Marketecture Podcast Summary: Duration Media Launches Curation Media

Episode Overview In the April 28, 2025 episode of the Marketecture Podcast titled "Duration Media on their new business, Curation Media," hosts Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi engage in an insightful conversation with Andy Batkin, CEO of Duration Media. The episode delves into Duration Media’s latest venture, Curation Media, exploring its innovative approach to ad tech, its impact on the advertising ecosystem, and its strategic positioning in the market.

Introduction to Duration Media and Curation Media

Ari Paparo opens the discussion by introducing Andy Batkin, highlighting his role as CEO of Duration Media and setting the stage for the announcement of Curation Media.

[00:00] Ari Paparo: "I'm Ari Paparo and I'm joined today by Andy Batkin. Andy is the CEO of Duration Media and he is here to announce a brand new offering called Curation Media."

Andy Batkin provides a brief history of Duration Media, emphasizing the company's foundation in 2018 with the goal of establishing a global ad tech software presence. He underscores the company's pioneering work in real-time viewability ad tech, which earned Duration Media two patents.

[01:13] Andy Batkin: "I founded Duration Media in 2018 with a goal of establishing it as a global ad tech software company. And we built real time viewability ad tech that was so innovative we actually received two patents on that."

Understanding Curation Media

Ari probes into the essence of Curation Media, seeking clarity on how it differentiates from Duration Media's existing services focused on viewability.

[01:04] Ari Paparo: "Exactly. Yeah, that should be. That's the alternative name for my podcast, two OGs hanging out. All right, tell me, what is Curation Media?"

Andy explains that Curation Media is essentially an evolution of what Duration Media has been doing over the past seven years—curating high-quality inventory based on viewability—but with a significant pivot: eliminating intermediaries by connecting directly with Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs).

[03:01] Andy Batkin: "Curation Media is a unique SSP, a differentiated SSP. It enables us to continue to do what we've been doing for seven years but what we're doing now is we're removing the middleman. We are going direct to DSPs."

This strategic shift aims to streamline the ad buying process, reducing the complexity and inefficiencies associated with multiple bid requests in traditional Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs).

Technical Mechanics of Curation Media

Ari seeks a deeper understanding of how Curation Media operates, particularly its technical underpinnings in ad placement and viewability.

[08:16] Ari Paparo: "All right, so let's do a quick sort of lightning round, some relatively quick questions, relatively quick answers."

Andy elaborates on the technology, describing how Curation Media uses real-time viewability to detect when an ad meets predefined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as 90% pixel visibility for 30 seconds. Upon meeting these criteria, the impression is offered to DSPs as a high-quality, single bid request, significantly reducing the usual flood of bid requests in the ecosystem.

[09:02] Andy Batkin: "When it meets those KPIs, we then have the ability to offer that impression or the opportunity to buy that impression, which is always 90% plus viewable, has high attention scores, is removing multiple bid requests."

This approach not only enhances the efficiency of ad placements but also ensures that advertisers receive impressions that are more likely to drive engagement and conversions.

Market Positioning and Differentiation

Ari challenges the "curation" nomenclature, questioning how direct dealings with DSPs align with traditional curation practices that often involve adding data to third-party SSPs.

[04:40] Ari Paparo: "Right. So it's interesting. This is sort of anti curation. You're called curation media. But what you're doing is going direct. Instead of the classic definition of curation which is adding data on somebody else's ssp, could you kind of square the circle on, on how this fits into the curation narrative?"

Andy clarifies that Curation Media focuses on the quality of supply, ensuring that only high-viewability and high-attention impressions are curated. He introduces the concept of "scarcity at scale," offering billions of high-quality impressions while maintaining their exclusivity to a select group of DSPs.

[05:56] Andy Batkin: "We're focused on curating the supply and that what we, our new term is what we call we're going to create scarcity at scale. We are going to create billions of these impressions, but there'll be a finite amount of them."

This differentiation allows Curation Media to stand out in a crowded SSP market by offering unique, high-quality inventory that traditional SSPs, which often deal with vast but less targeted impressions, cannot match.

Competitive Advantages and Challenges

When pressed about the greatest challenges, Andy acknowledges the skepticism around introducing another SSP into an already saturated market. His strategy hinges on clearly communicating Curation Media’s unique value proposition—offering curated, high-quality supply directly to DSPs.

[14:17] Andy Batkin: "Our greatest challenge is that when we use the three letters of SSP, people look at us and say, well, why would we need another SSP in a multiple and duplicate the market in an undifferentiated market is probably the best way."

Regarding competitive advantages, Andy highlights their differentiation through unique supply and the ability to deliver only highly viewable, high-attention, sustainable impressions.

[15:14] Andy Batkin: "We're creating these impressions and Google buys them, the trade desk buys them. ... we are, from what I can see, the only SSP that Offer a unique supply of only highly viewable, high attention, sustainable impressions that deliver high performance and outcomes."

When questioned about why industry giants like Google haven’t replicated their model, Andy speculates that Google focuses on scale over quality and notes that Duration Media’s patented technology may serve as a deterrent.

[15:47] Andy Batkin: "I think the key answer is they optimize for scale, right? What we do is we optimize for quality."

Launch and Availability

Ari inquires about the availability of Curation Media and how interested parties can access the service. Andy announces that Curation Media is officially launching on the podcast date, making the Marketecture audience the first to hear the news. He directs listeners to the dedicated website for publishers and advertisers to sign up and learn more.

[17:14] Andy Batkin: "Well, we're launching on this podcast today. Your audience is the first to learn about this."

The website, curationmedia.net, serves as the hub for information and registration, facilitating connections between publishers seeking to monetize high-quality inventory and advertisers aiming to purchase premium impressions.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Ari thanking Andy Batkin for sharing insights into Duration Media’s new venture, Curation Media. The discussion provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how Curation Media aims to revolutionize ad tech by prioritizing quality over quantity, directly connecting publishers with DSPs, and offering a unique value proposition in a competitive market.

[18:35] Ari Paparo: "Thank you for being here."

Listeners are encouraged to explore further by visiting curationmedia.net and staying tuned to upcoming Marketecture episodes for more executive interviews and industry insights.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Batkin [05:56]: "We're going to create billions of these impressions, but there'll be a finite amount of them. There will be infinite amount of these impressions."

• Andy Batkin [15:14]: "We are the only SSP that offer a unique supply of only highly viewable, high attention, sustainable impressions that deliver high performance and outcomes."

• Andy Batkin [17:22]: "I would say a tiger."

Key Takeaways:

1. Curation Media represents a strategic pivot for Duration Media, focusing on curating high-quality ad impressions by eliminating intermediaries and connecting directly with DSPs.
2. The platform leverages patented real-time viewability technology to ensure ads meet stringent KPIs, enhancing advertiser confidence and performance outcomes.
3. By reducing the multiplicity of bid requests, Curation Media streamlines the ad buying process, increasing efficiency and sustainability within the ad ecosystem.
4. The company faces challenges in differentiating itself in a saturated SSP market but leverages its unique value proposition and patented technology to stand out.
5. Curation Media is now live, inviting publishers and advertisers to engage through their dedicated website.

This episode offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of ad tech, highlighting how innovative approaches like Curation Media can address longstanding inefficiencies and elevate the standards of digital advertising.