Open Bidding allows you to invite third-party demand partners to compete for your inventory in a single auction with real-time, server-to-server bidding. Open Bidding in Ad Manager also provides simplified trafficking, reporting, and billing.
Should I use Open Bidding or header bidding?
Open Bidding is easier to implement than header bidding. You can use your existing tagging on website or apps, or you can opt for an SDK implementation. Open Bidding in Ad Manager also reduces the latency historically associated with header bidding.
Ad Manager communicates directly with third-party demand partners in a server-to-server connection. Under header bidding, complex custom header bidding code is usually required to facilitate this communication. This causes latency for your websites or apps and is a suboptimal user experience.
Eligible inventory trafficked in Ad Manager can take advantage of Open Bidding with no additional technical development required.
Mediation for mobile apps
Ad Manager mediation for mobile apps uses a list of yield partners called individually, in sequence, from your mobile app after dynamic allocation. Open Bidding, on the other hand, is handled by the Ad Manager ad server, which calls all yield partners at once so they can compete in real time during the dynamic allocation process.
Open Bidding and mediation yield partners can be included in the same yield group and compete in the same auction. Learn more about how Open Bidding works.
Pricing and protections
Pricing rules, including advertiser floor prices, apply to all remnant line items and to Open Bidding.
Protections, including blocking rules, do not apply to Open Bidding partners by default. However, with bidder creative restrictions, you can choose to enable the "Filter creatives based on your protections" setting for one or more Open Bidding partners.
Reporting
Google’s relationship to publishers and exchanges
Through the Ad Manager ad server, Google facilitates real-time bidding between exchanges and publisher ad requests. Google has contracts related to Open Bidding with both publishers and exchanges, but before a publisher can connect with an Open Bidding yield partner, the publisher must have an established contractual relationship with that partner. Google is not involved in the required contracts between publishers and exchanges.
Open Bidding partners
Below are a selection of exchanges configured for Open Bidding along with their supported serving environments and capabilities.*
Display support
| Desktop web | Mobile web | Web Interstitial | Mobile app | Native | ||
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| Yield partner | iOS/Android | Interstitial | ||||
| Ad Generation |  |
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| Chocolate Platform by Silverpush |
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| Equativ (formerly Smart Adserver) | |
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| Fluct | |
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| Improve Digital | |
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| Index Exchange | |
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| InMobi | |
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| LoopMe | |
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| Magnite DV+ | |
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| Media.net | |
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| MobFox | |
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| Nexxen (OB) | |
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| OneTag | |
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| OpenX | |
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| Opera | |
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| Outbrain | |
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| PubMatic | |
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| ShareThrough | |
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| Smaato | |
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| Sonobi | |
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| Sovrn | |
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| The MediaGrid | |
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| TripleLift | |
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| Verve Group | |
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| Yieldmo | |
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| YieldOne | |
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* Some exchanges participate in Open Bidding, but have requested not to be listed in this table.
Video and audio support
In-stream video is available to all exchanges. For out-stream video placements to be available, the exchange must opt in to multi-format requests.
| Yield partner | Audio | In-stream video | Out-stream video | Rewarded video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Generation | |
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| Chocolate Platform by Silverpush |
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| Equativ (formerly Smart Adserver) |
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| Fluct | |
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| Improve Digital | |
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| Index Exchange | |
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| InMobi | |
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| LoopMe | |
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| Magnite DV+ | |
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| Magnite Streaming | |
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| Media.net | |
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| MobFox | |
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| Nexxen (OB) | |
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| OneTag | |
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| OpenX | |
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| Opera | |
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| Outbrain | |
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| PubMatic | |
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| ShareThrough | |
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| Smaato | |
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| Sonobi | |
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| Sovrn | |
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| The MediaGrid | |
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| TripleLift | |
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| Verve Group | |
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| Yieldmo | |
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| YieldOne | |
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* Some exchanges participate in Open Bidding, but have requested not to be listed in this table.
Open Bidding Deals
Exchange partners authorized for deal transactions can submit bids specific to deals you've set up in their system. These deals compete with Ad Exchange Preferred Deals and Private Auctions based on price, with higher priority than other Open Auction bids.
| Yield partner | Eligible to support deals |
|---|---|
| Ad Generation | |
| Chocolate Platform by Silverpush | |
| Equativ (formerly Smart Adserver) | |
| Fluct | |
| Improve Digital | |
| Index Exchange | |
| InMobi | |
| LoopMe | |
| Magnite DV+ | |
| Magnite Streaming | |
| Media.net | |
| MobFox | |
| Nexxen (OB) | |
| OneTag | |
| OpenX | |
| Opera | |
| Outbrain | |
| PubMatic | |
| ShareThrough | |
| Smaato | |
| Sonobi | |
| Sovrn | |
| The MediaGrid | |
| TripleLift | |
| Verve Group | |
| Yieldmo | |
| YieldOne | |
* Some exchanges participate in Open Bidding, but have requested not to be listed in this table.
Regional limitations
Some exchanges only support requests for certain regions or countries. Exchanges not listed below support requests globally.
- Ad Generation: Japan only
- AerServ: Americas only
- Improve Digital: Americas and Europe only
- Magnite Streaming: Americas and Europe only
- MobFox: Americas and Europe only
- Sovrn: Americas and Europe only
- Nexxen (OB): Americas and Europe only
- YieldOne: Japan only
