From Opaque to Essential: The Return of the Ad Network

In this episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Joe, Erica, and Corey dig nto a topic that has come back in force: ad networks.

For years, “ad network” was a dirty word in our industry. They were seen as opaque, arbitrage-driven, and destined to disappear as programmatic brought transparency. But here we are—everywhere we look, the network model is back.

A few themes from our discussion:
- Everything looks like an ad network again. Retail media, CTV, mobile gaming, even agencies—if you’re aggregating supply, demand, and data, you’re operating with network characteristics.
- Managed service is resurging. Now supported by AI and agentic workflows, it’s more transparent and cost-effective than ever.
- The middleman never left. The difference today is value—better data, better automation, and more ways to simplify complexity for buyers and sellers.

They walk through how the Ad Network concept is alive and well!