How CTV ads are bought: programmatic, direct deals and publisher tools

Programmatic buying uses software to buy impressions one at a time. A publisher makes inventory available through a supply-side platform; buyers bid through a demand-side platform or a CTV platform that does the same job. Bids are evaluated in milliseconds, and the winning ad is served to the household's TV. Programmatic buying lets you reach many apps from one account, set budgets and targeting in software, and change them while the campaign runs.

• Open auction: any approved buyer can bid. It offers scale, but less control over exactly where ads run.
• Private marketplace (PMP): a publisher invites selected buyers to bid on chosen inventory, often with a floor price.
• Direct or programmatic guaranteed deal: the buyer and publisher agree price and volume in advance, and delivery runs through the buying software.

Many CTV platforms combine these. When a platform says it has direct deals with networks, it usually means it has agreed terms with those publishers rather than relying only on open auctions.

Some streaming services and TV owners run their own self-serve tools. You sign up, verify your business, upload a video and buy only that owner's inventory. The appeal is simplicity and a clear line to a known service; the trade-off is that reach stops at that owner's apps, and measurement is whatever the owner provides.

Self-serve means your team sets up campaigns, budgets and targeting in the platform. Managed means the platform's team does it for you, usually with a minimum budget or fee. Many platforms offer both, or offer optional help on top of self-serve. The right answer depends on your team's time and skills, not on the size of the brand.

Timelines differ by route. A self-serve tool can take a few days: account sign-up, business verification, creative review and a first campaign. A direct deal or managed campaign adds planning calls, an insertion order and agreed terms. Programmatic buying through an existing DSP seat can be quick if your team already uses it, because the account, billing and tracking are in place. Publisher tools often review every creative by hand before it runs, so build that review time into the launch date, and keep a backup version of the video in the right specs.

Whatever the route, the slowest step is usually tracking. Getting a pixel or server connection working, tested and approved by your own analytics team can take longer than setting up the campaign itself, so start it first.

Whichever route you choose, ask for the list of named services your ads can run on, and read it before you commit budget.