Publica launches Platform Connect to streamline CTV audience extension strategies
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Publica, a CTV ad server acquired by Integral Ad Science, has appointed Steph Miller as its new commercial director for EMEA to lead international market expansion. The company also introduced Platform Connect, a tool that allows streaming publishers to manage and scale audience extension strategies using their existing ad server infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- Platform Connect enables publishers to act as both buyers and sellers of trusted inventory within a unified interface.
- The tool removes the need for individual buyer-seller contracts, facilitating faster scaling of audience extension campaigns.
- Publica currently serves over 6 billion CTV ads monthly for partners including Samsung, AMC, and Fox.
- EMEA expansion targets traditional broadcasters shifting toward programmatic and AVOD/FAST models to capture social and digital ad budgets.
Why It Matters
The introduction of Platform Connect addresses the 'inventory crunch' facing high-fill FAST and AVOD services by automating the process of finding incremental reach. By simplifying audience extension, Publica is lowering the barrier for publishers to monetize their data beyond their owned-and-operated apps. This move strengthens the programmatic ecosystem in Europe, where fragmentation and localized regulations have historically slowed cross-platform ad buying. As traditional broadcasters integrate into digital-first sales models, the availability of demand-agnostic ad serving becomes a critical infrastructure play. Watch for the volume of cross-publisher programmatic deals to rise as streamers look to satisfy $21B+ in projected CTV ad demand.
Additional Context
Following its $220 million acquisition by Integral Ad Science (IAS) in August 2021, Publica has aggressively expanded its footprint among major hardware and streaming players. In September 2025, Publica and Samsung Ads announced a multi-year extension of their exclusive global partnership, reinforcing Publica's role as the primary ad server for the world's largest FAST service, Samsung TV Plus, which reaches 88 million monthly active users (per PR Newswire, September 2025). This relationship underscores the industry shift toward sophisticated ad pod decisioning and ACR-driven targeting to mimic the premium feel of linear television. Concurrent with Publica's growth, the broader CTV market has seen a surge in 'flight-to-free' viewing. According to Statista and Goldvertise reporting in September 2025, German CTV ad spend alone reached €384 million in 2024, with projections to hit €466 million by 2029. This regional growth is mirrored by the 2024 Digiday Technology Awards, where Publica by IAS was named Best CTV AdTech Platform (per Integral Ad Science, September 2024). Competitive pressure remains high, however, as Netflix transitioned its programmatic ad buying to a multi-partner model including Magnite and Google in mid-2024, highlighting the industry-wide move toward fragmented demand sources that require unified auction tools (per Xenoss, August 2024).
Read full article at getpublica.com
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