This IDC study shows that in Australia and Asia/Pacific, ad networks are only in their infancy in most markets and many publishers and advertisers are only now beginning to gather experience with these services. The former are concerned about their remnant inventory potentially cannibalizing their own premium inventory and depressing ad prices. The latter are concerned about a perceived lack of control as to where their ads end up.

Growth could be even faster, if some cultural and technological hurdles could be removed. Many advertisers are still set on offline advertising and weary of the online medium. Publishers are still getting used to the idea of using networks to monetize remnant inventory as many will not even admit to having unsold inventory.

"IDC believes that for Asia/Pacific online market, particularly Southeast Asia, markets need to be proactively created. The success and growth of ad networks in the region thus depend how well online advertising players can drive advertisers toward the online medium in the near future," says Audrey Heng, market analyst, Emerging Technology Advisory Services, IDC Asia/Pacific.