Deals API is one of the APIs by IAB Tech Lab, primarily designed to automate and streamline programmatic deal syncing between DSPs and SSPs.
The Story Behind
Managing deals in programmatic auctions, particularly aimed at enabling curation, currently require significant amounts of manual configuration. which can end up causing significant problems.
If entered incorrectly, the configuration mistakes can cause misalignment and discrepancies between the supply and demand sides, which can have a negative impact on the overall programmatic ad campaign performance. And here’s where the introduction of the common standard on how deals are being communicated between DSPs and SSPs, known as Deals API, should help out.
Deals API Benefits
First and foremost, the implementation of Deals API should reduce the amount of manual data entry, minimizing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
Secondly, its adoption implies that all parties involved in the programmatic deal packaging, including sellers, packagers and curation vendors, if any, should be identified explicitly and in the standard manner, ensuring more transparency, hence higher buy-side confidence in programmatic deals.
In addition, it’s promised that the further API versions will also enable the discoverability of businesses and vendors involved in the deal, leveraging the collaboration between premium publishers and advertisers in the turbulent times of downward traffic dynamics.
More importantly, the adoption of Deals API can set somewhat a foundation for how curation management improvements and other novelties in the data-driven programmatic ecosystem should be managed going forward.
Perspectives of Adoption
The first draft of Deals API has been opened for public comment until January 31, 2026, hence the updated and improved version is expected to be available by the end of Q1 2026. In view of this, its gradual adoption can be expected later in 2026, presumably reaching a wider scope by 2027, but this has yet to be seen in dynamics.