Definition:
An アドネットワーク is an intermediary platform that connects mobile app publishers with advertisers, matching available ad inventory with relevant ad demand.
For Mobile Publishers:
Ad networks help mobile publishers monetize their unused ad space by connecting them with advertisers who match their audience and budget requirements.
What is an Ad Network?
An ad network is a platform that acts as an intermediary between mobile app publishers and advertisers. Its core job is to match the ad supply from mobile publishers to the demand from mobile app advertisers.
In simple terms, ad networks make it easier for publishers to sell their ad space and for advertisers to find the right audiences to show their ads to. Without ad networks, publishers would need to negotiate with advertisers directly, and advertisers would struggle to reach their target audiences at scale.
Ad networks are a fundamental part of the mobile advertising ecosystem. They sit at the center of how mobile apps generate revenue from advertising and how marketers distribute their campaigns across apps and audiences.
例: - casual mobile game has thousands of daily active users but no direct relationships with advertisers. By integrating an ad network, the game can automatically sell its ad space to relevant advertisers and start generating revenue from every session without any manual sales effort.
How Do Ad Networks Work?
Ad networks work by aggregating ad inventory from publishers and making it available to advertisers based on their targeting, budget, and audience requirements. Here is how the process works step by step.
Step 1: Publisher Integration
Mobile app publishers install or sign up to the ad networks of their choice and make their ad inventory available. This inventory includes ad placements within their app, such as banner slots, interstitial breaks, rewarded video opportunities.
Step 2: Advertiser Campaign Setup
Mobile advertisers set up their campaigns through the ad networks of their choice. They define their targeting parameters, budget, audience requirements, and the creatives they want to run.
Step 3: Inventory Matching
The ad network aggregates the available ad space from publishers and matches it to advertiser demand based on targeting criteria, bid prices, and audience fit. When a user opens an app, the ad network identifies the best available ad to show and serves it in real time.
Step 4: Revenue Distribution
When a user views or interacts with an ad, the advertiser pays the ad network, and the ad network pays the publisher a share of that revenue. The ad network takes a margin for facilitating the transaction.
例: A travel advertiser wants to reach users aged 25–40 who have shown interest in booking holidays. An ad network matches their campaign to a flight tracker app whose users fit that profile exactly. The advertiser gets relevant impressions, and the publisher earns revenue, all without either party needing to find each other directly.What Are The Top Ad Networks For Publishers And Advertisers?
What are the Benefits of Using Ad Networks?
Ad networks offer distinct benefits depending on whether you are a publisher or an advertiser.
For Publishers
- Monetize unused ad space: ad networks connect you with a pool of advertisers so your inventory is always working
- Access to multiple advertisers: no need to manage direct relationships with individual brands
- Automated revenue generation: once integrated, ad networks handle the matching and serving automatically
- Fill rate improvement: working with multiple ad networks increases the likelihood that every impression is filled
- Revenue optimization: ad networks compete for your inventory, which can drive up eCPMs over a period of time
For Advertisers
- Access to a large pool of publisher inventory: reach users across thousands of apps without negotiating individually
- Precise audience targeting: ad networks use data to match campaigns to the most relevant users
- Budget control: set spend limits, bidding strategies, and targeting parameters to manage costs
- Scale: run campaigns across multiple apps and platforms simultaneously
- Performance tracking: measure impressions, clicks, installs, and revenue in real ti
例: A mobile game developer running a user acquisition campaign uses an ad network to reach users who have previously installed similar games. The ad network matches their campaign to relevant publisher inventory automatically, delivering targeted impressions at scale without the developer needing to manage individual publisher relationships.
Types of Ad Network
Not all ad networks work the same way. Here are the main types you will encounter in mobile advertising.
Premium Ad Networks
Premium ad networks work with a curated selection of high-quality publishers. They tend to offer higher eCPMs and better brand safety but with less scale than open networks.
Vertical Ad Networks
Vertical ad networks specialize in specific app categories or industries, such as gaming, finance, or health. They are useful for advertisers who want to reach niche audiences and for publishers in those categories who want more relevant ads.
Performance Ad Networks
Performance ad networks focus on measurable outcomes such as installs, registrations, or purchases rather than impressions. Advertisers only pay when a specific action is completed, making them popular for user acquisition campaigns.
Gaming Ad Networks
Gaming ad networks specialize in connecting game publishers with gaming advertisers. They understand the nuances of gaming audiences and tend to offer formats like rewarded video and playable ads that perform well in gaming environments
例: A hypercasual game developer looking to monetize their app and run UA campaigns simultaneously might use a gaming ad network for both. On the publisher side, they earn revenue from ads shown to their players. On the advertiser side, they run install campaigns targeting users of similar games.
Top Ad Networks for Publishers and Advertisers
Choosing the right ad network depends on your platform, app category, audience, and goals. Here are some of the most widely used ad networks in mobile.
Top Ad Networks for Mobile Publishers
Android:
- AppLovin MAX
- Google AdMob
- Unity Ads
- Meta Audience Network
- Mintegral
iOS:
- AppLovin MAX
- Google AdMob
- ironSource
- Unity Ads
- Vungle
Top Ad Networks for Mobile Advertisers
Android:
- AppLovin MAX
- Google Ads
- Mintegral
- Unity Ads
- ironSource
iOS:
- AppLovin MAX
- Mintegral
- ironSource
- Google Ads
- Unity Ads
Ad Networks vs. Ad Mediation
Ad networks and ad mediation platforms are closely related but serve different functions.
An ad network connects publishers with advertisers and serves ads within your app. An ad mediation platform sits on top of multiple ad networks and automatically selects the highest-paying network for each impression.
| Ad Network | Ad Mediation | |
| What it does | Connects publishers and advertisers | Manages multiple ad network |
| Who uses it | Publishers and advertisers | Publishers |
| Revenue impact | Single network eCPM | Optimized eCPM across networks |
| 例 | AppLovin, ironSource, Unity Ads | AppLovin MAX, ironSource Mediation |
Using ad mediation alongside multiple ad networks is one of the most effective ways to maximize ad revenue as a publisher. Rather than relying on a single network, mediation ensures every impression goes to the highest bidder.
例: A consumer app integrates five ad networks through a mediation platform. When a user triggers an ad placement, the mediation platform runs a real-time auction across all five networks and serves the ad from whichever network bids highest. This consistently delivers higher eCPMs than relying on any single network alone.
How to Choose the Right Ad Network
With so many ad networks available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. To help you choose, we’re sharing the most important factors to consider.
For Publishers
- Fill rate: does the network reliably fill your ad inventory?
- eCPM by geography: does the network perform well in your key markets?
- Ad formats supported: does it support the formats that work best for your app?
- Payment terms: how and when does the network pay out?
- Integration ease: how straightforward is the SDK integration?
For Advertisers
- Audience quality: does the network reach the users you want?
- Targeting capabilities: how granular can you get with your targeting?
- Supported campaign types: does it support the campaign objectives you need?
- Reporting and transparency: how much visibility do you have into performance?
- Fraud prevention: what measures does the network have in place to protect your spend?
How to Measure Ad Network Performance with Tenjin
Measuring performance across multiple ad networks is one of the biggest challenges in mobile marketing. Each network has its own dashboard, its own reporting format, and its own attribution logic. Without a unified view, it is almost impossible to compare performance accurately or make confident decisions.
Tenjin is a mobile measurement partner (MMP) that integrates with ad networks and mediation platforms through partner integrations, giving you a single source of truth for all your ad network performance data.
With Tenjin you can:
- Aggregate ad revenue across all networks in one dashboard
- Attribute performance to specific campaigns and channels without switching between tools
- Compare ad network performance side by side across eCPM, fill rate, revenue, and ROAS
- Break down performance by cohort, country, or ad format for granular insights
- Combine IAP and ad revenue within a single tool
- Export raw data for deeper custom analysis
Tenjin connects to both ad networks and mediation platforms, so whether your 広告収益 comes through a direct network integration or a mediation layer, it is all captured and reported in one place.
例: A mobile game developer runs UA campaigns across AppLovin, ironSource, and Unity Ads simultaneously while monetizing through the same networks on the publisher side. Without an MMP, evaluating the net performance of each network, factoring in both UA spend and ad revenue, would require manual reconciliation across multiple dashboards. With Tenjin, all of that data lives in one place and updates automatically.
Common Ad Network Mistakes
Whether you are a publisher or an advertiser, there are common mistakes that can limit your ad network performance. Here are the most important ones to avoid.
1. Relying on a Single Ad Network
Using only one ad network caps your revenue potential as a publisher and limits your reach as an advertiser. Diversifying across multiple networks gives you more competition for your inventory and access to a broader range of audiences.
2. Not Using Ad Mediation
Publishers who integrate multiple ad networks without using a mediation platform are managing a complex process manually. Ad mediation automates the optimization process and consistently delivers better results than manual network management.
3. Ignoring Geographic Performance
eCPMs and audience quality vary significantly by country. A network that performs well in the US may underperform in Southeast Asia. Always evaluate ad network performance by geography before making decisions.
4. Measuring Ad Networks in Isolation
Evaluating each ad network separately without a unified view makes it impossible to compare true performance. An MMP like Tenjin gives you the ability to see all your networks in one place and make decisions based on complete data.
5. Overlooking Ad Fraud
Invalid traffic and fraudulent impressions are a real risk in mobile advertising. Working with reputable ad networks and using an MMP with fraud detection capabilities helps protect your budget and your revenue.
6. Setting and Forgetting Campaigns
Ad networks require active management. Audience quality, eCPMs, and fill rates change over time. Regularly reviewing performance and adjusting your network mix, targeting, and creatives ensures you are always getting the best results.
例: An advertiser sets up campaigns across two ad networks and leaves them running without review for three months. One network's audience quality has declined significantly, but without regular monitoring the advertiser continues to spend budget on low-value users. A regular performance review through a unified dashboard would have caught this early.
Ad Networks and ARPDAU
ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User) is one of the most important metrics for evaluating ad network performance as a publisher.
Formula:
ARPDAU = (IAP Revenue + Ad Revenue) / Daily Active Users
Your choice of ad networks directly impacts your ARPDAU. Higher-quality networks with better fill rates and eCPMs will drive your ARPDAU up. Poor network performance or low fill rates will drag it down.
Tracking ARPDAU alongside ad network performance data helps you identify which networks are contributing most to your revenue and which ones may need to be replaced or supplemented.
例: A publisher switches from a single ad network to a mediated setup with three networks. Their fill rate increases from 75% to 95% and their average eCPM rises from $4.50 to $6.80. Their ARPDAU increases accordingly, reflecting the improved monetization across their entire user base.
主要な結論
Ad networks are the backbone of mobile app advertising, connecting publishers with advertisers and enabling revenue generation at scale.
- Ad networks act as intermediaries between publishers and advertisers, matching supply with demand automatically
- Publishers benefit by monetizing their ad inventory without managing direct advertiser relationships
- Advertisers benefit by accessing large pools of relevant inventory with precise targeting capabilities
- Using multiple ad networks through mediation consistently delivers better results than relying on a single network
- Geographic performance matters. Always evaluate ad network eCPMs and audience quality by market
- Measuring across networks requires a unified tool. An MMP like Tenjin gives you complete visibility without switching between dashboards
- Ad fraud is a real risk. Work with reputable networks and use 不正検出 tools to protect your budget
With the right ad network strategy and the right measurement tools in place, ad networks become one of the most powerful and scalable parts of your mobile growth stack.
Related Terms
よくある質問
What is an ad network?
An ad network is a platform that acts as an intermediary between mobile app publishers and advertisers. It aggregates ad inventory from publishers and matches it with advertiser demand based on targeting, budget, and audience requirements.
How do ad networks work?
Publishers integrate ad networks into their apps and make their ad inventory available. Advertisers set up campaigns with targeting and budget parameters. The ad network matches available inventory to relevant
campaigns and serves ads in real time, distributing revenue between the publisher and the network.
What is the difference between an ad network and ad mediation?
An ad network connects publishers with advertisers and serves ads. Ad mediation sits on top of multiple ad networks and automatically selects the highest-paying network for each impression. Publishers use mediation to maximize revenue across multiple networks simultaneously.
What are the top ad networks for mobile publishers?
Some of the most widely used ad networks for mobile publishers include AppLovin, Google AdMob, ironSource, Unity Ads, Vungle, and Mintegral. The best network for your app depends on your platform, app category, and key markets. Tenjin publishes quarterly reports on top ad network rankings for publishers.
What are the top ad networks for mobile advertisers?
Some of the most widely used ad networks for mobile advertisers include AppLovin, Google Ads, ironSource, Unity Ads, and Mintegral. The right choice depends on your target audience, campaign objectives, and budget. Tenjin publishes quarterly reports on top ad network rankings for advertisers.
How do you measure ad network performance?
Ad network performance can be measured using metrics like eCPM, fill rate, ARPDAU, ROAS, and LTV. Using a mobile measurement partner like Tenjin allows you to aggregate performance data across all your ad networks in one dashboard, making it easier to compare and optimize.
What is a gaming ad network?
A gaming ad network specializes in connecting game publishers with gaming advertisers. They typically support formats that perform well in gaming environments, such as rewarded video and playable ads, and understand the nuances of gaming audiences and monetization models.