Observed Signal · Oct 17, 2024 · Market Analysis · Source: Quo Vadis News · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Open Web Market Sizing in AdTech (US focus)
Quo Vadis News analyzes US AdTech market spend with emphasis on the open web display segment. It estimates US total media spend at $390B, with digital at $303B and traditional at $87B; CTV at $29B and linear TV decline due to cannibalization. The open web is sized at about $48B (roughly 12% of total media spend) and broken into direct (about 36% of open web spend, ~ $17B) and programmatic (~$31B). The piece highlights major players (Google, The Trade Desk, Amazon, Yahoo, Teads, Outbrain, Criteo, Zeta Global, etc.) and discusses a tear-down M&A environment alongside potential AI-driven growth and privacy-focused measurement shifts. It places adtech within broader shifts in data, identity, and governance, noting attribution challenges in a cookieless world and the evolving economics of direct vs programmatic open web inventory.
In-depth market sizing of open web advertising and its implications for AdTech market dynamics.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- US total media spend is estimated at $390 billion; digital $303B (78%), traditional $87B.
- Open Web display ads sized at about $48 billion in the US, ~12% of total media spend.
- Direct open web spend is around 36% of open web spend, about $17B; remaining $31B is programmatic.
- Google Ads & DV360 US demand-side display spend is estimated at $14.7B in FY23; Trade Desk processed $9.4B in FY23.
- Open web programmatic share is projected to decline from ~8% to ~6% over the next five years as overall ad spend grows.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Open Web Standards: Key to AdTech's 2026 Growth
The 2025 German digital advertising landscape showed growth largely driven by Walled Gardens, while the Open Web lagged. OVK/BVDW forecast about 8.8% growth for the online display and video market in 2025, but the Open Web’s gains were uneven as large media groups faced cautious ad budgets and declines, with TV broadcasters among those seeing reduced ad spend. Looking to 2026, AI is presented as a foundational capability in AdTech, with emphasis on model quality, transparency of decision logic, and actionable integration into strategy. Attention is identified as the key currency, with expectations for a unified Attention-Quality Score and cross-industry collaboration (IAB and MRC), alongside OWM’s push for independent, auditable, and neutral measurement to steer spend back toward the Open Web. Targeting and data quality are set to improve through platform-agnostic IDs, while market consolidation favors strong technology players. Video/CTV remains central, with Europe’s CTV ad-views up 31% in H1 2025 (Freewheel). Nestlé Deutschland’s Maike Abel highlights open-web standards and brand safety.
Open Web Advertising: A Renaissance in Performance Marketing
The article argues that the open web is not dead but is experiencing a renaissance as performance-minded advertisers seek cheaper alternatives to walled gardens. Industry executives like Eric Tilbury of Inuvo and Cory Dobbin of Otherside highlight the value of display ads and programmatic buying, despite banner blindness and rising costs in platforms like Meta and Google. The definition of the open web is expanding, including CTV and streaming platforms, as seen in The Trade Desk's SP500+. Companies like Taboola are consolidating inventory management for publishers like Microsoft and NBC. Advertisers are increasingly recognizing the price advantage and honest measurement of open web programmatic, although metrics may appear worse due to reduced junk traffic. The article suggests that while the open web has changed, it remains a viable and undervalued channel.
Olyzon Launches Agentic Orchestration Platform for Advertising
Olyzon, an agentic orchestration platform for advertising, has launched its technology live in market, optimizing real advertising campaigns. The platform enables agencies and brands to orchestrate media budgets across CTV, YouTube, social, digital audio, and DOOH from a single interface, integrating with existing DSPs, SSPs, and measurement partners. It is positioned as a working example of a Unified Media Platform (UMP), connecting systems that previously operated in silos. Key integrations include Amazon DSP, DV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo DSP, Universal Ads, Vibe, Spotify, PubMatic, Swivel.ai, DoubleVerify, Xpln, Lucid, and Innovid. The launch was announced at Advertising Week New York.
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