Trusted Media Alliance launches at DMEXCO 2026

TRUSTX, madSense and Shigotech have formed Trusted Media Alliance, an independent adtech partnership debuting at DMEXCO 2026 in Cologne. The group aims to make media buying more transparent by pairing direct premium supply, explainable AI and independent CTV infrastructure.

Why it matters: - Trusted Media Alliance is aiming to cut through fragmented adtech supply chains, hidden fees and opaque optimization. - The alliance is pitching a more direct path between advertisers and media owners, with more visibility into where impressions run and how media decisions get made. - The model could matter most for CTV, where buyers and sellers often face platform lock-in and limited control.

What happened: - TRUSTX, madSense and Shigotech launched Trusted Media Alliance at DMEXCO 2026 in Cologne, Germany. - The companies describe TMA as "The First AI-Based Trusted Media Alliance." - TMA combines direct premium supply, explainable intelligence and independent execution into a single media infrastructure layer. - Each company remains independent and keeps its own technology, expertise and commercial relationships.

The details: - TRUSTX contributes direct, MFA-free premium media across CTV, video, display and mobile. - TRUSTX excludes reseller paths and charges buyers only for impressions measured as viewable. - TRUSTX provides direct access to more than 3,000 premium domains. - madSense contributes an AI decisioning layer that helps media teams audit and act on optimization decisions across budgets, audiences, channels and platforms. - Shigotech contributes independent, full-stack CTV infrastructure, including SSP, DSP, DMP and AI capabilities. - Shigotech is positioned as an option for publishers, broadcasters and agencies that want to manage and monetize media without being tied to a platform that also owns competing inventory. - TRUSTX CEO Jeff White said the alliance extends TRUSTX’s principle that buyers should know where every impression runs and publishers should receive the intended value. - madSense Founder and CEO Gordan Topalovic said the next phase of AI in media will depend on how clearly people can understand and improve automated decisions. - Shigotech CEO Shilo Asi said ownership of inventory, audiences, data and monetization has practical consequences for broadcasters and publishers. - TMA’s members cite performance and engagement data tied to their existing products, including a 56% lower CPM for madSense’s madBuys technology versus a head-to-head DSP benchmark, 92% viewability and 43% higher post-click engagement time than the average across other channels in that comparison. - Triple B Media CEO Anthony Bailey has credited Shigotech’s CTV technology with enabling EPG-level targeting, more relevant advertising budgets and greater value from inventory. - The alliance’s stated goal is to reduce unnecessary intermediation and increase accountability across the transaction.

Between the lines: - TMA is not launching as a start-up from scratch; it is packaging existing products, customers and operating experience into a joint market offer. - The alliance is also a response to a common industry complaint: buyers want clearer supply paths, and publishers want more control over monetization. - The emphasis on explainable AI signals a pushback against black-box automation in media buying. - The CTV focus suggests TMA is targeting one of adtech’s most contested and least transparent channels.

What's next: - TMA will make its first major industry appearance at DMEXCO 2026 on September 23-24 at Koelnmesse in Cologne. - Alliance representatives will be in Hall 06.1, Stand E-019 to meet advertisers, agencies, publishers and broadcasters. - The companies say more information and DMEXCO meeting requests are available at trusted-media-alliance.com.

The bottom line: - Trusted Media Alliance is betting that premium supply, explainable AI and independent CTV execution can win business from buyers and sellers frustrated by closed ecosystems and opaque adtech.