OpenAP appoints Warner Sales President Ryan Gould as chairman
Ryan Gould, who oversees U.S. ad sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, has been named chairman of Open AP, the consortium of media and technology companies working to make new digital ad buying practices more interoperable across publishers.
He replaces John Halley, the former head of advertising sales for Paramount Skydance, who left the position late last year.
“Ryan brings both strategic vision and operational skills to this role,” said David Levy, CEO of OpenAP, in a prepared statement. “He understands that the future of premium video depends on common standards and interoperable identity. His leadership will help accelerate OpenAP’s mission to move audience consistency from aspiration to infrastructure.”
Gould takes on the role as advertisers place increasing emphasis on purchasing digital ad inventory, much of which involves streaming video. OpenAP debuted in 2017 with the goal of supporting a single system to power a type of ad buying that has become increasingly common in recent years as new technology allows marketers to pick and choose the audiences they pitch to with greater precision. Armed with vast amounts of data on customer choice, viewer behavior and digital presence, Madison Avenue has become increasingly enchanted with “audience buying,” or deals based on smaller consumer segments – think first-time car buyers, expectant mothers or soda drinkers – that some top advertisers find more meaningful than the traditional parameters, which largely revolve around age and gender.
The company was founded by the former 21st Century Fox, Viacom and WarnerMedia, but its partners have expanded to include Samsung, LG Ad Solutions, Hallmark Digital, Vevo, Allen Media Group’s Local Now, Future Today’s FawesomeTV, MediaCo’s Estrella and Canela TV, along with Yahoo DSP; FreeWheel and PubMatic; Screen vision; and Nexstar Media Group, Scripps Networks, Reelz and Audyns.
“OpenAP plays a critical foundational role in enabling audience transactions with clarity and consistency,” Gould said in a statement. “As the ecosystem continues to evolve, shared identity infrastructure in streaming and all data-driven video will become even more important. I look forward to helping guide OpenAP as it deepens its role in driving a more unified, audience-facing video marketplace.”
Gould was first appointed to the OpenAP Board of Directors in 2025. At Warner Bros. Discovery, he oversees sales associated with the company’s U.S. advertising sales portfolio across linear, streaming and digital platforms, including sports, news, research, marketing, brand solutions and commercial strategy. He has played a central role in shaping the way the company markets its premium video inventory.
