Skip to content

Overview

In a fragmented and opaque programmatic landscape, Viant takes a unique approach to inventory quality by offering a clear, performance-first path by enforcing real-time, verified inventory quality standards across all channels. This approach is grounded in the belief that true media quality must go beyond meeting basic industry standards.

Our strategy is centered on optimizing inventory to improve campaign performance, prioritizing environments that drive measurable outcomes while also filtering out fraud and bot traffic. Our approach is structured around four core pillars that define how we manage traffic and supply quality:

  • Inventory Quality Policy: Viant enforces strict, non-negotiable supply-side requirements, including IAB standards like ads.txt, sellers.json, and schain, along with enhanced criteria for CTV placements, ensuring only transparent, TV-like inventory is eligible by default.
  • Filtering low quality traffic and supply: Viant’s machine learning Quality Model scores every bid request in real time to detect low quality traffic and environments, automatically filtering bad supply before it reaches the auction and prioritizing cleaner supply paths.
  • Client Controls: Advertisers can layer on optional tools—like blocklists, curated PMPs, and third-party segments to further customize buying strategies, all while benefiting from Viant’s always-on, default protections.
  • Insights: Viant continuously monitors inventory quality through post-campaign audits and partnerships with MRC-accredited vendors, and planning future reporting tools to increase transparency and accountability. If Viant determines that a customer purchased non-authentic media, we ensure the cost of media is returned to the buyer and the sellers responsible don’t profit from it.
Inventory Quality Policy

Any exchange or publisher providing inventory to Viant must adhere to the following requirements. Non-compliant inventory may be blocked at the impression level. Repeated violations can lead to domain-level restrictions or full supply removal.

Inventory Transparency

To maintain accurate and reliable inventory signals, supply partners must comply with IAB transparency standards:

  • ads.txt / app-ads.txt – Declare authorized digital ad sellers to prevent unauthorized reselling.
  • sellers.json – Publicly list entities selling ad inventory to improve supply path transparency.
  • SupplyChain Object (schain) – Disclose all intermediaries involved in an impression transaction. All nodes must be valid and no more than three hops will be accepted.

Additionally, below is guidance on what should be included in the bid request to be eligible for bidding:

  • publisher.id
  • site.domain
  • site.page
  • appbundle (conditional)
  • Geo - lat / long, zip (conditional)
  • Mime
  • Browser version
  • Bid floor
  • OS
  • schain
  • source.tid or imp.ext.tid
  • device.ip
  • device.ua
  • device.ifa, device.ext.ifa_type (conditional)
  • video.plcmt (conditional)*
  • eid (conditional)*
  • livestream (conditional)*
  • Min/max duration (conditional)
  • Min/max bid rate (conditional)
  • imp.tagid or imp.ext.gpid (conditional)

The following fields are preferred and the inclusion of these fields in the bid request increases the likelihood we will bid on your request.

  • IRIS_ID
  • Non-truncated Client IP
  • Direct Access publisher ID
  • Network
  • Channel
  • Series
  • SSAI
  • Genre
Inventory Quality Standards
Ad Load & Viewability
  • Ad refresh rates must be at least 30 seconds per creative and must comply with industry-standard viewability expectations.
  • Display and video ads must remain visible for the intended duration—hidden, stacked, or off-screen placements are prohibited.
  • Embedded inventory in OS-level apps (e.g., VPNs, alarms, wallpapers) is restricted due to low-value ad engagement.
Traffic Source & Content Policies
  • Viant does not allow fraudulent, synthetic, or misrepresented traffic sources. This includes purchased traffic, bot-generated impressions, or artificially inflated engagement.
  • Invalid traffic (IVT) as defined by the Media Rating Council (MRC) and Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) shall not be sent to Viant.

Prohibited content categories:

  • Piracy-related websites or apps
  • Adult content and extreme violence
  • Discriminatory or misleading material
  • Unlabeled child-directed content (must be flagged with COPPA=1 to be excluded)

Video ad compliance:

  • Publishers must adhere to IAB VAST, VMAP, and Open Measurement (OMID) standards.
CTV (Connected TV) Inventory Requirements

CTV represents premium, high-value inventory, and Viant enforces strict quality controls to ensure it remains brand-safe and fraud-free.

  • No unauthorized CTV reselling. CTV supply must be sourced directly from the original publisher or platform. All nodes within the supply chain must be valid.
  • Direct and resold inventory must be properly classified with distinct seller IDs.
  • CTV ads must include audio and cannot be delivered alongside short form content. These ads must be delivered in a proper TV environment, meaning:
    • No serving in public venues (bars, gyms, waiting rooms) unless explicitly declared.
    • No muted autoplay placements that fail to meet standard CTV engagement requirements.
    • No app impersonation—app IDs must match the actual environment where ads are shown.
Inventory Efficiency & General Standards

To reduce redundant bid requests and optimize energy consumption, Viant enforces efficiency policies:

  • One impression object per ad opportunity; consolidate bid requests for multiple media types or formats as needed.
  • Delayed bidding (downloaded shows and podcasts)- We only accept an impression reported before 24 hours from the time of bid response
  • Seller IDs must represent mutually exclusive inventory; if multiple IDs exist, use the sellers.json comment field to clarify differences.