PubMatic and MNTN expand premium CTV access, delivering 10% publisher revenue lift

PubMatic announced a strategic partnership with MNTN on October 13, 2025, expanding access to premium Connected TV advertising for performance-focused marketers. The collaboration connects MNTN's Performance TV platform with PubMatic's direct inventory from top-tier streaming publishers including Paramount, NBCUniversal, Sling, Philo, and LG Channels.

Publishers on the PubMatic platform are experiencing 10% revenue uplift from 14% more unique advertiser demand. Market expansion drives these results: 97% of MNTN's advertiser customers represent entirely new participants in CTV advertising, according to the announcement.

"There's substantial advertiser demand that hasn't participated in Connected TV because the infrastructure hasn't matched their requirements," said Chris Innes, Chief Operating Officer at MNTN. Performance-focused marketers expect television to provide the same data, control, and accountability they receive across search, social, and display channels. PubMatic's direct access to premium publishers enables these marketers to participate in high-quality streaming environments.

Direct access addresses infrastructure gaps

The partnership tackles a fundamental market challenge. Many advertisers have avoided CTV advertising due to infrastructure limitations that prevented the transparency and control required for performance marketing strategies. MNTN's self-serve platform delivers measurable, auto-optimized campaigns built for marketers requiring accountability from their media investments.

Traditional television advertising demanded substantial budgets, agency relationships, and acceptance of inadequate measurement. MNTN removes these barriers by providing familiar workflows and ease-of-use for digital marketers. The platform's approach enables campaigns focused on measurable outcomes rather than brand awareness alone.

PubMatic's supply-side platform provides the transparent supply-path connection these advertisers require. The infrastructure delivers complete visibility into where advertisements run, clear cost structures without hidden markups, and AI-powered optimization leveraging supply-side intelligence. For advertisers accustomed to digital transparency standards, this infrastructure provides confidence to invest media budgets in premium CTV environments.

Nicole Scaglione, VP of CTV at PubMatic, emphasized the quality of this new demand. "When you see a consistent revenue lift and unique demand, it demonstrates the quality and value these advertisers represent." The partnership isn't just incremental volume—it represents meaningful market expansion. By providing direct access and supply-path transparency, PubMatic connects premium publishers with an advertiser segment that delivers strong results.

Premium inventory democratization

The result transforms CTV advertising economics. Premium streaming inventory becomes accessible to all businesses, not just Fortune 500 brands. PubMatic has consistently grown its CTV business, with Connected TV revenue increasing over 50% year-over-year in Q1 2025.

The partnership solves a critical growth challenge for publishers: expanding revenue beyond traditional advertiser segments while maintaining brand safety and inventory quality. The 10% revenue lift from 14% more unique demand demonstrates that net-new advertisers deliver exceptional value efficiency. These advertisers aren't filling remnant inventory at discounted rates. They're competing for premium placements because their performance requirements demand quality environments where audiences remain engaged.

Publishers achieve sustainable revenue growth from an advertiser segment previously inaccessible through traditional sales channels. The new dollars don't redistribute from existing TV or digital campaigns. MNTN's largely net-new to television customer base represents market expansion without cannibalizing existing demand.

The 14% increase in unique advertisers reduces revenue concentration risk, diversifying publisher income streams while maintaining premium inventory standards. This diversification matters for publisher business models increasingly reliant on programmatic channels. PPC Land reporting shows that publishers face mounting pressure to identify new revenue streams while navigating broader market shifts.

Market opportunity quantification

The untapped CTV demand is substantial. US CTV advertising spend is expected to reach $36.87 billion in 2025, according to eMarketer projections. While spending to date has been driven mainly by incumbent TV advertisers reallocating budgets, small and mid-size businesses represent a massive growth opportunity. These businesses allocate 67% of their advertising budgets to digital channels, according to Data Catalyst research.

PubMatic lowers barriers to entry for these advertisers. IAB research shows 73% of advertisers view measurement and attribution as top challenges in CTV advertising, while 68% require transparency into advertisement placements. The MNTN-PubMatic partnership addresses both obstacles: MNTN offers audience, measurement, and optimization infrastructure, while PubMatic's SSP access provides inventory transparency.

The broader CTV market continues evolving rapidly. Connected TV's share of media budgets is projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025, with 72% of marketers planning to increase programmatic advertising investment. This growth trajectory creates opportunities for supply-side platforms that can effectively connect diverse advertiser segments with premium inventory.

Performance marketing's expansion into television represents a fundamental shift in how businesses approach video advertising. MNTN previously partnered with ZoomInfo to bring B2B advertising to Connected TV, demonstrating the platform's focus on expanding television access beyond traditional direct-to-consumer advertisers.

Technical infrastructure enables precision

The partnership leverages PubMatic's owned-and-operated infrastructure for scalable, efficient programmatic transactions. Supply Path Optimization represented over 55% of total activity on PubMatic's platform in Q2 2025, up from 51% one year prior. SPO enables publishers to optimize revenue streams through more efficient programmatic advertising transactions.

PubMatic processes approximately 78 trillion impressions quarterly, representing substantial scale in the programmatic ecosystem. The company's infrastructure-driven approach for efficient real-time data processing supports the high-volume, low-latency requirements of premium CTV advertising.

MNTN's Performance TV platform provides the demand-side capabilities that complement PubMatic's supply infrastructure. The self-serve platform enables advertisers to launch campaigns without extensive technical expertise or large budgets. Auto-optimization features adjust campaigns based on performance data, while comprehensive measurement tools provide visibility into campaign effectiveness.

The combination addresses measurement challenges that historically complicated television advertising attribution. Unlike conventional TV advertising models, the integrated platform enables tracking of customer interactions across extended periods, providing visibility into conversion pathways and campaign effectiveness.

Industry context and competitive positioning

The announcement arrives during significant transformation in digital advertising technology markets. PubMatic filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on September 8, 2025, alleging the search giant's monopolistic conduct caused substantial financial harm to the advertising exchange platform.

Supply-side platforms face increasing pressure to demonstrate value to both publishers and advertisers. Recent programmatic developments show platforms experimenting with new formats and partnerships to capture growing CTV budgets. Wunderkind partnered with OpenGlass.TV and PubMatic to deliver programmatic Connected TV pause advertising, demonstrating the market's focus on innovative ad formats.

The partnership between PubMatic and MNTN differentiates through its focus on net-new demand rather than redistributing existing budgets. This approach aligns with publisher needs for sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive environment. Publishers continue exploring diverse revenue strategies as traditional advertising models face disruption.

Connected TV measurement capabilities continue expanding across platforms. Nielsen recently integrated CTV coverage into advertising intelligence platforms, while programmatic advertising investment reaches 72% of marketer plans for 2025. These developments reflect Connected TV's emergence as advertising's fastest-growing channel.

Scaglione noted substantial room for continued expansion. "Our publisher partners gain sustainable revenue growth while these advertisers get the premium brand-safe environments and accountability they require. It's a model that works, and the early metrics prove there's substantial room for continued expansion."

The partnership demonstrates how infrastructure improvements can unlock latent demand in digital advertising markets. By removing technical barriers and providing transparent access to premium inventory, platforms can expand market participation beyond traditional advertiser segments.

Implementation details and availability

The MNTN-PubMatic partnership is currently operational. Advertisers can access premium CTV inventory through MNTN's self-serve platform. Publishers seeking new advertiser demand can contact PubMatic through existing relationships or at www.pubmatic.com.

The data supporting the 10% revenue lift and 14% increase in unique demand comes from PubMatic internal platform data observed for 10 publishers across three months, compared to revenue for a similar time frame without MNTN demand.

PubMatic operates as an independent technology company maximizing customer value by delivering digital advertising's supply chain infrastructure. The company's sell-side platform empowers digital content creators across the open internet to control access to their inventory and increase monetization. Since 2006, PubMatic has leveraged an infrastructure-driven approach for efficient real-time data processing.

MNTN describes itself as delivering television advertising built for performance marketers. The company aims to democratize television advertising by removing traditional barriers including substantial budget requirements, agency dependencies, and inadequate measurement capabilities.

The partnership reflects broader industry trends toward performance-driven CTV strategies. Criteo and WPP Media announced commerce-driven CTV activation in July 2025, merging real-time commerce signals with programmatic CTV capabilities. These developments demonstrate the market's evolution from reach-focused brand campaigns to performance-driven strategies demonstrating direct business impact.

The collaboration positions both companies to capture growth in the expanding performance-focused CTV advertising segment. As performance marketers increasingly recognize streaming television's potential for measurable outcomes, advertising solutions that effectively reach these audiences gain strategic importance for digital advertising organizations.

Timeline

• October 13, 2025: PubMatic and MNTN announce partnership expanding premium CTV access for performance marketers
• September 8, 2025: PubMatic files antitrust lawsuit against Google alleging monopolistic conduct in digital advertising markets
• August 11, 2025: PubMatic reports Q2 2025 results with $71.1 million revenue and sustained CTV growth
• July 17, 2025: PubMatic launches AI-powered Live Sports Marketplace with real-time game moment targeting capabilities
• July 16, 2025: Wunderkind launches programmatic CTV pause ads with OpenGlass.TV and PubMatic partnership
• July 1, 2025: MNTN partners with ZoomInfo to bring B2B advertising to Connected TV platforms
• May 11, 2025: PubMatic reports Q1 2025 results with CTV growth exceeding 50% year-over-year

Summary

Who: PubMatic Inc. (NASDAQ: PUBM), an independent sell-side platform, and MNTN (NYSE: MNTN), a performance-focused Connected TV advertising platform, announced the strategic partnership. Key executives include Chris Innes, Chief Operating Officer at MNTN, and Nicole Scaglione, VP of CTV at PubMatic.

What: A strategic partnership that connects MNTN's self-serve Performance TV platform with PubMatic's direct access to premium streaming publishers including Paramount, NBCUniversal, Sling, Philo, and LG Channels. The collaboration delivers measurable results: publishers experience 10% revenue uplift from 14% more unique advertiser demand, with 97% of MNTN's advertisers being entirely new to CTV.

When: The partnership was announced on October 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, and is currently operational for advertisers and publishers.

Where: The partnership operates across the United States, providing access to premium Connected TV inventory through programmatic channels. Publishers can access the demand through PubMatic's platform, while advertisers can activate campaigns through MNTN's self-serve Performance TV interface.

Why: The partnership addresses infrastructure gaps that prevented performance-focused marketers from participating in Connected TV advertising. Traditional television required substantial budgets, agency relationships, and acceptance of inadequate measurement. By combining MNTN's performance marketing platform with PubMatic's transparent supply-path access to premium inventory, the collaboration democratizes premium CTV advertising while delivering sustainable revenue growth for publishers and accountability for advertisers. The market opportunity is substantial, with US CTV advertising spend expected to reach $36.87 billion in 2025 and small to mid-size businesses allocating 67% of budgets to digital channels yet remaining largely absent from television advertising.