Real-Time Bidding (RTB)

Integral to addressable advertising, real-time bidding (RTB) is the almost instantaneous process of bidding on and buying ad impressions.

When someone visits a digital destination that contains ad space, the publisher’s supply-side platform (SSP) or an ad exchange invites advertisers to bid on that impression via demand-side platforms (DSPs), specifying the floor price plus the user’s demographic, geo-location, or behavioural attributes. In the time it takes for the content to load, this automated process receives the winning bid and the ad serves.

All RTB transactions in the digital adtech industry are based on the IAB’s OpenRTB specifications.