SHE Media Carves The Path for Publisher Dominance with Ad Curation

As the digital advertising landscape shifts more toward quality and accountability, curated deals have become increasingly important for both publishers and advertisers. At SHE Media, we’ve long recognized the value of premium, human, and contextually relevant inventory, and we’ve built our approach around delivering just that.

SHE Media’s site list curation powers Private Marketplace (PMP) and Direct Buy deals within Penske Media, which was named a Bellwether Publisher in the 2025 Jounce Report. By combining curated site lists with first-party data, engagement metrics, and strict Brandsafe standards, we offer advertisers packages that not only perform well but also align with evolving buyer expectations around brand safety and quality.

Penske Media Corporation, whose portfolio includes both O&O supply and the She Media sales house, is also viewed very favorably. -Jounce The State of the Open Internet Report 2024

With a network of over 2,000 publishers and strong ties across both the media and brand ecosystem, SHE Media continues to be a benchmark for high-quality inventory.

In this piece, we’ll unpack how our approach to curation, audience integrity, and advertiser relationships helps drive better revenue for our publishers and why curated inventory matters more than ever.

What is Ad Curation?

Ad curation refers to the process by which vendors selectively match audience data and programmatic supply path insights with available ad inventory to surface high-value impressions that might otherwise be missed. Put simply, curation combines data intelligently with inventory. When executed effectively, curation delivers more efficient targeting for advertisers and increased revenue opportunities for publishers.

Programmatic advertising will account for 87% of digital ad revenue by 2026, and ad curation has become a key mechanism for control in this rapidly consolidating industry. 

Curation, though not new, has in recent times started to play a central role in enabling players like SHE Media to better manage data and advertiser relationships in a landscape dominated by Big Tech. Curated offerings improve transparency and efficiency. 

With platforms like Google and Yahoo entering the space, and players like The Trade Desk responding with moves such as acquiring Sincera, curation is becoming mainstream. As the IAB Tech Lab pushes to standardize practices, it's clear that ad curation is reshaping power dynamics across the programmatic ecosystem. 

How Does Ad Curation Reshape Power in Ad Tech?

Ad curation reshapes power in ad tech by shifting control from traditional demand-side platforms (DSPs) to a broader range of players like SHE Media’s publishers and data partners. The 2025 Jounce report shows that the share of OMP is going down as more and more Demand buyers choose curated deals, as well as PMP and Direct deals over the open market.

Traditionally, DSPs have dominated programmatic buying by controlling how advertisers access audiences. However, with ad curation, other entities like SHE Media can package inventory and audience data into premium customized deals that create incremental value for our publishers. This redistribution of power enables media owners and Publishers to reclaim margins, dictate terms, and maintain closer relationships with buyers. As a result, ad curation is challenging the historic gatekeepers of ad tech, fostering a more decentralized, transparent, and competitive ecosystem. 

Curated deals are more premium and data-rich, and the trends show that advertisers may shift from pure CPM-driven buying to performance models that value attention, context, and outcomes more than scale alone. The valuable rise of curation is prompting strategic responses from incumbents like The Trade Desk and Google to maintain their influence.

SHE Media’s Role in Ad Curation

SHE Media has always played a more strategic and influential role in ad curation, moving beyond the traditional function of simply auctioning ad inventory. As the industry tries to catch up and the landscape becomes more curation-driven, SHE Media will continue to act as a proprietor of custom audience and inventory packages driven by quality data and strategic partnerships with data providers.

SHE Media orchestrates curated, high-value ad experiences that are reshaping the balance of power in ad tech. Here are a few ways we are leading:

Curated Lists & Marketplaces: SHE Media's role in building and managing curated lists where inventory is bundled with specific data signals or contextual relevance makes it more attractive to buyers and more valuable for publishers.

Data Stewardship & Transparency: By enabling more transparent and efficient use of data, SHE Media strengthens its role as a responsible partner with deep, direct relationships with premium publishers.

Revenue Growth: Through curation, SHE Media captures a greater share of media transaction value, driving stronger revenue returns for our publishers.

How SHE Media Publishers Benefit from Ad Curation?

SHE Media publishing partners, both big and small, benefit from ad curation in several key ways. In addition to the obvious revenue potential, curation gives our publishers more relevance and control in the programmatic advertising ecosystem. Ad curation empowers publishers to move up the value chain as it shifts them from passive sellers to strategic partners by unlocking higher value, stronger relationships, and better control over how their media is monetized.

As a SHE Media publishing partner, here is how you benefit:

Higher Revenue: Curated deals often command premium pricing because they offer advertisers better targeting, data overlays, and quality inventory. This means our publishers earn more per impression compared to open exchange deals.

Improved Buyer Relationships: SHE Media exposes its publishers’ brands to premium buyers. Our direct relationships with brands and agencies allow our publishers to participate in customized private marketplace (PMP) deals, which leads to long-term partnerships and predictable revenue streams.

Better Inventory Control: Unlike in open exchanges, curation lets us define how, where, and to whom our publishing partners’  inventory is sold, helping maintain brand safety, user experience, and editorial standards.

Differentiation in a Crowded Market: With curation, we package our publishers' content and audience in unique ways, like based on context, category, or audience attributes, making it more attractive and distinct to premium advertisers.

Transparency & Trust: By participating in curated deals, our brand partners/advertisers can have more visibility into the inventory/supply. They can see the site lists, brands, and request specific audiences.

Visibility for Small/Mid-Sized Publishers: Curated marketplace helps small and mid-sized publishers who may otherwise have a hard time pitching their inventory as premium to advertisers, or they might otherwise get lost in a pool of impressions 

SHE Media is an enterprise publisher with an industry-leading sales house. We bring in curated deals, and as the industry changes and more Demand partners choose to buy in the PMP and Direct marketplaces, curated deals will continue to rise in value, which translates to more advertising revenue for our publishers. 

For questions contact: support@shemedia.com