Pixalate Q3 2026 CTV Seller Trust Index Finds Minimal Arbitrage, Highlights Top Sellers
· 4d ago · Originally reported by Pixalate
Pixalate's latest CTV Seller Trust Index 2.0 shows that less than 1% of U.S. CTV ad inventory is resold via arbitrage, the lowest rate among digital channels. The report also ranks Google AdExchange as the top 'direct' seller across five major CTV platforms, with Magnite, OpenX, Xandr Monetize, and Sharethrough also recognized as leaders.
Why it matters
Low arbitrage and strong direct seller rankings suggest improved transparency and reduced fraud risk in CTV advertising, which is crucial as more ad budgets shift to streaming platforms.
Explain it like I’m new here
It's like knowing most snacks at the store come straight from the bakery, not from middlemen, so you can trust they're fresh and safe.
Terms in this story
CTV (connected TV)
CTV (connected TV) is any television connected to the internet, such as a smart TV, streaming stick, games console or set-top box, and the advertising shown in streaming apps on it.
Publisher
A publisher is any owner of content or a digital property, such as a website, app, streaming service, podcast or screen network, that earns money by selling ad space to advertisers.
Ad inventory
Ad inventory is the total amount of advertising space a publisher has available to sell, usually counted in impressions across its ad slots, pages, apps or screens.
Traffic arbitrage
Traffic arbitrage is buying cheap visitors, often through native, social or search ads, and sending them to pages loaded with ads that earn more than the traffic cost.
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