Glossary/Programmatic/Programmatic direct
What is programmatic direct advertising?
What programmatic direct means, the deal types it covers, and why publishers use it.
Written by Samhub with the help of AI·Updated 13 Oct 2026·3 min readProgrammatic direct is selling directly negotiated deals, with agreed price and terms, through programmatic technology instead of manual booking.
Deal types
| Deal | Price | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Programmatic guaranteed | Fixed | Guaranteed |
| Preferred deal | Fixed | Not guaranteed |
Private marketplaces are sometimes counted too, though they use an auction.
Why publishers use it
Direct prices
Negotiated, above the open auction.
Less manual work
No creative handling or manual trafficking.
Buyer convenience
Agencies buy in the DSP they already use.
16 pages for publishers, with a checklist for data, programmatic and direct sales.
Sell audiences this way
Programmatic direct is a natural route for audience deals: the buyer gets your data at a fixed price, in their own tools.
CPM uplift at Stampen Media after activating first-party audiences with Samhub.
Frequently asked questions
Programmatic guaranteed is one type of programmatic direct.
It changes how deals are delivered, not the need to sell them.
The publisher creates a deal ID that the buyer targets.
Usually higher than the open auction, in return for quality and certainty.
Related terms
A fixed-price, reserved deal bought through programmatic.
A fixed-price deal without guaranteed volume.
The code that ties a buyer to a specific programmatic deal.
Ads sold by the publisher’s own team.
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