Trade Desk Revenue Dips to $736 Million

The ad-tech firm's Q3 revenue slipped slightly year over year while profit fell sharply, even as it beat its own forecast.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Advertising

Flat-color editorial illustration of a tall stack of server rack cabinets with a coil of fiber-optic cable on the floor, set against a navy and cream field. — The Trade Desk reported third-quarter revenue of $736 million, slightly down from a year earlier, as profit fell to $38 million from $116 million. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Trade Desk reported third-quarter 2026 total revenue of $736 million, down from $739 million a year earlier. Profit came in at $38 million, compared with $116 million in the prior-year quarter.

Why it matters

The results show the programmatic advertising platform still growing in some regions while North America growth has plateaued or tipped downward. The sharp profit decline signals pressure on margins for advertisers and ad-tech intermediaries alike.

Video, including CTV, online video and mobile video, makes up a low 50% share of total spend, mobile about 27%, display a low double-digit percentage and audio 7%. APAC business grew 30% in the first nine months of the year, with China up 45%, while EMEA rose more than 20%.

The players

The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk is a Ventura, California-based demand-side software platform used by advertisers to buy digital advertising programmatically across channels including connected TV, video, mobile and display.

Jeff Green

Jeff Green is the co-founder and chief executive of The Trade Desk, who has led the company since its founding in 2009 and frequently discusses its positioning around programmatic and AI-driven ad buying.

The details

Clients are setting up campaigns faster on the platform, with time spent creating a campaign down 9% on average, including a 15% reduction in ad group creation and another 9% cut in uploading creatives. CEO Jeff Green described buyer shifts and the company's AI strategy on Monday's Q3 earnings call.

Monday evening: Q3 2026 earnings call, where CEO Jeff Green discussed buyer shifts and AI strategy.
First nine months of 2026: APAC business grew 30% versus the prior year.

Market Landscape

The Trade Desk operates as a demand-side programmatic platform, a category in which it competes for advertiser budgets as channels shift toward connected TV and mobile. Its flat quarter and regional divergence, with strong APAC and EMEA growth against a plateau in North America, show how its position depends heavily on geography.

For advertisers, faster campaign setup and a growing share of mobile and connected TV spend mean shifting budgets toward these channels. Marketers in North America may need to weigh slower regional growth against stronger returns elsewhere in their ad planning.

The takeaway

Advertisers should track how their programmatic spend divides between connected TV, mobile and video, since those formats now dominate budgets. Watching regional growth gaps can help guide where to allocate new ad dollars.