Observed Signal · Dec 1, 2025 · Forecast · Source: Adzine · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
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.
Forecasts and strategic shifts toward Open Web standards, AI integration, and Attention metrics indicate meaningful industry impact.
Track IAB Signals & Market Shifts in Real-Time
Polaris7 autonomous intelligence agents track regulatory filings, primary sources, executive changes, and deal flow 24/7. Create your free Explorer workspace to monitor these entities.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- OVK/BVDW forecast 8.8% growth for the German online display and video advertising market in 2025, with growth largely coming from Walled Gardens.
- Open Web growth is uneven; large media companies and their marketers faced cautious ad budgets and declines, notably TV broadcasters receiving less ad spend.
- AI has become a foundational capability in advertising, focusing in 2026 on model quality, transparency of decision logic, and translating AI results into strategy.
- Attention is positioned as the central currency, with a move toward a unified Attention-Quality-Score and collaboration between IAB and MRC; OWM pushes for independent, auditable, neutral measurement.
- Europe's CTV ad-views rose 31% YoY in the first half of 2025 (Freewheel).
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Open Web: The Future of Ad Spend and Targeting
The discussion contrasts the Open Web with Walled Gardens, arguing that Google, Meta, and Amazon control about half of German ad spend while the Open Web offers simplicity, scalability, performance, and quality through programmatic advertising. With the end of third-party cookies, addressability now relies on deterministic identifiers and publisher-provided audiences, supported by multi-device strategies and technologies like FedCM. Publishers gain a growing role in audience offerings via DSPs, Data Marketplaces, and SSPs, aided by AI and ML for targeting. Standardization remains essential, driven by privacy and addressability frameworks (DSGVO, TDDDG, TCF), while new AI-related challenges prompt discussion around model data usage and monetization (e.g., MCP). Advertisers should engage in standards-building to sustain a pluralistic media landscape. The OVK Universe highlights about 1,000 high-quality sites that enable selective targeting.
Ad Industry Transformed: Consolidation Drives Digital Innovation
The advertising industry is undergoing a consolidation-driven transformation towards simpler, more integrated solutions. Traditional channels are losing reach while digital formats such as CTV, online video, retail media, and digital out-of-home grow, with a stronger emphasis on measurable results over reach. Brands increasingly tie campaigns to performance metrics like website visits and revenue, prompting publishers to tighten data usage and targeting and advertisers to streamline partner networks for efficiency. In Germany, online display and video advertising total about €6.8 billion in 2025, with programmatic accounting for roughly 76%, and Retail Media is the fastest-growing segment at about +24% (overall ~10% expected). The industry is also seeing cross-media partnerships (Netflix & TF1; Disney & ITV; ITV/Sky/Channel 4 in the UK) and regional alliances like RTL+ and Joyn. AI accelerates bidding and targeting; open internet and transparency are urged to improve competition. By 2026, open platforms, cross-channel measurement, and integrated tech stacks are expected to be standard.
Open Web's Path: Embrace Standards for Growth
Ahead of ADZINE CONNECT 2026, industry leaders discussed how the Open Web can remain competitive with Walled Gardens by leveraging its strengths—transparency, contextual quality and cross-publisher control—while addressing technical and measurement gaps. Speakers argued Open RTB works well for single-impression programmatic trading but does not cover many premium, private-deal and direct-booking use cases. Measurement (notably attention metrics and cross-platform frequency capping) and fragmented standards for contextual targeting, identity and creatives are cited as key obstacles. Proposed remedies included new abstraction layers around campaign goals, allowing external measurement in closed platforms, adoption of deterministic identity where applicable, and protocols such as the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) and agentic systems to reduce complexity.
Track Real-Time Market Signals & Shifts
Set up custom watchlists to receive automated, evidence-grounded executive digests whenever material signals or shifts occur across your tracked landscape.