• e4m, Tuesday, March 17, 2026 8:10 PM

Major agency networks like WPP and Dentsu stepped back from The Trade Desk’s OpenPath some weeks ago due to concerns about cost transparency, e4m reports. This is now seen as part of “a broader churn” within the programmatic industry. While free for advertisers and agencies, publishers usually pay a 5% fee for OpenPath tied to a share of advertiser spend. An agency head alleged, “A comparison between OpenPath transactions and direct publisher deals had indicated premiums of roughly 10–15% in certain cases, prompting a reassessment of spending levels.” Rahul Kapoor, vice president of partnerships for The Trade Desk, denied there are any hidden costs.

Read the whole story at e4m »