Press Releases

Rubicon Project Announces Early Successes from Video Header Bidding Beta Test

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General availability of FastLane for Video expected in second quarter of 2017

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 6, 2017-- Rubicon Project (NYSE: RUBI), the Global Exchange for advertising, today announced the initial results experienced by publishers using its video header bidding offering, FastLane for Video. Now in open beta testing with multiple video publishers, FastLane for Video is driving double-digit percentage CPM rate increases and a 10X increase in competition for each impression versus standard tag implementations.

Rubicon Project expects the FastLane for Video product to be generally available in the second quarter of 2017. Importantly, FastLane for Video is integrated in Rubicon Project’s FastLane for display solution so a publisher that has both video and display inventory is able to utilize a single header bidding solution. Rubicon Project also supports the open source Prebid.js header bidding wrapper, which makes it easy for publishers to work with multiple header bidding providers should they choose. Over 75% of Rubicon Project’s premium publishers that currently utilize a header bidding wrapper have chosen Prebid.js.

Tom Kershaw, Chief Technology Officer of Rubicon Project, commented, “Video is, without a doubt, the most exciting, engaging and popular ad format in the market today. Being able to offer a flexible variety of video header bidding options empowers publishers to improve the value of their audiences and secure enhanced advertiser spend. The success our clients have seen with Exchange API and FastLane for Video reveals the potential of header bidding for video as a key way to drive increased value from a highly-engaging format.”

Of particular significance are the results seen by FastLane for Video beta user ZEDO, a leading global online ad platform partner offering proprietary, high impact video creative ad formats that help publishers generate new revenue. Since its implementation with FastLane for Video across both standard web (desktop) and mobile websites, ZEDO has experienced a remarkable lift across its overall video business, including:

  • 19% lift in total publisher video revenue;
  • 11% lift in total publisher video fill rates; and
  • 7% lift in publisher average CPM.

“Working together to pioneer header bidding for video in the US has been extremely rewarding. We’ve seen very noticeable benefits across the full ecosystem,” said Paul Prior, President of ZEDO. “Page yields for publishers using our Outstream video solution together with Rubicon Project’s FastLane for Video have increased exponentially compared to standard tag implementation. In addition, agencies and brand advertisers have benefitted from a material increase in premium, first-look biddable inventory, coupled with a much higher user/audience match rate. Page latency for the user has been reduced as well. This has resulted in a win-win-win for publishers, buyers, and consumers of our Outstream video.”

FastLane for Video consistently outperformed both RTB based server-to-server integrations for video as well as VAST tag based integrations. When tested with ZEDO, win rates across relevant campaign KPIs processed through Rubicon Project’s FastLane for Video technology included:

  • 17% lift in CPMs as compared to a Tag based integration;
  • 8x more ad responses compared to a Tag based integration;
  • 6x increase in revenue compared to a Tag based integration; and
  • 5x increase in paid impressions from FastLane for Video as compared to a Tag based integration.

Ray Faust, Vice President of Emerging Media Sales at Star Tribune Media Company, commented, “We’ve been pleased to partner with Rubicon Project and ZEDO in leveraging the benefits of video Header Bidding to drive higher yields for video across Star Tribune properties. This pioneering capability provides a level playing field for buyers interested in Star Tribune inventory, while ensuring we maximize the value of our audience in the marketplace.”

About Rubicon Project

Founded in 2007, Rubicon Project’s mission is to keep the Internet free and open and fuel its growth by making it easy and safe to buy and sell advertising. Rubicon Project pioneered advertising automation technology to enable the world’s leading brands, content creators and application developers to trade and protect trillions of advertising requests each month and to improve the advertising experiences of consumers. Rubicon Project is a publicly traded company (NYSE: RUBI) headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Source: Rubicon Project

Rubicon Project
Eric Bonach, 310-207-0272
press@rubiconproject.com