Top 10 Mobile Ad Mediation Platforms For App Monetization

It is no secret that smartphone usage has increased exponentially over the years and was fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Users are on the lookout for mobile applications that can help them relax, play, work, communicate, meet people, socialize, and basically everything else. 

In fact, mobile users around the globe were responsible for over 230 billion app downloads in 2021.

Not only downloads, but the mobile app revenues were also off the charts. 

Over $170 billion was spent on mobile applications in 2021, with multiple apps reaching hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. 

But in a world where billions of users are glued to their smartphones for hours every day, how does it all make money for app developers and publishers?

Through mobile ads! Mobile ad spend was $295 billion in 2021 and represented nearly 70% of enterprise digital spend in 2021

The mobile application ad market is huge, and it will keep on growing. But as a publisher, where do you go to get the right price for your mobile application’s ad space? With the number of ad networks increasing, it becomes harder to scale and manage as you start growing.

This is where Ad Mediation Platforms come into the picture.

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What is Ad Mediation?

Ad mediation platforms help publishers stay connected with multiple ad networks on a single platform. This helps publishers sell more inventory and increase revenue by making multiple ad networks bid against each other. 

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How Does Ad Mediation Work?

Ad mediation works by utilizing a platform that acts as an intermediary between multiple ad networks and the publishers. This system ensures that publishers can maximize their revenue by automatically selecting the ad network offering the best eCPM (effective cost per mille) for a particular ad slot at any given time. 

Through this process, ad mediation platforms optimize the fill rate and streamline the ad selection process, benefiting both advertisers in reaching their ideal audience and publishers in efficiently monetizing their content.

Why Should Publishers Use Ad Mediation Platforms?

Ad mediation platforms offer multiple features that make the lives of app publishers and developers way easier when it comes to their ad strategy. Here are some reasons why publishers should use ad mediation platforms:

1. Scalable Solution: Managing multiple ad networks becomes a tiresome prospect for many publishers. Ad mediation platforms help publishers manage and track multiple ad networks, all in one place. With one centralized platform, publishers can control their mobile ad strategy through ad network management, performance tracking, campaign reporting, bidding solutions, and much more.
2. Reducing SDK Overhead: While publishers manage multiple ad networks, they will be required to integrate individual SDKs for each network. The time required to set up each SDK along with the time and effort required to manage updates and troubleshooting adds up to be a huge delay in the publisher’s ad strategy. On the other hand, an ad mediation platform requires only a single SDK, which in most cases is easy to set up and update. This saves substantial time for publishers and developers.
3. Increased Revenue: Probably the most important reason for any publisher to use an ad mediation platform is to increase their revenue. Since these platforms are connected to multiple ad networks, your ad inventory is up for bidding with increased demand. This increased demand brings higher bids, increasing your ad space’s worth and bolstering revenues.
4. Transparency: To make the most of their application’s ad strategy, publishers need to be in control. Before efficient ad mediation platforms came into play, the process to sell and buy ad inventory was chaotic, to say the least. With these platforms, publishers have total control over how they can sell their ad inventory, and to whom. However, not all mediation platforms offer total control, as they may give undue advantage to specific ad networks. Therefore, it is critical to choose the best ad mediation platform for your application.

How To Choose the Best Mobile Ad Mediation Platform

Mobile ad mediation platforms can be powerful allies to publishers looking to augment their revenue through their ad inventory. 

However, choosing a platform that matches your needs and goals is critical to scale in the long run. Here are some questions you should ask when choosing an ad mediation platform:

• Which Ad Networks Are Supported? There are a lot of ad networks out there, each with a pool of features and multiple limitations. To ensure that you can maximize the outcome of your ad spaces, your ad mediation platform should support plenty of ad networks. This is to ensure that you can get a network with advertisers looking for mobile applications in your genre, target audience, and price. The more networks are supported, the better rates you can get.
• How Easy It Is To Start? User experience is critical for every application, and it should also be a deciding factor when choosing an ad mediation platform. Therefore, you should choose a platform that has an intuitive UI, a smooth setup process, a fast data retrieval mechanism, and a fast support team. These features ensure that you can get started easily, and have access to timely support when needed.
• What Features Does The Platform Offer? Each ad mediation platform has a set of features that make it unique. For example, many platforms offer highly detailed real-time reports for publishers to optimize their ad strategy, while some platforms enable user segmentation directly from the ad mediation dashboard. As publishers look to maximize their revenue streams, additional features can be the difference-maker.
• What Is The Transparency Like? A key parameter that publishers should look at in ad mediation platforms is the transparency of the auction process. Even though the process is largely automated, many mediation platforms offer an unfair advantage to ad networks that they own or partner with. Therefore, ensure that the ad network you choose is totally unbiased.

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AdMob by Google

AdMob by Google is an ad network and an ad mediation platform. Incorporated in 2006, it has become one of the top ad mediation platforms for publishers and advertisers alike. The platform makes the process of managing multiple ad networks in one place easier. Providing in-app ads, highly detailed insights, and powerful tools to grow the application, AdMob is helping publishers increase their revenue seamlessly.

The platform supports a large number of ad networks spread across the globe, enabling it to fill your ad requests with the highest bidder from anywhere in the world. AdMob also supports multiple ad formats to help publishers retain and grow their user base, including banner, video, interstitial, reward, and native ads.

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‍IronSource

IronSource is one of the biggest companies focused on developing technologies for app monetization and distribution. Founded in 2010, IronSource connects publishers with a pool of multiple partner ad networks, helping them increase their revenue. With a sleek dashboard and detailed analytics, publishers have access to a data-powered platform that showcases metrics such as DAU, ARPDAU, and engagement. Publishers can also customize their strategy using different mediation models to maximize their revenue through IronSource.

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Unity

The Unity ads platform offers solutions for publishers to place and fill ads for higher rates and grow their apps into profitable businesses. With support to iOS and Android platforms, along with all major game engines, the platform supports multiple ad formats, including interstitial, video, and banner ads.

Unity supports major ad networks, including Google AdMob, Meta, AdColony, and IronSource, empowering publishers to make the most out of their ad inventory. It also offers strategic tools and strategies for publishers, including waterfall mediation, in-app bidding, and highly customizable parameters to reach the right players. All the features are well complemented by its super-strong analytics dashboard for publishers to review and optimize their mobile ad strategy.

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Tapjoy

Tapjoy is an innovative mobile advertising and app monetization platform. The platform specializes in connecting publishers with premium ad networks and demand sources. Publishers can use the platform to showcase a variety of ad formats to their players, such as offerwalls, rewarded videos, and interstitial videos. Tapjoy empowers publishers with real-time exhaustive reporting to help them optimize their ad marketing strategies.

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AdColony

AdColony is a platform for app publishers and developers to monetize their applications. It works with some of the top mobile publishers and has emerged as a preferred platform for applications around the globe. AdColony supports cross-platform monetization, supporting iOS, Android, and Windows applications. The platform also supports multiple ad formats for a better user experience, from basic banner ads to HD video and playables. With their trademarked Aurora HD Video and Aurora Playables, publishers can provide their users with a high-quality ad experience.

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Amazon

The Amazon Mobile Ads Network, provided publishers the chance to increase their revenue with the power of unique Amazon demand and extremely low fees. The platform was deprecated in September 2021, and publishers were then rerouted to the Amazon Publishers Services platform. The APS platform carries all features of the ads network, and much more. The platform offers extensive support for publishers of all sizes, and the transparent ad marketplace makes header bidding easy. The marketplace provides auction-level reporting, reduced tech tax, and a large demand footprint from buyers across the globe

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‍Admost

Admost was originally launched as an ad server for the web in 2002. Starting as a publisher, the team found certain weaknesses in the process of scaling revenue. Since the market was not ideal, they decided to build their own ad mediation platform to make things easier. Publishers now have to integrate a single SDK to connect with multiple ad networks through the platform. Admost ranks these ad networks using the waterfall model. With a dashboard, publishers get a deep dive into data and can compare the performance of each ad network.

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Appodeal

Appodeal has emerged as one of the top mobile ad mediation platforms for mobile apps and games. The platform supports the majority of the ad formats, including interstitials, banners, rewarded videos, and native ads. The Appodeal dashboard offers insights into user acquisition, monetization, and product analytics, helping publishers create customized ad strategies with real-time decisions. Moreover, rather than using the standard waterfall method, Appodeal uses parallel bidding, where ad requests are made simultaneously. The platform claims it enables publishers to achieve higher earnings and eCPMs.

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Applovin Max

Applovin, a mobile technology company, acquired the ad mediation platform MoPub, integrated it into its own platform, and created Applovin Max. The platform offers developers of all shapes and sizes a chance to supercharge their growth. Applovin Max offers high-quality ads to improve user experience, safeguards your brand quality, and makes the process of reaching multiple ad networks extremely easy. With full transparency, a global demand, extremely powerful analytics, and tools to ensure superior user experience, the platform helps publishers earn more revenue.

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iion

iion is a leading game advertising and monetization company, known for pioneering the unique game advertising platform 'immersiion.' This platform empowers advertisers to effortlessly set up and run ads across a global gaming media inventory covering all gaming environments, in turn fueling a distinctive game monetization solution for publishers known as 'fusiion'. What sets fusiion apart is that it provides game publishers with access to diverse premium revenue streams, including direct deals from Immersiion, on top of Google and Programmatic demand sources. iion contributes to game publishers by enhancing their revenue potential through new streams and capturing additional campaign budgets from global brands. With an exceptional support system for game publishers, iion is committed to propelling growth for all stakeholders, while catalyzing the expansion of the game advertising ecosystem.

‍Conclusion

Mobile Ad mediation platforms offer a streamlined approach for publishers to access multiple demand sources, making the process seamless and easy for them. 

While there are a ton of ad mediation platforms in the market, each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. There is no one best platform for every publisher out there, and your choice should boil down to your business needs and the features offered by the platform you choose.

iion offers next-generation monetization solutions and provides a tailored ad monetization playbook for publishers’ games.

With iion’s game monetization solution, fusiion, publishers can maximize game revenue by implementing the right game advertising strategy, while making sure the experience is not hampered. 

With fusiion game publishers can:

• Utilize non-intrusive and quality ad placements in your games among multiple rich media formats.
• Activate fresh revenue streams from brand campaigns by unlocking direct and programmatic demand sources.
• Improve your ad monetization playbook with expert support.
• Enhance monetization resilience through revenue diversification, powered by additional brand and agency campaign budgets.

fusiion offers a range of non-intrusive ad formats, ensuring effective ad placements and unique demand from our partner brands and agencies, all while keeping players engaged. 

Interested in getting our next-gen solutions? 

Connect With Us Today!

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