In previous articles, we explored the evolution of programmatic advertising (programmatic I article) and its technical architecture (programmatic II article). Today, we take a closer look at how this model has changed the rules of the game at a structural level within digital advertising companies. Beyond automation or targeting capabilities, programmatic has had a direct impact on team structures, operational models, and—most notably—the distribution of advertising investment.
Before the arrival of programmatic, the relationship between media and advertisers was based almost entirely on direct commercial interactions. A publisher needed strong sales teams (either in-house or supported by reseller networks) capable of maintaining constant, personalized contact with agencies, advertisers, and different roles within buying structures. Visibility and the ability to generate business were closely tied to physical presence in each market, deep knowledge of the local ecosystem, and the relational intensity of sales teams.
With the emergence of programmatic, that need was largely diminished. Inventory availability no longer depended on one-to-one relationships, but became instantly and globally accessible through automated marketplaces. Today, a Media can monetize its inventory anywhere in the world without the need for a physical office or dedicated sales team in that market. Access to demand has become more technical and less relationship-driven, and the direct consequence has been a reduction in sales teams, with a clear trend toward leaner and more decentralized structures.
That said, the sales department remains a key component in media and digital advertising companies. Programmatic selling does not eliminate the need to sell—it transforms its nature. Today, sales teams must be able to understand complex technological models, communicate the value of their inventory in programmatic environments, identify strategic deals (such as PMPs or direct deals), and build long-term relationships with traders, agencies, and advertisers. It's no longer just about “closing campaigns,” but about creating opportunities within a more technical and fragmented ecosystem. Programmatic has made it possible to open new commercial markets without the need for a physical presence, allowing inventory to be managed and monetized from the company's original headquarters.
However, the reality is that having local representation remains a key differentiator. Being close to the client, understanding their cultural and business dynamics, and being able to offer a more direct level of support and collaboration still makes a difference. Programmatic has removed the barrier of physical presence, but it remains a competitive advantage when it comes to scaling or consolidating a position in key markets.
In short, the sales function hasn’t disappeared, but it has radically changed—shifting from a model focused on personal relationships and call volume to one that is more technical, strategic, and distributed. With fewer people, but with much more specialized profiles that are aligned with the programmatic logic of the business.
Alongside the commercial transformation, operations teams have also undergone a quiet but profound revolution. In the pre-programmatic model, campaign execution required significant manual effort: planners created ad hoc proposals, designers produced creatives tailored to each format, and traffickers were responsible for the technical implementation and monitoring of every campaign. The entire process was fragmented and heavily operational, resulting in large structures and teams specialized in repetitive tasks.
Programmatic advertising changed that paradigm. Today, campaign activation and optimization happen in real time, and platforms offer automated tools that accomplish in seconds what used to take days. The profiles that now lead these areas are no longer purely operational, but technical and analytical: traders, data analysts, and programmatic platform specialists. These are people who understand data flows, performance metrics, optimization algorithms, and who are skilled at navigating multiple tools and integrations.
This doesn’t mean the work has disappeared, but it has become more sophisticated. Repetitive manual tasks have been replaced by the need to make informed, data-driven decisions that directly impact the performance of each served impression. The number of people needed to manage campaigns has decreased, but the skills required from those who remain have risen significantly.
Additionally, technology platforms have continually improved their work environments, offering operations teams increasingly powerful and precise tools. Intuitive dashboards, real-time KPIs, campaign compliance levels, automated alerts, AI-driven optimization suggestions… all designed to simplify daily management, shorten decision cycles, and maximize performance without the need for large operational teams. Today, a trader with access to a strong tech stack can manage dozens of campaigns simultaneously with efficiency unimaginable just a decade ago.
In this new context, digital advertising companies have become more efficient, reduced operational costs, and at the same time, delivered greater value to their clients. But this efficiency comes at a cost: the demand for highly skilled talent that combines technical knowledge, strategic vision, and the ability to continuously adapt to rapidly evolving tools and environments.
Among the many structural changes introduced by programmatic advertising, one of the most significant has been the transformation in the allocation of advertising budgets. In the traditional model, most of the value generated by a campaign ended up in the hands of the main players—media and advertisers—while the cost of technology was relatively low. Tools such as ad servers, tracking systems, or contextual targeting solutions represented a necessary operational expense but rarely exceeded 5% of the total investment.
With the consolidation of the programmatic ecosystem, that proportion has changed substantially. The introduction of multiple technology layers in the supply chain—demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), exchanges, data management platforms (DMPs), verification solutions, optimization engines, anti-fraud platforms, among others—has increased complexity and, with it, the commission fees associated with each process.
Each of these intermediaries retains a percentage of the budget as a fee for service or technology. And although many of these links provide valuable functions, the total sum can be significant: in some cases, more than 50% of the advertising budget ends up being absorbed by technology players, leaving media outlets with a substantially smaller share of the original budget. This redistribution has created increasing pressure on publishers, broadcasters, and digital media. Although they have gained operational efficiency, they have lost direct monetization power. Profitability, in many cases, has become dependent on a more complex commercial architecture, where multiple intermediaries reduce the final net revenues.
Additionally, for years, the lack of transparency in this chain—the so-called "programmatic black box"—has made it difficult for media companies to understand how much is actually paid for their inventory and what portion is retained at each stage of the process. This opacity has driven the adoption of initiatives such as Supply Path Optimization (SPO) and Demand Path Optimization (DPO), which aim to reduce intermediaries, increase perceived net value, and restore some balance to the chain.
At the same time, some Ad Tech platforms have begun adjusting their models by lowering their commissions, offering more transparent pricing structures, or promoting direct deals between parties. Still, the current picture remains clear: programmatic advertising has redistributed the ecosystem’s value, shifting some of the revenue from media to technology providers and forcing all players to rethink how to sustain profitability in the long term.
Programmatic has brought efficiency, scalability, and an unprecedented ability to run campaigns in real time and at a global scale. But this automation has been accompanied by a profound structural transformation in digital advertising companies: more technical teams, leaner structures, and a completely different value chain.
Today, it’s possible to do more with less. However, we are also witnessing a new distribution of advertising investment that hasn’t always favored the Media. Media companies have gained efficiency but have also had to adapt to an environment where margins have tightened. Looking ahead, perhaps the challenge is not only technical or commercial but also structural: finding more balanced and sustainable approaches where all players in the ecosystem can continue to generate value.
At tvads we has a professional team able to advise you on this field and and guide you in any area of your streaming advertising business, advising you or even operating it on your behalf if necessary
All author posts