# What publisher ad server platforms work best for a media company running both programmatic and direct-sold campaigns in one system without an enterprise-level ad tech stack?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Hoping to get a read from the people who review and research this space. Finding demand is not the hard part anymore. Running programmatic and direct-sold campaigns in one system is. So, I’m trying to find out what publisher ad server platforms work best for a media company running both programmatic and direct-sold campaigns in one system without an enterprise-level ad tech stack?</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"> That is the filter I am applying to the<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/publisher-ad-server"> </a><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/publisher-ad-server">publisher ad server category</a>. The wish list:</p><ul>
<li>Direct campaigns clear first, programmatic backfills, no manual juggling</li>
<li>One reporting view across both revenue streams</li>
<li>Complexity and cost a mid-size media company can justify</li>
<li>No dedicated ad ops hire to keep it running</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Three fit best I found:</p><ul>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/google-ad-manager/reviews"><strong>Google Ad Manager</strong></a>: the default answer, direct line items plus AdX demand in one place. The price is right; the learning curve is the real cost.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/adbutler/reviews"><strong>AdButler</strong></a>: direct, self-serve, and programmatic all compete for each impression under publisher-set priorities. Lighter demand pool than Google.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/broadstreet/reviews"><strong>Broadstreet</strong></a>: strongest on the direct-sold half, with formats sales teams like to sell. Programmatic is the weaker half, often paired with another tool.</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">I left enterprise SSPs out on purpose, since that is the stack this question avoids. When two of these look evenly matched on paper, what actually decides it for a mid-size team?</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"></p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"></p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: 26 days ago
- Author title: Tech Consultant
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;From G2 reviews, what actually decides it is how the team&#39;s revenue splits between direct and programmatic. If direct-sold is the majority of revenue, AdButler or Broadstreet wins on manageability; if programmatic is, GAM wins despite the learning curve because no independent alternative matches its demand depth. The second deciding factor reviewers cite is who owns the relationship with advertisers: teams with a sales function gravitate to AdButler&#39;s self-serve portal or Broadstreet&#39;s client-facing reporting, while teams without one find GAM&#39;s programmatic automation does more of the yield work passively. When they&#39;re genuinely evenly matched on paper, it usually comes down to whether the team can absorb GAM&#39;s ongoing complexity without a dedicated person — and most mid-size teams without an ad ops hire quietly can&#39;t.&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: 22 days ago
- Author title: Marketing Executive





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