---
title: "As CTV Blooms, It’s Knives Out For The Trade Desk’s Take Rate"
url: https://adtech.lol/articles/a2e3e63f-6343-4a3d-aea3-337f7761db60
source_url: https://www.adexchanger.com/online-advertising/as-ctv-blooms-its-knives-out-for-the-trade-desks-take-rate/
source_site: adexchanger
author: "AdExchanger Staff"
published: 2025-04-28T05:39:00+00:00
tags: ["Amazon DSP", "DSP Take rates", "Pontiac DSP", "the trade desk", "TTD"]
publisher: AdTech Radar
---

# As CTV Blooms, It’s Knives Out For The Trade Desk’s Take Rate

> The Trade Desk's take rate remains stable at around 20%, even as competitors with lower rates gain traction, particularly in the growing Connected TV advertising market. This article explores the implications of the Trade Desk's pricing strategy amidst increasing pressure from rival DSPs.

### The Trade Desk's Take Rate
The Trade Desk’s (TTD) take rate has been one of the most sensitive topics in programmatic advertising for the past decade.

From 2017 to the present, its take rate has hovered between 19% to 21%, a number The Trade Desk reports annually.

Shortly after The Trade Desk’s IPO, founder and CEO Jeff Green told AdExchanger that TTD’s take rate would stand between 15%-20% “for as far as we can see into the future.” So far, he’s been right.

Meanwhile, pretty much every other part of the supply chain has seen its take rates compress.

### Increased Competition
Advertisers declared tech vendor fees “the ad tech tax.” And many holdco agencies suffering in their own business still paid high fees to their vendor, The Trade Desk, which had suddenly become the bigger company.

However, rival DSPs are attempting to gain market share by pitching lower take rates and data fees. This includes offerings from players like Amazon Ads DSP and Comcast, to startups like Pontiac DSP.

The Trade Desk affirmed its take rate has no plans of going down. “Our take rate has been consistently around 20% of spend on our platform, and there is no plan to change that,” a spokesperson told AdExchanger, even as CTV grows its share of ads on the platform.

### Why the Fuss Now?
If The Trade Desk’s take rate controversy goes back nine years, then why is the topic so important right now?

Partly, it’s that The Trade Desk’s most recent earnings report was the one time per year when it discloses its take rate, so that number (a cool 20.3% in 2024) is fresh in people’s minds. 

Also, The Trade Desk had its first truly bad fumble in terms of quarterly earnings since its IPO. So this is like a Formula 1 race where everyone’s trying to make up time while the leader takes a long pit stop.

### Structural Changes in Programmatic Media
There are structural changes happening in programmatic media right now that open the door a smidge to DSP challengers. For one thing, CTV ads have cheaper cloud computing costs. Streaming-focused DSPs can then pass on their data storage cost savings.

Amazon is known for its low prices – and that includes take rates. The Amazon DSP has trimmed its DSP fee and is offering relatively low rates for streaming and CTV ads, said Kate Greubel, VP of self-serve media at the ecommerce agency Flywheel, which is owned by Omnicom.

Despite the lower costs, Amazon can afford these cuts because it owns the media platforms themselves, which could significantly change the competitive landscape.

### New DSPs Entering the Market
There haven’t been many new DSPs on the market in the past five to 10 years because of high costs, said Keith Gooberman, co-founder and CEO of Programmatic Mechanics and Pontiac DSP. Instead of trying to do everything, the DSP focuses almost exclusively on CTV and online video. 

Viant, another emerging player, has increased its market share towards CTV, further complicating the landscape for traditional DSPs like The Trade Desk.

### Conclusion
While the Trade Desk maintains a significant presence and profits, emerging competitors continue to place pressure on its pricing model. As the landscape evolves, advertisers increasingly weigh their options across various DSPs, which could lead to a redistribution of market share.


Source: [https://www.adexchanger.com/online-advertising/as-ctv-blooms-its-knives-out-for-the-trade-desks-take-rate/](https://www.adexchanger.com/online-advertising/as-ctv-blooms-its-knives-out-for-the-trade-desks-take-rate/)