What is Display & Video 360 (DV360)?
Display & Video 360 (DV360) is Google's enterprise demand-side platform. It lets advertisers and agencies plan, buy, run and measure programmatic campaigns across display, video, YouTube, connected TV, audio and digital out-of-home from one interface. It is part of the Google Marketing Platform and connects to Google's own exchange plus many third-party exchanges.
DV360 launched in 2018, replacing DoubleClick Bid Manager. It is aimed at advertisers who need more inventory, deal options and control than Google Ads offers.
How DV360 works
Campaigns in DV360 follow a clear hierarchy:
Partner: the top-level account, usually held by an agency or trading desk.
Advertiser: one brand, with its own creatives, audiences and conversion tracking.
Campaign: groups work around a goal and flight dates.
Insertion order: holds the budget and pacing settings.
Line item: where bidding, targeting, frequency caps and inventory choices live.
From there, DV360 bids in real time on open exchange supply, runs private and guaranteed deals through deal IDs, and buys YouTube inventory. Targeting options include Google audiences, your own first-party lists, contextual signals, geography, device and more. Automated bidding can optimize toward goals like conversions, viewable impressions or completed views.
Inventory in DV360 comes from several sources:
Open exchanges: Google's own exchange plus major third-party exchanges and SSPs.
Deals: private auctions, preferred deals and programmatic guaranteed deals set up with publishers, plus a marketplace for discovering new deals.
YouTube and Google video partners: bought with YouTube-specific line items.
Channels: display, video, native, audio, CTV and digital out-of-home.
Why DV360 matters
Breadth of supply: one seat reaches YouTube, Google's exchange, major third-party exchanges and a large deals marketplace.
Google data and measurement: it integrates with Campaign Manager 360, Google Analytics and Search Ads 360 for audiences and conversion tracking.
Control: detailed settings for brand safety, viewability, frequency and supply paths.
Video and CTV strength: YouTube on TV screens plus programmatic CTV from other publishers.
Automation: bid strategies and optimization tools reduce manual work once a campaign has enough data.
DV360 vs Google Ads
Google Ads is a self-serve tool built for Search, Shopping, YouTube and the Google Display Network, with quick setup and no spend minimum. DV360 is an enterprise DSP: it buys across many external exchanges, supports private marketplaces and programmatic guaranteed deals, and offers deeper controls. The trade-off is access. DV360 seats are typically held by agencies and partners rather than opened directly by individual advertisers. For many brands the practical answer is to use both: Google Ads for Search and Shopping, DV360 for programmatic display, video and CTV across the wider web.
DV360 with AdGeeks
AdGeeks gives brands and agencies seat-level access to Display & Video 360 without a monthly spend minimum or long-term contract. Senior traders set up and manage your campaigns, from deals and audiences to optimization and reporting, and campaigns can go live in days. You can also run alongside Amazon DSP or Adform. To get started, request access.
