AppNexus chases programmatic direct offering with $100m acquisition of Yieldex
AppNexus has acquired publisher forecasting and direct-sales analytics tools company Yieldex for around $100m as it looks to create a comprehensive open marketplace for the direct, programmatic sale of online inventory.
Interior of the AppNexus offices
The move follows great strides in the industry to bring the automation and efficiency of programmatic advertising to direct orders.
Whether through automated guarantees, private marketplaces, or preferred deals, programmatic direct is a growing share of online advertising. eMarketer has estimated that the US programmatic advertising market will top $20bn by 2016, and that of this total, 42 per cent will be bought and sold through programmatic direct.
Commenting on the acquisition Brian O’Kelley, CEO of AppNexus, said Yieldex’s analytics and forecasting tools will help the company solve "unmet challenges" for its clients.
“This deal also positions us to lead on programmatic direct – one of the next big waves in advertising technology. The marriage of the AppNexus platform and Yieldex creates a comprehensive, open marketplace for programmatic direct.”
Founded in 2007 Yieldex Analytics powers direct sales efforts for over 50 major publishers, including The New York Times, Expedia, Pandora, CBS Interactive, Univision and The Weather Channel.