Ad mediation is a technology layer that manages multiple ad networks simultaneously and runs real-time auctions to fill each ad impression with the highest-paying ad available.
Ad mediation is software used by app publishers to maximize revenue from in-app advertising by connecting to multiple ad networks at once and automatically serving the highest-paying ad for each impression. Instead of integrating one ad network and accepting whatever eCPM it offers, a publisher using mediation lets multiple networks compete for each impression in real time.
Modern mediation platforms use in-app bidding (also called header bidding for mobile), where all connected networks bid simultaneously in a real-time auction for each impression opportunity. The highest bidder wins and their ad is served. This replaced the older 'waterfall' model, where networks were ranked in a fixed priority order and called sequentially until one filled the impression, which was slower and left revenue on the table.
The major mediation platforms are AppLovin MAX, ironSource (now Unity LevelPlay), Google AdMob, and Mintegral. They each connect to dozens of demand sources including Meta Audience Network, Google, Unity Ads, and hundreds of smaller networks, all competing for publisher inventory.
For app publishers monetizing through ads, mediation directly determines how much revenue each impression generates. Without mediation, you're leaving money on the table every time a lower-paying network serves an ad that a higher-paying network would have bid more for. Publishers using in-app bidding via mediation typically see 15 to 30% higher eCPM than those using fixed waterfall setups. For UA teams, understanding mediation matters because it affects the inventory dynamics on networks you buy on.
Example
“A casual game integrates AppLovin MAX mediation with 8 connected ad networks. For a rewarded video placement, Meta bids $18 eCPM, Unity bids $14, and AppLovin Exchange bids $21. MAX serves the AppLovin Exchange ad, earning the publisher the highest available rate for that impression.”
Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of digital ad inventory in real time through software and algorithms, replacing manual insertion orders.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesRewarded ads are opt-in video advertisements where users voluntarily watch a full ad in exchange for an in-app reward, like extra lives, virtual currency, or premium content.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesInterstitial ads are full-screen advertisements that appear between content transitions in apps, capturing attention at natural pause points in user experience.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCPM is the cost to serve 1,000 ad impressions, reflecting both audience demand and creative quality score from the platform.
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