In conversation with Gavin Buxton, Managing Director Asia at Magnite

In a Connected TV ecosystem being rapidly reshaped by automation, signal loss, and the rise of generative AI, the rules of entry, scale, and differentiation are evolving fast. In this conversation, Gavin Buxton, Managing Director, Asia at Magnite, unpacks how AI is transforming the economics and creative dynamics of CTV- from democratising access for new advertisers to streamlining workflows and redefining the strategic role of the sell-side. He also reflects on how these shifts are setting the stage for a more efficient, performance-driven streaming landscape across high-growth markets like India and Southeast Asia.

Agency Reporter- Generative AI is increasingly embedded across the advertising value chain. From your perspective, how structurally is it reshaping the economics, creative velocity, and operational workflows within Connected TV?

Gavin Buxton- Generative AI is democratising access to premium CTV by fundamentally lowering the barriers to entry for smaller advertisers. AI-driven creative generation, with tools like Magnite’s streamr.ai, enable broadcast-quality video ads to be generated in minutes and adapted seamlessly across streaming environments. At the same time, operational workflows are shifting from manual processes to automated systems that help campaign activation become more efficient and intelligent.

Agency Reporter- CTV has historically involved higher creative production and entry costs compared to other digital channels. To what extent can AI meaningfully lower these barriers, and how quickly could that translate into a broader, more diverse advertiser base?

Gavin Buxton- Historically, high production costs limited CTV to larger advertisers. Generative AI can significantly reduce traditional production costs by enabling video assets to be created from simple inputs such as a website URL, removing a major barrier that historically prevented smaller advertisers from participating in TV advertising. This opens up opportunities for participation from SMBs and other emerging advertisers, particularly in fast-growing markets like India where digital-first advertisers are looking to expand into streaming.

Agency Reporter- Premium video environments demand high creative standards, brand safety, and contextual precision. How can AI-led automation scale efficiency without compromising quality and control?

Gavin Buxton- Premium video demands precision, brand safety, and creative quality and AI-led automation reinforces those standards by embedding quality controls directly into the buying infrastructure. AI can match the right creative to the right audience and moment while enforcing brand suitability by analyzing content and contextual signals in real time. It modernizes historically manual workflows, matching campaign briefs with audiences and inventory at scale. Even in a world of autonomous agents, trusted marketplaces remain essential to clear transactions, enforce standards, mitigate fraud, and manage financial settlements. AI doesn’t replace this infrastructure, but rather enhances it to make the ecosystem even more efficient and more intelligent.

Agency Reporter- As automation becomes more deeply integrated into CTV workflows, how is the role of the sell-side platform evolving beyond inventory monetisation toward greater strategic value creation?

Gavin Buxton- The role of the sell-side is evolving as signal loss reshapes the advertising ecosystem and media decisioning increasingly moves closer to supply. As automation deepens in CTV, the sell side is more actively shaping how premium supply is packaged and activated. Because they sit closest to publisher infrastructure, sell-side partners can apply first-party signals, package inventory intelligently, and create more efficient supply paths for buyers. AI-driven automation also modernises traditionally manual workflows, making execution faster and more outcome-focused.

Agency Reporter- Magnite’s acquisition of streamr.ai signals a deliberate push into generative AI. What structural gap in the CTV ecosystem does this move aim to address, and how does it strengthen Magnite’s long-term strategy in streaming?

Gavin Buxton- Magnite acquired streamr.ai to unlock SMB advertising spend for CTV publishers. streamr.ai’s generative AI capabilities enable advertisers to create TV ads using assets sourced from the brand’s online owned footprint, such as websites or social media pages. This helps simplify creative generation and opens up opportunities for small business advertisers, who have typically been unable to participate in CTV due to its cost. By offering these tools to our ecosystem partners with SMB clients, we aim to unlock a significant revenue opportunity for our CTV publishers, and we’re continuing to grow our AI expertise and capabilities across all of our products.

Agency Reporter- As AI begins to automate creative generation and campaign activation, how is Magnite thinking about transparency, data governance, and measurement within its streaming marketplace?

Gavin Buxton- As AI becomes more embedded in advertising workflows, clients will naturally seek greater transparency into how decisions are made and stronger governance over how AI-enabled and third-party systems interact with their inventory. Magnite is well positioned to lead in this environment. Our strong relationships with publishers and proximity to premium supply give us a unique advantage in improving match rates, targeting precision, and transparency. We’re focused on implementing AI-driven workflows that reflect how premium inventory is planned, bought, and measured while prioritizing client-facing tools that enable AI-driven efficiency, transparency, and monetization.

Agency Reporter- Looking ahead three to five years, what defining shifts do you anticipate at the intersection of AI, streaming, and programmatic advertising- particularly in high-growth markets like India and Southeast Asia?

Gavin Buxton- Over the next three to five years, AI is likely to play an increasingly central role in how streaming inventory is packaged, activated, and measured, particularly in high-growth markets like India and Southeast Asia, where mobile-first behavior and CTV adoption continue to evolve. We may begin to see greater use of AI-driven curation and optimization to help unify signals and bring further efficiency to programmatic in the absence of traditional identifiers. Streaming is also likely to become even more performance-oriented as measurement capabilities mature and AI improves forecasting, optimization, and cross-screen attribution.