Programmatic Ad Seller Misrepresentation in Mobile Apps Q1 2025: Pixalate Estimates 35% of Global Open Programmatic Mobile App Ad Impressions Sold by Unauthorized Sellers

According to Pixalate’s latest Supply Path Optimization (SPO) research using SupplyChain Object (SCO) data, an estimated $3.15 billion in global CTV open programmatic ad spend is routed through unauthorized sellers; 9% of mobile in-app traffic with SCOs marked as ‘complete’ was sold by unauthorized direct sellers

London, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate, the leading ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform, today released the Q1 2025 Programmatic Ad Seller Misrepresentation Report for Mobile Apps. The report uses SCO data to examine unauthorized mobile app sellers within the open programmatic advertising supply chain.

In addition to the mobile app report, Pixalate also released programmatic ad seller misrepresentation reports for desktop, mobile web, and Connected TV (CTV).

The SupplyChainObject (SCO) enables buyers and intermediaries to view all parties selling or reselling open programmatic advertising inventory. Numerous partners are often involved in open programmatic supply paths, which fragment the ecosystem and make it vulnerable to ad fraud attacks. Pixalate's latest report highlights the prevalence of unauthorized selling within the global programmatic supply chain despite the implementation of ads.txt or app-ads.txt.

Key Findings

• Failing Verification. 35% of traffic with SCOs on mobile apps failed Pixalate’s SCO verification due to an unauthorized seller (including direct or resellers)
• Higher Ad Fraud Rates. 46% higher IVT, including ad fraud, in traffic with an unauthorized direct seller
• Unauthorized Direct Sellers. 9% of all mobile app traffic with an SCO marked as ‘complete’ was sold by unauthorized direct sellers
  
  
  

Pixalate’s analysis includes a set of SCO verification checks as defined by Pixalate, utilizing IAB Tech Lab’s ads.txt/app-ads.txt standards, along with SCO data from the OpenRTB bid stream to evaluate the accuracy of declared supply paths in the ad bid stream. Learn more about Pixalate’s SCO verification and validation.

For this report series, Pixalate's data science team analyzed over 11 billion programmatic ad impressions containing the OpenRTB SupplyChain Object (SCO) during Q1 2025.

Download the reports

Download the complete Q1 2025 Supply Path Optimization (SPO) Reports:

• Desktop and Mobile Web
• Mobile Apps
• CTV
  
  

About Pixalate

Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). www.pixalate.com

Disclaimer

The content of this press release, and the Q1 2025 Programmatic Ad Seller Misrepresentation Reports (the “Reports”), reflect Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. Pixalate is sharing this data not to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but, instead, to report findings and trends pertaining to programmatic advertising activity across mobile apps in the time period studied. As used herein, and per the MRC, “'Invalid Traffic' (IVT) is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.”

Nina Talcott
ntalcott@pixalate.com

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