Programmatic Markup Calculator

Where the gap between spend and media cost goes

In programmatic advertising, the price an advertiser pays often differs meaningfully from the actual cost of the underlying media inventory - the difference covers platform fees, data costs, and agency margin along the supply chain.

Worked example

For a $12 agency/platform price against an $8 underlying media cost:

Markup = (12 - 8) / 8 x 100 = 50.0% markup

Frequently asked questions

Why does this matter to advertisers? Understanding markup has become a significant industry issue, with some advertisers specifically negotiating supply-path transparency agreements to understand exactly where their ad dollars actually go before they reach publishers.

Is a high markup always bad? Not necessarily - markup pays for legitimate services like targeting technology, fraud prevention, and campaign management, but transparency lets advertisers judge whether they're getting fair value for what they're paying above the raw media cost.