Definition & Explanation

RTB is the technology that enables the buying and selling of ad impressions in milliseconds through instantaneous programmatic auctions. When a user visits a webpage, a bid request containing data such as demographics, browsing history, and location is sent to multiple advertisers, who automatically submit bids in real time. The highest bidder wins the impression and their ad is served on the page. RTB is one of several deal types under the umbrella of programmatic advertising, alongside private marketplace (PMP), preferred, and programmatic guaranteed deals.