Warner Bros. Discovery just took a big step in improving its ad strategy. The company is now working with OpenPath, a solution that connects ad buyers directly to its digital news inventory. This move aims to increase transparency and efficiency in ad buying for some of Warner Bros. Discovery’s high-profile properties, including CNN.com, Max, and discovery+.
The decision to team up with OpenPath was made in collaboration with The Trade Desk. According to AdExchanger, this integration will help improve the ad-buying process for Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital news platforms.
Approach to CTV Inventory
Despite having multiple connected TV (CTV) properties, Warner Bros. Discovery is taking a cautious approach with its CTV inventory. For now, the company is focusing on its digital news inventory, leaving CTV out of the initial implementation phase. This decision is based on the need to evaluate the results of the initial phase before expanding to other areas like CTV.
Marisa Crocker, Warner Bros. Discovery’s vice president of partnerships and programmatic strategy, says the initial focus is on analyzing how the platform works in a controlled environment. This will help the company evaluate its impact on larger properties like CTV.
Benefits of Transparency and Control
One of the main advantages of OpenPath is its ability to give ad buyers direct access to Warner Bros. Discovery’s inventory. This improves visibility into bidding and reduces latency in auctions. As a result, users have a better experience, and monetization is optimized.
By cutting out intermediaries, ad buyers can target their ads more precisely and control prices better. This gives them more confidence in what they’re buying, says Crocker. “Through OpenPath, buyers have more confidence in what they’re buying because there are no intermediaries,” she explained.
This increased transparency and direct access are especially important in online news, where publishers face monetization challenges due to brand safety solutions that keep advertisers away from certain types of content. With OpenPath, Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to attract more advertisers to its news inventory, improving revenue for its digital platforms.
Early Results
While the early results from OpenPath have been promising, with an increase in fill rates and higher ad demand, Warner Bros. Discovery is being cautious about expanding the solution to its CTV inventory. The company is currently in a testing and learning phase and won’t commit to moving its CTV inventory to OpenPath until it gets clearer results.
Any expansion will be gradual and based on the results from the initial phase, Crocker emphasized. This ensures that any changes to the strategy are driven by concrete data.
Overall, OpenPath represents a significant step for Warner Bros. Discovery in optimizing its programmatic ad strategy. Through this platform, the company is not only improving the monetization of its online news properties but also increasing transparency and control over its ad revenue streams.