As streaming TV continues to grow and evolve, advertisers are under increasing pressure to maximize the value of every media dollar. Programmatic buying has unlocked unprecedented access to premium video inventory, but it has also introduced new layers of complexity into the supply chain – multiple intermediaries, additional transaction fees, fragmented signals, and greater distance between buyers and publishers.
The industry is waking up to this.
Today, more advertisers are actively pursuing the most direct routes to premium streaming inventory, seeking to eliminate unnecessary hops and players between buyers and sellers. The objective is straightforward: reduce technology costs, preserve audience and campaign signals, and gain more transparent (and trusted) access to quality inventory.
This shift reflects a broader realization that in streaming, efficiency isn’t simply about automation – it’s about minimizing friction throughout the transaction.
The value of direct connections
Every additional intermediary in the supply chain introduces cost. Those costs ultimately reduce working media and diminish the value advertisers receive from their investments.
That’s why the most direct path to inventory almost always produces the strongest outcomes.
As the primary ad server for many leading premium streaming publishers, FreeWheel operates at the source of the streaming advertising supply chain. By transacting directly through the ad server, buyers access premium inventory at its source, gaining greater efficiency, audience fidelity, and transparency into the quality and performance of the media they purchase.
Recent analysis of programmatic buying paths reinforces this point. When buyers accessed inventory directly through FreeWheel’s Streaming Hub, when compared with alternative supply paths involving additional intermediaries, while holding the DSP constant, campaigns delivered:1
- 14% more reach
- 14% greater efficiency
No surprise at this conclusion: the shortest path delivered the strongest results.
Integrated technology creates additional advantages
Supply path optimization is only part of the equation.
Today’s advertising ecosystem consists of a growing collection of specialized platforms supporting activation, optimization, curation, audience management, and measurement. Many of these partners provide meaningful value – however, every additional platform introduces complexity – different architectures, varying standards, additional integrations, and often overlapping or fragmented workflows.
As both a buy-side and sell-side technology provider, FreeWheel is uniquely positioned to reduce this complexity through an integrated platform approach.
A recent campaign compared premium publisher inventory activated through FreeWheel’s Buyer Cloud and transacted directly via Streaming Hub, against identical inventory executed through another leading DSP.
The results showed that the Buyer Cloud + Streaming Hub workflow preserved significantly more working media throughout the transaction, delivering a 20% higher net bid to publishers.1 In practical terms, a greater share of the advertiser’s investment reached its intended destination – more working media achieved via FreeWheel’s closely knit technology.
The same controlled test also compared the direct Streaming Hub connection against a transaction routed through a third-party SSP (not the ad server) – the more direct and integrated path outperformed significantly:1
- 29% more reach
- 25% greater efficiency
These results demonstrate the cumulative value of reducing friction not only across the supply chain, but across the technology stack itself.
The competitive advantage of simplicity
For streaming advertisers, competitive advantage increasingly comes from simplifying the connection between buyers and sellers.
Direct supply relationships, closer proximity to foundational ad-serving infrastructure, and tightly integrated technology platforms help advertisers maximize working media, preserve signal quality, and improve campaign performance. Notably these efficiencies strengthen economics for premium publishers as well, creating a healthier and more sustainable marketplace for the entire ecosystem.
In an industry too-long focused on adding more layers of technology, the evidence increasingly points in the opposite direction: better outcomes start with a more direct path.
To learn more about how FreeWheel’s Advertiser Suite helps advertisers simplify their programmatic supply chain and drive stronger business outcomes, visit here.
Source:
- FreeWheel, B2B Advertising Brand Campaign, December 2025.
Methodology
Findings are based on three analyses conducted within a Q4 2025 B2B brand advertising campaign. Analysis evaluated audience targeting and reach, supply path performance, and live sports activation effectiveness across comparable programmatic buying paths.
