• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, July 14, 2021

As part of a global contract renewal, Microsoft is extending its use of Xandr's sell-side Monetize platform, increasing the marketing spend it runs through Xandr’s Invest DSP, and extending the Microsoft Audience Network demand platform to bid in Xandr’s Marketplace, the companies announced. 

Microsoft, which has worked with AT&T-owned Xandr for a decade, is also renewing its use of the company’s “Global Supply Evangelism” team, which sells advertising inventory in more than 100 countries. 

Microsoft uses Xandr technology to enable video and omnichannel programmatic advertising for Microsoft News, MSN, Outlook.com and other properties. 

As video ad budgets have expanded, Microsoft, which launched on Monetize with one video format in a single market, has expanded to three formats (including in-stream pre-roll and outstream in-article) in more than 60 markets, according to the announcement. 

Microsoft was an early adopter of Xandr’s server-side header bidding solution, Prebid Server Premium, using it to unify access to its inventory and streamline private marketplace buys of video and native through Monetize. 

On the buy side, Microsoft has augmented its media spend through Xandr’s Invest DSP as one of its primary DSPs for marketing campaigns. 

In 2020, Xandr joined the Microsoft Audience Network, which serves Microsoft Audience Ads, the only native advertising solution built by its search platform, Microsoft Bing. Xandr has integrated premium third-party supply in the network, giving buyers the ability to target Microsoft audiences at scale across premium international native supply through Monetize.