• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, August 23, 2013

A new report from eMarketer estimates that real-time bidding (RTB) spend in the U.S. will grow 73.9% this year up to $3.34 billion. The previous eMarketer report (June) estimated a 72.7% rise up to $3.32 billion. They also wrote that RTB will account for 19% of all U.S. digital display ad spend in 2013.

The report also forecasts advertisers to spend $8.69 billion on RTB ads by 2017, up from a previous $8.51 billion estimate. Also by 2017, the firm expects spend on RTB to account for 29% of all digital display ad spending.

Ratko Vidakovic, SiteScout's director of marketing, said, "This data just confirms that advertisers are flocking to RTB for the efficiency in workflow, pricing, targeting, and overall execution of ad buys." He added, "One of the biggest hurdles to faster growth and adoption is still education."

While the eMarketer figures are good news for those invested in RTB, Vidakovic believes that it's not good news for publishers or agencies. "One man's efficiency is another man's revenue," he said. At the same time, he argued that the belief of RTB cannibalizing all direct sales is "false," because "brands and agencies with specific objectives will still need 'premium' direct buys."

The new eMarkter report can be found here.