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The programmatic supply chain is deliberately complex. Between your budget and a genuine human seeing your ad, there can be 10+ intermediaries, each taking a cut. Without specialist forensic analysis, it is nearly impossible to know how much of your investment actually reaches real audiences in quality environments.
Only 35–55% of programmatic spend typically reaches the end publisher (the "ad tax")
Bot traffic and ad fraud consuming 10–25% of display budgets
Made-for-advertising (MFA) sites providing cheap inventory with zero engagement
Trading desk markups adding 10–20% in undisclosed costs
Opaque auction dynamics and supply path inefficiency inflating CPMs
Frequency capping failures leading to excessive ad repetition
We trace your investment from DSP to publisher, examining every intermediary, fee, and decision point. Our analysis combines technical log-level data examination with commercial contract review to provide a complete picture of where your programmatic money goes.
Log-level analysis of programmatic bid requests and win rates
Supply path optimisation to eliminate unnecessary intermediaries
Advanced ad fraud detection beyond standard IVT tools
MFA site identification and exclusion strategy
Trading desk fee transparency and benchmarking
Inventory quality scoring across all programmatic partners
A proven methodology refined across years of specialist engagements
We collect log-level data, bid records, and placement reports from all DSPs and verification tools, alongside contracts and invoices.
We map the complete flow of your programmatic investment, identifying every intermediary and fee point between your budget and the publisher.
Deep analysis of inventory quality, traffic validity, viewability, and brand safety across all programmatic activity.
Assessment of trading desk fees, DSP costs, data charges, and other commercial arrangements that impact your effective CPMs.
Actionable recommendations for supply path optimisation, fraud prevention, bidding improvements, and fee renegotiation.
Typical timeline: 8–12 weeks
Every element of our programmatic audits service
Tangible outputs that drive real commercial impact
Complete analysis of your programmatic supply chain and performance
Mapping of intermediaries and fees with optimisation recommendations
Detailed findings on invalid traffic, MFA sites, and inventory quality
Analysis of all hidden and disclosed fees across the supply chain
Updated blocklists for fraudulent sites, low-quality inventory, and MFA domains
Step-by-step guide for implementing improvements
Measurable results from our programmatic audits engagements*
+15–25%
Working Media Increase
More of your budget reaching genuine audiences through supply path optimisation
80–95%
Fraud Reduction
Elimination of invalid traffic through improved detection and exclusions
20–35%
CPM Efficiency
Typical improvement in effective CPMs through better buying practices
8–12 weeks
Audit Timeline
Focused timeline for programmatic-specific analysis
*Based on outcomes achieved across previous client engagements. Results vary depending on the scope and complexity of each audit.
Common questions about our programmatic audits service
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