Two of Germany's largest media marketers have expanded their partnership with The Trade Desk through integration of privacy-focused identity infrastructure and direct supply chain technology. BCN and Kleinanzeigen this week announced adoption of European Unified ID (EUID) alongside OpenPath implementation to enhance addressability and transparency across German digital advertising inventory.

The partnership brings The Trade Desk's open-source identity framework and direct publisher connection technology to media properties reaching 61 million people across German-speaking markets. BCN, which markets more than 300 brands and 500 media offerings from publishers Hubert Burda Media, FUNKE, and Mediengruppe Klambt, serves over 3,000 advertisers and agencies according to the companies' documentation.

Kleinanzeigen operates Germany's largest classified advertising platform with over 50 million active listings as of July 2023. The service records more than 900 million monthly visits and processes approximately one million new advertisements daily including employment opportunities, according to data from Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern.

The platform connects buyers and sellers across categories including vehicles, real estate, household goods, services, employment, and community announcements. Users demonstrate high purchase intent when browsing classified listings, creating valuable commercial moments for advertisers seeking audiences actively researching transactions.

Kleinanzeigen revenue derives from multiple sources including subscription fees for commercial sellers, paid options for increased listing visibility among private users, and advertising displayed across the platform's web and mobile properties. The company generated €255 million in revenue during 2023 while employing 360 staff members according to German business registry documentation.

The platform's history traces to September 2009 when eBay launched eBay Kleinanzeigen from the previous Kijiji service. Norwegian company Adevinta acquired the business from eBay in June 2021 for $9.2 billion, creating what became the world's largest online classified advertising enterprise. The rebranding to Kleinanzeigen occurred May 16, 2023, following contractual requirements to change the name within three years of the transaction.

Adevinta operates classified advertising platforms across Norway and 14 additional countries. eBay retained a 33% stake in Adevinta following the sale, maintaining financial interest in the classified marketplace division's performance.

Privacy-focused identity deployment

EUID utilizes pseudonymized identifiers derived from email addresses and telephone numbers to enable targeted advertising while maintaining compliance with European data protection regulations. The open-source framework differs from traditional cookie-based tracking by providing deterministic addressability without continuous cross-site surveillance.

"EUID ergänzt unseren bestehenden Identifier-Ansatz, um deterministische und datenschutzkonforme Adressierbarkeit für hochwertige Reichweiten zu ermöglichen," according to Carsten Sander, Geschäftsführer Technologie at BCN. The technology complements BCN's existing identifier approach to enable deterministic and privacy-compliant addressability for premium reach.

The Trade Desk's identity solutions have gained adoption across European publishers throughout 2025 as the industry transitions away from third-party cookie dependencies. Italian media platform Piemme became the first entity in Italy to implement an integrated identity solution combining EUID with ID5's proprietary identification system in February 2025.

German digital advertising markets face mounting pressure from browser restrictions and privacy regulations that eliminate traditional targeting methodologies. According to industry research, 50% of European digital advertising inventory already operates without traditional cookie-based addressability, creating demand for alternative identification solutions.

The technical architecture of EUID addresses privacy requirements through encryption and anonymization processes that prevent raw personal information exposure. Email addresses and phone numbers undergo hashing transformations that create unique identifiers without revealing underlying contact details to advertising technology intermediaries.

Publishers implementing EUID maintain control over user consent management and data handling processes. The framework operates through what The Trade Desk describes as transparent consent mechanisms that enable users to understand and control how their information supports advertising personalization.

Compliance requirements accelerate identity solution adoption regardless of specific browser timelines. Gartner forecasts indicate that 75% of the global population will be covered by data privacy regulations by 2026, creating urgent needs for privacy-compliant targeting infrastructure.

BCN's media portfolio spans traditional and digital formats including magazines, websites, mobile applications, connected television, podcasts, and social media properties. The company markets brands including FOCUS, BUNTE, Freizeit Revue, CHIP, and gofeminin across entertainment, news, lifestyle, technology, and consumer interest categories.

Implementation across this diverse inventory requires technical coordination between content management systems, advertising servers, and programmatic bidding infrastructure. Publishers must deploy identity frameworks that function consistently across web browsers, mobile applications, and connected television environments where different technical constraints apply.

Direct supply chain connections

OpenPath provides direct connections between The Trade Desk's demand-side platform and publisher inventory, eliminating intermediary supply-side platforms that fragment programmatic transactions. The technology addresses transparency concerns in digital advertising auctions where publishers and advertisers struggle to understand fee structures and verify auction integrity.

"OpenPath adressiert parallel die Effizienz und Transparenz in der programmatischen Supply Chain durch direktere Einkaufsbeziehungen," according to Sander. The implementation addresses efficiency and transparency in programmatic supply chains through more direct purchasing relationships.

The Trade Desk reported OpenPath growth of "many hundreds of percentage points" during 2025 according to CEO Jeff Green during third-quarter earnings announcements. Publishers implementing OpenPath demonstrated substantial performance improvements, with The New York Post achieving a 97% boost in programmatic display revenue and Hearst Newspapers reporting a 4x improvement in fill rates alongside 23% revenue increases.

Industry analysis suggests publishers receive 50-60% of advertiser spending in typical programmatic transactions, with the remainder consumed by demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, data providers, and verification services. Direct connection technologies aim to help publishers understand precisely how much value each intermediary extracts.

Programmatic advertising inefficiencies affect campaign performance across multiple dimensions. When publishers implement header bidding, they simultaneously contact multiple supply-side platforms for each available advertisement slot. These requests often represent identical impressions, creating duplicate bid opportunities that demand-side platforms struggle to differentiate.

Cloud infrastructure costs drive industry urgency around solving duplication. The Trade Desk spent $264 million on platform operations during the first nine months of 2023, equivalent to $730,000 daily for server bills and infrastructure maintenance. Eliminating unnecessary bid requests reduces computational overhead while improving auction efficiency.

OpenPath addresses these challenges by establishing single, verified connections between publishers and The Trade Desk. Publishers provide baseline inventory without duplication, enabling more efficient auction processes and clearer attribution of campaign performance to specific supply sources.

The German market represents a strategic priority for programmatic advertising infrastructure deployment. Germany constitutes the second-largest digital advertising market in Europe, with programmatic advertising showing accelerated adoption across connected television and digital video platforms.

Premium open web positioning

"Mit der fortschreitenden Entwicklung der Adressierbarkeit im Premium-Open-Internet erkennen führende Publisher und Werbetreibende zunehmend, welche Bedeutung Authentifizierung hat," according to Jan Vorndamm, Senior Director, Inventory Partnerships at The Trade Desk. As addressability develops in the premium open internet, leading publishers and advertisers increasingly recognize authentication's significance for maintaining online value exchange.

The partnership supports BCN and Kleinanzeigen in competing against closed advertising ecosystems operated by major technology companies. Authentication enables the value exchange of premium content for relevant advertising while maintaining user privacy expectations.

Kleinanzeigen's classified marketplace attracts users with concrete purchase intent actively searching for products and services. "Kleinanzeigen bringt Menschen mit konkreter Kaufabsicht zusammen - genau in dem Moment, in dem sie aktiv nach Angeboten suchen," according to Anna-Lena Mikoteit-Zerb, Director Advertising Monetisation at Kleinanzeigen. The platform connects people with specific purchase intent precisely when they actively search for offerings.

Data-driven advertising supports user experience while enabling advertisers to access demand close to purchase moments with scalable reach. EUID and OpenPath help Kleinanzeigen leverage this advantage in privacy-compliant, transparent, and efficient ways according to Mikoteit-Zerb.

BCN operates in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with more than 200 employees across locations including Munich, Offenburg, and Hamburg. The joint marketing organization launched January 1, 2024, as a realignment of Hubert Burda Media's previous advertising operations combined with FUNKE and Mediengruppe Klambt publisher partnerships.

European identity landscape

Multiple identity solutions address cookie limitations through different technical approaches across European markets. Utiq, supported by European telecommunications operators, emphasizes explicit user consent and operates across mobile applications, connected television, gaming environments, and web browsers. The company reached 70 million users across Germany, Austria, France, Spain, United Kingdom, and Italy by November 2025.

Ad Alliance, RTL Deutschland's marketing division, announced a strategic partnership with Utiq in September 2025 to establish privacy-compliant digital targeting capabilities. The collaboration deployed Utiq's telecommunications-powered identifier solution across mobile websites of n-tv, RTL, and STERN, making approximately 4 million users addressable.

The Trade Desk's broader infrastructure developments include Price Discovery and Provisioning API deployment with three major German supply-side platforms. Ströer, Virtual Minds, and YOC implemented the PDP API in February 2026, enabling automated deal configuration and verification processes.

These technological implementations represent European publishers' strategic responses to competitive pressures from walled garden ecosystems. RTL Group's digital advertising revenue increased 27% to €230 million in the first half of 2025, while traditional television advertising declined 6.9% during the same period, highlighting digital revenue growth's strategic importance.

Supply chain transparency emphasis

The Trade Desk has positioned itself as an advocate for supply chain transparency throughout 2025. The company launched OpenAds in October 2025 as an open-source auction platform addressing what CEO Green characterized as deteriorating auction integrity among some supply-side platforms.

Major publishers including AccuWeather, BuzzFeed, the Guardian, Hearst Magazines, Newsweek, and Ziff Davisannounced support for OpenAds in January 2026. The platform combines forked Prebid code with enterprise and simplified publisher implementations designed to maintain transaction transparency.

German retail media demonstrated 22.1% growth during 2024 compared to overall advertising market expansion of 6.1%, nearly quadrupling total market growth rates according to analysis from Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft. Retailers increasingly recognize substantial revenue potential from customer data and digital real estate monetization as privacy regulations limit traditional digital advertising targeting capabilities.

BCN and Kleinanzeigen join growing numbers of German and international publishers, broadcasters, and rights holders implementing competitive and transparent market infrastructure. The collaborations aim to improve value creation between publishers and advertisers while keeping the open web competitively sustainable according to partner statements.

Authentication frameworks support relevant advertising delivery to users while remaining privacy-friendly. EUID uses pseudonymized identifiers that enable targeting without exposing raw personal information to advertising technology intermediaries.

Technical implementation considerations

Publisher implementation requires coordination across technical and business operations teams. BCN's integration represents a "wichtiger Baustein innerhalb unserer Vermarkterstrategie" - an important building block within the company's marketing strategy according to Sander.

The technology complements existing identifier approaches rather than replacing current systems. BCN maintains multiple identity solutions to support deterministic addressability across its premium reach inventory spanning print, display, mobile, connected television, podcast, social, digital out-of-home, and events.

Kleinanzeigen processes both personal and shared classified advertising data across categories including vehicles, real estate, employment, services, and consumer goods. Privacy-compliant identity frameworks enable the platform to deliver relevant commercial messaging while maintaining regulatory compliance.

Platform capabilities include direct publisher integration systems for transparent programmatic transactions. Advertisers access inventory through familiar workflows while applying targeting and measurement capabilities used across open internet channels.

The Trade Desk maintains offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions serving international advertisers. German publisher partnerships represent geographical expansion of infrastructure developed for broader market application.

Whether automated infrastructure gains widespread adoption depends on publisher willingness to implement additional technology amid fragmented ecosystems where multiple auction wrappers, supply-side platforms, and identity solutions compete for deployment priority.

Timeline

  • September 2009: eBay launches eBay Kleinanzeigen (predecessor to Kleinanzeigen) from previous Kijiji platform
  • January 1, 2024: BCN launches as joint marketing organization combining Hubert Burda Media, FUNKE, and Mediengruppe Klambt publisher partnerships
  • February 2024: The Trade Desk reports strong Q4 and FY 2023, actively supporting Unified ID 2.0 and OpenPath initiatives
  • May 16, 2023: eBay Kleinanzeigen rebrands to Kleinanzeigen following Adevinta acquisition
  • May 9, 2024: LG Ad Solutions announces Unified ID 2.0 adoption for connected television advertising
  • September 2, 2025: Ad Alliance partners with Utiq for cookieless targeting in Germany
  • October 2, 2025: The Trade Desk announces OpenAds auction platform to counter supply chain manipulation
  • November 9, 2025: The Trade Desk reports Q3 revenue of $739 million with OpenPath growth of "many hundreds of percentage points"
  • January 6, 2026: Major publishers back Trade Desk's OpenAds auction platform including AccuWeather, BuzzFeed, the Guardian, Hearst
  • February 6, 2026: Trade Desk secures German SSP integrations with Ströer, Virtual Minds, and YOC for Price Discovery and Provisioning API
  • February 2025: Piemme becomes first Italian media platform to integrate EUID with ID5 identification system
  • February 14, 2026: BCN and Kleinanzeigen announce integration of European Unified ID and OpenPath with The Trade Desk

Summary

Who: BCN, a cross-media advertising marketer representing more than 300 brands from publishers Hubert Burda Media, FUNKE, and Mediengruppe Klambt, and Kleinanzeigen, Germany's largest classified advertising platform owned by Norwegian company Adevinta, announced partnerships with The Trade Desk for identity and supply chain technology.

What: Integration of European Unified ID (EUID), an open-source identity framework using pseudonymized identifiers derived from email addresses and telephone numbers, alongside OpenPath implementation providing direct connections between The Trade Desk's demand-side platform and publisher inventory without intermediary supply-side platforms.

When: The announcement was made February 14, 2026, though specific implementation timelines for full deployment across BCN's 500 media offerings and Kleinanzeigen's classified marketplace were not disclosed in the companies' statements.

Where: The deployment affects German digital advertising markets where BCN reaches 61 million people across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through print, display, mobile, connected television, podcast, social, digital out-of-home, and events channels, while Kleinanzeigen processes over 900 million monthly visits.

Why: The partnerships address challenges from browser restrictions and privacy regulations eliminating traditional cookie-based targeting by providing privacy-compliant addressability and supply chain transparency that strengthens competitive positioning against closed advertising ecosystems operated by major technology companies while improving value creation between publishers and advertisers.

Share this article
The link has been copied!