Reference / Glossary / Infrastructure and standards
Ad Network
A company that aggregates inventory from many publishers, packages it, and resells it to advertisers, taking a margin. Networks predate programmatic and persist in mobile app advertising, performance and affiliate advertising, and niche verticals. Google AdSense and the Google Display Network are the largest examples. Networks are less transparent than exchanges about what was bought and at what price.
Related terms
Used in The Signal
Cite this entry:
Agency Echelon. "Ad Network." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/glossary/ad-network/