Best Video SSPs for Publishers

The demand for video ads has been ever increasing. In the first half of 2020, the US market alone was expected to see video ad spending in the range of $15 to $17 billion dollars. When the market is so large, it makes sense for the publishers to monetize their sites for video ads. The monetization can be done with the help of a normal SSP, however, the publishers now also have the option of partnering with video SSPs as well.

What are Video SSPs?

While normally an SSP has a demand for all kinds of ads, video SSPs focus only on video ads for monetization. Such SSPs are best suited for publishers whose majority of the inventory consists of video ads. It’s hard to find buyers at a large scale for publishers with a lot of video inventory, so video SSPs solve this problem by bringing in numerous buyers who are looking for video-only inventory. Since OTT and CTV mostly have video-only demand and supply, you’ll see that the majority of the video SSPs will be focussing on such platforms.

Do you need video SSPs?

The need for a video SSP depends on the type of content you have. If you are a video-only publisher, then working with a video SSP makes perfect sense for you. But if you are a publisher with editorial content, then a video SSP may or may not work for you.

For example, if you’re looking for a content syndication partner, then working with a video SSP to prove the required services may be a great decision. But if you want to monetize your display inventory as well as an SSP that provides only video ads wouldn’t be a complete solution.

At the same time, a video SSP may not work with a publisher who doesn’t have the scale of video demand that it is looking for.

Best video SSPs for publishers

Teads TV

Teads is a video SSP that is trusted by some of the biggest names in the publishing industry. It partners with publishers like The Guardian, CNN, The Washington Post, Vice, TIME, Forbes, and many more. It provides ad formats that can take engagement on your site to the next level. Its Inread format can have square, landscape, and vertical orientation, The Inread Live format can broadcast live streams. The Inread flow format plays according to the scrolling movement of the user. Other formats include Carousel, Scroller, and Cinemagraph.

Offers:

• Unique and Innovative ad experiences
• Predictive AI
• Self-serve creative studio platform
• Data Management Platform

Benefits:

• Teads can provide you with interactive, personalized, innovative creatives that are created with your existing assets. The assets from video ads can be used to make highly engaging display creatives. It can help you improve your user experience with ads for obtaining better results.
• The predictive artificial intelligence provided by Teads has access to billions of data points. It can make use of the data to predict the likelihood of user engagement with the ad. The predictive capabilities of the platform can help you come up with guaranteed outcomes.
• The self-serving platform is available for both advertisers and publishers. It can help in creating adaptable mobile ads from TV ads. The ads can be targeted based on multiple factors including audience segments, geolocation, date, and time. The platform offers contextual targeting as well. The content inside the creatives can dynamically optimize itself according to the user’s context.
• The company has its own data management platform called Teads Audience. The DMP helps publishers in addressing the privacy restrictions emerging from regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Teads also has its unique first-party data that can be leveraged with the DMP.

SpotX

SpotX is a video-first SSP for publishers. The platform aims at streamlining the demand from all the sources in one place. It can help you with finding direct demand as well as programmatic demand for your inventory. It can provide you the complete infrastructure required for programmatic video ads.

Offers:

• Proprietary Adserver
• All the Ad Formats
• Header Bidding and Video Player Bidding
• First-party data enablement

Benefits:

• The proprietary ad server offered by SpotX can help you with ad management, campaign management, and ad trafficking. You can use the same platform to manage your direct-sold, programmatic direct, and private marketplace deals.
• SpotX offers in-stream, out-stream as well as interstitial ad formats. These are the traditional formats that are used all across the industry.
• Header bidding is known to increase the revenue for the publishers for a long time. Using the header bidding principles with video players can dramatically increase the revenue with video ads as well.
• SpotX works with 10 different DMPs that are renowned in the industry. The partnership with the DMPs helps you in leveraging first-party as well as third-party data to improve your revenue. The DMPs have more than 250 data sources to help the publishers and advertisers with targeting.

SpringServe

SpringServe is an SSP that is entirely dedicated to video ads. It has the complete suite of solutions for the video ads ecosystem and hence it works with publishers, DSPs, trade desks, syndicators, app developers, and even OTT platforms. It has its own ad server that can help you with your guaranteed, remnant, and programmatic monetization needs.

Offers:

• Video Header Bidding
• DirectConnet to find direct deals
• ProgrammaticConnect for open market auctions
• Fully transparent and brand-safe environment.

Benefits:

• Developer-free rollout makes it easier for publishers to deploy video header bidding. SpringServe’s proprietary technology requires no code on the page for controls like setting floor price, auction logic, optimization, and creation of rules.
• SpringServe does not take tech tax while auctioning your inventory to SSPs, DSPs, and trading desks. It can reduce costs and increase profits while selling video inventory in the open market.
• All the controls required to run successful auctions are provided by SpringServe. So you can create deal IDs, package your inventory, control pricing per buyer, create rules, and block categories and advertisers.
• SpringServe works with industry-leading third-party verification companies to provide brand safety to publishers as well as advertisers. WhiteOps, Integral Ad Science, Forensiq, Moat, Protected Media are its partners for ad verification, traffic filtering, impression detection, etc.

Xandr

Xandr is not a video-only SSP, but it is worth being counted because of its video-focused approach. Additionally, it’s been formed by Appnexus, which is now owned by AT&T. Considering that it’s backed by some of the most powerful names in the industry, Xandr is an SSP worth noticing in the video ads space.

Offers:

• Prebid Powered header bidding technology
• Video-Forward Marketplace
• Yield Analytics

Benefits:

• Being powered by an open-source technology (Prebid), Xandr can enable you to manage and control demand across all channels and formats.​ It also provides you curated premium demand to make sure you are getting the best rates.
• Xandr has its own video marketplace that aims to deliver a brand-safe, privacy-protected, premium video environment. The marketplace doesn’t only have demand for traditional publishers, but also traditional TV, connected TV, OTT can find the demand here.
• In 2015, AppNexus acquired Yeildex Analytix in a $100 M deal. Yeildex Analytics has been used by publishers like The New York Times, Expedia, Pandora, CBS Interactive, Univision and The Weather Channel, etc. Now, the same tech is integrated with Xandr for forecasting, planning, pacing, and decision making for selling publishers’ inventory.

Verizon Media

Verizon Media is another giant in the industry. They claim that 10% of the internet runs on the Verizon Media Platform. It is the parent company of Yahoo and publishers like HuffPost, TechCrunch and AOL use its platform.

Offers:

• End to end video solution
• Premium demand
• Premium content supply
• Deal Opportunities

Benefits:

• It provides every solution that you need for video ads. Monetization, distribution, PMP, header bidding, syndication, all your needs can be fulfilled at one place with Verizon.
• Given the scale that Verizon Media can provide, it can attract the most premium demand in the market. The high-quality demand ensures high revenue for the publishers. Additionally, Verizon Media sources demand from hundreds of DSP and agencies so that there is no shortage of demand.
• For the content required for video syndication, Verizon Media works with leading content providers and premium publishers like Fox, Condé Nast, AOL, ABC, and many more. It ensures that the syndicated videos on your site are of paramount quality.
• Verizon Media helps you in finding deal opportunities for PMPs. Within the UI of the SSP, you’ll find deals from advertisers with all terms and requirements. You can accept or reject the deal with a click of a button.

What’s Next?

You’ll find many video SSPs in the market, and given the increasing demand for video ads, there are many more to come. But it doesn’t mean that the video SSPs are best for every publisher with video inventory. You have to understand your needs before jumping on the decision to work with a video SSP. If you are a publisher with multiple types of inventories, then we suggest partnering with an video ads for monetization.