Digiday Scorecard: As competition between DSPs heats up, buyers rank market rivals

June 15, 2026 Presented by Digiday spoke with 13 media buyers at large and small media agencies, who each exchanged anonymity for candor, for their perspectives on the DSPs they use each day. While our conversations covered a broad range of DSP providers including Viant, Basis, and MNTN, we’ve focused on the five key platforms that kept reappearing in agency DSP rosters: Google’s DV360, Amazon, The Trade Desk, Yahoo and StackAdapt. Advertisement TOP STORY The Programmatic Marketer Digiday Scorecard: As competition between DSPs heats up, buyers rank market rivals Media buyers explain how they compare DSPs on transparency, inventory and performance. The best of the lot? Take a look. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW AI agents are beginning to influence how media is planned, bought and optimized — and publishers risk being left behind if their data and infrastructure aren’t prepared. Partner insights from Optable. The website used to be where consumer intent became visible, but that picture is getting harder to read as AI impacts discovery and web signals splinter. Mobile’s measurement playbook offers a roadmap for the web. Partner insights from AppsFlyer. Join us in NYC on July 15 for Digiday’s CTV Advertising Strategies, hear how top brand and agency executives are navigating the opportunities and challenges in today’s streaming ad market and what they say it will take for streaming to overtake the TV once and for all. A MESSAGE FROM T-MOBILE Meet Every Moment with T-Mobile Advertising Solutions Together with Blis and Vistar Media, we help brands make meaningful connections with millions of customers. Go beyond reach and drive results with ads that are more relevant, effective, and connected. Learn more MEDIA & PLATFORMS The Programmatic Marketer Publicis and The Trade Desk settle their dispute, but tell no one why Publicis and The Trade Desk have made up, which is either a triumph of negotiation or a sign the whole thing was never quite as dramatic as it seemed. Member exclusive Media Buying Briefing: Breaking down Coca-Cola’s campaign blitz with an eye toward its review Reading the tea leaves of Coca-Cola’s recent campaigns (and their media spending) reveals its priorities ahead of a huge media and data account review. The Business of AI WTF is vector-based ad targeting? Traditional text-based ad targeting will always have its place. But in an ad marketplace run by AI agents, it may need to be replaced as the primary method of aiming ads. Marketing on Platforms As AI reshapes search, TikTok turns discovery into a performance pitch The platform argues rising search activity is evidence that discovery is increasingly driving performance outcomes advertisers expect. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PIANO AI-powered search reshapes publisher traffic and audience strategies As referral traffic from AI-powered search declines, some publishers are shifting their focus toward owned audience relationships rather than platform-driven discovery. “Owned audiences become the entire game,” said Cedric Ferreira, Chief Product Officer at Piano. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CLINCH Why more AI agents won't fix advertising More AI agents won’t solve advertising’s long-standing issues around speed, efficiency and performance. The real advantage comes from connected systems where signals operate in a continuous loop and every campaign makes the system smarter. Advertisement CANNES LIONS 2026 Brands in Culture The definitive Digiday guide to what’s in and out at Cannes 2026 Here’s what’s in and out for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Brands in Culture The official judgmental map of Cannes Lions 2026 This map won’t tell you where to go during Cannes Lions. It will tell you where you actually are. 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