Leading mobile monetization and marketing company ironSource announced today the launch of LevelPlay, its in-app bidding technology. LevelPlay transforms ironSource’s leading ad monetization platform, empowering developers to seamlessly transition to an in-app bidding environment to increase competition over their inventory and maximize yield and revenue. Ad networks supported in the launch include AdColony, Tapjoy, and ironSource, and other networks are in the process of integration and will shortly join the platform. Some of the companies already live with LevelPlay are Amanotes, Playgendary, Random Logic, Ilyon, Rollic and Gismart.
“2019 is the year of in-app bidding, and we’ve seen the industry take great strides in technological readiness and adoption,” said Nimrod Zuta, VP Product Developer Solutions at ironSource. “We’re excited to be launching our solution at a time when the industry is primed to enjoy the benefits of in-app bidding, and to debut a product which is built from the ground up with the needs of a game developer constantly at the forefront”.
LevelPlay’s in-app bidding solution brings multiple revolutionary benefits to game developers who are looking for more efficient, transparent and cost effective ways to manage their monetization activities. Custom-built for game developers, LevelPlay flattens the monetization waterfall by allowing ad networks and buyers to simultaneously bid on each available impression, creating a level playing field for buyers and the potential for greater revenue for publishers.
By automating the bidding process, LevelPlay also significantly reduces operational overheads for developers, removing the need to create and manage an optimized waterfall with multiple instances across apps and geos. The technology handles simultaneous bids and supports an ecosystem that demands a high level of sophistication, granularity and automation. With this purpose-built solution comes the added benefit of a reduction in latency, reducing any unnecessary delays in the system. Importantly, LevelPlay keeps control in the hands of the developer, with a hybrid solution giving them the ability to create a customized monetization model which combines both bidding and multiple instances.
“Running in-app bidding with ironSource’s mediation has been a really positive experience,” said Andrew Stone, CEO of Random Logic Games. “During the initial test, our performance significantly increased and so we’re opening up bidding on more and more of our apps. The operations are much smoother, saving us time, and ultimately also money, in optimizing our monetization to the maximum.”
This launch comes at a time when the industry is uniquely placed to enjoy the benefits of in-app bidding. The major SDK networks have developed their bidding solutions, ensuring that developers can start to transition to an in-app bidding environment without any potential loss in SDK-driven revenue. In addition, in March this year, ironSource launched an industry-first A/B testing tool, empowering app developers to make strategic decisions on their monetization strategies, based off true comparative data. The only tool of its kind, ironSource’s A/B testing tool allows developers to quickly and easily run A/B tests on their ad monetization strategy, including testing between in-app bidding and a traditional waterfall solution.
“It was critical for us that before launching LevelPlay, developers would have the technology to understand the impact of changing such a core part of their monetization mechanics through an A/B Testing Tool that would give them comparative insights, at their fingertips,” continues Zuta. “Now they can use data to test the effect of in-app bidding, allowing them to manage their monetization activities more smartly.”