Affinity Global announced today that its publisher brands VEVE and SitePlug were honored with two awards at the 2026 CJ Excellence Awards: Publisher of the Year for VEVE and SitePlug by Affinity, and Best Channel Expansion and Activation Strategy for the Expedia Group x VEVE and SitePlug by Affinity partnership.

CJU is CJ’s flagship annual performance partnership event. This year’s edition marked the program’s 25th year and brought together more than 1,000 industry leaders. CJ reported record interest in the 2026 Excellence Awards and said the quality of entries was the strongest to date. Submissions were evaluated by an independent external panel of judges.

Publisher of the Year

The Publisher of the Year award recognizes VEVE and SitePlug’s contribution to the CJ ecosystem. It reflects Affinity’s commercial performance, its supply relationships, and its ability to open acquisition channels that advertisers don’t already have.

Affinity has more than 20 years of experience in adtech and has worked with CJ for more than 10 years, holding CJ Performer Publisher status for each of the past five. Through the Affinity Commerce Network, which brings VEVE and SitePlug together under one demand and measurement layer, the company reaches more than one billion users globally, processes more than $4 billion in annual commerce sales, and works with more than 3,000 merchants across 20+ independent browser partners and more than 1,000 commerce touchpoints. Its inventory spans search, browser start pages, OEM devices, content, coupons, mobile, CTV, in-app environments, and emerging AI-led environments. Client retention across the network exceeds 95%.

“This recognition reflects more than a decade of work building infrastructure that didn’t exist before,” said Bharat Sharma, COO and Co-Founder, Affinity Global. “VEVE and SitePlug address different parts of the customer journey, and combining them through the Affinity Commerce Network gives advertisers a way to grow outside the channels they’ve been depending on. To be recognized by CJ and the industry in both categories is something our teams and our supply partners have genuinely earned.”

Best Channel Expansion & Activation Strategy: Expedia Group

The second award recognizes a twelve-month program in which Affinity was tasked with diversifying customer acquisition across six Expedia Group travel brands beyond paid search and social, while holding to the pay-for-performance model the business runs on.

Affinity ran VEVE and SitePlug as a paired activation. VEVE placed the six travel brands on browser start pages and OEM device surfaces, reaching potential travelers before they even began searching for their trip. SitePlug captured the same travelers closer to a booking decision, through search, deal-discovery and other intent-led placements.

Affinity optimized the program across publishers, placements, geographies, days and ad formats, redirecting budget toward what was working and adding publishers where the numbers supported it, without giving up efficiency.

Over 12 months, the program delivered:

  • 78% increase in active publisher placements
  • 92% increase in qualified monthly traffic
  • 350% increase in VEVE display sales
  • 400% increase in VEVE conversions
  • 26x+ in booking value for every dollar paid to publishers

For more information about Affinity and its publisher brands, visit www.affinity.com.

About Affinity Global

Affinity Global Inc. is developing privacy-first infrastructure that pushes past today’s limits and opens up new opportunities for publishers and advertisers beyond the walled gardens. As a global AdTech company operating across 10+ markets in Asia, the US, and Europe with a team of over 500 experts, Affinity helps publishers discover better ways to monetize and enables advertisers to reach the right audiences through new touchpoints. Learn more at www.affinity.com.

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