Page views are plunging, programmatic revenue is shrinking, and media leaders are under pressure to rethink digital strategy. Ben Williams, Founder of Kiln, argues the fix isn’t more tech, it’s unlocking the value that’s already right in front of us.

Page views at major publishers are falling significantly year-on-year. Programmatic revenues have dropped for many digital publishers. For media leaders, these aren't just anecdotes - they're the harsh reality reshaping investment decisions and forcing uncomfortable conversations about digital strategies.

But what if the solution isn't buying more tech - it's unlocking the value that's already hiding in plain sight?

That's the premise behind a new solution Kiln has developed with The Advisory Collective and Solution Architects. We've launched a market-ready approach to recover lost programmatic revenue without the pain of costly infrastructure rebuilds - and we're doing it while creating real opportunities for the next generation of industry talent.

Shine a Light on Revenue

At the heart of our approach is something publishers quietly admit they lack: genuine visibility into their bidstream performance. Our diagnostic bidstream tracker cuts through adtech complexity, analysing real-time auction data across the entire monetisation stack - from ad servers and header bidding wrappers to Prebid configurations and SSP integrations.

The process is intentionally simple. In a diagnostic phase, we identify revenue leakage points that publishers may not yet be aware of. The outcome? Double-digit percentage improvements in programmatic yield, often realised within a few months.

This isn't about licensing new tech, it's about unlocking the value that's already there but currently lost to complexity, misconfiguration, or neglect. We find it, fix it, and create measurable uplift - fast.

Tackling the Triple Threat

Our solution directly addresses what I call the "publisher triple threat" - the perfect storm currently hammering the industry:

Complexity → Revenue Leakage: Each additional hop in the bidstream increases take rates and data loss. Misconfigured systems and weak auction dynamics suppress profits.

AI Disruption → Margin Compression: AI isn’t just cutting traffic, it’s pushing programmatic bids to basement floors as DSPs exploit vast data pools to bid-shade more aggressively.

Privacy Laws → Compliance Exposure: Tightening regulations in the USA require sophisticated technical responses most publishers simply don't have the resources to implement properly.

The three-way collaboration brings together complementary expertise: my team at Kiln handles strategy and client delivery, The Advisory Collective drives publisher access and market expertise, and Solution Architects provides deep technical know-how in programmatic engineering.

Building Tomorrow's Workforce

On the topic of sustainable solutions, we're partnering with DigiLearning - the award-winning charity - to offer comprehensive paid work placements for underrepresented talent. These aren't token internships - participants get embedded directly in live client projects, working alongside our senior teams to diagnose real bidstream issues, configure header bidding setups, and optimise consent monetisation strategies.

They'll be building practical, immediately valuable skills in programmatic advertising, data analysis, and ad operations while contributing to actual revenue recovery projects. Every placement is paid, mentored, and designed to create direct pathways into permanent roles across our partner network.

"This isn't just about fixing broken systems," explains Ellie Edwards-Scott from The Advisory Collective. "It's about rebuilding confidence in open web monetisation - and opening real doors for the next generation of talent."

We're creating a pipeline of diverse, industry-ready professionals who understand modern programmatic challenges from day one. For an industry struggling with both talent shortages and diversity gaps, this feels like the kind of initiative that can genuinely move the needle.

Market Reality Check

While walled gardens continue hoovering up advertising spend, open web publishers face an increasingly challenging landscape. Traditional approaches - activating more vendors, adding complexity, hoping for the best - simply aren't working.

What's needed is surgical precision: identifying exactly where revenue is leaking, fixing those specific issues, and optimising what's already in place. It's less sexy than buying shiny new tech, but demonstrably more effective.

We're launching with UK publishers this autumn, with Europe and North America next in line. For an industry that's spent years adding layers of complexity, sometimes the smartest move is to strip it back, simplify - and make what you already have work harder for you.

Publishers interested in diagnostic assessments can reach out through The Advisory Collective or Kiln directly.