Overview
As premium streaming audiences continue to grow, streaming publishers are under pressure to deliver stronger monetisation outcomes while maintaining operational efficiency across increasingly complex ad tech stacks.
For A+E Global Media™ (A&E HISTORY and Lifetime brands), programmatic demand is a critical component of its streaming monetisation strategy. However, traditional slot-based auction workflows created inefficiencies in its ad server and limited buyers’ ability to evaluate and bid on inventory holistically.
Each individual slot within an ad pod was auctioned independently, resulting in higher ad server load, fragmented demand signals, and missed opportunities to maximise the value of premium podded inventory.
A+E Global Media sought a scalable, standardised approach that would reduce overhead, improve delivery performance, and unlock incremental revenue without disrupting ad server workflows.
Solution
A+E Global Media partnered with Index Exchange to implement ad podding through its direct integration with A+E Global Media’s ad decisioning platform, FreeWheel. Using Index’s OpenRTB 2.6 ad podding capabilities, FreeWheel passed a complete view of the ad break into a single programmatic request, rather than issuing separate requests for each individual slot.
“We believe the future of programmatic premium streaming is dynamic ad podding. This collaboration between supply and demand partners will drive industry efficiency, lower costs, deliver more effective reach, and create a cleaner supply chain.”
Matt Clark, VP Strategy and Partnerships
FreeWheel
This pod-level approach enabled buyers to assess multiple ad positions together, improving auction dynamics and bidding efficiency. By exposing the full breadth of the pod, Index created a more transparent and competitive marketplace for premium streaming inventory.
Index’s streaming-first infrastructure and standards-based implementation ensured seamless compatibility with FreeWheel’s ad decisioning platform. The result was a more efficient programmatic workflow that complemented A+E Global Media’s direct sales strategy while laying the groundwork for a sustainable, future-ready bidding model.
Results
The shift to pod-level auctions delivered measurable efficiency, delivery, and monetisation gains.
- Ad server efficiency: By shifting from slot-level auctions to pod-level requests, A+E Global Media significantly reduced operational overhead. Average inbound requests from FreeWheel to Index Exchange decreased by 84% for podded inventory.
- Delivery performance: With improved demand visibility and more efficient auctions, podded inventory delivered stronger performance. Impressions increased by an average of 39% for podded supply versus unpodded supply.
- Monetisation impact: More competitive auctions and broader demand participation drove measurable revenue gains. Ad spend increased by an average of 19% for podded supply versus unpodded supply.
“Ad podding has allowed us to streamline how programmatic demand flows through our ad server while improving overall performance. By working closely with Index Exchange and FreeWheel, we were able to reduce operational complexity and unlock greater value from our premium streaming inventory.”
Joseph Lerner, VP, Programmatic
A+E Global Media
As programmatic streaming continues to mature, efficiency and standardisation are becoming as critical as scale. Ad podding represents a meaningful evolution in how programmatic video is bought and sold—aligning ad server workflows with industry standards while improving delivery and monetisation outcomes.
For streaming TV publishers like A+E Global Media, ad podding enables programmatic demand to operate more like direct, TV-grade buying. By reducing friction, increasing transparency, and exposing the full value of the ad break, Index helps streaming publishers build a more sustainable, future-ready programmatic strategy.
“Ad podding brings much-needed transparency to streaming. Buyers can understand the context of an ad within a break, and streaming publishers can reduce wasted ad calls by making decisions at the pod level, which creates a more efficient marketplace with better outcomes for everyone.”
James Wilhite, VP, Product
Index Exchange
See how you can make the most of the programmatic opportunity in streaming TV with Index Exchange.
