Amir Sharer, founder and CEO of BRAVE, sits down with leading executives from across the industry to examine what's next for programmatic in 2025.

As programmatic advertising evolves at lightning speed, staying ahead demands a deep understanding of emerging trends, technological advancements, and shifting industry expectations. I sat down with leading executives from Unity, Ogury, Azerion, Media.net, Equativ, MobileFuse, IntentIQ, and AlgoriX to uncover key programmatic advertising trends and predictions for 2025.

From SSPs turning into data-driven powerhouses to in-game audio rewriting the rules of engagement, these experts offer a glimpse into the near future where innovation isn’t optional – it’s essential.

Their perspectives reveal how the future of programmatic advertising is being rewritten – in real time.

What Will Shape Programmatic Advertising in 2025?

Data-Driven Addressability and First-Party Data

The first expert we reach out to is Ari Brandt. Ari is the VP, Grow Programmatic Solutions at Unity, the leading platform to create and grow games and interactive experiences.

Ari Brandt, VP, Grow Programmatic Solutions, Unity:
"Data and navigating addressability will define the future of programmatic advertising in 2025 and beyond. We’ve seen privacy regulations evolve and cookies fade out, and brands must be flexible in embracing first-party data and privacy-safe solutions. Solutions like data cleanrooms will enable secure collaboration among advertisers, publishers, and tech partners, ensuring personalised, relevant ads while respecting consumer privacy."

Anthony Flaccavento, General Manager, Americas, Ogury:

“The Made-for-Advertising scandal that rocked the industry this year exposed more than just wasted ad spend – it revealed the environmental cost of wasted emissions. The need for advertising to decarbonise is undeniable, and getting rid of Made-for-Advertising websites is key to this effort. In 2025, targeting solutions that fail to deliver precision will face mounting scrutiny – not only for wasted spend but also for their environmental toll.”

Frederic Liow, Chief Revenue & Operations Officer, AlgoriX:
"The most significant trend will be the continued focus on transparency and consumer trust, underpinned by privacy compliance. Innovations like AI-enhanced contextual targeting and advanced first-party data strategies will help brands engage audiences in a meaningful and ethical way."

AI-Driven Curation and Personalisation

As predictive analytics, real-time targeting, and automated creative optimisation mature, AI-powered platforms will redefine how campaigns are designed, delivered, and measured.

Amir Sharer, Founder & CEO, BRAVE:
“We’ve already seen how AI-driven curation improves campaign performance while reducing reliance on personal data. By 2025, AI will be indispensable for enabling predictive analytics, real-time targeting, and personalised creative optimisation – all while upholding consumer privacy.”

Conor Donnelly, VP of Commerce Media & Programmatic Solutions, MobileFuse:
“We have seen the full capabilities of cross-platform measurement allow AI to increase predictive analytics and optimise across all screens even more effectively. This trend will continue to allow efficient, personalised ad campaigns at scale.”

Alex Jacobson, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Media.net:
“I feel the use of AI and advanced targeting capabilities will shape the programmatic landscape. Having an efficient and direct path to publisher inventory, and reaching the right user will drive significant outcomes for publishers.”

Dror Ben Yishai, CTO, IntentIQ:

“In 2025, curation will firmly establish itself as the cornerstone of programmatic advertising. SSPs are evolving into data platforms, enabling more sophisticated audience segmentation and targeting directly within their ecosystems. This shift reflects the growing importance of identity solutions as critical enablers of the curation movement, allowing better audience insights and segmentation across the supply chain.”

Juanma Alvarez, Managing Director, Equativ:
“Definitely CTV. The industry is getting more and more efficient in terms of content metadata and will overcome the barrier to make CTV ramp up. ACR (automatic content recognition) is key.”

Programmatic Technologies That Will Drive Innovation in 2025

We asked our experts which technologies will drive programmatic advertising innovation in 2025. Their insights outline a clear roadmap focused on AI-powered automation, privacy-first identity solutions, and advanced bidding algorithms:

Jose Macías, Head of Publishers, Azerion:

“AI, machine learning, contextual targeting, and privacy tools will lead the way in optimising targeting and measurement while respecting user privacy.”

Anthony Flaccavento:

“The evolution of ad tech has been deeply shaped by AI and machine learning, drastically altering how large-scale bidding and optimisation are approached. These technologies do more than just advance the field – they unlock new ways to interpret and extract insights from complex data. The most profound shift, however, lies in the sheer scale of data businesses now handle, demanding advanced algorithms and next-generation computing systems to process it efficiently.

As routine media buying tasks become automated by AI, traders will have more time to focus on strategic decision-making. With identity signals fading from the scene, privacy-first solutions will become critical. The most pressing challenge for ad tech in 2025 will be unlocking AI’s full potential while maintaining stringent data privacy standards, ensuring compliance with the AI Act, Data Act, and GDPR.”

Conor Donnelly:
“We believe the scale and advancements in EIDs (Extended IDs) and other privacy-enhancing technologies will build on all of the positive momentum seen on the web and really begin scaling effectively on the in-app side. Advertisers should ensure they are refining their in-app strategies to embrace these privacy-compliant targeting solutions cross-screen.”

Alex Jacobson:

“AI, machine learning, as well as contextual targeting will all be very important in the coming year. Privacy law will continue to advance and change and we all need to be very cognisant of how we target users.”

Amir Sharer:
“Advanced Supply Path Optimisation (SPO) will play a crucial role in determining how inventory is sourced, ensuring that every ad dollar is spent effectively. We have seen how SPO is used to streamline the supply chain, reduce ad waste, and secure premium inventory. Looking ahead to 2025, I believe SPO will redefine ad placement as a data-driven, performance-focused process that benefits both advertisers and publishers.”

Dror Ben Yishai:

“This year, two key areas of technology are set to drive innovation in programmatic advertising: Identity Solutions & Privacy Tools and Curation Platforms & Dynamic Bidding Algorithms.

As the industry adapts to increasing privacy regulations, tools like clean rooms, universal IDs, and consent management platforms play a pivotal role. These solutions balance personalisation with consumer trust.

Advanced curation platforms, particularly those led by SSPs and supply aggregators, are enhancing audience segmentation and activating first-party data at scale. By making the data ecosystem more accessible to publishers, these platforms are unlocking new revenue streams and increasing the value of curated inventory. Dynamic bidding algorithms further complement this by optimising ad placements and pricing in real time, ensuring maximum efficiency and ROI for advertisers while driving more revenue for publishers.”

Emerging Programmatic Channels for Growth in 2025

Our experts highlighted channels that deliver immersive, data-driven, and contextually relevant experiences – ones that brands can no longer afford to ignore.

Juanma Alvarez:
"CTV is the future of programmatic advertising. As platforms improve content metadata and automatic content recognition (ACR), CTV will achieve better audience segmentation and scale."

Frederic Liow:
“In-game audio ads, driven by the growing mobile gaming market, offer developers innovative monetisation options beyond traditional display and video formats. Their seamless integration into gameplay enhances the user experience while being non-intrusive, making them appealing to both advertisers and gamers. Targeting precision and strategic ad timing during high-engagement moments will further fuel adoption and innovation. 

Ari Brandt:

"CTV, DOOH, and mobile will be key channels in 2025. CTV engages viewers through premium content, DOOH delivers dynamic, location-based messaging, and mobile ties it all together through daily consumer journeys. Success will come from connecting these channels into cohesive, cross-platform messaging.”

Amir Sharer: 

“With the sustained popularity of podcasts, music streaming, and emerging voice-activated devices, programmatic audio will continue to grow. Audio provides a personalised, screen-free way to engage, enhancing visual programmatic campaigns. This makes it a vital channel for brand storytelling and connecting with audiences.”

Evolving Expectations: What Advertisers and Publishers Will Demand in 2025

Programmatic stakeholders will increasingly demand solutions that align symmetrically with the expectations of their end users. Our experts provided clarity on navigating this rapidly changing landscape:

Amir Sharer:

"Advertisers will expect ROI-driven metrics like sales lift and customer lifetime value (CLV), beyond traditional KPIs like CPMs or CTRs. Sustainability will also be critical, with low-carbon ad placements becoming standard practice."

Juanma Alvarez:

“If the third-party cookies deprecation finally happens (despite many announcements and pushbacks), there will be demand for alternative IDs such as LiveRamp and UID 2.0. 

Ideally, the industry would move toward a single, universal ID solution, simplifying identity management and making targeting more consistent across platforms.”

Jose Macías:

“Advertisers will seek transparency and efficiency, while publishers will demand higher revenue and effective monetisation. Privacy and compliance will shape strategies.”

Frederic Liow:

“Advertisers will prioritise accountability, pushing for tools that offer clear measurement and align with their brand values. Publishers, on the other hand, will focus on maximising revenue through first-party data and ID-less technologies, providing premium, context-driven spaces for brand storytelling. 

This shift towards brand-centric campaigns highlights the importance of long-term consumer trust, built through meaningful engagement rather than short-term metrics, like clicks or conversions.”

Expert Advice: Preparing for 2025 & Beyond

We asked our experts how companies should navigate the evolving programmatic landscape. Here’s what they recommend:

• Adapt with Agility: Stay flexible and adopt new privacy-compliant technologies.
• Innovate with Purpose: Use AI and machine learning to optimise targeting, reduce ad waste, and personalise campaigns.
• Collaborate for Growth: Build partnerships with tech platforms, data providers, and publishers for transparent, scalable solutions.

Ari Brandt:

“With a new leadership team focused on leveraging data to accelerate the pace of our ad product innovation, we’re excited about what’s to come in 2025. We’re committed to driving better outcomes through smarter technology, expanding into new platforms, opportunities, and mobile in-app formats. As our CEO, Matt Bromberg, shared, “We are undertaking a fundamental rebuild of our machine learning stack and data infrastructure to maximise the return on investment we deliver to our advertising customers.” We look forward to introducing these solutions to our partners and setting new industry standards for performance and growth.”

Jose Macias:

“Azerion is focused on delivering advanced monetisation solutions and innovative tools to help our partners maximise performance in the evolving programmatic landscape.”

Frederic Liow:

“At AlgoriX, we recognise that privacy-first solutions are a shared responsibility, and we have made significant investments in this regard. These efforts are pivotal in ensuring the effectiveness of our advertising strategies while respecting user privacy.

As an early adopter of CTV, we continue to explore more engaging and interactive ad formats, capitalising on the growing ad spend in this category to deliver better advertising performance for our clients.”

Looking Ahead: Shaping the Future of Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising isn’t just evolving – it’s being redefined in real time. Success in this evolving ecosystem will depend on adopting scalable identity solutions, leveraging first-party data, and embracing advanced technologies as they develop. Advertisers and publishers must stay agile, continuously innovate, and forge strategic partnerships to ensure transparency, maximise monetisation, and deliver personalised, privacy-compliant campaigns.

By focusing on these key trends and investing in forward-thinking strategies, businesses can navigate the challenges ahead and unlock new growth opportunities in the ever-evolving world of programmatic advertising. The future will belong to those ready to adapt, collaborate, and lead with innovation.