Pixalate Week in Review: June 29

This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space.

1: Pixalate launches world's first Connected TV Seller Trust Index (CSTI)

Pixalate this week announced the first-ever Connected TV/OTT Seller Trust Index (CSTI), a breakthrough addition to Pixalate’s suite of programmatic seller quality rankings.

Pixalate’s new CSTI ranks the overall quality of programmatic sellers across three major OTT/CTV platforms: Roku, Amazon, and Samsung.

Among the top current performers are Telaria, FreeWheel, and Verizon Media.

2. MediaPost: FreeWheel only supplier to earn 'A' grade on all 3 CTV platforms

"Comcast's FreeWheel is the only supply-side platform (SSP) to score an 'A' grade for its handling of inventory on the Big 3 connected TV (CTV) advertising platforms, according to a unique new analysis released today by programmatic ad fraud and compliance tracker Pixalate," reported MediaPost.

3. All eyes on are on CTV

"Connected TV was the star of this year’s NewFronts presentations, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to buy," reported Adweek. "But buying CTV inventory through programmatic channels often means marketers don’t know what content their ads are running against, since publishers typically don’t pass programming information through the bid stream, citing privacy reasons and a desire to avoid cherry-picking of content."

4. CCPA is now being enforced despite calls for delays

"California’s privacy law, often called the broadest law for digital privacy in the United States, can finally be enforced starting [July 1]," reported the Washington Post. "And despite industry calls for the state to hold off because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Attorney General Xavier Becerra is forging ahead."

5. Hundreds of brands pulling ads from Facebook — but not all

"Hundreds of companies have promised to halt advertising on Facebook and its sibling platform Instagram," reported CNN on the ongoing Facebook ad boycott. "But even as a steady drumbeat of household names like The North Face (VFC), Pfizer (PFE) and Levi Strauss (LEVI) have joined the pressure campaign over the social network's handling of hate speech and misinformation, the vast majority of Facebook (FB)'s biggest advertisers — the ones with presumably the most leverage -- have stayed quiet," the article added.