PubMatic and Dentsu Usher in a New Era of Viewer-First CTV Advertising

​PubMatic, an independent technology company delivering digital advertising’s supply chain of the future, have announced that dentsu, one of the world’s largest agency networks, is the first to deploy comprehensive pause ad campaigns across PubMatic’s premium Connected TV (CTV) inventory. This collaboration comes as PubMatic’s CTV business surged by 50% year-over-year last quarter, reaching 26 of the top 30 streaming platforms globally, and follows a successful pilot of the next-generation pause advertising format executed across premium CTV inventory through PubMatic’s platform, positioning pause ads as an increasingly vital component of sophisticated, enterprise-grade CTV strategies.

First campaign showcases movie marketing innovation

The inaugural campaign features dentsu client Rabbits Black working in tandem with dentsu to promote the movie 'Stitch Head' on behalf of Briar Cliff Entertainment. The family-friendly Halloween film, releasing October 29, 2025, will bring audiences a dose of seasonal fun to theatres. To support promotion and awareness, Rabbits Black and dentsu are partnering with PubMatic to feature 'Stitch Head' front and centre through DirectTV Pause Ads – showcasing the power of pause ads for driving awareness and ultimately moving users down the funnel to purchase tickets and enjoy the movie.

Dentsu embraces next generation CTV format

As the first major agency to deploy pause advertising across PubMatic’s premium CTV inventory, dentsu is leveraging the format’s unique ability to reach viewers during high-engagement moments without disrupting the viewing experience, powered by PubMatic’s Activate, a purpose-built efficiency tool to maximise campaign performance.

“Pause ads represent a fundamental shift in how we approach premium CTV inventory,” said Rebekah Shalit, VP of partnership, platforms lead at dentsu. “The format addresses two critical challenges for clients: achieving meaningful engagement without disrupting viewer experience, and accessing premium inventory moments that traditional pre-roll simply can’t provide. Our active campaigns with PubMatic demonstrate pause advertising’s evolution from experimental format to strategic necessity.”

Advanced platform capabilities drive agency adoption

PubMatic’s pause ad solution and premium CTV inventory accessed through Activate provides agencies like dentsu with sophisticated tools for advanced CTV campaign execution:

• Optimised Technology: Advanced algorithms analyse pause behaviour patterns and content context across PubMatic’s extensive premium publisher network to optimise campaign performance during natural viewer breaks, with continuous performance monitoring and optimisation as inventory scales.
• Expanding Contextual Targeting: As PubMatic onboards additional premium CTV publishers, Activate will leverage pause timing, live scheduling data, content genre, and advanced viewing behaviour data to reach high-intent audiences during engaged viewing moments.
• Unified Campaign Management: Activate enables agencies to manage pause advertising alongside traditional CTV campaigns through integrated workflows and comprehensive measurement frameworks.

Market opportunity meets proven innovation

PubMatic’s CTV growth perfectly positions the company to lead premium pause advertising momentum within the rapidly expanding CTV ecosystem through advancing AI technology and buyer-first technology like Activate. Research from MAGNA indicates that pause ads demonstrate strong viewer engagement, with 81% of viewers pausing content to avoid missing important moments, and 51% taking action after viewing pause advertisements. This engagement occurs within a CTV market that eMarketer forecasts will grow 15.8% in 2025 to reach $33.35 billion.

Building on proven success

The dentsu partnership builds on PubMatic’s recent successful pause advertising test campaigns executed on premium inventory that demonstrated the format’s viability and advertiser appeal through superior performance metrics. Activate currently supports both static image and video pause ad formats, with enhanced targeting capabilities planned as additional premium CTV publishers join the platform.

Driving industry innovation forward

“This collaboration with dentsu reflects our commitment to advertising innovation that benefits the entire ecosystem,” said Nicole Scaglione, VP of CTV at PubMatic. “Agencies gain access to high-performing inventory and strategic advantages, and viewers experience relevant, non-intrusive advertising. This represents the future of unified programmatic advertising, built specifically for buyers needs and sophisticated campaign management.”

Platform availability and integration

PubMatic’s pause advertising capabilities are available immediately through Activate and the company’s unified programmatic platform. The solution integrates seamlessly with existing agency workflows and measurement frameworks, supporting both buy-side and sell-side operations across multiple premium publisher partnerships with enterprise-grade reliability and performance.