---
title: "Pixalate Week in Review: March 25 - 29, 2019"
description: Pixalate reviews this week's news in the programmatic ad fraud space. Find the most critical ad tech and privacy news from 25-29 March 2019.
image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/trust-trusted-partner.png
---
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# Pixalate Week in Review: March 25 - 29, 2019
Written by [Tyler Loechner](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/tyler-loechner)
Mar 29, 2019 12:50:28 PM
This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space.
### **1. Q4 2018 Ads.txt Report: Sites with ads.txt have 19% less ad fraud**
Pixalate this week released the [Q4 2018 Ads.txt Trends Report](https://info.pixalate.com/ads-txt-trends-report-q4-2018). The report features data and insights collected by Pixalate detailing the state of ads.txt adoption over the fourth quarter of 2018.
- Ads.txt adoption **increased 2.1x** 2018
- On average, sites with ads.txt have a 19**% lower IVT rate** compared to sites without ads.txt
- Of the top 1000 programmatic domains, **79%** now have ads.txt
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2364596/2fdb6f45-e0fc-4271-be8f-6393a614f181)
### **2. eMarketer: 2019 digital ad spend to account for over 50% of global ad market**
"In 2019, worldwide digital ad spending will rise by 17.6% to $333.25 billion," wrote [eMarketer](https://content-na1.emarketer.com/global-digital-ad-spending-2019) in its release of the 2019 Digital Ad Spend report. "That means that, for the first time, digital will account for roughly half of the global ad market."
### **3. Adweek: Google considers restricting third-party ad-targeting **
"Amid heightened public concern over data privacy, Google is contemplating a number of changes to its consumer- and advertiser-facing tools, with potential changes that could have far-reaching implications for how online media is monetized," reported [Adweek](https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/google-mulls-third-party-ad-targeting-restrictions/).
### **4. Unilever creates 'Trusted Publishers' network to combat ad fraud**
"Unilever has setup a trusted network of online publishers and platforms to work closely with the company to help it clean up its digital advertising," wrote [Mobile Marketing Magazine](https://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/unilever-trusted-publishers-network-ad-fraud). "The aim of the network is to help Unilever combat fraud by giving it more control and visibility over where its ads are placed, ensuring that people view ads instead of bots."
### **5. Agencies are demanding more transparency from sell-side tech**
****
"Agencies have already put the squeeze on their demand-side tech partners to be clear about margins and fees," wrote [AdExchanger](https://adexchanger.com/agencies/agency-demands-for-transparency-have-lasting-ramifications-for-sell-side-tech/). "Now they’re coming after SSPs as well." AdExchanger added that "the agency push for transparency is starting to spur consolidation across the sell-side tech landscape, as buyers realize they can work with fewer partners and see better results."
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# 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. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.”
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