Home Podcast Darren Glatt: Avoiding ‘Zombies’ When Investing In Ad Tech
Podcast

Darren Glatt: Avoiding ‘Zombies’ When Investing In Ad Tech

By

SHARE:

This week on the AdExchanger Talks podcast, we’re pleased to talk with Darren Glatt, a seasoned investor and MediaMath board member. Glatt is the guy who led Searchlight Capital’s $225 million investment in MediaMath, which closed almost exactly a year ago. He shares his point of view on the current state of play in ad tech and how MediaMath can grow over the next two to three years.

“Ad tech gets a horrible reputation as a result of the zombie companies and companies that have gone into receivership,” such as Videology and Sizmek, Glatt says. “But there’s still a small but thriving group of independent companies that continues to do very well. And I believe MediaMath to be one of those.”

In that open landscape, there are just a handful of players that matter in the sense of having scale, global coverage and omnichannel capabilities, according to Glatt. MediaMath is one and as such has a large future opportunity if it can maintain discipline and focus, something that has occasionally proven elusive at the company.

“Part of my role as a private equity investor is to say, ‘OK, there are 10 ideas but really only three of them are going to drive 90% of the value,’” he says.

In this episode: What are those three ideas? Will the US break up big tech? Will the telecoms win the TV wars?

Must Read

The FTC's latest staff report has strong message for social media and streaming video platforms: Stop engaging in the "vast surveillance" of consumers.
Privacy

FTC Denounces Social Media And Video Streaming Platforms For ‘Privacy-Invasive’ Data Practices

The FTC’s latest staff report has strong message for social media and streaming video platforms: Stop engaging in the “vast surveillance” of consumers.

Publishers

Publishers Feel Seen At The Google Ad Tech Antitrust Trial

Publishers were encouraged to see the DOJ highlight Google’s stranglehold on the ad server market and its attempts to weaken header bidding.

Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital at Walton Isaacson
Agencies

To Cure What Ails Digital Advertising, Marketers And Publishers Must Get Back To Basics

Albert Thompson, a buy-side veteran with 20+ years of experience, weighs in on attention metrics, the value of MFA sites, brand safety backlash and how publishers can improve their inventory.

Privacy! Commerce! Connected TV! Read all about it. Subscribe to AdExchanger Newsletters
A comic depiction of Google's ad machine sucking money out of a publisher.
Google antitrust trial

DOJ vs. Google, Day Five Rewind: Prebid Reality Check, Unfair Rev Share And Jedi Blue (Sorta)

Someone will eventually need to make a Netflix-style documentary about the Google ad tech antitrust trial happening in Virginia. (And can we call it “You’ve Been Ad Served?”)

Comic: Alphabet Soup
Online Advertising

Buried DOJ Evidence Reveals How Google Dealt With The Trade Desk

In the process of the investigation into Google, the Department of Justice unearthed a vast trove of separate evidence. Some of these findings paint a whole new picture of how Google interacts and competes with its main DSP rival, The Trade Desk.

Comic: The Unified Auction
Google antitrust trial

DOJ vs. Google, Day Four: Behind The Scenes On The Fraught Rollout Of Unified Pricing Rules

On Thursday, the US district court in Alexandria, Virginia boarded a time machine back to April 18, 2019 – the day of a tense meeting between Google and publishers.

Popular

  1. CTV

    Roku Launches Its Own Self-Serve Ad Platform

    On Wednesday, Roku became the latest streaming company to unveil a self-serve ad platform. Roku Ads Manager, as it’s called, is part of Roku’s bid to reach new CTV buyer demand.

  2. Publishers

    Publishers Feel Seen At The Google Ad Tech Antitrust Trial

    Publishers were encouraged to see the DOJ highlight Google’s stranglehold on the ad server market and its attempts to weaken header bidding.

  3. PODCAST: AdExchanger Talks

    Adam Heimlich, Ad Tech Time Traveler

    If Adam Heimlich could travel back in time to alter the future of online advertising, he would go to Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, but not necessarily to stop it.

  4. Programmatic

    New DEI-Focused SSP Wants To Put More Money Into The Hands Of Publishers

    Programmatic media buyers care about serving the needs of their advertiser clients. But there’s no reason they can’t also help publishers – especially diverse publishers – at the same time.

  5. Comic: Alphabet Soup
    Online Advertising

    Buried DOJ Evidence Reveals How Google Dealt With The Trade Desk

    In the process of the investigation into Google, the Department of Justice unearthed a vast trove of separate evidence. Some of these findings paint a whole new picture of how Google interacts and competes with its main DSP rival, The Trade Desk.