Key Points

  • Curation represents a fundamental shift in decisioning power from demand-side platforms (DSPs) back to supply-side platforms (SSPs) and publishers
  • While publishers aren't seeing material benefits from curation yet, the infrastructure and opportunities for publisher-led curation are rapidly developing
  • Publishers must audit their first-party data assets and understand what makes their inventory unique to capitalize on curation opportunities
  • The current curation landscape suffers from fee opacity, limited publisher control, and fragmented communication between buyers and sellers
  • Success in curation requires publishers to be more aggressive in demanding transparency and securing their seat at the table

This article summarizes key insights from a recent episode of Playwire Live, where our SVP of Yield Scott Schroeder sat down with industry experts Cedric Peillet (founder of Curated Media) and John Whitmore (former 33Across data business leader) to cut through the curation hype and deliver the real story publishers need to hear.

Watch the full episode below to get the complete discussion:

Remember when everyone said programmatic would bring transparency, control, and fair pricing to digital advertising? Yeah, about that...

Turns out we've come full circle. The buzzword du jour, curation, is essentially what we used to call direct sales, just with fancier tech and more intermediaries taking their cut. But here's the thing: this time around, publishers actually have a shot at winning.

What Curation Actually Means (Beyond the Buzzwords)

Let's cut through the noise. Curation is simply moving decisioning power from the demand side back to the supply side. For the past fifteen-plus years, DSPs have been calling the shots on everything from audience targeting to performance optimization. Now, that control is shifting toward SSPs and—if publishers play their cards right—directly to publishers themselves.

Cedric Vandenberghe, founder of Curated Media, puts it bluntly: "Publishers have had their data being monetized by walled gardens without getting the benefits. Curation can take that control back."

Think of it as programmatic's attempt to fix what programmatic broke in the first place. The irony isn't lost on us.

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The Current Reality: Publishers Still Waiting for Their Payday

Here's the uncomfortable truth that most industry cheerleaders won't tell you: most publishers aren't seeing material benefits from curation yet. The infrastructure is still maturing, fees remain opaque, and many "curators" are essentially humans clicking buttons in SSP interfaces while taking hefty margins.

John Whitmore, former data business leader at 33Across, doesn't mince words: "If I was a publisher, I'd be very skeptical because I don't think I have for the most part seen my paycheck increase yet."

The challenges are real:

  • No deal visibility: Publishers often don't know which curator is involved in transactions or how much they're taking
  • Limited packaging control: Most curation happens without meaningful publisher input
  • Homogenous supply: Buyers still see undifferentiated inventory across most curated deals
  • Fee opacity: Take rates between curated and open auction remain unclear

Sound familiar? It should. We've been here before.

Your First-Party Data: The Differentiator You Might Not Know You Have

While the industry figures out its curation identity crisis, smart publishers are focusing on what actually matters: understanding and packaging their unique first-party data signals.

This isn't just about viewability metrics or standard user demographics. We're talking about referral data (are your users coming from Amazon or TikTok?), session behavior, content consumption patterns, and placement performance that only you understand.

Consider this example from the gaming vertical: users typically aren't logged in, making persistent identity tracking challenging. But that doesn't mean the data isn't valuable. Gaming publishers possess deep vertical expertise and highly engaged audiences that advertisers desperately want to reach, they just need to package it correctly.

The Path Forward: Be Aggressive, Ask Questions, Demand Your Seat

The infrastructure is being built. The tools are becoming available. The market is moving in publishers' direction. But none of that matters if you're sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to hand you more revenue.

Step one: Audit your assets. What unique signals are you collecting? What makes your inventory different from the site next door? How engaged are your users, and what does that engagement look like across different content types?

Step two: Start the conversations. Your SSP partners have curation tools available right now. Demand transparency about which deals include your inventory, who's curating them, and what margins are being taken. If they can't answer those questions, find partners who can.

Step three: Think beyond your current setup. Whether you're working with a monetization partner like Playwire or managing relationships directly, curation represents an opportunity to better package and price your premium inventory.

Why This Time Might Actually Be Different

Yes, curation looks suspiciously like direct sales with programmatic pipes. But there's a crucial difference: publishers now have the data and audience insights that make them genuinely valuable partners in the conversation.

The walled gardens have been monetizing publisher data for years without sharing the benefits. Curation, done right, represents an opportunity to flip that dynamic. Publishers who understand their unique value proposition and aggressively pursue curation partnerships stand to benefit significantly.

But only if they stop waiting for the industry to figure it out for them.

The Bottom Line

Curation is happening whether publishers participate or not. The question is whether you'll be an active participant capturing fair value for your inventory and data, or a passive supplier watching intermediaries profit from your hard work.

The market is heading in your direction. The infrastructure is being built. The opportunities are there.

Time to grab your seat at the table and start demanding the transparency and control you deserve. Because if you don't advocate for your own interests in this rapidly evolving landscape, who will?

Ready to explore how curation can work for your inventory? The conversation starts with understanding what makes your audience and content unique. From there, it's about finding the right partners who see that value and are willing to share the benefits fairly.

The future of curation is publisher-led. Make sure you're leading, not following.

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