Magnite has announced an interesting customer win, sharing that Blitz, a platform that lets gamers analyze their performance across popular video and online games, has chosen them as their preferred SSP. Blitz will use Magnite to programmatically connect advertisers with its display and video ad inventory.
Why This Matters:
Blitz is pretty cool (see a great demo/review here). The platform lets gamers analyze how they stack up against others globally, which is great for competitive players, or for those who just want fun insights that help them improve. The company claims over 10 million active users and supports top games like League of Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics.
The free-to-use version features ads, and this is where Magnite comes into… play (forgive the pun). Gamers can be an elusive audience and are notoriously averse to ads. This partnership supports Blitz as its ad business grows, while giving Magnite access to a deeply engaged gaming audience.
Experts React:
Eddie Lee, VP of Revenue Operations at Blitz, says the Magnite partnership is key as “we continue improving our advertising monetization strategy.” He added that Magnite “helps us source advertising demand from premium relevant brands, allowing us to focus more on developing our core products and servicing gamers.” This is very much an up-and-coming ads business that is leaning on Magnite to support its maturation.
Ashley Wheeler, SVP of DV+ Platform at Magnite touted the diverse reach and “leaned-in audiences” available through Blitz. According to Magnite’s release, Blitz is also “the number one source of diverse-owned media,” per bid request volume data from a 2023 Jounce Media report.
Our Take:
Advertiser interest in gaming platforms like Blitz is still in its early stages. In gaming, in general, there is significant education required to get brands up-to-speed on the opportunities that exist. The demand is certainly there, however, as brands know they need to be doing more in ad-supported gaming.
A March report found that advertisers plan to increase spending on in-video-game advertising by 40% in 2024, reaching $8.5 billion, and anticipate it will rise to $11.5 billion by 2027. Blitz, however, is more of a publisher versus an actual gaming service so it will be interesting to see how it’s programmatic business, supported by Magnite, grows moving forward.
