Measured into extinction

by

Measured into extinction (July 27, 2026)

BY ROB BEELER

Lots of discussion this week in the publisher community about measurement companies. It was sparked by someone pointing out that they felt they had been judged poorly and there was little recourse.

We’re sorting some of that out (pubs: we have a call Thursday you’re not going to want to miss), but the fact remains that every impression is analyzed by multiple parties with the same scrutiny as a jeweler in the bad part of town. Well, that’s not entirely true, actually. Sampling is more common, but it feels like, as a publisher, every detail of every impression is being looked at for flaws and rarely for our value. 

Is it fair for online media to be measured in this way? I’m going to start with a definitive “Yes” and then work backward from there. 

Anyone can put code on a page and get paid for it. Manipulation of that code is easy. Many a cat has launched a website claiming to be a dog. Tricky bastards. So, yes, you can’t take everyone’s word that their impressions are what they say they are. 

Then there are the sites that aren’t manipulating their code but work with partners who do AND do so without the site’s knowledge. It’s more common than you think. Once a bid request is created and passed along, the overwhelming majority of pubs do not know what’s being done seemingly on their behalf. Measurement companies see bad behavior and ding the publisher – also sometimes without the publisher’s knowledge. 

Of course, some publishers don’t care. “Buyer Beware,” they might say. Or it can be an operations person or service whose only order has been to make revenue at any cost. 

Well, that cost is costing all of us. I, like most publishers in the Beeler.Tech community, am trying to do things the right way. But the rewards of sussing all of this out are hard to find. It sucks that we are held to account for issues that the walled gardens are not. Our sites get hammered for brand safety issues while advertisers still buy ads on a platform that is one of the go-to sources for deepfake underage porn. 

No one is taking the position that we shouldn’t be measured. But measurement is being used by some to cherry-pick and push CPMs down. It is easier to throw an impression out than consider if it is worth more.

If we have reached the point of true reinvention of the business on online original media, what we might want to do is learn from this moment and push to not repeat it. Online advertising and ad tech don’t work this way because they have to. It only works this way because it hasn’t killed off its main source of value…yet.

Here’s what you need to know this week… 

  • The Base.Camp La Jolla agenda is now live! Not only are we excited to welcome Joanna Bloor and Claire Johnson as keynote speakers, we’re also revealing that we’re making a few changes to our Base.Camp agenda, based on your feedback. And remember, the earlier you register for Base.Camp the more direct influence you’ll have on the specific topics we’ll be covering during our time together in La Jolla.

  • Coming soon to the agenda? Our famous Tuesday activities. During these Tuesday afternoon Base.Camp adventures and excursions, we set aside our big industry discussions to do the equally essential work of coming together as a true community of humans who share common goals.

    If you ask anyone who’s attended a Base.Camp before, they’ll be the first to tell you that these are where some of the most valuable memories are made, new relationships are forged, and existing bonds are strengthened.

    This Base.Camp, you’ll have a chance to enjoy championship golf at the world famous Maderas Golf Club, a private catamaran sail aboard a 53-foot luxury yacht, a wildlife safari at the San Diego Zoo, a Mediterranean luxury spa experience, or kayaking among the sea lions. Will there also be a Yacht Rock party that even Hall & Oates would be proud of? Maybe. See you in La Jolla!

Want to get caught up on everything we’ve published? Start here.

Here’s the latest…  

  • From Rob Beeler: Publishers need receipts, C2PA may be one way to get them
    Publishers have spent years watching other companies extract value from their work while asking them to prove they created it, own it, and deserve to be paid for it. Will a digital receipt fix the whole system? Of course not. But if C2PA can do even part of what its supporters claim, publishers should understand it now. If it can’t, we should know exactly where it fails before someone else turns it into another standard we’re expected to follow.

  • Beyond the spike: turning fan moments into first-party gold with Minute Media’s Rebecca Hyde
    In an industry still heavily dependent on pageviews and programmatic CPMs, that churn is baked into the model. Publishers chase the spike, monetize the impression, and start again. But as third-party cookies continue their long goodbye and advertisers push harder for addressable, consent-based audiences, that cycle is becoming harder to justify.

A full list of our 2026 events we’re involved in, all in one nice little package:

Thank you to everyone who came to last week’s Chicago AdTech Happy Hour! Thank you to Optimera for sponsoring!

Join the Community!

Thousands of professionals, of all ages, worldwide turn to Beeler.Tech as their meeting place for all things publisher revenue operations. Join the Beeler.Tech Community here! Your teams and colleagues are welcome, too. 

Join the Women’s Space

Our Women’s Space continues to grow, and we’re developing a Code of Conduct for all Beeler.Tech events: something every attendee will agree to, and something we hope the wider industry adopts. The goal is simple: raise the bar on respect and professionalism for everyone. We have a Slack channel and a WhatsApp group. The WhatsApp chat is more active, but you’re welcome in either (or both) if you want to be part of the conversation.

Please reach out to Melissa if you would like to join one or both.

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