OpenX unveils software suite promising 70% cost reduction

OpenX Technologies announced the launch of OpenXBuild on January 6, 2026, introducing a software suite designed to give advertisers direct control over bidding strategies before auctions occur. The launch marks a significant shift in how brands and agencies can leverage first-party data within programmatic advertising infrastructure, with early testing showing substantial performance improvements including a 70% reduction in cost-per-conversion.

The software suite consists of three distinct application programming interfaces that advertisers can deploy independently or combine to shape cross-channel campaigns. According to OpenX, OpenXBuild addresses growing demand from brands and agencies seeking to differentiate their advertising solutions without incurring traditional costs and latency associated with data collaboration technologies.

Joel Meyer, chief technology officer at OpenX, framed the launch as a response to specific market gaps. "With OpenXBuild, we're addressing a growing demand for brands and agencies to differentiate their advertising solutions by cost-effectively combining their data with trusted supply, all without the traditional costs and latency," Meyer stated in the announcement. "OpenXBuild addresses these key buyer challenges, empowering partners to enrich and act on audience and auction data instantly within a secure environment that's already connected to ad supply."

The timing reflects broader industry shifts toward custom decisioning frameworks as artificial intelligence capabilities expand. While existing solutions offer secure data collaboration, they typically require expensive infrastructure development and cannot support real-time decisioning at scale. Buyers increasingly demand cost-effective methods to deploy proprietary algorithms that drive measurable performance improvements across connected television, mobile, desktop, and app environments.

Three-API architecture enables pre-auction optimization

OpenXBuild's technical foundation rests on three distinct APIs, each addressing specific advertiser requirements. The Real-Time Bidstream API allows buyers to integrate and execute their own data and decisioning models within OpenX's bidstream before activating campaigns in their preferred demand-side platforms. This capability enables advertisers to evaluate impressions closer to supply sources and bid more selectively, improving campaign efficiency.

The Identity Resolution API leverages OpenX's proprietary identity graph spanning more than 237 million United States users and 150 million connected television devices. Buyers can target customers across channels and formats using first-party data, third-party data, or proprietary identifiers. The scale addresses a fundamental challenge as third-party cookies deprecate and privacy regulations constrain traditional targeting methods.

The Auction Insights API delivers what OpenX characterizes as the Bidding Intelligence Data Set, providing log-level data that gives advertisers visibility into exposures, supply signals, and auction outcomes. This transparency helps advertisers improve decisions, reduce technology fees, and shift more budget toward working media rather than intermediary costs.

All three APIs integrate with OpenX's quality standards and direct publisher relationships, which the company emphasizes as distinguishing factors. OpenX maintains connections with more than 200,000 premium publisher domains, providing advertisers with fraud-free access to inventory. The company's 17-year track record in programmatic innovation includes being the first adtech company certified as CarbonNeutral and third-party verified for achieving Science Based Targets initiative Net-Zero goals.

Early adopter reports dramatic efficiency gains

tvScientific, a performance advertising company specializing in connected television, adopted the Real-Time Bidstream API to deliver guaranteed results for programmatic campaigns. The company combines proprietary models with OpenXBuild's custom decisioning capability and secure supply access to optimize traffic routed to its demand-side platform.

Teddy Jawde, senior vice president of product management at tvScientific, detailed the technical advantages enabled by pre-auction decisioning. "With OpenXBuild, we can apply our audience enrichment and bidding algorithms directly inside the exchange. This low-latency integration unlocks optimization techniques that aren't possible in a traditional DSP setup," Jawde explained. "By evaluating impressions closer to supply and bidding more selectively, advertisers have seen a 70% reduction in cost-per-conversion on OpenX traffic compared to unshaped SSP inventory."

The 70% improvement represents substantial cost savings that could reshape how performance advertisers approach programmatic buying. Traditional setups require demand-side platforms to evaluate billions of bid requests daily, with decisioning occurring at bid time when latency constraints limit algorithmic complexity. Moving decisioning upstream into the supply-side platform's infrastructure before auctions occur allows more sophisticated algorithms to run with lower latency penalties.

This architectural shift addresses fundamental programmatic advertising challenges. Advertisers typically face trade-offs between algorithmic sophistication and real-time performance. Complex models that might improve targeting precision often cannot execute quickly enough within the 100-millisecond timeframes that real-time bidding requires. By embedding algorithms directly within OpenX's bidstream infrastructure, tvScientific eliminates these latency constraints while maintaining access to premium streaming inventory.

Privacy-first processing supports regulatory compliance

OpenXBuild's design prioritizes privacy-first data processing that supports compliance with evolving regulations. The platform enables sophisticated pre-auction filtering across all channels without requiring advertisers to conduct costly API calls, batch transfers, or manual workflows. Buyers can safely bring their data to cloud infrastructure already connected to advertising supply.

The low-latency, scalable architecture addresses privacy concerns that have increasingly constrained programmatic advertising. State-level privacy regulations continue proliferating across the United States, with each jurisdiction establishing different requirements for data collection, processing, and consumer consent. European frameworks including the General Data Protection Regulation and Digital Services Act impose additional obligations on companies operating internationally.

OpenXBuild's secure environment allows advertisers to apply custom decisioning without exposing sensitive user data to multiple intermediaries. First-party data remains within controlled infrastructure, reducing compliance risks associated with data sharing across multiple platforms. The approach aligns with industry movements toward privacy-enhancing technologies that enable personalized advertising while respecting user privacy preferences.

Connected television represents a particularly significant opportunity for OpenXBuild adoption. The format's rapid growth has made it essential for advertisers seeking to reach audiences migrating away from traditional linear television. However, CTV advertising faces unique challenges around identity resolution, measurement, and attribution. OpenX's 150 million connected television device graph provides substantial scale for buyers seeking to deploy advanced targeting strategies across streaming environments.

Market context shows supply-side platform advantages

The OpenXBuild launch builds upon OpenX's established position in supply-side curation, an emerging category where platforms leverage direct publisher relationships to pre-qualify inventory and package it for buyers. Industry analysis indicates supply-side platforms maintain strategic advantages in curation due to their proximity to inventory sources and ability to consolidate targeting parameters.

OpenX launched OpenAudience in 2018, establishing the first supply-side identity graph for data partner activation. The company expanded these capabilities with OpenXSelect's general availability in July 2025, providing granular inventory controls and scaled audience targeting. OpenXBuild represents the next evolution, moving beyond inventory curation to enable custom decisioning frameworks that advertisers can deploy according to their specific requirements.

The competitive landscape for programmatic infrastructure continues intensifying. Google Ad Manager unveiled curation tools designed to streamline agency operations. Microsoft Advertising expanded its partner program to include curation technology providers. Amazon's Dynamic Traffic Engine integration with OpenX demonstrated how machine learning signals can refine delivery decisions at scale.

These developments reflect broader recognition that programmatic advertising's future depends on solutions that combine automation with sophisticated decisioning capabilities. Programmatic advertising investment continues expanding, with 72% of marketers planning to increase programmatic spending in 2025. Connected television's share of media budgets is projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025, emphasizing the need for infrastructure that can handle increasing complexity while maintaining transparency.

Technical architecture supports real-time decisioning

OpenXBuild's technical implementation leverages cloud-native infrastructure that OpenX has developed over multiple years. The 100% cloud-based technology stack enables the low-latency processing required for real-time decisioning at programmatic advertising's scale. Billions of bid requests flow through supply-side platforms daily, with each requiring evaluation within milliseconds to maintain user experience quality.

Moving computation closer to inventory sources reduces latency compared to traditional architectures where demand-side platforms must evaluate all bid requests. By allowing advertisers to deploy custom logic directly within OpenX's bidstream, OpenXBuild eliminates network round-trips that would otherwise add latency. The approach enables more sophisticated algorithms that would be impractical to execute at bid time due to speed constraints.

The Bidding Intelligence Data Set within the Auction Insights API provides granular visibility into auction mechanics that advertisers typically cannot access. Log-level data reveals which impressions generated exposures, which supply signals influenced pricing, and which auctions resulted in wins or losses. This transparency allows advertisers to understand true inventory value and optimize their bidding strategies accordingly.

OpenX positions this transparency as a mechanism to reduce "adtech tax"—the fees that accumulate as advertising spend flows through multiple intermediaries before reaching publishers. By providing clear visibility into auction outcomes and enabling more efficient bidding, OpenXBuild aims to preserve more budget for working media that reaches consumers rather than supporting intermediary infrastructure.

Strategic implications for programmatic ecosystem

The OpenXBuild launch has implications beyond OpenX's immediate business. The software suite represents a model for how supply-side platforms might evolve from simple auction facilitators into programmable infrastructure that advertisers can customize. This shift could fundamentally change relationships between buyers, sellers, and intermediaries in programmatic advertising.

For advertisers, OpenXBuild offers a path toward greater control over campaign execution without building proprietary infrastructure. Brands and agencies can deploy their algorithms and data assets within a secure environment that already connects to premium inventory. The approach reduces barriers to entry for sophisticated programmatic strategies that previously required substantial technology investments.

For publishers, systems like OpenXBuild could improve auction efficiency by filtering out bids from advertisers unlikely to find value in their inventory. More selective bidding reduces the computational overhead required to process auctions while potentially improving pricing for impressions that genuinely match advertiser requirements. Publishers benefit when their most valuable inventory receives appropriate attention from relevant buyers.

The competitive dynamics remain uncertain. Other supply-side platforms could develop similar capabilities, potentially commoditizing custom decisioning as a standard feature rather than a differentiator. Demand-side platforms might respond by building their own pre-filtering mechanisms that duplicate OpenXBuild's functionality. The evolution will depend partly on whether advertisers perceive meaningful advantages from embedding logic upstream in the supply chain versus managing it within their own demand infrastructure.

Industry consolidation continues reshaping landscape

OpenXBuild's emergence coincides with ongoing consolidation in advertising technology. OpenX filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on August 4, 2025, seeking damages following a court ruling that found Google illegally monopolized digital advertising markets. The 87-page complaint details how Google's systematic anticompetitive conduct damaged OpenX's ad exchange operations through what the company characterized as willful monopolization.

The legal battle underscores tensions between independent advertising technology companies and dominant platforms. Google Ad Manager commands substantial market share in publisher ad serving, giving it strategic leverage over how inventory reaches buyers. OpenX's lawsuit argues this dominance enabled Google to disadvantage competing exchanges through technical restrictions and preferential treatment of its own systems.

Meanwhile, privacy regulation enforcement continues accelerating globally. The European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok over Digital Services Act violations, examining how the platform addresses risks from recommender systems and content moderation. State privacy laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia create complex compliance requirements that vary by jurisdiction.

These regulatory pressures make solutions like OpenXBuild increasingly relevant. By providing secure infrastructure where advertisers can process first-party data without extensive data sharing, the platform addresses privacy concerns while maintaining targeting capabilities. The architecture could prove valuable as third-party cookie deprecation forces the industry toward alternative identity and targeting methods.

Future developments may expand API capabilities

While OpenXBuild launched with three APIs, the platform's extensible architecture suggests potential for additional capabilities. OpenX has not announced specific roadmap details, but logical extensions could include APIs for creative optimization, contextual targeting, or brand safety verification. Each would allow advertisers to inject custom logic at different decision points within the advertising supply chain.

The software suite model also creates opportunities for third-party developers to build specialized tools that integrate with OpenXBuild. Measurement vendors, attribution providers, or audience data companies could develop complementary services that leverage the APIs to deliver enhanced capabilities. Such an ecosystem would mirror patterns in other technology sectors where platform providers enable third-party innovation through well-designed APIs.

Adoption timelines remain uncertain. Enterprise advertisers and agencies typically move cautiously when adopting new infrastructure, requiring extensive testing before committing meaningful budgets. The 70% cost reduction tvScientific reported should attract attention from performance-focused advertisers, but brand-focused buyers may prioritize different metrics. OpenX's success will depend partly on demonstrating value across multiple advertiser types and campaign objectives.

OpenXBuild represents a significant architectural evolution in programmatic advertising infrastructure. By enabling advertisers to deploy custom decisioning logic directly within supply-side platform infrastructure, OpenX addresses longstanding limitations around latency, cost, and data collaboration. The early results from tvScientific suggest substantial performance improvements are achievable when algorithms can evaluate impressions closer to inventory sources without traditional real-time bidding constraints.

The launch's strategic implications extend beyond immediate performance gains. OpenXBuild demonstrates how supply-side platforms can evolve from auction facilitators into programmable infrastructure that advertisers customize according to their specific requirements. This shift could fundamentally reshape relationships throughout the programmatic ecosystem, though competitive responses and adoption patterns remain uncertain.

As privacy regulations continue constraining traditional targeting methods and artificial intelligence capabilities advance, solutions like OpenXBuild that enable sophisticated decisioning within secure, compliant infrastructure will likely become increasingly important. Whether OpenX's specific implementation becomes an industry standard or merely catalyzes similar innovations from competitors, the direction toward more customizable programmatic infrastructure appears clear.

Key Terms Explained

Application Programming Interface (API): A set of protocols and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other, enabling advertisers to programmatically access and control platform functionality rather than using manual interfaces. APIs define the methods and data formats that applications use to request services, making it possible for advertisers to integrate their systems with OpenX's infrastructure at scale.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB): An automated auction process where advertising impressions are bought and sold programmatically in the time it takes a webpage to load, typically within 100 milliseconds. Real-time bidding enables advertisers to evaluate individual impressions based on multiple attributes and bid accordingly, with the highest bidder winning the opportunity to display their ad.

Demand-Side Platform (DSP): Technology that allows advertisers and agencies to purchase advertising inventory across multiple exchanges and supply sources through a single interface, using automated bidding algorithms to optimize campaign performance. DSPs provide tools for audience targeting, bid management, and performance analysis while connecting to numerous supply sources simultaneously.

Supply-Side Platform (SSP): Technology infrastructure that publishers use to manage, sell, and optimize their advertising inventory programmatically, connecting to multiple demand sources including ad exchanges, demand-side platforms, and ad networks. SSPs conduct auctions for each impression, evaluate bids from multiple buyers, and select the winning advertiser based on price and other factors.

Pre-Auction Filtering: The process of evaluating advertising impressions before they enter the real-time bidding auction, allowing buyers to exclude inventory that doesn't meet their criteria and focus bidding resources on impressions more likely to deliver campaign objectives. This approach reduces computational overhead and improves efficiency by preventing unnecessary bid evaluations.

Identity Graph: A comprehensive database connecting various user identifiers across different devices, platforms, and touchpoints to create unified profiles, enabling advertisers to recognize the same user across multiple contexts. Identity graphs link cookies, mobile advertising identifiers, authenticated user IDs, email addresses, and device fingerprints to support cross-device targeting and measurement.

First-Party Data: Information that companies collect directly from their own customers through websites, mobile apps, customer relationship management systems, and other owned channels. First-party data provides unique insights into customer behavior and preferences while offering stronger privacy compliance compared to third-party data acquired from external sources.

Connected Television (CTV): Internet-delivered streaming video content accessed through smart TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and mobile applications, enabling programmatic advertising with advanced targeting capabilities. CTV advertising combines television's visual impact with digital advertising's precision, providing measurement capabilities not possible with traditional linear television.

Log-Level Data: Granular, impression-by-impression records of advertising activity including bid requests, responses, and outcomes, providing detailed visibility into auction mechanics and campaign performance. Log-level data allows advertisers to conduct sophisticated analysis beyond the aggregated metrics typically available through standard reporting interfaces.

Adtech Tax: The cumulative fees charged by various intermediaries as advertising spend flows from advertisers to publishers, including costs from demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, ad exchanges, data providers, and verification vendors. Reducing adtech tax preserves more budget for working media that reaches consumers rather than supporting intermediary infrastructure.

Timeline

• 2018: OpenX launches OpenAudience, establishing the first supply-side identity graph for data partner activation
• July 2025: OpenX announces general availability of OpenXSelect, providing granular inventory controls and scaled audience targeting across 237 million U.S. users and 150 million CTV devices
• August 4, 2025: OpenX files antitrust lawsuit against Google seeking damages following court ruling on illegal monopolization of digital advertising markets
• August 19, 2025: OpenX integrates S&P Global Mobility's Polk Automotive data for automotive advertiser targeting
• September 17, 2025: OpenX launches automated discount capabilities enabling buyers to access reduced rates from more than 80 integrated partners
• December 22, 2025: OpenX integrates Amazon Ads Dynamic Traffic Engine incorporating machine learning signals for traffic optimization
• January 6, 2026: OpenX announces launch of OpenXBuild software suite with three APIs enabling custom decisioning, identity resolution, and auction insights

Summary

Who: OpenX Technologies, one of the world's leading omnichannel supply-side platforms with connections to more than 200,000 premium publisher domains and over 100,000 advertisers, announced the launch alongside testimonial from tvScientific, a performance advertising company specializing in connected television.

What: OpenXBuild is a software suite consisting of three APIs—Real-Time Bidstream API, Identity Resolution API, and Auction Insights API—that give advertisers unprecedented real-time control over ad performance by enabling them to deploy proprietary logic and first-party data directly within OpenX's bidstream before auctions occur.

When: OpenX announced the OpenXBuild launch on January 6, 2026, with early adopter tvScientific already demonstrating a 70% reduction in cost-per-conversion compared to traditional programmatic setups.

Where: The platform operates across OpenX's global omnichannel infrastructure spanning connected television, mobile, desktop, and app environments, leveraging the company's identity graph of 237 million U.S. users and 150 million CTV devices.

Why: OpenXBuild addresses growing demand from brands and agencies for cost-effective methods to differentiate their advertising solutions by combining their data with trusted supply without traditional costs and latency, enabling sophisticated pre-auction filtering and custom decisioning that drive higher win rates and reduce wasted spend.