Over time, that could make platforms with richer publisher integrations more attractive endpoints as agent-based buying scales. PubMatic is among the founding companies behind AdCP.
“We actually know all of the placements, the pricing and the audience data that publishers have,” Goel said. If a buyer-side agent connects to PubMatic through AdCP, he added, the platform can respond with a structured view of available inventory rather than forcing buyers to interpret disparate formats.
Not everyone is convinced that having multiple protocols will automatically accelerate progress. Simon Poulton, EVP of innovation at Tinuiti, said requirements around agent registration and shared rules of engagement are necessary—but insufficient—conditions for the success for these protocols. Without broad adoption, he added, even well-designed standards risk stalling before they reach scale.
“What we’re reckoning with right now is just an abundance of protocols,” said Poulton. “For any protocol to take off, you need a degree of network effect.”
