Equativ: ad server and SSP, ownership, the Google case and alternatives

Equativ began as a publisher ad server and grew into a full sell-side company. Its own history says it was "born as Smart AdServer within a premium publisher". It lists two acquisitions: Serverside.AI for CTV ad serving in 2022 and Kamino Retail for retail media in 2024 (Equativ, Our story). The 2024 merger with Sharethrough, a native and video SSP, created a group of "over 720 employees" and combined net revenue above $200 million (Proskauer via Mondaq, 13 June 2024).

Today the product line spans both sides. Publishers get monetization through its SSP, a CTV ad server and server-side ad insertion. Buyers get Maestro, a curation platform. Retailers get onsite and offsite ad serving. For the difference between these roles, see ad exchange vs ad network vs SSP.

Recent deals show where it is heading. Mozilla Ads chose Equativ as its full-stack partner for Firefox homepage and MDN Web Docs inventory on 12 November 2025 (PPC Land). Equativ is also a Google Open Bidding yield partner, so it already bids into Google Ad Manager for many publishers (Google Help).

On the CTV side, the viewer's player asks Equativ's cloud endpoint for a stream. Equativ builds a session, calls the publisher's ad server when an ad marker appears, and stitches ads into the stream server side (Equativ CTV). The page says this works "with your existing ad server", so a broadcaster can use Equativ for insertion while serving ads from another system.

On the display side, the SSP connects to publishers through client-side or server-side header bidding, according to the same site. Equativ's ad server competes with Google's DFP for the decision itself. The court record explains why that market is hard to enter: Equativ's CEO called switching "the complexity of an ad server migration" (Dkt. 1858, p. 69).

Equativ is one of the clearest examples of what the remedies are meant to fix. Its testimony appears at three points in the remedies opinion.

Equativ is also suing. The opinion lists Equativ SAS v. Google LLC, No. 1:26-cv-140 (S.D.N.Y.), among private suits brought by trial witnesses (Dkt. 1858, pp. 41 to 42). Equativ announced its complaint on 13 October 2025, alleging harm to its ad server and exchange businesses (Equativ).

The remedy helps only after the court enters final judgment, which had not happened on 9 November 2026. AdX bids into rival servers are due 6 or 12 months after the Effective Date, and Equativ would still need to build the receiving side (PPC Land, 6 October 2026). CTV is outside the remedy: the court excluded in-stream video and in-app formats (Dkt. 1858, p. 70). The step-by-step timeline is in Google ad tech remedies explained.

Equativ publishes no prices for its ad server, SSP or CTV tools. Ad server licences in this market are usually negotiated, and SSP revenue is normally a share of media spend, but Equativ has not disclosed its rates. Ask for the ad server fee, the SSP take rate, any SSAI charge per stream and the terms for log-level data in writing.

Strengths

• Ad server and SSP from one independent vendor. Equativ is neither owned by a buyer nor by Google.
• CTV depth. Server-side ad insertion, a CTV ad server and home screen formats in one group (Equativ CTV).
• Existing Google connection. As an Open Bidding partner it already supplies demand into Ad Manager (Google Help).
• Likely remedy beneficiary. The court cited its testimony when ordering AdX access for rival ad servers.

Limits

• No public pricing or financial filings. Revenue figures come from merger announcements only.
• Investor ownership. A private equity majority owner can change strategy or sell (Proskauer via Mondaq).
• Product focus has moved. Its site now leads with curation, CTV and retail media rather than the display ad server.
• Litigation with Google. A pending suit may shape how the two companies work together.

• Whether Equativ still sells its display ad server to new publishers, and its price.
• Founding year: 2001 per its CEO, 2012 per PPC Land.
• Revenue after the Sharethrough merger.
• The status of Equativ SAS v. Google LLC after transfer to New York.

1. United States v. Google LLC, No. 1:23-cv-00108 (E.D. Va.), Memorandum Opinion, Dkt. 1858 (2 September 2026). https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/google-judge-memo.pdf
2. Proskauer Rose LLP via Mondaq, "Proskauer Advises Bridgepoint Development Capital And Equativ On Merger With Sharethrough" (13 June 2024). https://www.mondaq.com/pressrelease/141232/proskauer-advises-bridgepoint-development-capital-and-equativ-on-merger-with-sharethrough
3. PPC Land, "Independent ad tech players merge to form major marketplace" (16 June 2024). https://ppc.land/independent-ad-tech-players-merge-to-form-major-marketplace/
4. PPC Land, "Mozilla Ads partners with Equativ for privacy-first programmatic" (12 November 2025). https://ppc.land/mozilla-ads-partners-with-equativ-for-privacy-first-programmatic/
5. PPC Land, "DOJ seeks 6 months, Google 12, to open its ad exchange to rivals" (6 October 2026). https://ppc.land/doj-seeks-6-months-google-12-to-open-its-ad-exchange-to-rivals/
6. Google Ad Manager Help, "Introduction to Open Bidding" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://support.google.com/admanager/answer/7128453?hl=en
7. IAB Europe, Global Vendor List v3, version 184 (last updated 5 November 2026). https://vendor-list.consensu.org/v3/vendor-list.json
8. Equativ, "Equativ Files Lawsuit Against Google" (13 October 2025). https://www.equativ.com/press/equativ-files-lawsuit-against-google-in-pursuit-of-more-open-and-competitive-digital-advertising-markets
9. Equativ, "Equativ and Sharethrough Will Now Operate Under Equativ Brand" (9 June 2025). https://www.equativ.com/press/equativ-and-sharethrough-will-now-operate-under-equativ-brand-solidifying-global-position-as-leading-end-to-end-media-platform
10. Equativ, Our story (read 9 November 2026). https://www.equativ.com/company