Rubicon Project
Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project) is the largest independent sell-side advertising platform, operating a modular programmatic ad technology stack that connects publishers and media owners with brands, agencies, and DSPs across CTV, online video, display, and audio inventory globally.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersPlaya Vista, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Rubicon Project does
Rubicon Project was founded in 2007 as a sell-side advertising technology platform and merged with Telaria in 2020 to form Magnite, Inc., the largest independent sell-side advertising company. The company operates a modular ad platform connecting publishers and media owners (sellers) with brands, agencies, and demand-side platforms (buyers) for programmatic advertising transactions across connected TV (CTV), online video, display, and audio formats. Core products include DV+ (the primary header bidding and real-time bidding SSP, retaining the legacy platform.rubiconproject.com login), Magnite Streaming, SpringServe (server-side ad insertion for CTV/OTT), ClearLine (brand safety and transparency), streamr.ai (audience activation for nonprofits), and Magnite Orchestration (an AI agentic advertising layer launched June 2026).
The platform is built on a hybrid infrastructure combining on-premises systems with cloud-based environments, with distributed data centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia to deliver 99.97% uptime and low-latency auction processing. Magnite integrates with major DSPs (Google DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon, Microsoft/Xandr, InMobi/Roku) and measurement providers (Nielsen, Comscore, DoubleVerify, Oracle Moat, Human Security, Pixalate, TVSquared). The company is a registered IAB TCF 2.0 vendor, maintains GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and EU-US Data Privacy Framework compliance, and operates with 501-1000 employees across offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Dublin.
Magnite monetizes via transaction fees and take rates on programmatic advertising spend flowing through its exchange, with negotiated enterprise contracts and multi-year durations. The customer base is horizontal across publishers and buyers, with named enterprise logos including NFL.com, Business Insider, Walmart, Google, Dentsu, DIRECTV Advertising, and the AdGood nonprofit network. Notable M&A history includes Chango ($122M, 2015), nToggle ($38.5M, 2017), and RTK.io (2019), all absorbed into the platform's data and optimization capabilities.
Rubicon Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rubicon Project
- Legal name
- Magnite, Inc.
- Website
- https://rubiconproject.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project) is the largest independent sell-side advertising platform, operating a modular programmatic ad technology stack that connects publishers and media owners with brands, agencies, and DSPs across CTV, online video, display, and audio inventory globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rubicon Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Programmatic Advertising Technology (Ad Tech)
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Advertising Agencies (54181)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio) (BPAFABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Data Platform & Audience Insights (CDP, Data Warehouse, Attribution) (MPAHAJAN), Programmatic Display & Video (DSP/RTB) (BPAFACAC), Creative, Content Production & Ad Ops Tools (BPAMALAK)
Keywords
Where Rubicon Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Playa Vista
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Rubicon Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Programmatic Advertising Transaction Fees: Magnite earns revenue by facilitating transactions between publishers (sellers of advertising inventory) and advertisers (buyers). The company charges fees for using its sell-side platform to auction and deliver digital advertising across CTV, online video, display, and audio formats. The platform operates on a programmatic basis connecting buyers and sellers in real-time auctions.
- Supply-Side Platform Services: Revenue generated from providing technology and services to media owners/publishers to maximize their advertising revenue through header bidding, supply path optimization, and inventory management tools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Enterprise publisher and advertiser partnerships |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Rubicon Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project) operates a programmatic advertising sell-side platform that enables publishers and media owners to monetize digital ad inventory across CTV, online video, audio, display, and mobile through automated auctions. The platform connects supply-side publishers with demand-side advertisers and agencies via real-time bidding, header bidding, and direct programmatic guarantees. Its product suite includes DV+, Magnite Streaming, SpringServe, ClearLine, Magnite Orchestration, streamr.ai, and Magnite Explorer.
Product overview
Magnite operates as a modular advertising technology platform with a platform-plus-products architecture. The core Magnite platform serves as the unified infrastructure connecting sellers (publishers, media owners) with buyers and agencies for programmatic advertising across multiple formats and screens. Key products include DV+ for traditional programmatic ad serving, Magnite Streaming for CTV/OTT environments, and SpringServe for advanced video ad serving. The company recently launched Magnite Orchestration as an AI layer enabling autonomous advertising agents. Additional tools include ClearLine for brand safety and transparency, streamr.ai for nonprofit audience activation, and Magnite Explorer for analytics. The company emerged from the merger of Rubicon Project with Tremor International in 2020.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DV+ DV+ is Magnite's flagship sell-side platform (SSP) for programmatic monetization of display and video inventory. It is used by publishers and media owners to run header bidding, real-time bidding, and direct deals across the open web.
- Magnite Streaming Magnite Streaming is the CTV and online video sell-side platform for publishers and broadcasters. It enables streaming media owners to monetize premium ad-supported content through programmatic auctions and direct demand integrations.
- SpringServe SpringServe is an ad server for CTV and video, providing ad decisioning, frequency capping, and server-side ad insertion (SSAI) capabilities to streaming publishers and broadcasters.
- Magnite ClearLine Magnite ClearLine is a platform for managing automated, direct programmatic deals between publishers and buyers, including programmatic guaranteed and private marketplace (PMP) deals, with reduced operational overhead.
- Magnite Orchestration Magnite Orchestration is a header bidding and ad decisioning solution that unifies auctions across multiple SSPs and demand sources, enabling publishers to optimize yield in a single, server-side workflow.
- streamr.ai streamr.ai is an AI-driven CTV advertising platform for ad buyers that enables agentic, AI-powered planning, activation, and optimization of streaming media campaigns.
- Magnite Explorer Magnite Explorer is a data and analytics platform providing publishers and buyers with insights into programmatic supply, audience composition, and deal performance across channels.
Quantifiable outcome
- 270%+ revenue uplift for publishers using Google Open Bidding Direct Pay with Magnite
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Rubicon Project
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rubicon Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration26 records
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
Rubicon Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GooglecoreMagnite partners with Google on Open Bidding Direct Pay, enabling publishers to access Google's extensive advertiser demand. This partnership has delivered 270%+ revenue uplift for publishers like Quarter Media. Magnite is integrated with Google's DV360 demand-side platform.
- WalmartcoreMagnite partners with Walmart Connect to power the Connect Select marketplace on Walmart's DSP. This enables advertisers to access Walmart's retail media network through Magnite's platform.
- Business InsidercoreBusiness Insider launched a standalone FAST channel and partnered with Magnite's SpringServe for the next phase of streaming growth, enabling monetization of their streaming content.
- The Trade DeskcoreThe Trade Desk is a major DSP integrated with Magnite's sell-side platform, enabling programmatic ad buying across CTV, video, display, and audio inventory.
- NielsencoreNielsen provides measurement and attribution services integrated with Magnite's platform to help advertisers measure campaign performance.
- ComscorecoreComscore provides measurement and analytics capabilities integrated with Magnite's platform for audience measurement and campaign verification.
- DoubleVerifycoreDoubleVerify provides fraud prevention and brand safety solutions integrated with Magnite's platform to ensure inventory quality.
- Human (f/k/a White Ops)coreHuman Security provides bot and fraud detection integrated with Magnite's platform for protection against non-human traffic.
- Moat (Oracle)coreOracle Moat provides viewability and attention measurement integrated with Magnite's advertising platform.
- PixalatecorePixalate provides privacy, compliance, and fraud detection services integrated with Magnite's platform for connected TV and mobile advertising.
- DentsucoreDentsu is testing Magnite's expanded buyer and seller agent capabilities, including Magnite Orchestration for AI-powered advertising automation.
- DIRECTV AdvertisingcoreDIRECTV Advertising is testing Magnite's expanded buyer and seller agent capabilities, including AI-powered advertising orchestration.
- Amazon AdscoreAmazon is integrated with Magnite's sell-side platform as a DSP partner enabling programmatic buying across inventory.
- AdGoodminorAdGood leverages Magnite's streamr.ai platform to create and scale impactful ads for nonprofit organizations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rubicon Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pubmatic: Pubmatic is a publicly traded independent sell-side platform offering programmatic monetization for publishers across display, video, mobile, and CTV—directly overlapping with Magnite's DV+ and Streaming offerings and serving the same publisher and DSP buyer ecosystem.
- Index Exchange: Index Exchange operates one of the largest independent SSPs and competes directly with Magnite DV+ for publisher header bidding and supply path optimization spend across CTV and omnichannel inventory.
- OpenX: OpenX is an independent SSP offering programmatic monetization across CTV, video, and display—directly competitive with Magnite for premium publisher inventory and global demand integrations.
- Criteo: Criteo transitioned from a retargeting specialist into a broader commerce media platform with SSP and retailer monetization capabilities, competing with Magnite for retail media and omnichannel publisher demand.
- Equativ: Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer) is an independent ad tech platform combining an SSP, ad server, and curation capabilities, competing with Magnite DV+ and SpringServe for publisher-side monetization technology.
- Adform: Adform is an independent ad tech platform offering both DSP and SSP capabilities across display, video, and CTV—directly comparable to Magnite's platform-plus-products architecture for cross-channel media owners.
Broad incumbents
- The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is the largest independent demand-side platform and a core buyer of Magnite's inventory. While buy-side versus sell-side, the two companies serve the same advertisers and compete for budget allocation within the programmatic stack.
- Yahoo (Verizon Media / Yahoo Ad Tech): Yahoo operates a major SSP (formerly Verizon Media's programmatic business) and competes with Magnite for both publisher supply and DSP marketplace integrations, particularly in CTV and premium video inventory.
Emerging players
- LiveRamp: LiveRamp is a data connectivity and identity resolution platform that integrates with Magnite's audience targeting stack. While not a direct SSP, it increasingly competes in addressability and data collaboration solutions central to programmatic monetization.
Others
- DoubleVerify: DoubleVerify is a verification, brand safety, and fraud prevention partner integrated with Magnite via ClearLine. While not a direct competitor, it represents an adjacent ad tech category that increasingly competes for the same quality-related ad spend.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rubicon Project social profiles
Digital presenceRubicon Project compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Rubicon Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rubicon Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Rubicon Project subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Rubicon Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rubicon Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rubicon Project
What does Rubicon Project do?
Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project) operates a programmatic advertising sell-side platform that enables publishers and media owners to monetize digital ad inventory across CTV, online video, audio, display, and mobile through automated auctions. The platform connects supply-side publishers with demand-side advertisers and agencies via real-time bidding, header bidding, and direct programmatic guarantees. Its product suite includes DV+, Magnite Streaming, SpringServe, ClearLine, Magnite Orchestration, streamr.ai, and Magnite Explorer.
Is Rubicon Project a public or private company?
Rubicon Project is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Rubicon Project founded?
Rubicon Project was founded in 2007. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Rubicon Project based?
Rubicon Project is headquartered in Playa Vista, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rubicon Project make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Programmatic Advertising Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are supply-Side Platform Services.
Who are Rubicon Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pubmatic, Index Exchange, OpenX, Criteo, Equativ and Adform. Broad incumbents are The Trade Desk and Yahoo (Verizon Media / Yahoo Ad Tech). LiveRamp is listed as an emerging player. DoubleVerify is listed as an others.
Does Rubicon Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rubicon Project.
What industry is Rubicon Project in?
Rubicon Project's product category is Programmatic Advertising Technology (Ad Tech). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFABAB, Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio), with a secondary code of MPAHAJAN, Data Platform & Audience Insights (CDP, Data Warehouse, Attribution). Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 7310.