Programmatic

Also known as: programmatic buying, programmatic ad-buying, programmatic advertising

The buying and selling of online media through automated AdTech platforms, as opposed to manual media-buying, where ads are negotiated and transacted with direct human involvement via sales teams.

While some human oversight may remain in the process — setting parameters, approving deals, or managing strategy — the actual execution of media buying and selling is largely automated, or "programmatic," in nature.

There are several distinct types of programmatic media-buying, including Real-time bidding (RTB), Programmatic direct, and Private marketplace (PMP), each differing in how inventory is accessed, priced, and transacted.