How to Activate CTV PMP Deals in The Trade Desk

What the seller must provide first

If you do not have these in writing, you will discover them as launch blockers. Ask for them before you build the campaign.

• The deal ID, and confirmation that your DSP account identifier has been added to the deal
• The inventory inside the deal: apps, channels, or content categories
• Pricing terms — floor or fixed rate — and the priority level of the deal
• Creative specifications: ad duration, VAST version, file or tag requirements, and approval turnaround
• Required measurement vendors and whether their tags must be attached at creative level
• Flight dates and any daypart or geographic limits built into the deal

Activation steps in The Trade Desk

1. 1.Confirm the deal is visible to your account

   A deal only appears once the seller has attached your advertiser or account ID. If it is not visible in the platform, nothing else you do will make it deliver.

2. 2.Create a campaign with Connected TV inventory

   Set the inventory type to Connected TV and set flight dates that match the deal window. A campaign flight that extends past the deal's window simply stops delivering.

3. 3.Attach the deal ID

   Add the deal at campaign level through the deals/inventory controls. The deal ID is what routes your bid requests only to the seller's packaged inventory.

4. 4.Set targeting within the deal's scope

   Apply geography, device, daypart, and audience targeting as needed. You can narrow inside a deal, but you cannot expand past it — targeting that is too narrow is the most common cause of apparent underdelivery.

5. 5.Upload creative that matches the spec

   Provide VAST-hosted creative at the required duration. If the seller requires a specific verification vendor, ensure the tag is attached at the creative level as instructed.

6. 6.Point your ad server correctly

   If you serve through an ad server, the line item's creative must resolve to the DSP creative or deliver a valid VAST response. Test the ad-server-to-DSP handoff before launch, not during the flight.

7. 7.Preview and verify

   Run a preview or test impression on a device in your target geography, confirm the creative renders, and confirm verification is firing.

8. 8.Launch, then watch pacing early

   Review delivery in the first day or two. Early pacing checks give you time to widen targeting, add a second deal, or shift budget before the flight is half over.

How DV360 and Amazon DSP differ

In Display & Video 360, deals are typically attached at the line-item level through the inventory and deals controls, and the deal must be visible to your advertiser ID. In Amazon DSP, deal IDs are added within the campaign or line-item buying options, again contingent on the seller granting your account access.

The commercial logic is identical across platforms: the seller controls who sees the deal, the deal ID controls which inventory you can buy, and creative specs control whether you can go live. Only the screen names change.

Common activation failures

• Deal ID entered, but the seller never added your account — the deal shows zero impressions
• Creative approved at 15 seconds while the deal requires 30, or vice versa
• Verification tag missing, so the seller's traffic is filtered out at the last moment
• Geographic targeting narrower than the deal, starving delivery
• Ad-server creative pointing at the wrong VAST URL, so impressions count but nothing renders
• Flight dates that outlast the deal window, producing an unexplained stop in delivery

A note on platform interfaces

DSP interfaces change often, and menu labels in The Trade Desk, DV360, and Amazon DSP move between releases. If a step above does not match what you see, follow the platform's current help-center guidance for attaching a private marketplace deal — the underlying requirements are unchanged.