The Future of AdTech: From Traditional Programmatic to Curator Platforms

In the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to interview several senior industry leaders as we prepare our 2025 strategy. These conversations have been both inspiring and eye-opening, shedding light on the innovations shaping AdTech and the underlying tensions of this ever-evolving ecosystem. A recurring theme has been the future of programmatic advertising and how this technology, which once revolutionized the buying and selling of digital inventory, now stands at a major turning point. In discussing these ideas, it’s clear that the industry is at a pivotal point, balancing between the established programmatic norms and bold, new models that redefine control and transparency.

Just as programmatic transformed every impression through data and algorithms, the next big leap seems to be the rise of Curator Platforms.

The Early Days of Programmatic: The Rise of DSPs

Programmatic advertising was born out of the desire to automate the media buying process, freeing advertisers from manual work. MediaMath was a pioneer, being the first pure DSP (Demand-Side Platform), designed exclusively to facilitate digital inventory purchasing. This was followed by companies like Rocket Fuel and Turn, which helped popularize data-driven automated buying, and Right Media, one of the first ad exchanges that created an efficient marketplace for buyers and sellers to meet.

However, not all platforms were purely DSPs. AppNexus, for example, allowed publishers to onboard directly, breaking from the neutral focus of programmatic buying. This set a precedent for the future integrations we see today, where buyers and sellers are becoming more interconnected than ever.

The Convergence: DSPs and SSPs Are Blurring

The programmatic ecosystem has continued to evolve. The Trade Desk emerged as a dominant player in the DSP space, but their recent strategy of establishing direct connections with publishers has blurred the traditional lines. Similarly, SSPs (Supply-Side Platforms) are starting to adopt DSP-like features, indicating that both sides of the programmatic world are converging.

For those of us in the field, this convergence feels like both a challenge and an opportunity, demanding that we rethink traditional roles and redefine collaboration across the ecosystem.

This phenomenon isn’t new; we’ve seen it before when performance-focused DSPs joined forces with SSPs that had SDKs (Software Development Kits), creating synergies that broke down the traditional barriers of programmatic buying. In some companies, we’ve even seen the coexistence of a DSP, an SSP with SDK, and a MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner), consolidating a complete ecosystem within a single entity. This shows how the evolution of platforms has reached a point where the distinctions between them are becoming increasingly irrelevant.

The Role of Curation and the Tension with DSPs

A new element in this evolving landscape is sell-side curation. Curators are adding value by taking control of audience data and pushing deals (Deal IDs or PMPs) to DSPs. This process is shifting decision-making power back to publishers and SSPs, challenging the control DSPs have traditionally held in the supply chain.

As a curator, you handle audience matching before the deal reaches the DSP, meaning that the DSP’s own identifiers and matching processes are no longer needed. This can create tension between curators and DSPs, especially as DSPs aim to maintain their dominance in managing audiences and targeting.

However, in my experience, The Trade Desk is more than willing to coexist with curators. But from a broader perspective, it’s easy to see why this shift might cause friction. As curators become more integral to the process, DSPs might feel their influence waning, especially as publishers and SSPs regain power in deciding how inventory is sold and to whom.

The Impact of the Google Antitrust Case

Another major force driving this shift is the ongoing antitrust case against Google. The legal scrutiny on Google’s dominance in the adtech ecosystem could radically alter the landscape. If regulators enforce structural changes, it could decentralize the power that Google holds as a DSP, SSP, and exchange all rolled into one. This opens the door for curators, independent SSPs, and DSPs to gain more influence.

The Google case highlights how the lines between SSPs and DSPs are already being questioned. With Google Ad Manager functioning both as a sell-side platform and facilitating programmatic buying, the case may push for more transparency and separation of roles. This could accelerate the rise of curators as key players, positioning them to take on a more prominent role in managing audience data and controlling inventory transactions.

If the outcome of the trial limits Google’s ability to act on both sides of the market, it would likely result in a more fragmented, but more dynamic, adtech ecosystem—one where SSPs and curators can reclaim some of the power that DSPs like Google have consolidated over the years.

The Future of AdTech: The Rise of Curator Platforms

Looking ahead, the future of programmatic will be shaped by Curator Platforms. Data, buying algorithms, and publisher connections are becoming commodities—available to everyone. What will set the future apart is the introduction of new inputs that add unique value to campaigns. Curator Platforms don’t just enhance targeting—they create an entirely new standard of engagement, one that’s set to elevate the ad experience for brands and consumers alike.

These platforms won’t just be about impressions and clicks. The new unit of value will be sessions, where viewability, VTR (View-Through Rate), and brand safety are pre-configured from the start. There will be no room for opacity; everything will be seamlessly integrated to ensure the highest standards of performance.

As the roles of DSPs and SSPs continue to merge, curators will play an increasingly critical role in bringing value through refined audience targeting and session-based buying. While it’s technically possible for a DSP to exist without ad exchanges and rely entirely on direct connections, scaling that model is another challenge altogether. At this stage, it seems that SSPs are gaining more power, with a growing ability to act as both seller and buyer facilitator.

The irony is that everyone, and at the same time no one, is right. The market is evolving so rapidly that traditional labels of DSP or SSP are becoming less relevant, with curators emerging as the true value drivers in this new landscape.

Toward a Consolidated Ecosystem

The future of adtech is moving towards full integration between buyers and sellers, where Curator Platforms will play a pivotal role. As data and audience management become commodities, the value will come from platforms that can offer highly personalized inputs and session-based buying. In this new world, curators will lead the charge, ensuring that the adtech ecosystem continues to innovate and evolve.

In the end, it’s not just about technology; it’s about building an ecosystem where value, transparency, and user experience reign supreme. And I believe Curator Platforms will lead us into that future.