Last updated: January 29, 2026
The Media Rating Council (MRC) set standards for transparency, disclosure and reporting of various aspects and results of digital advertising auctions via their Digital Advertising Auction Transparency working group. In collaboration with these efforts, Tech Lab was asked to provide a primer and glossary about digital auctions. This document will help give all ecosystem participants common vocabulary and understanding of the way a digital auction works.
A programmatic auction is part of the process to determine how an advertisement is delivered into a relevant ad placement. The programmatic supply chain includes the buy and sell side companies that orchestrate such an opportunity. Programmatic auctions are executed in a variety of ways, but they share common roles and execution flows. In some cases a single company may execute multiple roles described.
The initial section of this primer provides a simplified description of the ad request and bid response process. Subsequent sections build on the simplified example to provide further detail and real-world use cases.
This document is open for Public Comment until February 27, 2026. Comment can be made by emailing techlab@iabtechlab.com.
You can view the document or download it below.