What is a private marketplace (PMP) deal in CTV advertising?

A PMP (private marketplace) is a closed programmatic auction where a publisher invites specific buyers to bid on their inventory. Unlike the open exchange — where any buyer can bid — a PMP requires a publisher to issue a deal ID, a unique string the buyer activates in their DSP to access that specific inventory pool.

PMPs are the dominant way premium India CTV inventory trades programmatically. Most of the best inventory from JioHotstar, SonyLIV, and Zee5 is not available or is lower quality on the open exchange.

Why use a PMP for India CTV?

  • Access to premium inventory not on the open exchange
  • Known floor prices upfront (typically ₹300–700 CPM)
  • Often includes publisher first-party audience data for targeting
  • Lower fraud risk than open exchange
  • Brand safety guaranteed through publisher relationship

How to set up a PMP

Contact the publisher's sales team or SSP account manager (Magnite or PubMatic for most India publishers). Agree terms, receive the deal ID, and activate it in your DSP's deals section against the correct SSP seat. Allow 24–48 hours for sync, then test with a small line item before full launch. Minimum deal sizes typically start at ₹3–10L.

Related questions

Read the full article on PMPs and private auctions in CTV →