For years, publishers have been expected to follow rules they had little or no role in creating.
From verification standards and invalid traffic (IVT) monitoring to ad quality frameworks and compliance requirements, many of the decisions that shape how publishers operate have traditionally been made elsewhere. The result is an ecosystem where publishers often carry the greatest responsibility, absorb the greatest risk, and yet have the smallest voice.
That is the challenge the Publisher Coalition has been created to address.
Founded by PubRev+, the Publisher Coalition is a publisher-led industry initiative designed to ensure the supply side has a meaningful role in how mobile advertising standards are developed, implemented, and improved.
Why the Industry Needs Change
The mobile advertising ecosystem has become increasingly complex.
Publishers are expected to comply with evolving standards, maintain exceptional ad quality, protect users from invalid traffic, and respond to decisions made by verification providers and platforms. Yet many of these systems operate with limited transparency, leaving publishers unable to understand how decisions are made or challenge them when issues arise.
In many cases, verification frameworks are managed by organisations with commercial interests in the outcomes they produce. Standards are often developed without meaningful publisher representation, creating an imbalance that affects the entire supply chain.
The Publisher Coalition believes that if publishers are expected to uphold industry standards, they should also have a seat at the table when those standards are created.
How the Publisher Coalition Is Building a Fairer Mobile Advertising Industry
Rather than focusing on a single issue, the coalition aims to improve the foundations of how the industry operates through collaboration between publishers, SSPs, independent adtech companies, industry bodies, and other stakeholders.
Its priorities include:
Independent IVT Monitoring
Creating a truly independent approach to ad quality and invalid traffic verification, free from commercial bias, so publishers are no longer penalised based on data they cannot see, understand, or challenge.
Better Ad Quality Standards
Working towards industry-wide standards that improve user experience, reduce churn, and rebuild trust across mobile advertising for publishers, developers, advertisers, and users alike.
Fairer Verification Frameworks
Encouraging collaboration between publishers, SSPs, DSPs, agencies, brands, and verification providers to ensure future frameworks are developed with publisher input from the beginning rather than added as an afterthought.
Greater Transparency and Accountability
Promoting clearer reporting and transparent processes so publishers understand how their inventory is monitored, how decisions are made, and what avenues exist when disputes occur.
Collective Publisher Representation
Creating the infrastructure for publishers to work together instead of individually, giving the supply side a stronger and more coordinated voice in shaping industry policy
Industry Collaboration
Working closely with organisations such as the IAB to explore committee participation and ensure publisher advocacy becomes a permanent part of how standards evolve.
Why Now?
The timing could not be more important.
Technology continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace, while many of the frameworks governing mobile advertising have struggled to keep up. Without meaningful collaboration across the ecosystem, existing structural challenges risk becoming even more deeply embedded.
During his presentation at MAU Vegas 2026, PubRev+ CEO and co-founder Charlie Castell introduced what he described as the industry's "Steps to Recovery"—a framework outlining how publishers, platforms, and industry organisations can work together to create a healthier advertising ecosystem.
The response from the audience of more than 2,500 mobile growth and adtech professionals reflected a growing sentiment across the industry: publishers want greater transparency, fairer standards, and a stronger collective voice.
The Publisher Coalition is the next step in turning those conversations into meaningful action.
Who Can Join?
Publishers of all sizes Supply-side platforms (SSPs) Demand-side platforms (DSPs) IVT verification companies Independent adtech companies Industry bodies Mobile game developers Brands and agencies committed to greater transparency and accountability
Join the Conversation
Real industry change requires collaboration.
Whether you're a publisher looking for greater representation, an adtech company committed to transparency, or an organisation interested in helping shape the future of mobile advertising, the Publisher Coalition welcomes the conversation.