Ad-Tech Companies Say They Aren’t Hurting Despite Prevalent Coronavirus Blacklisting
Publishers are facing lower CPMs due to rampant keyword blocking
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Key insights:
- "Coronavirus" was the second-most blocked term on news sites in February.
- Ad-tech firms have been cushioned by their diversified client list.
- People are reading coronavirus stories, but publishers aren't seeing CPMs.
Thanks to strict advertiser blacklists, news publishers have historically struggled to monetize open inventory on so-called “hard news,”and coronavirus coverage is no exception. The ad-tech companies powering publishers’ sites, however, are finding it’s mostly business as usual.
