Case Study

The 11% Problem

How Anura helped Engage Media fight against invisible invalid traffic.

Before Anura, Engage Media had a data problem—and they felt it. Campaigns weren’t optimizing as expected. Metrics didn’t align. Bot farms and spoofed apps were quietly draining value and trust. The source wasn’t obvious, but the impact was. That changed in a matter of weeks.

THE CHALLENGE

Despite solid inventory and growing traffic, Engage Media couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Campaigns failed to optimize. Key metrics were not making sense. After testing multiple fraud solutions over the years with mixed results, they turned to Anura and discovered the real issue: IVT. Bot farms, spoofed apps, and fake IPs were distorting campaign effectiveness and undermining advertisers’ trust. Once they integrated with Anura Direct, the evidence was clear—11% of their traffic was IVT and came from just two partners. Removing these sources immediately improved traffic quality and advertiser confidence.

THE THREAT THEY COULDN’T IGNORE

The main issue for Engage Media was IVT. They were seeing traffic from bot farms and spoofed apps that skewed data and misled their optimization strategies. This fraudulent activity impacted both revenue and reputation. Their current solutions weren’t cutting it. IVT hid in plain sight, like a knockoff sneaker in a designer store. Everything looked fine until Anura scanned the traffic.

A SMARTER WAY TO FIGHT FRAUD

Anura Direct was integrated across Engage Media’s bidding environments and servers. This gave them visibility into the bids, impressions, and sources. It helped Engage Media identify IVT from data centers in real time and take swift action.

Anura provided transparency and responsiveness that other vendors lacked. Their support made onboarding smooth, and their insights gave the Engage Media’s team the confidence to take immediate action.

WHO IS ENGAGE MEDIA?

Engage Media TV is a multifaceted ad network, publisher, and tech partner specializing in CTV and OTT. They offer an Android OS-compatible add-on for platforms like Android TV, Fire TV, and LG WebOS, helping app publishers monetize while preserving performance, transparency, and user experience.

CUTTING OUT THE 11% OF BAD TRAFFIC

“We’ve tested multiple fraud detection solutions over the years—some, like Pixalate, provided unreliable results, while others, like HUMAN, came with a heavy price tag. Anura delivered verified, real-time fraud detection at a fraction of the cost, making it the most balanced and scalable solution we’ve worked with.”

— Shahar Kadayer, Chief Marketing Officer, Engage Media TV.

WHAT ENGAGE MEDIA LEARNED—AND WHAT’S NEXT

Using Anura Direct, Engage Media learned how deep the IVT problem ran. Some of the data center traffic looked legitimate — until Anura exposed it. This allowed Engage Media to act quickly, reduce waste, and make better decisions. Anura exposed hidden IVT sources in real time—turning suspicion into action. They shifted from postcampaign cleanup to real-time traffic validation—ensuring advertisers only access clean, monetizable inventory.

SCALING SAFELY WITH CONFIDENCE

Anura gives Engage Media the tools to scale their business while maintaining high traffic quality. They can launch premium inventory, onboard new partners, and protect advertiser trust, all without fear of fraud. Engage Media can now help their partners course correct early. When high IVT traffic shows up, they’ll spot it instantly and take action before it affects performance or trust.