AOL Adds Programmatic Expertise

AOL, acquired by Verizon Communications last year, has made an acquisition of its own.

AOL this week announced it has snapped up AlephD, a Paris-based programmatic platform company “specializing in publisher analytics and price floor optimization” that will be tied into own, grander programmatic offering -- ONE by AOL for Publishers.

AOL said AlephD will help it drive more data into its platform and drive yield for its publishing partners. Adding price floor optimization, it added, will help publishers squeeze more value from visits to web sites and apps and calculate the “best price for each impression in real time.”

“AlephD will be a key part of ONE by AOL for Publishers, enhancing publishers’ ability to understand, control and optimize pricing and packaging of their inventory and drive greater revenue in an increasingly complex ecosystem trending towards mobile,” the company said.

In tandem with the acquisition, AOL announced the launch of ONE by AOL: Publishers, which supports multiple platforms, including desktops, mobile and over-the-top devices.

“Publishers face many obstacles and challenges in navigating the complexities of today’s media environment, and the walled garden technology solutions available to them today is underservicing their needs to capitalize on the consumer shift to mobile and video,” said Tim Mahlman, president of Publisher Platforms, AOL. “With ONE by AOL: Publishers, AOL is drawing on world-class, publisher-minded teams and technology solutions to redefine monetization and empower publishers to capture the maximum value of their content.”