NEW YORK—In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public comment.
The spec is important because it standardizes how SSPs and DSPs sync deals, cuts out manual entry errors, and brings real transparency into who is packaging and selling a deal across sellers, packagers, and curators. It is designed to fix the mismatches and under-delivery that have long held back high value private marketplaces and curated supply.
The API also gives the industry clear visibility into deal structure, improves collaboration between parties, and sets the stage for future discoverability so everyone in a deal knows where they sit and why. With deal-based monetization only growing across curation and streaming, the IAB Tech Lab believes that the new spec is a meaningful step toward a cleaner, more trusted programmatic supply chain.
"The Deals API sync capability directly addresses a key inefficiency in the programmatic supply chain for high-value, curated, private marketplaces," said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. "The ability to prove transparency to all parties involved in packaging and selling the deal, including curators, will improve accuracy and grow confidence in deal-based media transactions, which are a vital opportunity for publisher growth in a time of reduced traffic."
This new specification introduces a standardized method for communication of programmatic deals from origin systems, typically supply-side platforms (SSPs), to receiving systems, typically demand-side platforms (DSPs), significantly reducing potential for errors due to manual input in multiple systems and improving operational efficiency. The public comment period will remain open until January 31, 2026.
While deals are a cornerstone of programmatic advertising, especially in curation and streaming environments, where they serve as a primary monetization strategy, the manual nature of current deal entry often results in mismatches, under-delivery, and a lack of clarity around deal ownership.
This is often due to entry errors or misaligned expectations between parties. Magnite’s vice president, product management, Nick Allen, notes that “two-thirds of deals are configured with the desired supply, yet deliver no or very little revenue.”
Deals API v1.0 addresses these issues by introducing greater transparency into deal structure - explicitly identifying the business entities involved in the packaging of a deal, including the seller, packager, and curator, where applicable, the Lab reported.
This visibility helps eliminate confusion, foster accountability, and strengthen trust across all parties in the transaction chain.
“While much of the Deal Sync capability in this API formalizes long-standing needs around deal management between various parties, it sets the foundation the industry needs for innovation in deal management going forward, given the growing dominance and importance of deals,” said Anna-Maria Nalepa, senior technical product manager at Basis Technologies. “Beyond enabling better collaboration and allowing for cleaner data as deal volumes grow, the API...addresses curation by bringing transparency to deals including information about who is involved and in what capacity. It paves the way for a more transparent, deal-driven programmatic marketplace in an ecosystem historically challenged by complexity and intermediaries."
Future versions of the API will support discoverability for all participants in a deal, enabling all parties to see where and how they are included, and by whom.
“As the curation category matures, media buyers and their DSP partners should have basic line of sight into the companies that are packaging inventory,” added Chris Kane, founder of Jounce Media. “A standardized deal API is one critical step toward more trusted sell-side decisioning."
To participate in the public comment process or to review the full specification visit https://iabtechlab.com/standards/dealsapi/.
