• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, March 30, 2015

Programmatic direct platforms are expected to command nearly half of all programmatic ad spend by 2016, per recent eMarketer estimates, and PulsePoint wants in on the action.

The ad tech platform on Monday announced the launch of a programmatic direct platform that will support native, social and display advertising.

Adding fuel to a second hot topic in the industry -- “programmatic native” -- PulsePoint has teamed with four native supply partners at launch: TripleLift, Sharethrough, AdsNative and Distroscale

Several companies in the same space as PulsePoint have made moves to stake a claim in the programatic direct space, though perhaps none were more overt than Rubicon Project and AppNexus.

Both Rubicon and AppNexus have recently made significant investments in programmatic direct technologies. Earlier this month, AppNexus acquired Yieldex for $100 million with an eye on becoming a leader in the space, while Rubicon rolled out a new ad platform after integrating the two programmatic direct platforms it acquired last fall.

The pitch most programmatic direct providers give is that it offers buyers and sellers a way to trade quality media on a guaranteed basis while still being able to use precise targeting. That’s the same angle PulsePoint is taking with its new offering.

The company touts that its platform will allow marketers to buy viewable impressions on a vCPM basis. PulsePoint also says it will offer “high-impact ad units and exclusive deal packages customized by unique audience interest, content verticals, creative formats, ad placements and viewability requirements.”