Viant Technology (NasdaqGS:DSP) Q3 2025 Earnings Call November 10, 2025 05:00 PM ET Company ParticipantsAndrew Hergert - Financial AdvisorLarry Madden - CFONick Zangler - VP of Investor RelationsTim Vanderhook - Co-Founder and CEOChris Vanderhook - Co-founder and COOConference Call ParticipantsLaura Martin - Senior AnalystNone - AnalystWyatt Swanson - Equity Research AnalystBarton Crockett - Managing Director and Senior Research AnalystJason Kreyer - Senior Research AnalystZach Cummins - Senior Research Ana ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 2025 was $85.6 million, representing a 7% year-over-year increase and a 10% quarter-over-quarter increase, exceeding the midpoint of guidance [29] - Contribution XTAC totaled $53 million, up 12% year-over-year and 10% sequentially, reaching the high end of guidance [29] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 was $16 million, growing 9% year-over-year and 42% sequentially, exceeding guidance by 7% [35] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Excluding political ad spend, revenue increased 19% year-over-year, and contribution XTAC increased 22% year-over-year on a pro forma basis [30] - CTV ad spend reached a record high, accounting for 46% of total platform spend, with nearly half running through Direct Access premium publishers [32] - Contribution XTAC across the top 100 customers grew by 18% year-over-year on a trailing 12-month basis [31] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Spend across emerging digital channels, including CTV and streaming audio, represented approximately 56% of total platform spend in Q3, up from 50% in 2024 and 43% in 2023 [32] - The majority of leading streaming services have joined the Direct Access program, enhancing CTV ad spend [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to maintain its dominant position in the mid-market while expanding up-market with major U.S. advertisers and down-market to performance advertisers [21] - The launch of AI Decisioning is expected to enhance the self-service capabilities of the platform, targeting SMBs and direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies [25][44] - The partnership with Molson Coors highlights the company's ability to attract major U.S. brands seeking data-driven campaigns [24] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the underlying performance, with expectations for accelerating growth in 2026 driven by new client onboarding [40] - The company anticipates easing headwinds from political ad spend starting in Q1 2026, which will positively impact revenue growth [39] - Management noted that the competitive landscape is evolving, with a focus on objectivity and independence in advertising solutions [51][53] Other Important Information - Non-GAAP net income for Q3 was $11.2 million, down 9% year-over-year, primarily due to lower interest income and higher income tax expense [35] - The company ended the quarter with $161 million in cash and cash equivalents and no debt, indicating a strong financial position [36] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the significance of the third AI product being launched? - The third AI product, AI Decisioning, will complete the Viant AI suite, enabling full automation of ad campaigns, making it easier for advertisers to achieve their goals [44] Question: How will the merger client impact guidance? - The merger client was seasonal, and the significant impact was primarily in Q3, with minimal ongoing headwind expected [43] Question: Has competition increased from Amazon DSP? - No significant increase in competition was noted, with Amazon's DSP being a small portion of their revenue [45] Question: How will the company grow awareness among SMB advertisers? - The company plans to leverage channel partnerships and focus on demonstrating true performance to attract SMBs [46] Question: What is the expected incremental spend from the Molson Coors partnership? - While specific figures cannot be disclosed, the partnership is expected to scale significantly over the years [49] Question: How does the company view the competitive environment? - The competitive landscape is perceived as narrowing, with a focus on objectivity and serving the interests of marketers [51][53]

Core Insights - Mark Zuckerberg's vision for Meta's advertising future suggests a shift towards fully autonomous advertising, where advertisers would rely entirely on the platform's AI capabilities without needing creative input or demographic targeting [3][12] - Amazon's advertising strategy appears to be more nuanced, balancing automation with advertiser control, as it has generated over $46 billion in revenue in 2024, making it the third-largest digital advertising platform globally [7][8] Group 1: Meta's Advertising Vision - Zuckerberg envisions a future where businesses simply state their objectives and connect their bank accounts, eliminating traditional advertising responsibilities [3] - This approach represents a significant bet on AI, aiming to redefine the relationship between advertisers and platforms [3][12] - The concept of a "black box" advertising system is seen as a potential risk, as it may lack independent measurement and transparency [12][14] Group 2: Google's PMAX Influence - Google's Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns have set a precedent for automated advertising, consolidating various ad formats into a single campaign type managed by algorithms [4] - PMAX has seen over one million advertisers using it, absorbing approximately 82% of Shopping ad spend by May 2024, although this share has since declined by about six percentage points [5][6] - Unlike Zuckerberg's vision, PMAX still requires minimal creative input from advertisers, indicating a demand for some level of control [6] Group 3: Amazon's Advertising Strategy - Amazon Ads is evolving with initiatives like Performance+ and Brand+, which suggest a move towards less control for advertisers while still maintaining some level of transparency [8] - The company is investing in generative AI tools for creative production, indicating a trajectory towards more automation [8] - Amazon's advertising ecosystem is unique, as product pages serve as the creative, making it challenging to adopt a fully autonomous model [9] Group 4: Co-Pilot Model vs. Black Box - Experts suggest that Amazon is likely to adopt a "co-pilot" model, providing transparency and allowing advertisers to have a say in their advertising strategies [9] - Structural barriers, such as data regulations, may prevent Amazon from fully embracing a black box approach [9][10] - Amazon's initiatives, like AI Creative Studio and enhanced measurement capabilities, indicate a commitment to transparency rather than a completely automated system [13] Group 5: Future Outlook for Amazon - Amazon is in a unique position to observe the outcomes of competitors like Google and Meta before committing to its own advertising strategy [14] - The diversity of Amazon's advertiser base suggests a spectrum of solutions will be developed, catering to both those seeking simplicity and those demanding control [16] - The key question for Amazon is whether it can maintain transparency and control while embracing AI-driven advertising [17]