22 Best Ad Networks for Publishers For Maximum Earnings in 2024

Are you a publisher looking to maximize your earnings from ad networks? Here is a list of the top ad networks for publishers that you need to check. We have compared the best advertising networks with CPM earnings, approval process, and eligibility criteria. :

Ad Network is a medium between publishers and advertisers. It connects publishers who want to host advertisements with the businesses that want other websites to run their ads.

Its work is to facilitate transactions and payments between the two parties. It gathers ad space relevant to the needs of advertisers, aggregates the ad space, packages it, and sells it to the advertisers.

There are various pricing options that ad networks offer.

Some of them are CPM- Cost Per Mille (thousand impressions), vCPM- Viewable CPM, CPC- Cost Per Click, CPV- Cost Per View.

Ad Networks for Publishers Review

Importance of selecting the best ad network:

• Ad networks let the publishers conveniently concentrate elsewhere and connect to the advertisers on their behalf.
• It facilitates efficiency and affordability through its payment methods like CPC and selling remnant ad inventory.
• Ad networks provide personalized support to the publishers for optimizing the campaigns and ad spots.
• It helps in targeting the audience in detail concerning age, geography, income, etc.
• It provides greater reach to a larger frame of buyers to sell the ad spots at the best prices.
• It gathers more transparent traffic for the publishers to buy the ad spot at the best possible prices.

Types of Ad Networks

[image source]

There are mainly three types of ad networks:

• Vertical ad network- This is a type of network that provides full transparency to advertisers. They know where their ads are publishing or serving. These networks are affordable and provide high-quality traffic with premium websites. The pricing is based on revenue share and offers ROS (Run of Site) advertising.
• Blind ad network- In these types of networks, there exists no transparency to the advertisers on where the ads are being served. These networks are comparatively cheaper as they offer bulk purchases of remnant inventories. It offers RON (Run on Network) advertising.
• Targeted ad network- In this type of ad network, a specific audience is being targeted by using users’ data and increasing the value of the purchase. These are also called next-generation ad networks.

The image below shows the advertising industry growth by category:

[image source]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) Which ad platform is best?

Answer: Five best ad networks are as follows:

• AdThrive
• Google AdSense
• Mediavine
• Ezoic
• Monumetric

Q #2) What is the difference between an ad network and an ad publisher?

Answer: An ad publisher is one who monetizes their website by posting ads on it. While an ad network is an intermediary that connects publishers with advertisers.

Q #3) How much do Propeller ads pay per click?

Answer: Propeller ads pay $0.005 with the minimum “step” +$0.001. It is the lowest rate in the market provided by any ad network.

Q #3) What is a premium ad network?

Answer: A premium ad network is one that offers ad space from premium publishers. These types of networks deal with premium publishers or publishers with great traffic and good content creators.

List of Ad Networks for Publishers

Some popularly known publishers for Ad networks list:

1. AdThrive
2. Google AdSense
3. Mediavine
4. Ezoic
5. Monumetric
6. Media.net
7. PropellerAds
8. Index exchange
9. PubMatic
10. PubWise
11. AdPushup
12. BuySellAds
13. Amazon Publisher Services
14. Sovrn
15. TripleLift
16. Publift
17. Adcash
18. Xander
19. Taboola
20. Primis
21. Infolinks
22. Vibrant Media

Comparison of Top Ad Networks

Detailed reviews:

#1) AdThrive

AdThrive is a platform that provides tailor-made ad management smart solutions as per the requirements of your business with guaranteed higher RPMs. It was founded in 2003. It includes three publishers’ solutions: Growth, Engagement, and Revenue.

Adthrive is good for niches like customer tech, food, lifestyle, sports, travel, and more. It generally lifts publishers’ revenue to 75% with custom ad strategies, smart solutions, and an award-winning team to assist you.

Features:

• Custom ad layouts are provided to increase revenue.
• Dashboards are available for revenue and performance data.
• Enables access to national brand campaigns.
• Decrease bounce rates through core web vitals solutions, site performance plugins, and JavaScript expertise.
• SEO solutions are provided to improve RPM reporting, traffic source, and keyword strategies.
• Other features include video monetization, advanced AI, and so on.

Pros:

• Excellent ad quality.
• Higher RPM comparatively.
• Easy dashboards with revenue and performance insights.
• Good customer support.

Cons:

• High minimum traffic requirements.
• Takes a long payment time i.e., after 45 days.

Eligibility: It requires minimum traffic of 100,000 monthly pageviews with mainly US traffic and pre-installed Google Analytics.

Approval Process: Hard

Payout Terms: Payment is Net-45 scheduled on time. It is done on the 15th of every month. It supports five payment methods: ACH, eCheck, Paypal, Paper check, and Global Wire Transfer. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $25.

Revenue Share: 75% of all its ad revenue goes straight to publishers and 25% is utilized for ad serving fees, associated costs, and discrepancies.

CPM: Its average RPM ranges between $13-and $15.

Verdict: AdThrive is recommended for its minimum payment threshold limit which is just $25. It means you need to have $25 as a revenue balance to be able to get paid the further amount.

Website: AdThrive

#2) Google AdSense

Google AdSense is a platform that enables publishers to use their website to earn more money by selling their remnant space to advertisers. It offers two solutions, namely: auto ads and responsive ads.

Auto ads help in creating good content, increase revenue, and are built for mobiles, you need to adjust for mobile or site. Responsive ads optimize ad size automatically according to tablet, smartphone, or desktop and increase your revenue potential.

To get started, you need to follow the three simple steps: Create a Google account, add a phone number and address, and connect your account to AdSense.

Further Reading => List of the BEST Business Magazines to Look For

Features:

• Enables to earn money from your site from vacant spaces.
• Advertisers compete for the ad space which leads to more relevant ads on your site.
• Optimizes ads for mobile or desktop to be seen or clicked quickly.
• Saves time by automatically showing tailored ads for your site’s layout.
• Provides highest paying ads for your space that is right for your audience.
• Enables you to control the customization of ads.

Pros:

• Provides analytics for traffic.
• Effortlessly pays payments.
• Does not require updating coding every time for new ads.

Cons:

• No free trial or free plan or free version is available.
• Configuring analytics is a bit challenging.

Eligibility: There is no minimum traffic requirement to sign up for its account. Other requirements include 18 years of age, an active Gmail account, and should have a website.

Approval Process: Easy.

Payout Terms: It offers a Net 30 payment term. It means you would get the payment 30 days after the billable month. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $100.

Revenue Share: It provides a different share of the revenue for different products due to differences in costs. For displaying ads it gives 68% of the revenue, for search, it gives 51% of the revenue, and so on.

CPM: Its CPM ranges between $1 to $3 and RPM ranges between $5 to $10 for broad niches.

Verdict: Google Adsense is best for its easy approval process, analytics, easy payments, and more. It has a minimum payment threshold limit of $100, which is very high comparatively.

Website: Google AdSense

#3) Mediavine

Mediavine is an ad operation that provides full ad management services to build sustainable businesses for users. In terms of cost, fees, or working, it provides total transparency. It offers solutions to all your ad management needs, whether they are small or large. It includes creating content cards, social sharing, WordPress framework, and more.

It helps in every step of a publisher or advertiser, like launching ads, optimizing the site for speed and SEO, creating exclusive content, and so on. It has over 8,600 content creators and has been working for 16 years.

Features:

• Provides lightweight ad technology to not let your content slow down.
• The video forward feature enables the users to easily showcase the videos.
• Keeps the quality of ads in control by working with just premium ad units.
• An exclusive Facebook group to connect to their community easily.
• The data-driven dashboard is available to check your RPM, top posts, videos, and more easily.
• Places ads dynamically to optimize viewability and maintain better ads standards.

Pros:

• Ads are of good quality and are always relevant.
• Provides transparency in all aspects that make it a trusted ad partner.
• Multiple payment options are available, including Paypal, International ACH, domestic ACH, and more.

Cons:

• Limited reporting features are available.
• Disturbing branding at the bottom of the ads.

Eligibility: It requires page views of between 60,000-and 80,000 per month. It’s better if your traffic is from countries like the U.S., Canada or the U.K.

Approval Process: Hard.

Payout Terms: Its payment is done on the Net 65 schedule where you would get paid every 5th after 2 months from the month of money earned. Its minimum payout threshold limit is $25.

Revenue Share: It gives a revenue of 75% to the publishers in cases where the ad expenses are borne by Mediavine and the remaining 25% keep themselves. In case the expenses are borne by the partner, 80% of revenue would be given to publishers and the remaining 20% would be from Mediavine itself.

CPM: Its average RPM ranges between $13 and-15.

Verdict: Mediavine is recommended for services like providing quality ads, multiple payment options, a data-driven dashboard, and more. Some users reported limited reporting features.

Website: Mediavine

#4) Ezoic

Ezoic is an award-winning ad network platform that guarantees the highest revenue and best UX to its users. It provides a free trial to use its features without any credit card requirements. It offers features like building an audience using video and media, advanced security features, tools SEO, and more.

It serves every size of the site, whether it has less than 10,000 visitors or more than that. It works for you even when you are not active in balancing revenue, analyzing content, improving web core vitals, and building audiences via video.

Features:

• Helps in booming revenue, performance, and traffic.
• Provides a better experience for visitors.
• Enables you to control all final decisions over monetization.
• Provides innovative data-driven insights on UX, revenue, and more.
• Suitable for every size and type of website.
• Other services include monetization, SEO & Analytics, UX & site speed, and more.

Pros:

• They provide a free trial and a free version.
• Provides fully automated and scientific solutions.
• Weekly produced newsletters help increase revenue.

Cons:

• Consulting and integration services are unavailable.
• Takes time to get used to it.

Eligibility: It only takes 30 seconds to create an account with a minimum traffic requirement of 10,000 page views per month. Sites with less than 10,000 views can also sign up via the Access Now program.

Approval Process: Easy.

Payout Terms: It offers the payment with a Net 30 schedule. You would get paid every 30 days after the money is earned.

Its payment methods include:

• Direct bank transfer (Payoneer)
• PayPal.
• Check.

Revenue Share: It gives 100% of revenue to the publishers and keeps the earnings of an ad posted at the bottom of the page.

CPM: Average revenue per 1000 impressions ranges between $12-18.

Verdict: Ezoic is the best for automated and scientific solutions. It does not have consulting and integration services which it needs to add in the future for better working.

Website: Ezoic

#5) Monumetric

Monumetric is an ad management interface that helps in monetizing the traffic in the right way to yield a high payout and a positive user experience. It lets you have full control over your site and final decision-making.

It was founded in 2012 with the aim to provide ad solutions to publishers.

It serves all types of publishers with different categories of blogs, content, platform, or network. It includes a variety of ad sizes like leaderboard, skyscraper, medium rectangle, in-screen, half-page, or pre-roll, and post-roll video.

Features:

• Innovate and improve their technologies constantly to deliver the best bids.
• Provides optimized data-driven ad strategies.
• Ensures monetization success by providing professionals specialized in websites.
• Reports are available via custom dashboards to display various related metrics.
• Tracks earnings on the go and measures impressions by ad units.
• Various monetization programs are available, like- Propel, Ascend, Stratos, and Apollo with different requirements.

Pros:

• Offers a wide range of ad units like Desktop display ads, Mobile-optimized ad units, Inline video ads, and many more.
• Place ads for you and let you focus on creating your content.

Cons:

• Minimum traffic requirements are high, with i.e.10,000 page views per month.
• Set up fee is high, i.e., $99 or you have over 80,000 page views per month.

Eligibility: Its traffic requirement is a minimum of 10,000 page views monthly. Based on the traffic amount, it offers 4 programs-

• Propel (10k-80k page views per month)
• Ascend (80k-500k page views per month)
• Stratos (500k- 10mm page views per month)
• Apollo (more than 10mm page views per month)

Approval Process: Moderate.

Payout Terms: It offers a Net60 payment schedule. You would get paid 60 days after the day of income earned. It charges $99 as an implementation fee.

Revenue Share: It keeps 15-30% as commission from the revenue and the remaining is given to the publishers.

CPM: The average revenue per 1000 page views is between $5 to $16.

Verdict: Monumetric is recommended for data-driven strategies, specialized professionals, a wide range of ad units, and more. It also does ad placements for publishers.

Website: Monumetric

#6) Media.net

Media.net is a platform (by Bing and Yahoo) that specializes in contextual advertising networks. It provides digital publishers with various monetization products to increase their revenue. This ensures decent RPM performance, an intuitive dashboard, customizable creatives, and more.

Features:

• Provided experts that help in online monetization and advertising to build sustainable value.
• Includes optimization of ROI, speed, and low latency.
• Includes features like real-time reporting, data protection, continuous innovation, and more.
• It helps in targeting ads, yielding optimization, and data processing.
• Provides dedicated account management and page-level precision targeting.
• Ensures minimal impact to page load times.

Pros:

• Free to join without any fees.
• Provides good customer support.
• Provides a powerful dashboard for reports on the performance of websites.

Cons:

• Most of the traffic must be from tier-1 countries.
• Offers only US dollar payments.

Eligibility: It does not have any minimum traffic requirements. To get approved, the site must have traffic from tier 1 countries with English content. Content must be updated regularly and nothing should be there that violates the copyright. The links should not have hidden links.

Approval process: Hard.

Payout terms: Its payment schedule is Net 30. You would get paid after every 30 days of money earned and has a minimum payment threshold of $100. Its mode of payment is wire transfer or PayPal.

Revenue Share: The revenue share that it needs to give to the publishers is unknown.

CPM: It pays $5 per 1000 impressions (RPM).

Verdict: Media.net is recommended for its services like optimization of ROI, data processing, reporting, and more. It does not pay in other currencies other than US Dollars.

Website: Media.net

#7) PropellerAds

PropellerAds is an ad management interface for marketers, agencies, ad networks, and affiliates for conversion-focused campaigns. It includes powerful services like automated ad optimization, fraud prevention, a self-serve platform, and more.

Features:

• Maximizes revenues with high viewability through AI-powered ad optimization technology.
• Full transparency to the publishers by enabling them to access detailed revenue reports.
• Multilingual dashboard to enjoy control in your native language.
• Powerful tools like customized ad formats, monetization performance, and more.
• Real-time detection of frauds and various prevention solutions are available.
• Effective re-targeting and optimization tools for affiliate marketing.

Pros:

• No minimum traffic requirement.
• Low payment threshold of $5.
• Offers a fast payment schedule, i.e., Net 07.

Cons:

• Generates comparatively lower revenue for non-English websites.
• Provides lower CPM for sites that do not meet quality standards.

Eligibility: No minimum traffic requirements. You must have a live website with a domain name.

Approval process: Easy.

Payout terms: For publishers, the minimum payout threshold limit is $5. It works on a Net 30 schedule, where the publishers would get the payment after 1 month of revenue earned.

Revenue Share: Publishers get 80% of the revenue generated and the remaining is taken by the PropellerAds.

CPM: Ranges between $1 to $3 for tier-1 countries and less for other countries.

Verdict: PropellerAds is best for targeting, retargeting, and optimization tools. It needs the sites to have quality standards to get better CPM.

Website: PropellerAds

#8) Index Exchange

Index Exchange is a digital ad management platform that provides programmatic advertising solutions. It monetizes different channels like video, mobile, and so on and generates premium global demand through industry-leading DSPs.

It provides a Standard quality exchange with a safe and transparent supply chain with various addressability solutions to increase the relevancy of the audience. Other services include data and analytics, integration and support, and more.

Features:

• Supports every format on screen with an approach to omnichannel exchange.
• Ensures exchange quality with inventory & ad quality and security & fraud prevention.
• Ensures efficient exchange by providing a programmatic ad exchange.
• Enables you to choose the addressability solutions.
• Provides easy access to data like performance data, reporting UI, API, and client audit logs.
• Connects you with an exchange marketplace to enable you to buy and sell as per your need.

Pros:

• It is free to use.
• It supports every format on any screen.
• Provides integration and support on your terms.

Cons:

• The approval process is competitively very tough.

Approval Process: Hard.

Verdict: Index exchange is recommended for its features like cross-device support, top-rated brands, predictive optimization, and more. It has nearly 20 years of experience in ad technology.

Website: Index Exchange

#9) PubMatic

Pubmatic is an ad serving network that provides solutions like ad quality, cross-screen video, media buyer console, and many more. Publishers can improve the monetization potential of their websites by using it.

It simplifies header bidding with management tools and access to Prebid.js. It provides private marketplaces to maintain control and manage audiences and Real-Time Bidding (RTB) technology to yield competition.

Other services include ad quality tools, audience encore, identity hub, inventory quality, Openwrap OTT, and more.

Features:

• Ensures ad quality and safeguards your inventory.
• Real-time bidding technologies are available to facilitate connections with leading demand sources.
• Offers a private marketplace with transparency, unique demand, and so on.
• Open source technology is available to boost omnichannel monetization.
• Other services include A/B testing, identity resolution, and more.

Pros:

• Supports real-time bidding (RTB).
• Its analytic capabilities and dashboards are very helpful.
• There are a variety of markets that Pubmatic advertises.

Cons:

• Not fully integrated with some mobile DSPs.

Eligibility: Publisher must own the website or have a direct contractual relationship with the owner.

Payout terms: Net90 schedule is followed for the payment to the publishers and requires a minimum $200 amount of revenue.

Verdict: PubMatic is best for its features like real-time bidding, quality ads, private marketplace, and so on. Some users report inefficient customer service where they could not get the support on time.

Website: PubMatic

#10) PubWise

PubWise is a transformation end-to-end programmatic ad platform to generate the highest possible revenue for publishers as well as for advertisers. It provides full-service header bidding and reporting to the publishers. It is hyper-efficient with vigilant optimization that sustains the value for continuous performance improvement.

Other services include wrapper solutions, header-bidding management, pre-bid bid adapter, radical observability, and more.

Features:

• Helps in pre-bid management through header as a service.
• Header bidding management is available to amplify the performance.
• A Prebid adapter is provided to get access to valuable demand easily.
• Provides access to Google AdX.
• Direct and programmatic sales features are available.
• Other services include optimization, analytics, flexibility, superior control, etc.

Pros:

• A free trial is available.
• Provides 24/7 live support.
• Conversion tracking, ad optimization, and content management are available.

Cons:

• The dashboard can be improved.

Payout terms: It pays on every 10th of each month after the revenue is generated.

Verdict: PubWise is recommended for programmatic advertising, header bidding, and revenue reporting operations. Some users suggest improving its dashboard as it lacks some features and functionality.

Website: PubWise

#11) AdPushup

AdPushup is an ad revenue optimization platform. Premium advertising exchanges with ad operations expertise give publishers more and more revenue. It includes solutions like deriving bid competition, high-viewable formats, recovering ad-blocked revenue, and more.

It helps in quick integration, continuous optimization, and giving payments on time with the Net45 payment schedule with a minimum payment threshold limit of $5.

It does not require any minimum traffic requirement but rather requires $1000 monthly ad revenue.

Website: AdPushup

#12) BuySellAds

BuySellAds is one platform that runs multi-channel campaigns, reaches audiences, and provides diversifying ad strategies. It enables you to access 100+ premium publishers with advertising opportunities. It provides contextual advertisement formats with high-quality ad placements. It reaches the audience with tailored tactics.

Exclusive insights are available, including popular ad strategies, advertising trends, and more. Its minimum traffic requirement is 100,000 page views monthly. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $20.

Website: BuySellAds

#13) Amazon Publisher Services

Amazon Publisher Services is a suite of cloud services that provides a marketplace for publishers that is transparent, unified, and effortlessly connects ad technologies. Its solutions are suitable for large and mid-sized publishers, mobile app developers, advanced TV publishers, and so on.

Other services include simple server-side integration, improved user experience, single-point access, header bidding, and more.

It charges a nominal amount of $0.01 as CPM to bidders. Its minimum traffic requirement is 5000 unique visits a day and follows the Net60 payment schedule.

Website: Amazon Publisher Services

#14) Sovrn

Sovrn is a platform for independence that provides solutions to publishers and buyers. For publishers, it provides products like advertising, signal, commerce, managed services, data monetization, and instant pay. For buyers, it provides transparency, control, and brand safety.

Other services include high viewability, platinum-certified quality, direct path optimization, brand safety, and updated ads.txt file knowledge.

To join Sovrn, you do not require any minimum traffic. It offers payment on a Net90 scheduled basis with a minimum payment threshold limit of $10. Its CPM ranges between $0.3 and 1.

Website: Sovrn

#15) Publift

Publift is a platform built for Adsense & GAM, independent and app publishers that helps in growing their ad revenue by providing a better user experience. It is a GCPP, Google Certified Publishing Partner that provides ad technology and ad revenue growth.

There is no minimum traffic requirement. Its approval process is easy. It works on the Net30 schedule for payment with a minimum payment threshold limit of $50. It is best for its GCPP certification. Its recommended services include no-lock-in contracts, customer support, high-quality ads, and more.

Website: Publift

#16) TripleLift

TripleLift is an ad platform that works for publishers, advertisers, and consumers. It provides greater monetization opportunities to publishers, better performance to advertisers, and a better experience for the consumers. It provides products like CTV, brand integration, split-screen, dynamic overlay, and more.

It uses cinema graphs to increase traffic and brand awareness through engaging audiences with subtle movement on screens. It does not have any minimum traffic requirements. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $50 and offers payment on the Net30 schedule. Its CPM ranges up to $3.

Website: TripleLift

#17) Adcash

Adcash is an ad network that provides effective solutions for publishers and advertisers. It offers performance-driven ad campaigns to advertisers and monetizes the publishers’ websites with high-quality ads.

Monetization Services include anti-Adblock technology, easy integration, live statistics, fast payments, and more. For advertising, it includes services like advanced targeting, anti-fraud technology, conversion tracking, and so on.

It has no minimum traffic requirement and works on the Net30 schedule for giving payments to publishers with a minimum payment threshold limit of $25.

Its CPM ranges between $1 and 10.

Website: Adcash

#18) Taboola

Taboola is an online ad network platform that helps in reaching new audiences, creating meaningful engagements, and driving marketing results. It provides services to advertisers and publishers. The approval process is easy.

It requires over 1 million page views per month as a traffic requirement. You must be at least 18 years old, own an identified website, not publish copyright content and respect an exclusive partnership with Taboola.

It offers payment with a Net45 schedule with a minimum payment threshold limit of $100.

Its revenue share is 50% to publishers whereas CPC ranges between 2 to 5 cents and RMP can reach $2 or more. Its fill rate is over 100%.

Website: Taboola

#19) Xandr

Xandr is an open end-to-end platform that provides various effective solutions to advertisers and media companies, including Xandr, invest Xandr curate, Xandr monetized, and Xander marketplace. It provides powerful AT&T consumer insights, advanced TV formats, holistic inventory management controls, differentiated buyer demand, curated marketplaces, create competitive advantage, and so on.

Its minimum traffic requirement is at least 1,000 impressions on a given slice of inventory. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $50.

Website: Xandr

#20) Primis

Primis is a platform that helps in monetizing websites in a better way. It provides an engagement-based unit wherein the users can select the video content they love. It increases the engagement of users, leads to consumption, and ultimately results in increased monetization.

Various ad formats are available for mobile as well as for desktop-like native, classic, mid-article, etc. It provides publishers with control over categories, channels, and keywords. Its minimum payment threshold limit is $50, with two payment methods- wire transfers and checks.

Website: Primis

#21) Infolinks

Infolinks is a platform that is driven by powerful technology to provide effective advertising solutions to publishers and advertisers. Its approach is intent-based where they target the audience’s intent to achieve maximum engagement.

It has no minimum traffic requirements. No language requirements. The website must not have content related to pornography, hate-related or violent content. It follows the Net45 schedule for payment.

It requires a minimum payment threshold limit of $50 and, in the case of bank wire transfer; it is $100. Its revenue share is 70% whereas RPM ranges between $1.5 to $4 and CPM ranges between $1 to $5 per 1000 impressions.

Website: Infolinks

#22) Vibrant Media

Vibrant Media is an advertising network specializing in highly viewable brand-safe contextual marketing. It helps publishers drive substantial revenue and maintain the user experience.

It offers services like social media sharing features, companion units, YouTube integration, and more. It uses the CPM and CPC model. It has no minimum traffic requirements and gives the publisher 50% of the net per click revenues.

Website: Vibrant Media

Conclusion

Through the research, we discussed the best ad networks for publishers and concluded that different advertising networks have different requirements and methods of payments and offer different services with a common objective of monetizing the publishers’ websites in a way to attain maximum revenue.

Some focus on providing quality ads like Publift, Adcash, and more. Some are good at dealing in premium ads, like- Mediavine, AdPushup, BuySellAds, and more.

Our Review Process:

This article has been researched for 53 hours with 30 tools in which the top 22 tools were shortlisted as mentioned above.