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    PUBM
    Earnings call· Jun 2026(Q2 FY26)

    PubMatic Q2 FY26 earnings call PUBM

    Aug 6, 2026 Source

    Executive summary

    PubMatic Q2 FY26 — Double-Digit Revenue Growth Ahead of Schedule Driven by AI and High-Value Formats

    PubMatic significantly exceeded expectations in Q2 FY26, returning to 11% double-digit revenue growth ahead of schedule, fueled by strong adoption of AI-powered products like AgenticOS and growth in high-value formats. The company demonstrated robust operating leverage, expanding adjusted EBITDA margin to 25% and increasing free cash flow by 47%, while strategically investing in AI-native infrastructure and go-to-market capabilities. This performance reinforces confidence in accelerated growth through the second half of the year and a structural shift towards the sell-side.

    Highlights

    5
    • Returned to double-digit year-over-year revenue growth of 11% ahead of schedule.

    • Adjusted EBITDA increased 38% year-over-year to $19.6 million, with margin expanding to 25% from 20% a year ago.

    • Free cash flow increased 47% year-over-year to $13.7 million.

    • High-value formats (CTV, mobile app, emerging) grew nearly 40% year-over-year and now represent approximately 60% of total revenue.

    • AgenticOS delivered over 80 campaigns, up from 30 last quarter, including with all 5 global agency holding companies.

    Concerns

    2
    • GAAP net loss of $1.2 million or minus $0.03 per diluted share.

    • Experienced softness in food and drink, arts and entertainment, and travel verticals.

    Guidance & targets

    6
    CategoryTargetConfidence
    Q3 Revenue
    $75 million to $77 million
    high materiality
    High
    Q3 Adjusted EBITDA
    $17 million to $19 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Full-year Capital Expenditure
    $20 million to $25 million
    medium materiality
    High
    Q4 Adjusted EBITDA Margin
    similar to last year's fourth quarter
    medium materiality
    High
    Agentic Trading Penetration
    25%
    high materiality
    High
    Agentic Trading Penetration
    50%
    high materiality
    High

    Operational metrics

    29
    Revenue mix from high-value formats
    60%double from 3 years ago
    Q2 FY26

    Represents the majority of the business, which are the fastest-growing segments of digital advertising.

    High-value formats growth
    nearly 40%YoY
    Q2 FY26
    CTV revenue growth
    25%YoY
    Q2 FY26

    Driven by new CTV advertisers and expansion of premium inventory including live sports.

    CTV revenue growth
    13%YoY
    Q2 FY26
    CTV revenue as % of total
    approximately 20%
    Q2 FY26
    Mobile app growth
    more than 40%YoY
    Q2 FY26

    Driven by mediation platform integrations, product innovation, and expansion of global app publisher base.

    Mobile app revenue as % of total
    approximately 25%
    Q2 FY26
    Emerging revenue streams growth
    nearly doubledYoY
    Q2 FY26

    Reached an all-time high, driven by increased adoption of new AI products, including AgenticOS.

    Emerging revenue as % of total
    approximately 15%
    Q2 FY26

    Reached an all-time high.

    Direct buying on Activate growth
    more than doubledYoY
    Q2 FY26
    Total display revenues growth
    12%YoY
    Q2 FY26

    Primarily driven by mobile app growth.

    Mid-market DSP partners activity growth
    over 25%YoY
    Q2 FY26

    Accelerated compared to Q1. Expected to further increase driven by new inventory categories like content creators, growing demand from direct-to-consumer brands, and continued investment in go-to-market teams.

    Top 10 ad verticals aggregate growth
    15%YoY
    Q2 FY26
    Gross profit growth
    19%
    Q2 FY26

    While revenue grew 11%.

    Gross impressions processed
    reduced 2%sequentially
    Q2 FY26

    Intentional outcome of evolving the platform to unlock cost savings and repurpose compute capabilities.

    Monetized impressions
    increased 4%sequentially
    Q2 FY26

    Expected monetization rate to continue rising in future quarters.

    Total headcount
    declinedYoY
    Q2 FY26

    Due to AI and automation increasing efficiency across engineering, marketing, customer success, and finance.

    Go-to-market headcount investment
    12%YoY increase
    Q2 FY26

    While total headcount was slightly down, reflecting AI as a financial leverage.

    Total OpEx growth
    4%
    Q2 FY26

    Well below revenue growth, while funding incremental investments.

    Cash used for share repurchases
    $21.5 million
    Q2 FY26
    Class A common shares repurchased
    2.1 million
    Q2 FY26
    Total Class A common shares repurchased
    15.5 million
    since Feb 2023 through Q2 2026
    Total value of shares repurchased
    $211.4 million
    since Feb 2023 through Q2 2026
    Remaining share repurchase authorization
    $63.6 million
    through end of 2026
    Agentic campaigns delivered
    over 80up from 30 a quarter ago
    Q2 FY26

    Including with all 5 global agency holding companies.

    AI-powered deals
    4,000
    Q2 FY26
    Creator economy market size
    $250 billion
    globally

    Represents an entirely new category of publishers to the platform as it moves into the open Internet advertising market.

    Live sports marketplace activity
    more than doubledYoY
    Q2 FY26

    Highlighting the scale of premium inventory and strength of offering.

    Market share
    about 4%
    globally

    Estimated market share, which has been growing over time.

    Industry KPIs

    9
    MetricValueDetails
    Total revenue
    Net income EPS-$1.2 millionUSD
    Adjusted EBITDA$19.6 millionUSD
    CAPEX capital program$20 million to $25 millionUSD
    Total operating expenses
    Content title performanceseveral million dollarsUSD
    Cash marketable securities$137.5 millionUSD
    Ai product feature adoptionover 80 campaignscampaigns
    Free cash flow operating cash flow$13.7 millionUSD

    Product announcements

    4
    ProductTypeDetails
    AgenticOS new agent for enterprise buyerslaunch
    Decision Fabriclaunch
    Creator Marketplacelaunch
    Gracenote partnership for real-time content intelligenceexpansion

    Deals & partnerships

    4
    Channel 4Added as a marquee broadcaster to premium SSP inventory.

    Most recently added marquee broadcaster Channel 4 in the U.K. to premium SSP inventory.

    Sony Pictures EntertainmentStrategic partnership as their preferred sell-side platform.

    Announced a strategic partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment as their preferred sell-side platform, delivering access to hundreds of millions of monthly users across PlayStation and Sony Bravia TVs.

    NVIDIAPartnership for AI-native infrastructure.

    Through our partnership with NVIDIA, we're able to process massive amounts of data and execute increasingly sophisticated AI-driven decisioning in real time.

    GracenotePartnership to bring real-time content intelligence into the platform.

    Partnered with Gracenote to bring real-time content intelligence, including contextual signals and live sports schedules, directly into our platform.

    Risks & headwinds

    1
    Softness in specific ad verticalsQ2 FY26

    Double-digit percentage growth in 5 of the top 10 verticals (shopping, health and fitness, personal finance) helped offset softness in food and drink, arts and entertainment, and travel.

    Mitigation: Diversified ad verticals and omnichannel platform help navigate period-to-period fluctuations.

    What to watch in Q3 FY26

    5

    Agentic campaigns adoption

    Next quarter, and through FY28
    Current>80 campaigns, up from 30 last quarter
    TargetContinued rapid growth and acceleration towards 25% agentic trading by end of '28

    Why it matters

    Indicates the pace of industry shift to agentic advertising and PubMatic's leadership in monetizing this trend.

    I've said publicly that I think by the end of '28, about 25% of our ecosystem will be traded agentically. And by the end of 2030, it will be 50%.

    Q&A highlights

    5

    What are the top 2-3 factors indicating the durability of current growth trends, and are there clear signs of the overall environment shifting to benefit the supply side?

    Rajeev highlighted the industry's rapid shift to agentic advertising, driven by PubMatic, which moves decisioning to their platform. He cited the success of AgenticOS campaigns and AI-powered deals, leading to improved ad performance and reduced complexity. He emphasized PubMatic's unique position with AI-native infrastructure, publisher scale, Activate, AgenticOS, and proprietary data. Steve added that operational excellence and execution are core to their DNA, positioning them for sustained growth.

    I think the 2 questions are actually closely related. So I think it's clear that the industry is rapidly moving towards an agentic future, and PubMatic is not only at the epicenter of that shift, but we're driving it.

    asked by Shweta Khajuria · answered by Rajeev Goel

    2 min read6 chapters

    Detailed Narrative

    01

    AI-Native Infrastructure and Agentic Advertising Leadership

    PubMatic is at the forefront of digital advertising's AI-driven transformation, with AgenticOS delivering over 80 campaigns, up from 30 last quarter, and attracting new customer types. The platform's AI-native infrastructure, proprietary intelligence, and ability to deliver superior outcomes are redefining value creation, as evidenced by Level Agency achieving 2x more reach per dollar and accelerated campaign setup. This shift in decisioning to the PubMatic platform is driving improved ad performance and reducing ecosystem complexity.

    02

    Strategic Product Innovations

    The company introduced Decision Fabric, enabling advertisers, DSPs, and technology partners to securely deploy their proprietary models directly within PubMatic's infrastructure. This containerization solution is seeing encouraging traction with partners like MiQ, Chalice AI, and SWYM.ai, reducing latency and improving performance. Additionally, a new agent for enterprise buyers was announced, providing configurable controls and audit trails for autonomous campaigns, accelerating enterprise adoption of AgenticOS.

    03

    Diversified Revenue Mix and High-Value Formats

    Approximately 60% of Q2 revenue came from CTV, mobile app, and emerging streams, double that from three years ago, growing nearly 40% year-over-year. CTV revenue grew 13% globally (25% in Americas), mobile app grew over 40%, and emerging revenues nearly doubled, reaching 15% of total revenue, driven by increased adoption of new AI products including AgenticOS. Total display revenues also grew strongly at 12% year-over-year, primarily driven by mobile app growth.

    04

    Financial Strength and Capital Allocation

    PubMatic reported 11% revenue growth, a 19% gross profit increase, and 38% adjusted EBITDA growth, marking its 41st consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA. The company generated $20.2 million in net operating cash flows and $13.7 million in free cash flow, maintaining a debt-free balance sheet with $137.5 million in cash and marketable securities. Share repurchases totaled $21.5 million for 2.1 million Class A common shares, with $63.6 million remaining in the program authorized through the end of 2026.

    05

    Strategic Partnerships and Inventory Expansion

    New partnerships include adding marquee broadcaster Channel 4 in the U.K. to its premium SSP inventory and a strategic agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment as their preferred sell-side platform, delivering access to hundreds of millions of monthly users. The Creator Marketplace was launched to bring the $250 billion creator economy into the open Internet advertising market. Live sports marketplace activity more than doubled year-over-year, enhanced by a partnership with Gracenote for real-time content intelligence.

    06

    CFO Transition and Leadership Appointments

    Steve Pantelick announced his plans to retire as CFO, remaining in the role into Q1 2027 and then in an advisory capacity through July 1, 2027, to ensure a smooth transition. Megan Ramm was appointed Global Chief Revenue Officer, joining on August 10, bringing deep direct-to-brand and performance advertising expertise to enhance sales effectiveness and accelerate AI-platform adoption.

    AI-generated summary of the company’s earnings call. Not investment advice.