As independent content creators scale audiences across CTV and beyond social platforms, PubMatic enables direct access to a new class of performance-driven buyers through AgenticOS

Company Website: https://pubmatic.com
NO-HEADQUARTERS/REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- (Business Wire)

PubMatic (Nasdaq: PUBM), the leading AI-powered ad tech company delivering digital advertising performance, today announced the launch of its Creator Marketplace, the first programmatic CTV auction connecting independent creator media companies’ premium CTV inventory with programmatic and emerging agentic demand. MeatEater, the leading outdoor lifestyle media brand founded by renowned writer and TV host Steven Rinella, joins as the marketplace's inaugural launch partner.

The creator economy is estimated to exceed $250 billion¹ globally, yet creator monetization has traditionally relied on direct sponsorships and walled gardens, leaving independent creator publishers without the programmatic infrastructure that drives incremental publisher revenue. At the same time, a new class of performance-driven advertisers, activated through AgenticOS, PubMatic's agentic advertising platform, is entering programmatic for the first time, seeking the kind of highly-engaged, loyalty-driven audiences that have historically only been accessible inside walled gardens. Additionally, according to IAB research², two in three digital video buyers are actively using or planning agentic AI campaigns in 2026, validating strong demand for a new path to creator-led CTV performance.

The Creator Marketplace arrives at this convergence point: creators gain access to incremental programmatic demand, and agentic advertisers gain access to highly performant creator-led CTV audience segments previously unavailable to them through programmatic channels.

"The creator economy has matured into one of the most powerful forces in media, yet the programmatic industry has mostly stayed on the outside," said Nicole Scaglione, VP of CTV at PubMatic. "With the surge of agentic advertising at PubMatic, we are seeing a new class of advertisers hungry for the type of highly-engaged, deeply-loyal audiences that these creators bring. With the Creator Marketplace, we are providing a direct line from that new demand to these powerful publishers, in a way that neither could access before.”

The Creator Marketplace is developed in partnership with Holmes Media, whose Boost offering helps creator-led media companies scale premium CTV inventory across platforms and monetize through direct and programmatic channels. FreeWheel serves as the marketplace's inaugural ad server partner, enabling seamless integration across platforms and existing creator-publisher workflows.

"A significant gap has emerged between traditional premium video and platform-native creator media,” said Emily Bromley, VP Global Growth at FreeWheel. "Many of today's most influential creators have built highly engaged audiences and premium content, yet they often lack the infrastructure, transparency, and standardized buying workflows required to access large-scale video advertising budgets. FreeWheel is helping bridge that gap by bringing the measurement, control, and operational consistency buyers expect from premium video environments. We look forward to working with creators, Holmes Media, and PubMatic to unlock new opportunities across emerging formats, including vertical video, interactive experiences, and performance-driven creative solutions."

MeatEater: A New Kind of Publisher, A New Kind of Audience

MeatEater exemplifies the category PubMatic is building for. Founded by Steven Rinella, a New York Times-best selling author and key voice in American outdoors culture, MeatEater, has grown into a fully scaled, independent media company, with 12 full-time content creators and in-house production capabilities for its wholly-owned video and audio output. Across that portfolio, MeatEater has built an engaged audience with more than 7 million followers across social handles and more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, while extending that audience into meaningful CTV scale across leading FAST and AVOD platforms. That audience carries creator-level loyalty: 32% report making a purchase based on the MeatEater creator team’s endorsement. Brands across automotive, outdoor and sporting goods, consumer packaged goods, and travel categories are already accessing MeatEater's premium CTV inventory through PubMatic's platform, signaling strong early advertiser demand.

"MeatEater has one of the most engaged communities in digital media, and our CTV growth offers brands a new path to reach those fans at scale," said Andrew Barge, Chief Content Officer, MeatEater. "Partnering with PubMatic opens a programmatic front door to that demand while preserving the control and standards that our creators and fans expect.”

MeatEater is the first of several creator-founded media companies joining PubMatic's Creator Marketplace, with additional publisher partners across key verticals expected to onboard in the coming months. To learn more, and integrate the creator marketplace into your next campaign, visit go.pubmatic.com/creator-marketplace or contact your PubMatic representative.

About PubMatic

PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM) is the leading AI-powered ad tech company delivering digital advertising performance. Through an intelligent, unified platform that connects buyers, publishers, data partners, and commerce media networks, PubMatic delivers superior performance with greater transparency, control, and efficiency.

Since 2006, PubMatic has pioneered every major advance in programmatic advertising, from enabling the first OpenRTB transactions to embedding AI-driven optimization and privacy-focused innovation across its platform. With omnichannel scale, proven reliability, and a track record of continuous innovation, PubMatic is building a more intelligent, profitable, and sustainable open internet. Built to Connect. Powered to Perform.

About MeatEater

MeatEater, Inc. is an outdoor lifestyle company founded by renowned writer and TV personality Steven Rinella. Host of the Netflix show MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast, Rinella has gained wide popularity with hunters and non-hunters alike through his passion for outdoor adventure and wild foods, as well as his strong commitment to conservation. Founded with the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, MeatEater, Inc. brings together leading influencers in the outdoor space to create premium content experiences and unique apparel and equipment. MeatEater, Inc. is based in Bozeman, MT.

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Contacts:

Press Contact

Ashley Jacobson, Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing, press@pubmatic.com
Purpose North America, pubmatic@purposenorthamerica.com

Source: PubMatic