--- title: "Pixalate Week in Review: May 18 - 22, 2020" description: Pixalate reviews this week's news in the programmatic ad fraud space. Find the most critical ad tech and privacy news from 18-22 May 2020. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/pixalate-ssai-2020-webinar-cover.png --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/pixalate-ssai-2020-webinar-cover.png) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) | 2 min read # Pixalate Week in Review: May 18 - 22, 2020 Written by [Pixalate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/pixalate) May 22, 2020 11:00:00 AM This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space. ### **1: Webinar recap — SSAI in OTT/CTV 2020: How MRC accreditation helps combat IVT** [![pixalate-ssai-2020-webinar-cover](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/pixalate-ssai-2020-webinar-cover.png?width=600&name=pixalate-ssai-2020-webinar-cover.png)](https://blog.pixalate.com/ssai-2020-webinar-recap-ott-ctv-connected-tv) Our recent webinar, SSAI in 2020: How MRC Accreditation Helps Combat IVT in OTT/CTV Advertising, outlined what the digital ad industry needs to know about server-side ad insertion (SSAI) in 2020. This [post serves as an executive summary](https://www.pixalate.com/ssai-2020-webinar-recap-ott-ctv-connected-tv) of the webinar, which was presented by Chris Schwarz, Pixalate’s Product Manager and subject matter expert on industry guidance. You can watch the [webinar recording here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_S71PSsWuU). ### **2. Programmatic is still fraught with challenges — including ad fraud** ![malware-data-fraud](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/malware-data-fraud.png?width=600&name=malware-data-fraud.png) "The whole industry has been turned upside down by revelations about digital brand safety, ad transparency and ad fraud," wrote Maarten Albarda in a [MediaPost](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/351487/programmatic-still-sucks-for-marketers-big-time.html) op-ed. "And still, nothing has changed." Speaking of the 50% of every ad dollar that actually reaches publishers — per a new ISBA study — Albarda wrote that it "sadly may not reach the actual publishers" in reference to threat of ad fraud, citing Pixalate's recent '[Monarch](https://www.pixalate.com/monarch-ott-ctv-ad-fraud-scheme)' discovery as an example. ### 3. Publishers see surge in COVID-19 scam ads ![scam-alert](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/scam-alert.png?width=600&name=scam-alert.png) "The market dynamics of low ad prices and less buying by top advertisers has opened the door to a surge in coronavirus scam ads in programmatic marketplaces," reported [Digiday](https://digiday.com/media/publishers-see-a-surge-of-coronavirus-scam-ads/). "Scam ads — ads with creative or domains that deliver false or misleading claims about products with the intention of extracting payment — have jumped to represent 20% of fraudulent activity in April, according to The Media Trust." ### 4. Reporter creates own plagiarized 'news' site to show how ad fraud can happen ![news-website](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/news-website.png?width=600&name=news-website.png) CNBC's Megan Graham dove into plagiarized "news" sites that are flooded with ads to rip off publishers. "[I]t’s easy to make money from legitimate advertisers just by setting up a web page," Graham wrote. "That means there’s significant incentive to create sites with not just with low-quality clickbait or A.I.-generated nonsense, but sites filled with outright plagiarized content." She tested the theory herself and found that "it was shockingly easy." [Read the story](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/17/broken-internet-ad-system-makes-it-easy-to-earn-money-with-plagiarism.html). ### **5. eMarketer: Roku top CTV platform, Amazon Fire TV in second** ### ![roku-tv](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/roku-tv.jpg?width=600&name=roku-tv.jpg) "Roku was the top connected TV (CTV) platform in the US last year with 84.7 million users, according to our forecast," reported [eMarketer](https://www.emarketer.com/content/roku-remains-top-ctv-platform-amazon-fire-tv-takes-second-spot-this-year). "We estimate that Roku users will make up 32.9% of US internet users and 46.9% of CTV users in 2020." ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Webinar recap — SSAI in OTT/CTV 2020: How MRC Accreditation helps combat IVT](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/ssai-2020-webinar-recap-ott-ctv-connected-tv) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [Pixalate Week in Review: May 25 - 29, 2020 →](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-may-29-2020) ## You May Also Like These Stories on Weekly Recaps [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 16 - June 20, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) Jun 20, 2025 11:09:13 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 9 - June 13, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) Jun 13, 2025 11:39:50 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/June-6-Pixalate-Recap.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 2 - June 6, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) Jun 6, 2025 1:00:13 PM | 2 min read ** ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) ![pixalate-logo-red-small](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018NewTemplate/pixalate-logo-red-small.png?width=208&name=pixalate-logo-red-small.png "pixalate-logo-red-small") ** By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Products [Analytics](https://www.pixalate.com/products/analytics) [Blocking](https://www.pixalate.com/products/blocking) [Media Rating Terminal](https://www.pixalate.com/products/mrt) [Publisher Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [IoT Device Rankings](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=iotDeviceReach) Resources [Blog](https://blog.pixalate.com/) [Press](https://www.pixalate.com/press) [Careers](https://www.pixalate.com/jobs) [Team](https://info.pixalate.com/pixalate-leadership-team) Contact Email [** sales@pixalate.com ](mailto:sales@pixalate.com) [** privacy@pixalate.com ](mailto:privacy@pixalate.com) US: [** +1 888 749 2528 ](tel:+1%20888%20749%202528) EU: [** +44 (0)800 011 2050 ](tel:+44%20(0)800%20011%202050) Slack: [Join ATSAPI Slack Channel ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) Offices Global Offices US 1775 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 425, McLean, VA 22102 UK 20 North Audley Street London, W1K 6WE, United Kingdom EU 10 Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 T380, Ireland Singapore 10 Anson Road, #22-02 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 [![facebook](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/facebook.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/pixalate) [![x](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/twitter-x.png) ](https://twitter.com/pixalateinc) [![linkedin](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/linkedin.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixalate) ![wechat](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/wechat.png) [![slack](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/slack.png) ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) [GDPR Compliance](https://www.pixalate.com/gdpr) Disclaimer Copyright © 2025 Pixalate [Back to top **](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-may-22-2020#) # Disclaimer Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any proprietary data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that - opinion, not facts or guarantees. Per the MRC, “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. 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