Media buyers shift spend from The Trade Desk’s OpenPath over transparency concerns

December 19, 2025 Presented by The Trade Desk's commercial results have stabilized following its earnings miss in February. But transparency concerns among media buyers over its programmatic supply chain products are proving persistent. In recent months the company's OpenPath product has become a focal point for media agency skeptics, Digiday has learned. Several U.S. media buyers explained that, following investigations into the overall cost of the product to their clients, they had pulled or paused investment from OpenPath. Advertisement TOP STORY The Programmatic Marketer Media buyers shift spend from The Trade Desk's OpenPath over transparency concerns OpenPath offers buyers a “cleaner” route to publishers, but some are concerned about lack of clarity over indirect costs. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Blockboard CEO Matt Wasserlauf spoke with Digiday about how marketers are driving growth through smarter, more accountable programmatic CTV buys. Partner insights from Blockboard. When marketers treat the holidays as the start of their next cycle — not the end of the last one — they don't just deliver revenue, they build resilience. Partner insights from Intuit Mailchimp. Now that campaigns can accommodate mid-flight changes — adjusting visual sequences, calls to action or tone based on audience engagement — advertisers can treat creative as a dynamic asset, not a fixed deliverable. Partner insights from PadSquad. A MESSAGE FROM DISNEY CAMPAIGN MANAGER Disney Campaign Manager gives your buy a boost Wrap up the holiday season with a trusted ad partner that delivers results for your clients when it matters most. With Disney Campaign Manager, you get transparent reporting that lets you stay in control of all your campaigns from start to finish. You can easily launch, measure and optimize campaigns seamlessly from one simple-to-use dashboard. Sign up today and get an additional 10% in bonus impressions, on us. Get Started MARKETING The Programmatic Marketer Why Georgia-Pacific is turning its programmatic scrutinty to the sell side The company is turning its attention to the sell side, zeroing in on the ad tech firms that move inventory for publishers — the supply-side platforms. Brands in Culture How the MAHA movement influenced food and beverage brands in 2025 The MAHA movement has come to stand for different things in different people's eyes, depending on which initiatives they most closely follow. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ACTIVISION BLIZZARD MEDIA As every screen becomes a gaming screen, brands reframe gaming The fluidity with which players move between platforms unlocks diverse creative and strategic opportunities for brands. It's now about arming planners, strategists and buyers with the tools to advocate for gaming within their organizations. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM THE WEATHER COMPANY How weather targeting compares to other contextual signals While in-content targeting might place an ad for products relevant to the genre a viewer enjoys, weather targeting can add a crucial layer of physical and emotional context. Advertisement GENERATIVE AI Generative AI Media agencies test AI planning agents, while edging toward buying tools Practitioners at Butler/Till, Omnicom and Kinesso are testing just how far AI agents can be trusted with programmatic buying. AI Revenue Generation Lowe's wants to do more with AI shopping in 2026 Mylow, a shopping assistant powered by ChatGPT that launched in March, is already driving double the conversion rate for online shoppers. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM MIQ The new consumer journey, according to the CMO of Assembly Learn about new consumer shopping habits — from always-on discovery to the crucial impact of loyalty — and how marketers can adapt in this video with Assembly Global CMO Bria Bryant. DIGIDAY + Generative AI Future of Marketing Briefing: Why 'just good enough' is generative AI's real threat to marketers When characters and mascots are allowed to live inside generative systems, they stop being event-based and start becoming environmental. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy