Programmatic CTV Advertising Faces Transparency Challenges — ONE SSP Publishes Findings on Inefficient Supply Chains

The programmatic CTV ad industry continues to grapple with a core structural problem: a lack of transparency in how ads are traded between DSPs & publishers

The programmatic Connected TV (CTV) advertising industry continues to grapple with a core structural problem: a lack of transparency in how ads are traded between demand-side platforms (DSPs) and publishers. Recent research conducted by ONE SSP (Open Network Exchange) shows that advertising impressions often travel through as many as half a dozen supply-side platforms (SSPs) before reaching a broadcaster or content owner.

The Future of Ad-funded TV is Here: ONE SSP Drives Amazing Results for Publishers, Broadcasters, and Advertisers”

— Broadcast TV Network

Each additional “hop” between SSPs not only adds latency but also layers on ad-tech fees. According to ONE SSP’s analysis of trading patterns among major broadcasters, in some cases intermediaries such as Publica and SpringServe were collecting more in technology fees than the publishers themselves were earning in advertising revenue.

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The implications for publishers are significant. Ad-fill rates, effective CPMs, and timely payments are often undermined by inefficiencies and opacity in the supply chain. For advertisers, this means campaign budgets are eroded by hidden costs, while for publishers it frequently results in remnant-level pricing for what should be premium inventory.

To address this issue, ONE SSP has developed an alternative model, positioning itself as a single point of integration for CTV broadcasters, content library owners, platform operators, and increasingly Out-of-Home (OOH) screen networks. Operating under the principle of “you only need ONE,” the platform consolidates ad operations into a streamlined workflow with a flat ad-tech fee of $0.25 CPM.

ONE SSP connects directly to more than 16 ad exchanges and over 25 global DSPs, reporting 100% fill at transparent average CPMs. The solution includes integrated server-side ad insertion (SSAI), 24/7 monitoring, and a 99.9% SLA, all accessible through a unified dashboard.

As part of its research, ONE SSP also highlighted widespread misuse of Bundle IDs across the industry. The company found multiple instances where apps and domains were being used without permission, or where identifiers were masked or misrepresented, making it difficult for advertisers to determine the true origin of an impression. Similarly, discrepancies in VAST tag macro syntax — particularly around channel names and genres — were identified as a recurring problem for campaign reporting and targeting accuracy.

To reinforce trust, ONE SSP has implemented SpotVerify, a verification layer that recently blocked over 92% of invalid or misrepresented ad calls. This compares favorably with leading verification companies such as HUMAN, DoubleVerify, and ViStar, which typically block less than one-third of the attempts identified by ONE.

The company reports that its streamlined approach is delivering average CPMs of $19.26 for CTV and $15.10 for OOH, far surpassing the industry averages, which often fall below $5 CPM — and in some cases closer to $1 CPM due to inefficiencies in the SSP chain.

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The findings raise a broader question for the industry: whether the current multi-SSP model truly benefits publishers and advertisers, or whether consolidation and transparency are the only path to sustainable growth in programmatic CTV.

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