New monetization and AI tools for publishers

Google is rolling out significant updates to its sellside products—Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob—designed to address common pain points for publishers: time-consuming manual tasks, monetization of live events, and direct deal management.

First, three AI tools automate manual work: (1) An AI brand safety tool learns a publisher's unique brand standards from their Ads Review Center decisions, then surfaces and automatically blocks unwanted ads, improving ad quality and reducing manual reviews. (2) A generative AI reporting tool in Ad Manager allows publishers to create custom reports via natural language queries, e.g., "Which ad units had the highest CPM last week?" (3) A new AI-powered Help guide chat provides instant onboarding and troubleshooting support, especially beneficial for smaller businesses with limited resources.

Second, a new CTV Live-biddable solution for Ad Manager helps publishers maximize revenue from unpredictable live events (e.g., overtime sports, award show overruns). With 82% of buyers likely to increase programmatic live CTV investment, this solution provides real-time audience insights at scale, enabling advertisers to bid on engaged audiences during peak moments. Google is also working on industry standards for implementation, including smarter content identification and reliable ad delivery.

Third, the Buyer Direct feature in Ad Manager streamlines direct deals with agencies, offering the control of traditional reservations combined with programmatic efficiency—including cross-publisher frequency optimization, real-time reporting, and consolidated billing. This opens new revenue opportunities and simplifies direct relationships.

Actionable takeaways: Ad ops decision-makers should evaluate AI tools to reduce manual workflows, explore CTV live-biddable for live event monetization, and consider Buyer Direct for more efficient direct deals.