Highlights:

• Google has postponed its move towards real-time bidding, which was originally set to take place October 31^st
• From now until October 31^st Google Ads will “reduce spending on multicall requests in waterfalls that do not contain a bidding ad unit.”
• From October 31^st Google Ads will no longer buy on multicall waterfall requests that do not contain an ad unit
• “For a temporary period” following October 31^st Google Ads will continue to respond to calls with the aforementioned ad unit on supported partner platforms
• The expectation is have been completed the transition period by Early 2024

Context

On September 7^th Google’s Director of Product Management, App Ads, Carlos Façanha released an update on Google’s plan to move towards real time bidding. Shifting deadline day from October 31^st. News that will delight many publishers, until Early 2024…

In the statement, Carlos set out a tenuous timeline, acknowledging that some publishers do have complicated set ups and a larger transition window needs to be adopted to ease any disruptions.

“While real-time bidding will improve efficiency and expand monetization opportunities, we recognize this shift is a change for some publishers with complex waterfall mediation setups." Carlos Façanha, Director of Product Management, App Ads, Google

Advising publishers that between the old deadline of October 31^st and the new deadline of Early 2024, Google Ads will respond to waterfalls that contain the ad unit.

Google Ads has recommended a hybrid setup for publishers mediation waterfalls. Confirming that once the ad unit has been added no additional preparation will be needed on October 31^st.

Thoughts from the Industry:

We reached out to some of the best to get their thoughts on Googles latest news.

"Changes in the industry are inevitable, especially those that bring benefits to the overall health of the ecosystem. It's refreshing to see industry leaders acknowledge that these shifts, despite their advantages, can be complex to navigate within a short timeframe. Embracing a gradual transition to this new era will ensure a smoother adaptation and help minimize disruptions." Gumbo Kibelloh, Head of Ad Monetization, A4G

"Google postponing their transition to bidding only setup is definitely good news for all mobile game and app publishers. It shows that hybrid is the best setup for publishers and it’s good that we will have a chance to use it throughout Q4 2023. That said, I think that January next year will be very challenging times for publishers - when Google goes bidding only plus starts requiring TCF 2.2 consent for European traffic." Bozo Jankovic, Head of Ad Monetization, GameBiz Consulting

These updates are fresh and ongoing, as our experts react we will bring you more updates!