A deal ID is a unique alphanumeric string — generated by an SSP — that encodes the terms of a private programmatic deal between a publisher and a specific buyer. When the SSP sends a bid request for an eligible impression, it includes the deal ID in the request. The buyer's DSP recognises the deal ID and responds with a bid that respects the agreed terms (floor price, deal type, targeting parameters). Without the deal ID, the buyer cannot access that inventory through the private auction — they would only see it if it falls through to open auction.
Where deal IDs live in the programmatic stack
Deal IDs flow through the OpenRTB protocol — the technical standard that governs real-time bidding communication between SSPs and DSPs. In an OpenRTB bid request, the deals array inside the pmp object contains one or more deal IDs. The SSP populates this field when it knows a specific buyer has an active deal for the impression being auctioned.
On the buy side, the DSP stores deal IDs in its Inventory Management section (called "Deal Management" in DV360, "My Inventory" in TTD). When a bid request arrives containing a deal ID that matches one in the DSP's inventory list, the DSP treats the impression as a private deal and bids accordingly.
How deal IDs are created: the publisher workflow
- Negotiate terms: Publisher and buyer agree on floor CPM, deal type (PMP, preferred, PG), targeting (audience segment, content type, geo), and flight dates.
- Create deal in SSP: The publisher's account manager (or the publisher directly via SSP UI) creates the deal in the SSP platform. They input the agreed terms and specify which DSP seat ID the deal is for.
- Deal ID generated: The SSP generates a deal ID — typically a string like
magnite_ctv_ind_1234or a UUID. This is unique to the publisher-buyer-SSP combination. - Share deal ID with buyer: The publisher sends the deal ID to the buyer's trading desk. This is typically done via email or through the SSP's deal management UI, which can notify the buyer's DSP directly.
- Buyer activates in DSP: The buyer enters the deal ID in their DSP and sets campaign targeting and bid. The deal is now live.
Common deal ID problems in India CTV
Deal ID setups fail more often than they should. The most common issues:
- Wrong DSP seat ID: The publisher created the deal for the wrong DSP or wrong seat within the DSP. The buyer's DSP never receives bid requests with the deal ID. Fix: confirm the exact DSP seat ID with the buyer before creating the deal.
- Deal not activated on buyer side: The buyer received the deal ID but hasn't entered it in their DSP. The most common reason deals don't spend in the first week. Fix: confirm activation with the buyer's trader and check DSP deal status.
- Bid below floor: Buyer activated the deal but set their bid equal to or slightly above the floor. In first-price auctions, this often results in low win rates. Fix: buyer should bid 20–30% above floor.
- Targeting too narrow: Publisher applied an audience segment to the deal that is too small to deliver against. The deal is live but has almost no eligible impressions. Fix: check segment size before creating audience-targeted deals — minimum 50K eligible users.
- SSP-DSP integration gap: The buyer's DSP does not have an active bidder integration with the publisher's SSP. Deal IDs only work if the SSP and DSP exchange bid requests. Fix: confirm the SSP-DSP pairing is supported before agreeing terms.
Deal ID reporting: what to track
Both publisher and buyer can pull deal-level reporting. Key metrics to monitor:
- Bid requests sent (publisher): How many eligible impressions was the deal offered? If low, the targeting is too narrow or the deal is not routing correctly.
- Bid rate (buyer): What percentage of deal bid requests did the DSP respond to? Low bid rate means the buyer's campaign is not targeting this deal actively.
- Win rate: Bids won / bids sent. Should be 40–70% for a healthy PMP. Below 20% means the bid is too close to floor.
- Clearing CPM vs floor: Average CPM vs agreed floor. Consistently clearing at floor means competition is low — consider whether the deal price reflects real demand.