Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising platform, has struck a major deal with Acxiom, becoming its first programmatic partner for sell-side data activation. The move is designed to help advertisers cut costs, simplify activation, and push more ad dollars into working media rather than platform fees.
The integration allows advertisers to activate both their own first-party data and Acxiom’s third-party datasets directly on Magnite, enabling more precise addressable targeting across CTV and omnichannel inventory. Early tests suggest the approach reduces inefficiencies, improves match rates, and strengthens campaign performance.
Why This Matters
Traditionally, advertisers have relied on demand-side platforms (DSPs) to activate data. By shifting data activation to the sell side, Magnite and Acxiom are promising cleaner supply paths, better transparency, and improved economics.
Magnite already boasts 99% of CTV supply coverage and 96% of omnichannel supply coverage, according to Jounce Media. That reach includes 92 million U.S. ad-supported streaming households, giving advertisers a massive pool to target with enriched data precision.
Inside the Integration
- Sell-Side Activation: Audiences are layered via deal IDs, letting buyers purchase Acxiom pre-filtered inventory in any DSP.
- Improved Match Rates: Magnite’s direct publisher ties reduce signal loss, a common problem in programmatic buying.
- Forecasting & Insights: Buyers gain advanced forecasting and differentiated publisher-side insights, unavailable in traditional DSP-only setups.
“Bringing together Acxiom’s trusted data services with Magnite’s unique streaming inventory access creates a turn-key activation point,” said Martin Wexler, EVP of Partnerships at Acxiom. “It drives improved match rates and reduces signal loss.”
Industry Voices
Agencies and partners are already weighing in.
- IPG Mediabrands: “The structure helps us better plan and measure outcomes, while ensuring more dollars go to working media,” said Jean Fitzpatrick, EVP of Commercial Strategy.
- LG Ad Solutions: “The Magnite-Acxiom integration gives advertisers a streamlined path to activation and measurable outcomes across every screen,” added Mike Evans, Head of U.S. Sales.
Bigger Picture
The integration arrives at a time when the programmatic ecosystem is grappling with privacy shifts, signal loss, and rising demand for efficiency. By moving activation closer to the inventory, Magnite and Acxiom are pushing what some analysts see as a broader industry trend: sell-side data enablement as a counterbalance to the increasingly fragmented DSP landscape.
If successful, the partnership could accelerate adoption of sell-side targeting models—a potential reordering of the data-driven advertising stack that favors publishers and supply-side platforms.
