Ad tech companies AppNexus and Rubicon Project have partnered to create an independent organisation dedicated to developing open-source header bidding solutions.

Prebid.org, which is open to all parties that appreciate fair competition and efficient monetisation solutions in digital advertising, aim to use its header bidding solutions and other open-source tools to drive publisher monetisation.

“The formation of Prebid.org marks a crucial step forward in the push for industry-wide adoption of open-source header bidding technologies,” said Tom Kershaw, CTO at Rubicon Project and a director of Prebid.org. “Todays announcement demonstrates a collaborative commitment to buyers, sellers, and the advertising ecosystem as a whole as we continue to blaze this trail of sharing and openness in an effort to promote continued growth and monetization opportunities for all parties.”

Prebid.org does not alter the functionality of existing Prebid products. Prebid.js, Prebid Server, Prebid Mobile, Prebid Video, and Prebid Native all currently contribute to Prebid.org.

The organisation currently has 81 demand partner adapters, five analytics providers, and 191 individuals who contribute code to the project. Prebid.org partners all commit to a Code of Conduct, which contains directives for header bidding wrapper mechanics, data and transparency, and user experience.

“A fragmented header bidding landscape poses a great risk to the industry,” said Michael Richardson, product line manager at AppNexus and chairman of Prebid.org. “Rather than independently competing, duplicating efforts, and wasting resources, we can push for fair competition and better results as a team. The collaboration around Prebid.org by industry partners has been incredible, showing it to be the pragmatic path forward.”