WTF is pod bidding?

The lead image is an illustration of a robot watching TV.

This article is a WTF explainer, in which we break down media and marketing’s most confusing terms. More from the series →

Streaming advertisers got an early Christmas gift this year when IAB Tech Lab released OpenRTB 2.6. The updated protocol for programmatic advertising included support for “pod bidding.”

Pod bidding allows advertisers to bid on specific ad slots within a multi-ad break, or pod — an option that has been available to traditional TV advertisers for, well, ever. OpenRTB 2.6 also added support for dynamic pods, which allow streaming services to recalculate the number of ads in a pod on the fly in order to accommodate more advertisers without extending the length of an ad break.

For a fuller breakdown of pod bidding, check out the video below.

More in Future of TV

Fox strikes revenue-doubling Roku deal

The media company is set to acquire streamer in $22 billion stock-and-cash purchase. But it will keep its own properties like Tubi separate.

Future of TV Briefing: How TV and streaming networks are laying the groundwork for outcome-based buying

This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how this year’s upfront sets up for outcome-based buying in future upfronts.

Future of TV Briefing: How TV-streaming ad sellers are pitching fluidity in this year’s upfront market

This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how AMC Global Media, Disney, Paramount, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery are combining their linear TV and streaming inventory for ad sales.