Observed Signal · Apr 24, 2026 · Standards Formation · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
IAB‑Backed Council Formed to Tackle Programmatic Issues
A newly formed standards organization, the Programmatic Governance Council, is convening industry participants to reduce infighting and create shared solutions for persistent programmatic problems. Led by OMD Worldwide Chief Media Officer Ben Hovaness, the council’s early agenda focuses on addressing bid duplication (including transaction IDs and multi-bidding behaviour), improving incrementality measurement, and responsible ID bridging. Hovaness estimates bid duplication costs the programmatic ecosystem about $5 billion annually. The group also discussed the operational impact of agentic AI on programmatic workflows, with Hovaness suggesting AI will change processes around buying rather than replace programmatic addressability. The article is an AdExchanger podcast write-up by Sarah Sluis summarizing those discussions.
A cross-industry standards council aims to address major programmatic inefficiencies (notably bid duplication estimated at ~$5B/year), measurement and ID interoperability — improvements that could reduce waste and friction across DSP/SSP ecosystems.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Programmatic Governance Council is a newly formed standards organization convening industry participants to resolve programmatic conflicts.
- Ben Hovaness, OMD Worldwide Chief Media Officer, leads the council and is the podcast guest discussing its goals.
- Top priorities include solving bid duplication, with transaction IDs as one proposed tool and DSP multi-bidding as another mitigation approach.
- Hovaness estimates bid duplication costs the industry roughly $5 billion per year.
- The council will also address incrementality measurement and ID bridging, and discussed how agentic AI may disrupt programmatic processes.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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IAB Tech Lab Forms Programmatic Governance Council
IAB Tech Lab announced the creation of a Programmatic Governance Council (PGC), a multilateral forum of buyers, sellers, ad tech companies and platforms aimed at improving transparency and efficiency across the roughly $200 billion programmatic market. The council is co‑chaired on the buy side by OMD’s chief media officer Ben Hovaness and was co‑chartered with Tech Lab CEO Tony Katsur. Founding members include major agencies and platform players such as Omnicom, WPP, Dentsu, Disney, Amazon Ads, The Trade Desk, Magnite, PubMatic, Hearst, News Corp, Yahoo, Raptive and Mediavine. The PGC first convened in December, has met multiple times, plans to meet twice monthly, and expects to produce initial recommendations within 90–120 days, prioritizing reductions in bid duplication and QPS bloat and clarifying rules around transaction IDs and auction transparency.
IAB Calls for Programmatic Supply-Chain Transparency
An IAB blog post by Angelina Eng (May 18, 2026) argues the programmatic advertising supply chain lacks clear visibility into fees and revenue flows, leaving a large portion of advertiser spend not reaching publishers. The piece cites industry research (ANA, ISBA, Jounce Media) on low working-media efficiency and describes contractual and technical barriers to disclosure. It highlights ongoing industry efforts — IAB Tech Lab’s Programmatic Governance Council and IAB’s Project Eidos — to build standards, taxonomies and standardized terms and conditions. The author proposes five practical steps for near-term progress, including standardized fee reporting, impression-level cost reconciliation, explicit opt-in for paid services, publisher-side revenue breakdowns, and a common fee taxonomy.
Telstra's Steve Buscemi Villain Returns in Security Sequel
Telstra, the Australian telecommunications provider, has launched a new installment of its security campaign featuring Steve Buscemi as an evil intergalactic emperor. The ads, created by agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and directed by Randy Krallman of Smuggler, dramatize how Telstra's upgraded security thwarts the villain's 'scam-pocalypse' attempts. The campaign includes a 90-second hero film and two 30-second spots running across TV, digital, social, cinema, and Telstra stores. Telstra highlights that Australians lost over US$1.4 billion to scams last year, and the company blocks millions of scam calls and texts monthly. The humorous approach, as reported by Ad Age, aims to reassure customers of proactive protection while continuing Buscemi's role from previous ads.
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