The conversation around programmatic advertising trends has changed significantly over the past year. Many publishers spent years preparing for a cookieless future, only to see Google's plans change after it retained third-party cookies in Chrome and stepped back from key Privacy Sandbox initiatives, including Topics and Protected Audience API (PAAPI). This marks a paradigm shift in how publishers approach identity, monetisation, and long-term revenue growth.
Rather than reacting to another cookie deadline, publishers should focus on the developments that are already changing how advertising budgets are allocated and ensure data privacy. AI-driven optimisation, private marketplace demand, retail media, and premium video inventory are becoming much bigger priorities for advertisers. Understanding these current trends will help publishers make better monetisation decisions as they plan for 2027 and stay competitive in the evolving programmatic advertising space.
Trend 1: Cookies stayed, Privacy Sandbox died: What it actually means
One of the biggest misconceptions around programmatic advertising trends is that publishers are still moving toward a completely cookieless future. That is no longer the case. Google officially retired the Privacy Sandbox APIs, including Topics, Protected Audience (formerly FLEDGE), and Attribution Reporting, marking the end of its browser-led replacement strategy for third-party cookies.
However, this does not mean identity challenges have disappeared. Safari and Firefox continue to block third-party cookies by default, Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework limits tracking across apps, and privacy regulations continue to change across regions. Publishers cannot assume that traditional audience targeting will work the same way across every browser and device. This has made first-party data more important. It is no longer just a response to the decline of third-party cookies.
ID solutions are another way publishers can make their audiences more addressable. These solutions use identifiers to help recognise users across different environments and make publisher audiences easier for buyers to reach without relying entirely on third-party cookies. When used with proper consent and privacy controls, ID solutions can help publishers create more consistent audience signals for programmatic campaigns.
Publishers that continue investing in consented audience relationships, first-party data, and suitable ID solutions will be better prepared as the digital advertising ecosystem continues to change. For publishers, this means building a first-party data strategy that improves audience insights, strengthens addressability, and creates long-term resilience across changing privacy environments.
Trend 2: AI-driven buying and creative optimisation
Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the defining programmatic advertising trends shaping the market. According to eMarketer's Programmatic Advertising Forecast H1 2026, AI has now overtaken cookie deprecation as the primary force reshaping programmatic advertising, with advertisers prioritising automation, predictive bidding and creative optimisation over browser policy changes.
Modern demand-side platforms now use AI to optimise bidding decisions in real time. Rather than relying on manual campaign adjustments, machine learning models continuously analyse real-time data such as audience behaviour, device type, location, viewability and historical performance before deciding how much an impression is worth.
AI enables more precise targeting by analysing multiple audience signals in real time and optimising campaigns accordingly. This allows advertisers to improve efficiency while helping publishers generate stronger competition for valuable inventory. This shift is making programmatic buying more intelligent, allowing advertisers, agencies, and platforms to automate campaign decisions while improving efficiency and return on ad spend.
AI is also changing how creative assets are produced and tested. Generative AI can quickly develop multiple creative variations, while optimisation tools automatically identify which combinations of messaging, images and formats perform best throughout a campaign.
As programmatic advertising evolves, these trends alongside other marketing actions mean better-quality online ads, more relevant campaigns and stronger yield opportunities for publishers, as advertisers and ad networks increasingly prioritise inventory that consistently delivers measurable performance and stronger business outcomes. AI also enables advertisers to optimise campaigns against key metrics such as viewability, engagement, conversions and return on ad spend.
Trend 3: PMP, curated, and direct deals are becoming more important than open-exchange RTB
One of the key trends for publishers is where advertisers are spending their budgets. Open exchanges still play an important role, but a larger share of the more than $200 billion spent on programmatic advertising in the US now flows through private marketplaces (PMPs), curated marketplaces, and direct programmatic deals. To maximise revenue from these deals, many publishers are also optimising how they work with supply-side platforms (SSPs), which help connect inventory with multiple demand sources and improve auction competition.
For publishers, this means premium demand is becoming more valuable than ever. This shift is happening against the backdrop of record digital advertising revenues, with programmatic continuing to account for a significant share of display, video and CTV transactions.
Advertisers are increasingly shifting their budgets toward trusted supply paths that offer greater transparency, stronger brand safety, and better campaign performance. Alongside Private Marketplace (PMP) deals, curated marketplaces have become an important part of this shift. Curated supply paths bundle premium inventory based on factors such as audience quality, content relevance, or performance signals, making it easier for advertisers to access high-value impressions through a streamlined buying process.
For publishers, being included in curated deals can drive greater demand, improve fill rates, and command higher CPMs. Because buyers know exactly where their ads will appear, these environments foster greater confidence, leading to stronger long-term publisher relationships and more consistent revenue.
This represents a new era of publisher monetisation, where success is no longer just about open auction competition. Publishers must focus on building high-quality inventory, strengthening first-party audience data, and creating valuable ad experiences through well-placed display ads and native ads. Positioning your site for premium buyers and curated marketplace partners can help unlock higher-value demand.
Open exchanges aren't going away, and they still help deliver scale and strong fill rates. However, relying on them alone could mean missing out on higher-value demand as advertisers continue shifting towards curated and direct buying. To attract higher-value buyers, publishers must hold on to retain open exchange demand and layer it with PMP, curated, and direct deals. That's why this is one of the most important programmatic ad trends for publishers planning their strategy for 2027.
Trend 4: Retail media networks are changing how advertising budgets are spent
Retail media has quickly become one of the fastest-growing parts of digital advertising. It's also one of the biggest programmatic advertising trends because more advertisers are moving budgets towards retailers like Amazon and Walmart. These platforms combine first-party shopping data with clear sales measurement, making it easier for brands to see the impact of their campaigns.
Retail media continues to attract a growing share of digital ad budgets, making it one of the fastest-growing advertising channels for brands looking to combine audience targeting with measurable commerce outcomes. As a result, retail media now plays a much bigger role in programmatic advertising than it did just a few years ago.
Much of this growth is driven by platforms like Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect. These networks offer onsite ads that appear on their own websites and apps, as well as offsite ads that use retailer data to reach shoppers across other websites through programmatic advertising. Their self-service capabilities also allow marketers to launch, manage, and optimise campaigns more efficiently, giving advertisers greater control over targeting and performance. The ability to combine accurate targeting with measurable results is encouraging more advertisers to shift their budgets toward retail media.
For open web publishers, this trend highlights the growing importance of first-party data, trusted audiences, and high-quality content and ad placements. Publishers may not have the same shopper data as retailers, but they can still attract premium advertisers by offering quality inventory, strong audience insights, and a safe, transparent environment for campaigns across various channels. Building audience relationships across web, mobile, video, and other digital platforms can help publishers create new opportunities for advertisers.
Trend 5: More advertising budgets are moving to CTV and DOOH
One of the latest trends of programmatic advertising is the continued growth of Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH). Digital screens are replacing traditional static media in advertising. As more people spend time on streaming platforms and advertisers invest more in video, budgets are steadily moving beyond traditional display advertising. Video inventory is becoming an increasingly valuable revenue opportunity for publishers.
CTV gives advertisers access to engaged audiences in premium viewing environments. The growth of OTT advertising is also creating new monetisation opportunities, as brands increasingly use connected TV inventory to reach highly engaged audiences in premium viewing environments.
At the same time, programmatic DOOH allows real-time updates based on foot traffic and weather. One of DOOH's biggest advantages is its flexibility. Advertisers can update creatives in real time based on factors such as foot traffic, weather conditions, time of day, or live events, making campaigns more relevant and effective. The growing adoption of DOOH ads is giving publishers and advertisers more opportunities to deliver contextually relevant campaigns across high-traffic locations.
Publishers with video inventory are well positioned to benefit as more advertising spend moves towards video and Connected TV (CTV). However, success will depend on more than simply increasing video content. Investing in premium video experiences, improving viewability, and working with high-quality demand partners can help maximise revenue. Publishers can also explore opportunities such as FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels, server-side ad insertion (SSAI), and video header bidding to improve monetisation and create a better viewing experience.
As CTV advertising continues to grow, advertisers will also expect better measurement and reporting across video campaigns. At the same time, publishers should strengthen their first-party data strategies and adopt effective alternatives to third-party cookies, such as contextual targeting and identity solutions, to support privacy-conscious audience targeting across video and CTV environments. These capabilities will help publishers attract premium demand as programmatic advertising continues to evolve.
Publishers with video inventory should look at ways to expand these opportunities and focus on their target audiences. High-quality video content, good viewability, and access to premium demand partners can help publishers benefit from these programmatic advertising trends as more advertising spend shifts towards video. As advertisers diversify their targeting strategies across channels like CTV, publishers should also evaluate effective alternatives to third-party cookies that support privacy-conscious audience targeting beyond traditional browser identifiers.
What should publishers do now?
Understanding programmatic advertising trends is only useful if it leads to better decisions. As publishers prepare for 2027, the focus should be on building a flexible, sustainable monetisation strategy. Publishers seeing the best results are investing in premium demand, stronger audience data, and a better user experience.
Build more direct demand through PMPs and curated deals instead of relying only on open exchanges. Continue strengthening your first-party data strategy by collecting consented audience signals that help advertisers reach the right users. While Chrome continues supporting third-party cookies, first-party data remains essential because identity resolution now depends on consented customer relationships across browsers, devices, and channels.
Publishers should also improve site performance by focusing on Core Web Vitals, page speed, viewability, and ad density. These improvements create a better user experience, increase inventory quality, and help attract stronger advertiser demand.
It's also worth expanding into formats that continue to attract more budgets and consumers, especially video and CTV where they make sense. Working with an experienced monetisation partner can make it easier to access premium demand, optimise yield, and keep up with changing programmatic advertising trends without adding more work to your team.
How Publift Fuse helps publishers capture more demand
Keeping up with programmatic advertising trends is important, but turning those insights into action is what drives revenue growth. Publishers need access to premium demand, continuous optimisation, and the right technology to maximise the value of every impression. That's where Publift's Fuse platform helps.
With premium SSP integrations, ID solutions and managed yield optimisation with Core Web Vitals in mind, Fuse helps publishers unlock stronger demand, improve auction performance, and maximise ad revenue. By combining advanced technology with ongoing optimisation and expert support, publishers can simplify programmatic management while adapting to changing market trends.
As a Google Certified Publishing Partner (GCPP Premier), Publift connects publishers with premium PMP and direct demand while using AI to improve yield across every auction. Instead of depending on a single demand source, publishers can access multiple buyers and benefit from continuous optimisation.
Since 2015, publishers and agencies using Publift have seen an average 55% increase in ad space and increase revenue. For publishers earning more than $2,000 in monthly ad revenue, a managed solution like Fuse can help unlock higher-value demand while reducing the complexity of managing programmatic advertising.
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FAQs
Are third-party cookies going away?
No. Google decided to keep third-party cookies in Chrome and retired the Privacy Sandbox APIs in late 2025. However, first-party data is still important because browsers like Safari and Firefox continue to block third-party cookies, and privacy rules continue to change.
What replaced the Privacy Sandbox?
Nothing directly replaced the Privacy Sandbox. Instead, publishers are focusing on first-party data, contextual targeting, AI-powered optimisation, and stronger direct demand. Since Google's Privacy Sandbox is officially dead, the industry has shifted its focus toward AI-driven optimisation, first-party data and contextual advertising instead of waiting for a browser-led replacement
Is first-party data still worth investing in?
Yes. First-party data helps publishers better understand their audience, improve targeting, and attract premium advertisers. It's no longer just about replacing third-party cookies. It's about building a stronger business that can adapt as the advertising industry changes.
What's the biggest programmatic advertising trend for 2027?
AI is expected to be the biggest programmatic advertising trend in 2027. It's changing how campaigns are planned, optimised, and measured. At the same time, publishers should also watch the growth of private marketplaces, retail media, and CTV.
Are open exchanges dying?
No. Open exchanges still provide scale and fill rates, but advertisers are increasingly shifting budgets toward PMPs, curated deals, and premium supply paths.