A study commissioned by CIMM and Go Addressable and conducted by Truthset finds IP-to-email linkages accurate only 16% of the time and IP-to-postal matches only 13%, with substantial accuracy gaps across providers. The piece argues that standardization is overdue as providers chase quantity over quality, creating messy data and inconsistent outcomes. Still, APIs are essential for programmatic workflows, enabling different platforms to talk to one another. The PDP API is framed as a step toward more enforceable, scalable deal-making in a largely human-driven process.
Technical Release of PDP API by The Trade Desk; major platform and industry impact
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Trade Desk introduced the PDP API, a deal-enforcing API for provisioning and enforcing deal commitments.
- API-based self-serve platforms from Roku and Comcast are spotlighted in the story.
- The study commissioned by CIMM and Go Addressable and conducted by Truthset found IP-to-email accuracy at 16% and IP-to-postal accuracy at 13%.
- The study also found large accuracy differences across providers and called for standardization to improve data quality.
- James Hercher stated that more than 90% of deal ID campaigns never achieve scale.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Study: IP-Based Ad Targeting Is Highly Inaccurate
A Truthset study, commissioned by CIMM and Go Addressable, finds IP-based ad targeting is highly unreliable for household and audience advertising. The report reports that IP-to-postal address matches occur only 13% of the time and IP-to-email matches 16% of the time, estimating that only $0.03 of every dollar spent reaches the intended audience. Truthset warns that frequently reassigned IP addresses and divergent data from providers undermine programmatic targeting, leaving open-web and free ad-supported streaming services at a disadvantage compared with deterministic, login-driven walled gardens like Google, Meta and Amazon. The study calls for a move toward deterministic identifiers and improved identity infrastructure for addressable TV and cross-platform measurement.
IP-Based CTV Targeting Fails 75% of Time
New research from identity resolution vendor Adstra and indie media agency InterMedia Advertising finds that IP-based connected TV (CTV) targeting is frequently inaccurate. The study reports that only 23% of residential IP addresses reached their intended geographic target and that device-level CTV identifiers were more stable over time (71%) than IP addresses (57%). The authors argue that opaque IP-to-household mapping methods waste media spend and propose a new reliability framework, ID Connection Strength (ICS), which scores identifiers 1–6 across five criteria. ICS has been in testing since January with select brands and agencies and is expected to be more widely available in the third quarter of 2026.
Advertisers Demand More IP-Level Data From Netflix
Advertisers and buy‑side ad‑tech executives tell AdExchanger they receive insufficient IP‑level data from Netflix to justify programmatic spend, particularly for geotargeting and cross‑platform measurement. Sources say Netflix supplies abridged or no IP addresses to its sell‑side partner Magnite and does not pass IP data to DSPs, which weakens city‑level targeting accuracy. Netflix argues it provides deterministic identity signals and has invested in attribution partnerships, a conversion API (launched in March) and hires for ad sales and measurement. The streamer also uses data clean rooms (InfoSum, Snowflake, LiveRamp, AWS). Buyers report some advertisers are reallocating programmatic local spend to platforms that share richer IP/data signals, while larger advertisers may still buy Netflix for mass reach.
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