Observed Signal · Jul 8, 2026 · Industry Report · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
MFA Ad Spend Rises; AI Slop May Be Factor
The ANA’s Q1 programmatic benchmark report (released May) found that the share of ANA members' ad spend going to made-for-advertising (MFA) sites rose from 0.6% in Q4 2025 to 1.1% in Q1 2026 — the first increase since 2023. The report highlights that lower-performing advertisers allocate a larger share to MFA (2.1%) versus top performers (0.9%). The ANA and industry experts point to “AI slop” — low-effort, mostly AI-generated content — as an emerging sub-type of low-quality inventory that requires ongoing mitigation. Publishers, SSPs and ad tech vendors (Index Exchange, Nexxen) say they use vetting, human audits, blocklists from vendors like Jounce and DeepSee, and onboarding delays for new sites to limit MFA monetization. Independent studies cited (Ahrefs, Graphite) suggest a rapid increase in AI-generated content online, complicating distinctions between legitimate AI-assisted publishing and spammy content farms.
ANA’s benchmark showing a reversal in MFA spend and the rise of AI-generated 'slop' signals a renewed media-quality risk that affects programmatic supply chains, vendor hygiene (SSPs/SSPs vetting), and advertiser performance — a mid‑priority industry issue requiring continued mitigation.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The ANA's Q1 programmatic benchmark report shows MFA ad spend rose from 0.6% (Q4 2025) to 1.1% (Q1 2026) among ANA members.
- Lower-performing ANA advertisers spent 2.1% of budgets on MFA properties versus 0.9% for the highest-performing cohort.
- The ANA report called out 'AI slop' as a growing sub-type of MFA and a media-quality risk requiring ongoing mitigation.
- Index Exchange said it started MFA investigations in 2022 and claimed to be fully MFA-free by 2024; Nexxen began targeting MFA on both SSP and DSP sides in September 2023 using Jounce’s MFA blocklist.
- Third-party research cited: Ahrefs found 74% of new websites created in April 2025 included AI content; Graphite reported that as of October 2025, ~50% of online articles were AI-generated.
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“That’s according to the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) programmatic benchmark report for Q1, released in May....”
“Rocky Moss, co-founder and CEO ad DeepSee.io, whose supply chain research underpins many companies’ efforts to combat MFA....”
“Scott Pierce, senior director of product management and marketplace quality at The Trade Desk, who wrote a column for AdExchanger in Novembe...”
“Index Exchange started its own investigations in 2022 and claimed to be fully MFA-free by 2024....”
“Research from AI marketing platform Ahrefs suggests that 74% of new websites created in April 2025 included AI content, and only 26% were 'p...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
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