The latest news and views for the Supply-Side and DSP Community.

IAB releases app-ads.txt

The IAB has released the final version of the app-ads.txt, the in-app equivalent of the ads.txt initiative. The specification lets mobile and OTT app publishers indicate which ad tech vendors are authorized to sell or resell their ad inventory. Programmatic ad buyers can check these files to ensure sellers that claim to offer an app’s inventory are authorized to do so. PubMatic will begin enforcing app-ads.txt for its app publishers May 1. (IAB Tech Lab)

What is app-ads.txt?

On March 13, the Interactive Advertising Bureau Tech Lab released the final version of app-ads.txt, which is intended to combat bad actors that disguise themselves as another company’s app in order to siphon the money that advertisers are spending on mobile and OTT advertising. App-ads.txt bears many similarities to the original ads.txt, but there is a crucial difference that could complicate advertisers’, publishers’ and ad tech vendors’ efforts to adopt the initiative. (Digiday)

FTC launches broadband privacy investigation as telecoms increase advertising-supported content

The Federal Trade Commission said it has launched an investigation into the privacy practices of seven large broadband providers. “The FTC is initiating this study to better understand Internet service providers’ privacy practices in light of the evolution of telecommunications companies into vertically integrated platforms that also provide advertising-supported content,” the agency stated. (MediaPost)

Roku partners with Adobe, opens up first-party data to programmatic OTT buying

Roku has announced a new advanced advertising partnership with Adobe, which the companies say, eliminates the problem of repetitive over-the-top (OTT) ads. Under the agreement marketers using Adobe Advertising Cloud, Adobe Audience Manager and Adobe Analytics can now target Roku viewers with OTT programmatic ads using their own first-party data. (Multichannel News)

The Trade Desk opens for business in China

The Trade Desk has brought its ad buying platform to China, months after launching in beta within the world’s most populous nation. The Trade Desk’s programmatic offering in China will enable marketers to reach millions of consumers across the country using the platform alongside their first-party data and tap into partners such as Baidu Exchange Services, iQIYI, Tencent Marketing Solution, and Youku. Furthermore, there are integrations with AdBug, Oracle Data Cloud, and RTB Asia. (MobileMarketing)

Native display ads will become more mobile, less social in 2020, says eMarketer

Typical native display ads are mobile, social, and purchased programmatically, which is not predicted to change much over the next few years. However, while programmatic and mobile buys will increase in 2020, eMarketer reports that social buys will decrease. (eMarketer)

Auction theory Ph.D.s share five things buyers and sellers should keep in mind for first-price auctions

Most auction theorists focus on how to prevent the buyer and seller from cheating, but ignore scenarios where the auctioneer could have an incentive to run an unfair auction. Two Harvard researchers discovered that that scenario had been playing out in online advertising. AdExchanger spoke with them about what publishers, marketers and ad tech companies should consider when participating in a first-price auction. (AdExchanger)