Will take platform open source
AdMob has said that will buy AdWhirl, provider of a mobile ad mediation solution, for an undiclosed amount. AdMob will expand on AdWhirl’s mediation product to create enhanced developer tools that will be offered as an open source mobile ad mediation solution.
AdMob said that this will provide a "transparent and unbiased" solution for developers to allocate their inventory among multiple mobile ad networks and maximise the fill rates and revenue potential of their applications. AdMob expects to make these offerings available in the coming weeks. In the interim, publishers can continue utilising AdWhirl’s tools as before.
“AdMob’s number one priority with this acquisition is to help maximise monetisation opportunities for app developers and publishers,” said Omar Hamoui, CEO of AdMob. “By offering this first ever open source ad mediation solution, our goal is to provide a much needed open, unbiased and transparent tool for mobile publishers who would like to build financially rewarding businesses that are fueled by advertising.”
A blog post from Hamoui said that AdMob hopes the acquisition will bring more clarity to its mediation development environment.
Over the past several months we have listened closely to the developer community to better understand the role of mediation in the mobile ecosystem. As a developer myself, I definitely understand how mediation is a valuable tool for developers, and our goal at AdMob is to provide developers with choice and control over their inventory, and help them efficiently maximize their revenue.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we evaluated the mediation options that existed in the market and tried to work through what would be best for the industry. From my perspective as a developer, I realize that the lack of clarity in terms of the direction AdMob would take with mediation was not convenient for you. Unfortunately we could not share many details as we spoke with key mediation players due to the sensitive nature of these conversations. This evaluation process brought us to what I believe will be a key moment in the future of monetization tools for app developers.
AdWhirl’s technology has more than 1,000 publishers on board already. “We share a common vision with AdMob on promoting the growth of mobile app developers,” said Sam Yam, co-founder of AdWhirl. “Through working with AdMob to address issues around mobile ad mediation, we believe that bringing an open source solution to the community is the right next step for the industry, giving developers flexibility and control over monetising their own inventory.”
The launch of these new developer tools will mark the first open source mobile ad mediation solution, AdMob said.