Concert

What Concert does

Concert is a publisher-direct brand advertising marketplace formed in 2021 as a joint venture between Vox Media and NBCUniversal and now operating as a wholly-owned Vox Media subsidiary. The company aggregates roughly 80 premium national and local publishers — including marquee names such as Vox Media, NBCUniversal, The Atlantic, Condé Nast, and Hearst Newspapers — into a curated inventory pool that reaches 90% of the U.S. online audience and generates 3 billion-plus monthly impressions across 240 million unique users. Concert sells this inventory into three parallel channels: a fully managed enterprise campaign service staffed by in-house marketplace experts, programmatic access via its homegrown Concert SSP through partner DSPs, and a self-service Concert Ad Manager aimed at growth-stage advertisers.

The technical stack is built on three proprietary layers. The Concert SSP is the publisher-direct supply-side platform that delivers inventory to programmatic buyers without intermediary hops. Forte is the first-party data engine that powers audience targeting, leveraging direct publisher signals rather than third-party cookies. Athena is Concert's exclusive creative portfolio of user-forward video, animation, and display formats, with over 12,000 ads delivered to date; the formats are designed to integrate in-content and never cover editorial material, supporting the brand-safety positioning. The platform is integrated with Prebid.js for header bidding compatibility on the publisher side.

Concert monetizes through a mix of managed-service advertising fees, programmatic SSP transaction-based revenue at premium CPMs, self-service marketplace commissions in the Ad Manager, and publisher-monetization revenue shares. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer concentration on the supply side is anchored by a small number of high-profile publisher partners, while the demand side spans brand advertisers, media agencies, growth-stage self-service clients, and programmatic DSP buyers. There are no disclosed revenue figures, funding rounds, or headcount data; the company is privately held with no external venture or private-equity investors referenced in the source material.

Name

Concert

Legal name

Concert

Website

https://concert.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Concert is a publisher-direct premium advertising marketplace, owned by Vox Media, that aggregates roughly 80 curated national and local publishers — including NBCUniversal, The Atlantic, Condé Nast, and Hearst — and serves brands, agencies, and growth advertisers via managed, programmatic SSP, and self-service channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Programmatic Advertising Marketplace

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

akta.pro primary industry

Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA)

Keywords

• Programmatic advertising marketplace
• Brand-safe advertising
• Publisher-direct supply
• Supply-side platform
• Premium ad inventory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Managed Brand Advertising Campaigns: Fully managed campaign services where Concert's in-house marketplace experts customize creative, tailor audiences, and traffic campaigns for brand partners. Revenue from premium brand advertising inventory across the curated publisher portfolio.
2. Programmatic SSP Transactions: Concert SSP transacts publisher-direct programmatic supply to partner DSPs, with Forte-qualified supply and access to first-party data. Revenue generated on a transactional/auction basis for premium inventory.
3. Self-Service Ad Manager: Concert Ad Manager (admanager.concert.io) provides self-service campaign execution for growth clients who bring their own assets and bundle creative into Athena formats — generating advertising revenue on the marketplace.
4. Publisher Monetization (Demand Side): Concert delivers high-quality, unique demand to publishers at premium CPMs, taking a share of the monetization as a marketplace. Publishers include Vox Media, NBCUniversal, The Atlantic, Condé Nast, and Hearst Newspapers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Concert operates a publisher-led brand advertising marketplace that aggregates a curated portfolio of approximately 80 premium publisher brands (including Vox Media, NBCUniversal, The Atlantic, Condé Nast, and Hearst Newspapers) and delivers high-performing ad experiences across more than 90% of the U.S. digital audience. The marketplace is built on three proprietary technology layers — the Concert SSP, the Forte first-party data engine, and the Athena creative portfolio — and is offered to advertisers and agencies through three buying motions: a fully managed campaign service, programmatic access via partner DSPs, and a self-service Ad Manager.

Product overview

Concert (a Vox Media Company) operates as a single integrated brand advertising marketplace composed of several named modules that work together. The core Concert Marketplace reaches over 90% of the US online audience across premium publishers and is built on exclusive ad technology and first-party data. Concert SSP is the publisher-direct programmatic supply-side platform that channels premium inventory to buyers, powered by Forte, the first-party data engine. The Athena is Concert's signature creative portfolio (video, animation, display) used across the marketplace and SSP to deliver immersive brand-suitable ad experiences. Concert Ad Manager is the self-service layer that lets brands and growth clients build and traffic campaigns using Athena creative formats and Forte-qualified supply. Together, Concert SSP + Forte + Athena + Concert Ad Manager form the technical components of the broader Concert Marketplace offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Concert SSP: Publisher-direct ad platform (supply-side platform) delivering programmatic creative excellence, trusted inventory, and scale to programmatic buyers.
• Concert Ad Manager
• Athena
• Forte

Products and services

• Concert Marketplace The flagship brand advertising marketplace connecting brand advertisers and agencies with a curated portfolio of approximately 80 premium publisher brands, reaching over 90% of the U.S. digital audience with brand-suitable, high-impact ad experiences.
• Concert SSP Homegrown supply-side platform delivering publisher-direct programmatic supply to DSPs and buyers without intermediary hops, powered by the Forte first-party data engine and the exclusive Athena creative portfolio.
• Concert Ad Manager Self-service campaign management platform that enables brands and growth clients to bring their own assets and re-bundle creative into Concert's upscale Athena formats, delivering premium ads and insights without a fully managed commitment.
• Athena Creative Portfolio Signature creative portfolio of user-forward, immersive ad formats spanning video, animation, and display — available as turnkey or fully custom experiences and powering brand advertising across the Concert marketplace without covering content or interfering with page performance.
• Forte Data Engine First-party data engine that propels the Concert SSP, leveraging direct publisher signals so advertisers can find ideal audiences across the open web, activate them in best-performing contexts, and tune into evolving passion points over time.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Vox MediaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcert is a Vox Media Company (per footer copyright). Born out of the partnership between Vox Media & NBCUniversal. Vox Media is also a publisher partner in Concert's curated portfolio of ~80 premium brands, providing both inventory and likely origination/operational backing.
• NBCUniversalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of Concert, alongside Vox Media. NBCUniversal is also a publisher partner in Concert's premium portfolio (~80 brands), contributing inventory and strategic backing.
• The AtlanticcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher partner in Concert's premium portfolio of ~80 brands. Provides premium editorial inventory to Concert's marketplace in exchange for high-quality demand at premium CPMs.
• Condé NastcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher partner in Concert's premium portfolio (~80 brands). Supplies premium editorial inventory into Concert's marketplace and receives high-quality demand at premium CPMs.
• Hearst NewspaperscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher partner in Concert's premium portfolio (~80 brands). Provides premium editorial inventory (newspaper content) into Concert's marketplace in exchange for premium CPM demand.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OpenX: Independent ad exchange and SSP serving premium publishers and app developers. Competes with Concert in supply-side programmatic and audience-data-driven targeting, with overlap in the brand-safety and premium-inventory positioning.
• Magnite: Largest independent omnichannel SSP, formed by the merger of Rubicon Project and Telaria. Operates a publisher-direct programmatic supply-side platform comparable to Concert's homegrown SSP, monetizing premium CTV, online video, and display inventory at scale.
• TripleLift: SSP focused on native and high-quality programmatic formats, providing publisher-direct supply and creative formats. Overlaps with Concert's Athena creative portfolio and publisher-direct supply positioning.
• Pubmatic: Independent SSP and ad tech company providing supply-side platform services, header bidding, and audience data for premium publishers. Directly comparable to Concert's SSP-plus-data engine combination for publisher-direct programmatic monetization.
• Index Exchange: Global independent SSP focused on premium publisher supply and header bidding. Competes head-to-head with Concert for publisher-direct inventory and programmatic demand, with similar emphasis on transparency and direct integrations with DSPs.
• Sharethrough: Independent omnichannel SSP specializing in native and video advertising for premium publishers. Comparable to Concert in curating brand-safe, premium publisher supply and offering differentiated creative and audience capabilities.

Emerging players

• Nativo: Independent ad platform focused on premium native advertising for brand marketers. Comparable to Concert's creative-led, premium-publisher positioning but with a narrower focus on native formats and a smaller scale.

Others

• The Trade Desk: Leading independent DSP that buys Concert's supply via partner DSP integrations. Not a direct SSP competitor but a critical counterpart in the programmatic ecosystem; its continued partnership and DSP economics directly affect Concert's SSP take rate and growth.

Broad incumbents

• Google Ad Manager: Dominant ad server and SSP/exchange combination operated by Google. Competes with Concert for publisher inventory and brand demand at massive scale; a broad incumbent whose publisher-direct products and audience data set the industry benchmark.
• Microsoft Monetize (formerly Xandr): Microsoft's ad platform combining a supply-side marketplace (Xandr) and demand-side tools. Overlaps with Concert in SSP and curated audience offerings, particularly for premium brand and agency buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/concert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/concertads

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Concert