Open Bidding Direct Pay delivers 270%+ revenue uplift for Kicker
Kicker is Germany's largest sport site and app. Quarter Media, an internet advertising and marketing corporation, is a subsidiary of Kicker's publisher Olympia Verlag.
The challenge
Supply path optimization (SPO) pushes buyers towards seller inventory that is labeled as "direct," meeting IAB sellers.json requirements. In standard Open Bidding, Google facilitates the commercial flow between Magnite (SSP) and Kicker (Publisher), which some buyers perceive as an extra intermediary step versus direct supply paths.
The approach
Open Bidding Direct Pay allows Magnite to pay Kicker / Quarter Media directly, with Google providing technical auction enablement without any retagging. This streamlines the commercial supply chain, remains transparent, and aligns with buyers' SPO expectations–ultimately unlocking incremental demand via Magnite.
The results
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+270%Revenue YoYReported by Quarter Media
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+130%eCPM YoYReported by Quarter Media
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30Net new advertisersenabled via more directbuying pathReported by Magnite
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Publisher results 2026. Individual results may vary. Results Data compare 2024 (Nov/Dec) vs 2025 (Nov/Dec)