A preferred deal gives one specific buyer first-look access to CTV inventory at a fixed, pre-agreed CPM — before that inventory goes to any auction. Neither party commits to volume: the publisher offers eligible impressions to the buyer at the agreed price, and the buyer's DSP decides whether to accept each one. No delivery guarantee applies on either side.
How it differs from other deal types:
- vs open auction: The publisher bypasses the open auction for this buyer. The buyer gets priority access at a known price rather than competing with all buyers at a variable clearing price.
- vs PMP: A PMP is a private auction — invited buyers compete and the highest bid wins. A preferred deal has no auction and no competition; the price is fixed upfront.
- vs programmatic guaranteed (PG): A PG deal commits both parties — fixed volume, fixed price, make-goods if short. A preferred deal has no commitment; the buyer can accept or decline each impression, and the publisher has no obligation to deliver a minimum volume.
When preferred deals make sense: When you want price certainty and brand-safe inventory access without committing to a volume guarantee. Useful for brand-sensitive categories (banking, FMCG) that need contractual content adjacency controls, and for buyers building a publisher relationship before committing to PG volume.
In India CTV: Preferred deals are less common here than in the US. JioHotstar sells premium CTV inventory primarily via direct IO or PG for large campaigns. Zee5 and some mid-tier publishers offer preferred deals via PubMatic for buyers who want genre-specific inventory at a consistent rate. Minimum deal sizes to justify publisher setup effort are typically ₹10–20L in planned spend.
Related questions
- What is programmatic guaranteed in CTV?
- What is a private marketplace (PMP) deal in CTV?
- Open auction vs PMP: which is better for CTV?
- How do I set my CPM floor strategy for India CTV?
For a full breakdown, see the preferred deals in CTV programmatic knowledge base article.