CTV & Ad-tech Glossary

Here’s a linear glossary focused on CTV & programmatic ad tech, tailored for broadcasters, content owners, and streaming platforms, based on The Trade Desk’s definitions with additional context for a supply‑side platform (SSP) perspective:

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A

Advertising (Ad) Auction
A real‑time marketplace where advertisers bid programmatically for available ad impressions. The highest bid wins and serves the ad instantly Outbrain+13The Trade Desk+13Wikipedia+13.

Attribution / Conversion Attribution
Determining which ad (or ads) should receive credit for driving a user action (such as a sign-up or purchase), using single-touch or multi-touch models The Trade Desk.

Attribution Window
The time period after a click or impression during which a conversion is credited toward that event The Trade Desk+1arXiv+1.

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C

Cookie Mapping
A process of syncing identifiers across systems (such as between SSP and DSP) to enable consistent cross‑platform user recognition The Trade Desk+1Integral Ad Science+1.

Cookieless
Refers to targeting and tracking methods that do not rely on third‑party browser cookies, enabling more privacy‑compliant audience segmentation Wikipedia+3The Trade Desk+3Integral Ad Science+3.

CPA (Cost per Acquisition)
A pricing model where advertisers pay when a specific action is taken—such as a purchase or form fill—rather than per impression or click Outbrain.

CPV (Cost per View)
A pricing model commonly used for video ads where the advertiser pays when the ad is played or interacted with under predefined viewing criteria The Trade Desk.

Cross‑Device / Cross‑Device Targeting & Attribution
Tracking, targeting, and attribution across multiple devices (TV, mobile, desktop), enabling unified campaign measurement even when users switch screens The Trade Desk.

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D

Data Management Platform (DMP)
Platform used to collect, process, and segment audience data—including first‑party and third‑party data—for targeted ad delivery The Trade Desk+1Wikipedia+1.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)
A system that centralizes and unifies individual-level first‑party customer data, making it accessible to ad tech platforms for targeting and campaign activation adbutler.com.

Deal ID
A unique identifier for reserved inventory in private marketplaces (PMP), enabling DSPs to access inventory under pre‑negotiated terms Wikipedia+3The Trade Desk+3Integral Ad Science+3.

Decisioning
The real‑time logic and rules that determine when, where, and how ad impressions should be bought and served in programmatic environments DaviesMeyer+4The Trade Desk+4Integral Ad Science+4.

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F–L

Frequency Cap / De‑duplication Window
Rules to limit how many times an individual sees the same ad (frequency cap) or prevent duplicate conversion counting within set time windows The Trade Desk.

Livestreaming
Delivering television content in real-time over the internet via streaming platforms rather than broadcast or cable The Trade Desk.

Lookalike Modeling
Targeting technique that identifies new audience members who share similar behaviors or attributes with known high-value users The Trade Desk.

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M–P

Mid‑roll
Ads that appear in the middle of streaming content; analogous to commercial breaks on traditional TV The Trade Desk.

Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) / Automated Guaranteed
Deals in which buyer and seller agree in advance on price and volume, then execute automatically via programmatic platforms without auction ImprovadoOutbrain.

Private Marketplace (PMP)
A curated auction where a select group of invited buyers bid on premium inventory via SSPs using Deal IDs Improvado+2Integral Ad Science+2magazinemanager.com+2.

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S–V

Supply‑Side Platform (SSP) (relevant to ONE SSP)
Technology platform that helps media owners (broadcasters, streamers) make their ad inventory available programmatically to demand buyers. It manages yield optimization, bid requests, and deals.

Viewability Metrics (e.g. AVOC)
“Audible and Visible on Complete” refers to the percentage of impressions seen and heard in full by real users—critical for video metrics on CTV The Trade Desk.

Win / Win Rate
“Win” = impressions won by the buyer in an auction; “Win rate” = percentage of bids that result in impressions served The Trade Desk.

Yield Management
Adjusting inventory pricing dynamically (often via price floors or auction strategy) to maximize revenue from ad inventory mediaradar.com.

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Z

Connected TV (CTV) Advertising
Serving video ads on streaming devices attached to TVs—via smart TVs or OTT devices like Roku, Fire TV—often leveraging programmatic buying via SSP/DSP infrastructure The Trade DeskThe Trade Desk.

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🔄 Workflow Snapshot (from an SSP point of view)

1. Inventory registration: CONTENT owner/streaming platform exposes CTV ad slots via SSP.
2. Bid request triggered: When a viewer hits a programmatic slot, SSP sends bid requests including device type (CTV), user data, and Deal IDs to DSPs.
3. Bidding: DSP evaluates via decisioning logic (targeting, frequency cap, lookalike, cookieless data) and responds with bid price and creative.
4. Auction & Win: SSP runs auction; highest bid wins, creative is served mid-roll/pre-roll.
5. Attribution & Reporting: Impression, viewability (e.g. AVOC), clicks/views are logged. Attribution windows and cross‑device linking determine conversions. Data is fed back via DMP/CDP