Referee to Co-Pilot: Ad Verification in the Age of AI with Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify

Ad verification is no longer just about blocking bad ads—it’s becoming a core input into how media is planned, optimized, and measured. In this episode of Signal & Noise, hosts Rio Longacre and Brett House sit down with Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, to unpack how verification is evolving in the age of AI.Mark brings a rare perspective, having led multiple AdTech companies across market cycles—from building and selling eXelate to Nielsen, to turning around Telaria, and now steering DoubleVerify as a public company. We discuss how that background shapes his philosophy as DV moves from being the industry’s “referee” to a more active co-pilot for marketers focused on outcomes.The conversation covers a wide range of timely topics: DV’s strong recent performance and what’s driving it, the shift from protection to performance and attention, and how acquisitions like Scibids AI and Rockerbox signal a tighter connection between media quality and business results. We also tackle some of the industry’s toughest debates—over-blocking and its impact on quality news, the role of AI in verification and optimization, CTV fraud and measurement gaps, sustainability and carbon signals, and how brands can invest confidently in credible journalism without sacrificing suitability.This is a candid, operator-level discussion about trust, transparency, and accountability in modern media—and what it really takes to connect quality signals to outcomes in a rapidly changing ecosystem.