Leading global publishers launch programmatic ad alliance

In what looks like a fight back against the dominance of Facebook and Google, four of the world’s leading publishers are launching a new programmatic advertising alliance that will allow brands to collectively access global audiences via new and emerging programmatic technology.

Spearheaded by the Guardian, Pangaea brings together CNN International, the Financial Times and Reuters as founding partners, with The Economist also providing access to advertising inventory.

Launched in beta from April 2015 with a global reach of 115 million readers spread across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, the alliance will offer advertisers the ability to access inventory across the group of premium publishers via the Rubicon Project technology platform.

During the beta phase Pangaea will offer display solutions both as a standalone product and alongside existing publisher initiatives including native advertising programmes and publisher trading desks.

“As the world becomes more complex and networked, Pangaea will give advertisers one single programmatic solution for driving influence at scale, allowing them to get cut-through in an increasingly fragmented market using the latest ad serving technology,” said Tim Gentry, global revenue director at Guardian News & Media and Pangaea Alliance project lead.

“Pangaea’s uniqueness lies in the quality of its partners. We know that trust is the biggest driver of brand advocacy, so we have come together to scale the benefits of advertising within trusted media environments, which are geared towards delivering cutting-edge creative campaigns in technically advanced formats.”