A review site dropped its old waterfall — earnings rose 31%

A review site dropped its old waterfall — earnings rose 31%

A waterfall asks ad networks one at a time, in a fixed order, until one says yes. Header bidding asks them all at once and takes the highest bid.

What happened: a product-review site ran a waterfall. The first network in line won most slots — even when a later network would have paid double.

The switch:
1. Replaced the waterfall with a Prebid auction.
2. Let all networks bid simultaneously.
3. Compared a full month before and after.

Result: revenue per thousand views rose 31%, because the actual highest bidder now won instead of just whoever was first in line.

In plain English: a waterfall picks by order; header bidding picks by price. Price wins more often.