The players
219 companies and organisations that make up ad tech, what each one does in plain English, and where it sits in the chain.
ASCI (India)
Non-profitIndia's self-regulatory body for advertising content standards.
Industry bodiesIndiaAssociation of National Advertisers (ANA)
Non-profitUS trade group for brand advertisers, known for landmark studies on programmatic transparency.
Industry bodiesUSACheck My Ads
Non-profitWatchdog nonprofit campaigning for ad-industry transparency and against funding disinformation.
Industry bodiesUSAIAB
Non-profitThe main US trade body for digital advertising, setting guidelines and lobbying for the industry.
Industry bodiesUSAIAB Europe
Non-profitEuropean digital advertising trade body and steward of the Transparency & Consent Framework.
Industry bodiesBelgiumIAB Tech Lab
Non-profitStandards body behind OpenRTB, VAST, ads.txt and sellers.json.
Industry bodiesUSAISBA
Non-profitUK advertisers' trade body, known for its 2020 study on the programmatic "unknown delta".
Industry bodiesUKMedia Rating Council
Non-profitUS body that audits and accredits ad measurement, including invalid-traffic detection.
Industry bodiesUSANetwork Advertising Initiative (NAI)
Non-profitUS self-regulatory body for ad tech companies on data and privacy practices.
Industry bodiesUSAPrebid.org
Non-profitIndependent organisation that maintains Prebid, the open-source header-bidding software used across the web.
Industry bodiesUSATrustworthy Accountability Group (TAG)
Non-profitIndustry initiative fighting ad fraud, malware and piracy through certification programmes.
Industry bodiesUSAWorld Federation of Advertisers
Non-profitGlobal body for advertisers, behind the cross-media measurement and brand-safety initiatives.
Industry bodiesBelgium