What is Real-Time Bidding (RTB)?

Real-Time Bidding (RTB) is a form of programmatic advertising that enables the buying and selling of digital ad inventory through automated, instantaneous auctions. These auctions take place in milliseconds — every time a user loads a webpage or app, an RTB auction occurs in the background to determine which ad will be displayed.

How RTB Works

When a user visits a website, the publisher's ad server sends a bid request to an ad exchange or Supply-Side Platform (SSP). This request includes information about the available ad slot and, where permitted, anonymised data about the user (such as device type, location, or browsing context). Advertisers or Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) then evaluate the opportunity and submit their bids in real time. The highest bidder wins the impression and their ad is served to the user — all within approximately 100 milliseconds.

Key Components of RTB

  • Ad Exchange / SSP: The marketplace where inventory is made available for auction. Publishers connect their ad supply here.
  • DSP (Demand-Side Platform): Technology used by advertisers to participate in auctions, set targeting parameters, and manage bids.
  • Bid Request: Data sent by the publisher's SSP describing the ad opportunity, including ad slot dimensions, page context, and user signals.
  • Bid Response: The advertiser's or DSP's reply, specifying the price they are willing to pay and the creative to serve.
  • Impression: A single instance of an ad being displayed to a user.

Why RTB Matters

RTB allows advertisers to buy individual impressions based on their value, rather than purchasing bulk inventory. This means advertisers can target specific audiences more precisely and only pay for impressions that match their criteria. Publishers benefit by maximising yield — every impression is auctioned to the highest bidder in real time.

RTB at TwinRed

TwinRed operates as both an Ad Network and an Ad Exchange, supporting RTB infrastructure through the OpenRTB protocol. Publishers and SSPs can connect to TwinRed's exchange to monetise their inventory via real-time auctions, while DSPs can access TwinRed's premium ad supply programmatically.

If you are interested in integrating with TwinRed via RTB, please contact our team to discuss your technical requirements and submit a partnership request.