As we count down to the end of 2025, what better way to wrap up the year than with a rapid-fire LinkedIn Live with one of programmatic’s straightest shooters?
Chris Kane, founder of Jounce Media, joined me for a lively conversation dissecting this year’s buzziest trends, the latest developments in the Google antitrust trial , and what keeps publishers (and ad tech nerds) up at night.
If you missed it, no FOMO: here’s a video replay and a quick-hit recap of what you need to know before heading into 2026.
Jounce Data: Reselling Realities and the Art of the Ad Load
To shine a light on today’s publisher reality, Kane came armed with numbers from Jounce’s supply chain research: the average publisher now juggles 25 to 26 directly integrated SSPs, authorizing 16 to 17 to run resold auctions. Resold supply accounts for nearly 40% of display auctions and 28% of video auctions.
The takeaway? Reselling is a core monetization lever, albeit one that’s coming under pressure as major DSPs clamp down.
But more isn’t always better when it comes to SSP partners or the number of ads on the page. According to Kane, the optimal ad load for publishers is 5 to 8 impressions per user per minute. If you run fewer ads, you’re likely missing out on revenue. But if you cram in more, buyers start to see that inventory as low-value and may steer clear.
The bottom line is that hitting the sweet spot keeps both your revenue and your buyers happy.
The Google Antitrust Trial: Change Is (Maybe) Coming
No 2025 ad tech year-end rundown would be complete without mentioning the Google antitrust trial and how any possible remedies could reshape the programmatic marketplace.
Kane doesn’t see dramatic structural changes ahead, like a breakup of Google’s ad tech platform or separating its ad server from its SSP. But he said that behavioral remedies, like decoupling Google Ads demand from Google Ad Manager, could shake things up.
He added that, if Google opens the door to proprietary auction adapters or new mediation layers, publishers might finally have real freedom to experiment with alternative ad servers without losing access to that sweet Google demand.
Transaction IDs: Privacy, Power Plays, and Fraud Fights
Transaction IDs – a data field included in OpenRTB bid requests that’s intended to combat excessive auction duplication – received much more attention this year than any industry watcher could have predicted.
But that’s what happens when there’s a major public disagreement over how to implement TIDs between The Trade Desk, programmatic’s largest independent demand-side platform, and Prebid, which oversees the software that runs most programmatic auctions.
Some on the sell side have argued that widespread use of universal TIDs – which The Trade Desk prefers – will allow buyers to reverse-engineer ID connections that could expose publishers to data privacy liabilities.
Kane argued the privacy debate is mostly theoretical for now; the actual impact will come from TID’s role in deduplicating bid streams and fighting fraud. Universal TIDs – which Prebid used to support before its dust-up with The Trade Desk – are applied across SSPs, allowing buyers greater visibility into when different SSPs are selling the same impressions.
For publishers, it’s a double-edged sword: if your setup creates excess duplication to drive yield, deduplication could sting. But use TIDs right, and you might be rewarded by buyers for prioritizing transparency. Also, TIDs help crack down on the fraud that runs rampant in reseller-heavy supply chains, which is something everyone can get behind.
SSPs and Resellers: Time to Consolidate the Supply Chain
Speaking of resellers, we dug into the drama caused by The Trade Desk branding all SSPs as resellers back in August. Many on the sell side criticized the move as an attempt by the DSP to cut SSPs out of the supply chain while prioritizing The Trade Desk’s own direct-to-publisher connections.
Kane rejected such blanket labeling of all SSP activity as reselling.
He emphasized that true reselling (when an SSP serves as a pass-through for a programmatic deal or marks up impressions sold by other SSPs) isn’t sustainable. However, he argued that DSPs’ direct connections to publishers and preexisting end-to-end supply paths that also include an SSP both have value and should coexist.
But Kane added that the RTB landscape is due for consolidation, and that fewer, stronger SSPs will eventually be left standing. So he advised publishers not to chase every possible SSP connection and to lean in where your data, ROI, and long-term strategy align.