• by Alex Weprin , March 7, 2019

The advertising technology firm MadHive says based on its own internal estimates, 18% of over-the-top video ad requests are fraudulent. The company came up with that number by examining approximately 1 billion requests that flowed through its platform.

The fraudulent ad requests span misrepresentation (data and inventory), device-based fraud and app-based fraud.

While OTT platforms have many built-in advantages compared to more open digital platforms, scammers and fraudsters are still targeting the space, with its rich premium ad inventory, and comparably high ad rates.

MadHive released the ad fraud data to coincide with the launch of its suite of technology solutions designed to combat fraud, while ensuring trust, transparency, and brand safety.

The company says Premion, the OTT ad platform owned by TEGNA, is now using the new suite of tools.

MadHive is best known for incorporating cryptography and blockchain into its technology solutions, and the new suite is no exception. The company says it uses blockchain to guarantee audiences and video impressions across platforms.

The full suite includes and audience device graph, a targeting solution, audience verification tools and cross-device attribution.

Christiana Cacciapuoti, executive director at AdLedger, the nonprofit consortium building and implementing the blockchain standards for digital advertising, says the MadHive/Premion deal is a good case study for how blockchain can be incorporated into future solutions.

“This product integration is a huge step for how cryptography and blockchain can be leveraged to its fullest potential in the digital advertising industry,” Cacciapuoti states.