Microsoft Monetize supply for external demand partners

This page explains what Microsoft Monetize supply is, our purpose in launching it, and other details helpful to working with Microsoft Monetize supply.

About Microsoft Monetize supply

Microsoft Monetize supply includes inventory that we believe represents the most direct path to supply. This inventory is brought to you directly through the Microsoft Monetize Supply technology, and is formed at its core from our direct-to-publisher supply most frequently requested and purchased by our buyers across all formats (display, mobile, video, and native).

Our mission is to provide a safe high-quality easy-to-access marketplace such that no other place can be the core of this inventory, be purchased with fewer intermediaries taking fees (or adding hops) between the buyer and the inventory owner.

Purpose of Microsoft Monetize supply

In an effort to make buying Microsoft Monetize on-platform inventory easier, we use a concept of “marketplaces” over time. With Microsoft Monetize supply, we are able to streamline the process by which both Xandr and our partners manage access to supply.

We created multiple marketplaces over time – but began with the inventory from sources that we believe, on the whole, provide the most direct path to supply in order to:

  • lower your cost of media (with fewer intermediaries taking a cut of the transaction)
  • improve performance metrics (through lower latency and more direct access)
  • ensure a more transparent environment (by requiring confirmation that ad units are provided directly by the owners of the inventory or exclusive representatives).

Seller selection criteria

A number of factors go into determining if a seller is eligible for Microsoft Monetize supply, including if the seller owns and operates the inventory they sell, their inventory relationships, inventory quality, size, geographic location, and inventory formats. Xandr reserves discretion over who is included in Microsoft Monetize supply.

Microsoft Monetize supply includes all inventory formats made available on the Microsoft Monetize platform by the included sellers. It is updated regularly with newly-onboarded inventory sources.

  1. The significant majority (>75%) of a member’s traffic is the most direct path to supply as determined by the following factors:
    • The media is owned and operated (O&O) by the seller, and we are integrated with the member with a tag on page (including header bidding, server-of-record relationships, and direct tag in the publisher’s ad server) or through a direct server-side integration.
    • Alternately, the seller has an exclusive relationship with the publisher for access to a subset of inventory via a tag on page. The only way to get access to this inventory on Xandr is through the seller.
  2. We believe there is a low risk of invalid/fraudulent traffic because of the following:
    • We complete an audit of the inventory using our inventory quality technology to review for adherence to our policies (e.g. no pornography, nudity, hate speech) and require confirmation that the inventory is both valid and properly represented.
    • We require confirmation of the owner of the inventory, even if that inventory is available through an intermediary, along with confirmation that the media owner has approved the network to exclusively re-sell its inventory.

For an up-to-date list of inventory available via Microsoft Monetize supply, contact your Partner Manager. You can view this information directly from our documentation and via the API, as well.

Accessing Microsoft Monetize supply

Microsoft Monetize supply doesn't appear in the Bidder Service User Interface and is automatically added to all Bidder Profile allowlists. There is no direct ability to unselect this group of inventory. Your regional, format, ad size, domain blocklists, and other targeting settings at the seat level are fully intact and affect this inventory, as well.

Sellers can be blocked using the Bidder Service User Interface. Both sellers and domains can be blocked using blocklists using the API.

Evolving marketplaces

Over time, Microsoft Monetize supply and other marketplaces should replace the need to blocklist and allowlist individual sellers and instead move toward a platform where you can blocklist domains, as is the case with most other SSPs. We communicate with you and solicit feedback each step of the way in order to make this change in ways that make buying on our platform easier and more fruitful for you and your clients.