No IPO For PubMatic; Google Negotiating To Buy InMobi

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PubMatic IPO In Doubt?

Plenty can change in a year, which is how long it’s been since PubMatic started dreaming about a $1 billion IPO. Today? “There is no plan for IPO,” CEO Rajeev Goel tells Indian newspaper Business Standard. “We would like to remain as a private limited entity. Our focus is only on execution. Also, we are not looking for any round of funding in future. We are self funded now and will expand on our own capacities.” Update: PubMatic says the quote was inaccurate, and the original story has been updated to a somewhat more milquetoast remark (“We don’t have any specific plans to share at this time regarding an IPO.”) Read it. Goel sounded a similar note in a recent AdExchanger interview, saying companies are taking more time to get profitable. “It’s forcing entrepreneurs like myself to focus on building a long-term profitable, viable business, and that’s a healthy thing.” Related: Rocket Fuel has started a profitability push too.

Google Eyes InMobi

Google is in talks to buy mobile ad network InMobi, The Economic Times reports. In recent negotiations with investors, the India-based startup had discussed an asking price of more than $2 billion. Sources say the impetus is to compete with Facebook’s bullish mobile ad push. “Things were different last year, both for Google and InMobi,” said one anonymous source. “While Google was not facing the amount of heat it’s witnessing today from Facebook on mobile, InMobi too was confident of raising another funding comfortably.” The mobile startup has both wide reach and a strong client base, and has been “innovating new ways to serve ads on mobile, and that technology would be of interest to Google,” Ovum senior analyst Neha Dharia tells The Wall Street Journal.

IPG Ad Chief Speaks

In an interview with The Drift, IPG Mediabrands’ SVP of ad operations, Mitch Weinstein, takes a stance on viewability. “If a publisher can guarantee that 70% of the impressions we’re buying are viewable, why can’t they simply guarantee that all of my impressions will be viewable?” Weinstein asks. “They can sell us fewer impressions – that’s ok. But what they sell us has to be viewable. Publishers will have to recalibrate how they sell, and start including only what they know they can deliver as viewable on each IO. This shouldn’t be a problem if the publisher has been doing their due diligence and testing with different viewability vendors on all of their inventory.” Beyond pushing for greater viewability, Weinstein says the focus at IPG is on dynamic ad serving using external triggers (think: weather).

Jimmy Fallon Has Nice CPMs. Pass It On

WIth users flocking to Jimmy Fallon’s NBC YouTube channel, The WSJ’s Mike Shields taps Open Slate to guess how much Jimmy & Co. are making with their online ad endeavors. Writes Shields, “Mr. Fallon’s channel could theoretically be sold as part of Google Preferred, YouTube’s premium sales offering, and could command a cost-per-thousand rate in the neighborhood of $25.” Read the final tally (subscription).

Snapsports

Snapchat is forging partnerships with the NCAA and Turner Broadcasting, Digiday reports, in order to roll sports content into its “Our Story” feature. Sources tell Digiday that Snapchat plans to sell branded sponsorships against these stories under a rev-share agreement with content owners. “It’s a brilliant move,” said Rohit Thawani, director of digital strategy and social media at TBWA\Chiat\Day. “Snapchat is turning into the SportsCenter of cultural moments.” Come again?

Measuring The Content

An Altimeter Group report finds measurement of content marketing is a huge pain point, and 67% of marketers are making it their big focus this year. According to the report, a broader range of metrics, like sentiment, content performance, share of voice and influencers, can help. “It is not uncommon to require a mixture of web analytics, content measurement, marketing technology and social media tools to assess the impact of content,” concludes the report, authored by Rebecca Lieb and Susan Etlinger. “As a result, content strategists should work with their analysts to develop a realistic (near term) and aspirational (longer term) measurement strategy.” Get it.

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