What is programmatic guaranteed?
Programmatic guaranteed (PG) is a deal in which a buyer and publisher agree in advance on a fixed price and a guaranteed number of impressions, then deliver it through programmatic pipes rather than a traditional ad server booking. It is the automated version of a direct-sold campaign: reserved inventory, no auction, but with programmatic targeting, pacing and reporting.
Programmatic guaranteed suits premium placements, CTV and sponsorships where buyers want certainty. The buyer's DSP receives bid requests tagged with the deal and is expected to bid on almost all of them. Unlike a private marketplace, there is no competition for the impressions.
PG blurs the line between direct-sold advertising and programmatic, which is why many surveys now report a growing share of programmatic spend going through deals rather than the open auction.